Defective Transformers

Most every old-timer will reminisce about ‘The Good Ol’ Days’ when the War years left many an electronic experimenter scrambling for circuit components to tinker with. Even mica (used as an insulator in capacitors) became unavailable during these times, leading to the development of ceramic disc capacitors. When transformers became scarce, the astute and frugal electronics man found ways to use working sections of ‘dead’ transformers. In fact, impedance coupling was ‘invented’ to make use of standard issue 1:3 coupling transformers with an open primary! I don’t recommend any of these ideas, as they are not very efficient, and replacement transformers are plentiful and cheap today. However, this is a good look at how clever someone could be when money was scarce or components unavailable at any price.