Can a transformer be replaced?

A transformer can be replaced if the values are known. Contact Electra-Print Audio Transformers in Las Vegas area. Talk to Jack Elliano the President and chief builder. 702-396-4909 or fax 702-396-4910 Jallen

You gave more info in your last statement.If you don`t see any physical damage other than the transformer,and xfmr has no output.You may be lucky.Im not familiar with the Carver but did you see a fuse ahead of the primary of the xfrmr?If so, is it blown? You may only need another xfrmr.I doubt Carver made there own.Somebody out there has one.If you like the pre amp, I would try another repair shop.Maybe even try running a add in Audiogon "wanted, to buy".Someone just may have a used Carver preamp to sell...Good luck.

To everyone,

Thanks for all the advice!! Unfortunetely a know very little about electronics. There doesn't seem to be any pwer accross the transformer, buth the main powere rlay may have been damaged. Oddly enough the circuit boards and the capacitors all look fine to my untrained eye, nothing ic obviously broken.. I love this Amp, more than my other amps and I sure would hate to lose ti. Thanks again to the audiogon community and to sean in particular , who, once again, has povided a cogent and well thought out reply.

The repair shop said the transformer might be damaged??What kind of repair shop did you go to!Get a second opinion.Hard to beleive the shop didn`t take simple voltage readings.And if other components are damaged it might be cheaper to move on.

Marakanetz is probably correct i.e. other parts inside the amp would probably sustain more damage from the transformer smashing into them than the transformer itself. Depending on how severe the transformer was thrashing about, it is possible to have broken solder connections, broken / cracked circuit boards, wiring that has pulled loose, electrolytic capacitors that have broken their seals, parts separated from their leads, etc...

It wouldn't be hard to test the transformer for proper operation. It either works, the internal windings will have shorted out or an internal connection will have been broken. The first step to do would be to test the transformer by itself. If it has normal voltage at the outputs, it's working fine. You may have to rig something up to keep the transformer secured, but that's not a big deal. Once that's done, now you have to visually inspect the circuitry, addressing any problems that you may find.

If everything there looks good, re-install the transformer's electrical connections and power it up. I would recommend doing this gradually with a variac ( variable AC transformer ) and watching the current levels being drawn. It's not abnormal for there to be a few "jumps" in the curve as voltage is raised, so don't get wigged out if you see this happen.

If you can bring the circuit up to normal voltage without any problems, the next step is to put the amp through the paces with test tones, etc... into a dummy load. If you've gotten this far, the amp is probably okay and may only need a small amount of calibration / adjustment. This would obviously be good news.

Other than that, ANY transformer can be replaced so long as the electrical spec's are known and the correct physical size can be found. Given the cost of most large power transformers and labor to do so, it might not be worth doing on some products. The first place to check for a transformer ( should you really need one ) would be the manufacturer. If they don't have any, i'm sure that they can provide you with the spec's. Sean
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PS... Sunfire is handling all of Carver's repair work. Try contacting them with the specifics. You might be pleasantly surprised at the results and service obtained.

I think that tranny is still in good shape once it's placed back where it belongs to. Your more fragile parts may be hurt and need to be carefully inspected.

It's not difficult to replace a tranny as long as you know the secondaryvoltage & the VA spec -- which means a schematic.
Try out diyaudio, someone may be able to help.

Try Reference Audio Mods

They say everything can be replaced/They say every distance is not near--Bob Dylan.

try asking at audioasylum or check some of the amp diy sites,

Just make sure you never try to replace an Autobot with a Decepticon.