please define centre-tapped

[pietro79]

could someone please define centre-tapped... as in "Microphones with grounded center-tapped outputs"...?

I can't seem to readily find an explaination

Thanks,
Pietro

[Scodiddly]

Center tap on a transformer. Basically it's a neutral line from the center of the transfomer coil, which in some cases ends up grounded. That tends to cause problems with phantom power, though, so it's a very uncommon practice these days.

[pietro79]

Thanks.

I'm just getting to transformers in my research now.

p

[Scodiddly]

Poke around the net for old Fender guitar amp schematics - there are a ton to look at. The output transformer (right side of the schematic) will have a center tap and often several other taps as well. The center tap (on the tube side) is used to feed in the DC power for the output tubes, while on the speaker side there may be taps to allow different speaker impedance hookups.

Transformers are really cool in that you can do that sort of thing - tap off a signal at different spots - or inject a signal, it's really all the same thing. But iron is expensive these days so it's rarely used in modern circuits.