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When you’re pricing your next custom transformer or inductor, it’s critical to get the specifications right, the first time. Our products and your applications demand precision…usually that involves some back-and-forth with engineers to gather all the information needed to generate an accurate quotation.

E Craftsmen offers a wide range of custom magnetics, each one with its own unique specification, so we created this one-page guide to use as a checklist to help you scope out all the details.

Our Quick Specifications Guide for Custom Magnetics will help you ensure that you’ve acquired all the pertinent details from electrical specifications to physical constraints and regulatory needs. Download the guide here and keep it handy to take along to your next design review meeting. We hope it’s a big help!

Designed primarily for Step-Down power supply for LED lighting devices, these products are Certified to both the U.S. and Canadian standards for General Purpose Component Transformers.

The benefit to our customers is that the widely-recognized UL approval will simplify the acceptance of these compact transformers within their end-use fixtures by most safety certification organizations.

Approval with a Class B (130C) rated insulation system

Because these parts are approved with this additional rating, they can be used in equipment with higher ambient temperatures.

With their low-profile height of only 1.31 inches and narrow width of 1.63 inches, these transformers are sure to fit the small-size requirements of today's LED fixtures.

We have custom transformers to meet your needs, plus we don't charge for quotes and designs, contact us!

Manufacturing is making a comeback in North America.  But downward pressure persists from offshore commodity suppliers so time & cost-saving is the nature of the game.

R&D for new products with improved features, in smaller packages in increasingly shorter time frames is, for many, the only answer to declining revenues.

Why choose custom-made versus standard parts?

Logically, the first step for a designer to control material costs is to source standard, off-the-shelf components. The belief is that settling for a standard part will provide initial cost-savings vs. the superior choice of a custom-made part that will better suit the application. While this may be the case from a basic purchasing perspective, there are a number of design issues that may challenge that "price-only" choice over the long-term. (Not to mention that "catalogue" parts are rarely "on-the-shelf" anymore.)

When it comes to magnetics, there are several factors to consider

Form and Fit: A Custom part expertly designed with consideration to dimensions, physical constraints and terminations will likely yield a much more effective solution rather than simply “settling” for a standard part that doesn't really fit. Unexpected time needed to rework a packaging layout can result in excessive design-cycle costs. Experienced magnetic designers have exposure to a wide range of materials and innovative methods to develop a part tailored to fit just right.

Function: Losses in a transformer or inductor due to ripple currents and harmonic content can cause unexpected over-heating. Weeks lost in waiting for delivery of a low-cost catalogue part followed by set-backs due to inadequate or even dangerous performance can put the development cycle of a new product into jeopardy.

Duty cycle: Expert attention given to intermittent operation duty cycle in a custom design generally results in a dramatically smaller, cooler and cost-effective part than originally estimated.

Expert Collaboration: Often, doing it yourself takes more time and leads to frustration. Working with a professional that is skillfully trained in the design of magnetics can offer invaluable insights and know-how that are just not available from that “order-taker” at the electrical distributor.

All in all, what appears to be short-term gain can result in long-term pain when it comes to procuring parts best suited to the application.  Don’t just “settle”… Send us your specs and we'll give you a qualified quote! on a better design.

In response to a market need, E Craftsmen has developed a family of agency approved 347V Step-Down Autotransformers. This voltage is unique to Canadian commercial and industrial installations and represents the line-to-neutral phase of the standard 600V 3-phase power grid.  Most of these requests come from the lighting industry and relate to the increasing popularity of LED lighting.

LED’s operate from low-voltage DC power that requires conversion from the AC primary line voltage.

Typical world-wide primary voltage is in the range of 100 to 240V at 50 or 60Hz.  As a result, a number of power-supply manufacturers have developed off-the-shelf devices that will accept any voltage between 100-240V (known as ‘universal input supplies”).  This approach is adequate in many installations but typically in commercial and industrial sites, lighting is powered by 347V and these universal input power supplies are not capable of operating at this higher voltage.

Consequently, the installation requires that the 347V be converted or “stepped-down” to 220-240V in order to be connected to these power supplies.  The most cost-effective method of stepping down from 347V is by use of an autotransformer.  Most importantly, the autotransformer must be designed in such a way as to satisfy safety requirements for 347V input.

E Craftsmen has developed a line of CSA Certified autotransformers that are ideal for these purposes.

Power ratings include 50VA, 100VA and 240VA with efficiencies of 93% and up.  The unique “Low Profile” form factor of these parts is ideal for fluorescent ballast retrofit and numerous other similar applications.  Of course, there are numerous other ratings and sizes available that can be customized to specification…contact us for details!

More Information about the 347V

The Joy of Shipping – Tips from our 60 years of experience

Star Trek would have us instantly teleporting across distance & space but until that becomes a reality, we must rely on planes, trains & automobiles (and occasionally boats) to get materials from suppliers to customers.

With over 60 years of experience in supplying our custom parts to customers throughout North America and across the oceans, we've encountered our share of "unfortunate events" with shipping. So here are a few things to think about in the pursuit of getting your parts on time, intact, and at a somewhat reasonable cost.

1. Let us know who your favourite carrier is (courier, trucking company, delivery service, Uber...). *Note that you need to consider if it's a heavy item or a large quantity; shipping hundreds of pounds by air is going to increase the cost significantly.
2. Do you have an account with your carrier that we should be aware of?
3. Avoid the "low-cost" carriers that tend to find "creative" ways to jack-up your price despite their lowest-price quote... and don't get us started about the risk of damage that comes with that low cost...
4. UPS is a very popular carrier but they’re also really big – good luck finding an account manager to talk to if things go wrong. We’ve had a lot of success using Fed-Ex ground.
5. Tell us who your contact person is for shipping matters. A real person, please...
6. We’ll need your Tax ID # if you’re in the U.S. (for Customs purposes).
7. How soon do you really need the parts?  You can save a lot of $$ by shipping over the course of a few days or picking up tomorrow instead of today.
8. Does your facility have a shipping dock or are we delivering to your house? Can you accept a skid? Do you have special hours?  These all make a big difference in the type of truck needed to carry your parts. For example, hand-bombing boxes off of a skid on an 18-wheeler is never fun... *Note that from a damage perspective, shipping multiple parts on a skid has a big advantage over loose boxes (remember Ace Ventura?...)
9. Consolidation of multiple orders in one shipment at the same time can offer large savings.
10. If you’re Offshore, we recommend working with a Freight Forwarder. One of our favourites is Kintetsu World Express (KWE); they’re totally with it and have all the info on what’s needed, wherever.
11. Finally, rest assured that we’ll prepare the customs paperwork for our neighbours to the south so no worries on that side.

OK, so we’ve been a little hard on some of the big carriers but please know that we use many of them daily because they generally get the job done...and we know the ups & downs.  The main point is that with just a little preparation in advance, we’ll get your parts to you safe & sound, on-time and at a cost that won’t empty your wallet.