Re: Winding

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Peter Terren" <pterren@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

My secondary for my large coil is 1330 turns of 0.9 mm(19 AWG 0.037 inch) 
wire on 45 x 137 cm (18 x 54 inches) elevated 15 cm (6 inches). I used 11 
kg (24 lbs) of  C 220 (220 deg C) polyimide coated enamelled wire with  200 
deg C rating as suggested by Dr Resonance. Cost was AUD$ 165.  I used a 
geared down motor and a latex belt to drive the rotation for winding. 
That's 7 seconds per turn at 1400 turns = 3 hours in theory.
http://tesladownunder.iinet.net.au/Tesla_coil_18inch.htm#Secondary%20coil
Unfortunately, I was beset by Murphy's Law.  Winding was interrupted when 
only 1/3 complete, by rain and gale force winds.  The following day the 
windings had loosened and overlapped, possibly due to compression of the 
rather thin polypropylene former.  I unwound the few hundred meters and 
started again.   This time the winding belt broke so the wife and both kids 
were called out to provide the rotation in turns as each one tired during 
the almost 2km of winding.  It took hours and was a tiring process for all. 
Many complaints and mutterings of  '...never again...'. Then the wire ran 
out about 4 inches short of the end.  Either my calculations were out or 
the wire was less than the specified 11 kg.  I was not happy about the 
smoothness of some of the turns as well but will have to wait and see once 
I really put power into it. I gave several coats of polyurethane (total 1 
litre) to fix the windings.

Peter (Tesla Downunder)
http://tesladownunder.iinet.net.au


> > Original poster: "Gerald  Reynolds" <gerryreynolds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Now here's one for the books.  I put a crank on my form and put my wife 
> > to work :-))  She would turn the crank and I would feed the wire.  I 
> > would have her turn not to fast and if I screwed up she would stop and 
> > then I would slowly backup.

> > Gerry R.

> Original poster: Kurt Schraner <k.schraner@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Well, that's exactly the same way, I'm winding my coils! A picture is
> worth, more than 1000 words:
> http://home.tiscalinet.ch/m.schraner/WindingUBTT.jpg
> It shows the winding process of the last of the 4 coils (5", 1680 turns 
> each), for 2 of my Uni-Bern-Tesla-Twins, during hot August 2003. Winding 
> one coil took about 1.5 hours, and my wife Margaret was the best, 
> cooperative "intelligent motor" to do that job, you can think of. It has 
> also markedly softened her attitude towards my HV stuff, which she is 
> jokingly calling "your catastrophe" ;-).
> Kurt