After posting my article about the K9DP BCI filter kit build, Alan (W2AEW) commented:
If you dislike winding toroids, the method I show in this video makes it a lot easier!
This is an excellent way to handle the toroid while winding. Check out his video below:
Click here to view on YouTube.
Alan has a massive library of instructional videos on YouTube. If you haven’t already, subscribe to his channel!
Can’t you just buy wound inductors to your specification at an electronics store or over the internet? I know it is a hobby but time can be saved in assembly by purchasing a pre-wound part.
Hi John, often these kits require specialized windings, number of turns, type of magnet wire (thickness of the wire), toroid size and type, too many variables. If they were able to be purchased preassembled, then the kit would cost more. Often you’ll find the kits can be purchased assembled at a higher cost. Most find that a kit is more enjoyable the more you can do yourself.
Depending on the toroid and value you probably can buy them but it often is a lot more expensive than the time taken winding your own.
It becomes economically feasible when dealing with large scale stuff since that allows you to employ a machine to wind one for you
The W2AEW toroid winding method has been used several times on my workbench. His technique really helps keep the fiddly things from getting out of hand and reduces stress in my fingers needed to keep the windings tight.
Ok my friend I will check it out. Guess I am just plain lazy when it comes to stuff like that? LOL I am going now to checkout your reference.
Then just buy everything.
Toroids or any coil winding are not difficult. I was doing this stuff before I was 16.
The less you know, the harder this stuff is.
I always mess up my counting when wounding toroids. You would think that I counted enough in my life that it should not need a problem anymore, but that’s not how it works 😉 The best way I found to figure out how many windings I have on my toroid is by using the magnifier feature on my iPhone. I then freeze the picture and can then count easily on the phone’s now frozen display.
I do the same thing!
Me too!
That method is the only way to “hang on” to those tiny cores and wind them at the same time. The QDX is a prime example. I have a special ceramic type chop stick, clamped into a semi-split chunk of wood.. The other cool thing is its makes the inner windings tight against the core. After a while I can develop a rhythm to the motion of winding, especially with thin guage wire and a tiny core… Alan’s videos, to me, are a huge part of what makes Youtube useful. Precise, to the point, respects my time…
wb7ond