How to wind wire tight

[csjang]

Hello all,

This is the first thread I write since joining this site. I want to say first how awesome this forum is

When I wind magnetic wire, I usually see the wire bundle bulges out at the center of long bobbin edge. So sometimes I have to push it into the bobbin using black paper tape or by hand at potting to make the shape right. To be honest, it is quite difficult to wind wire tight without cutting it. I wonder how you wind wire. I wind wire at about 600 rpm and hold the wire using soft fabric like glass cleaner but it seems that I need to upgrade the parameters or the way I hold..

[big_teee]

There has been several threads on this topic lately.
Several things could be going wrong.
Make sure you bobbin is turning true with no wobble.
Don't use too much tension.
Check the wire stops, so the wire is staying inside the bobbin without flaring.
There are lots of posts and info like this in the beginners corner.
Be sure to search the forum before you post.
Good Luck,
T

[Magnut]

Try repositioning your hand. Where you hold the wire in relation to the bobbins long axis will affect the issue you speak of. When the bobbin is straight up and down, feed the wire at the bottom leading edge or close to there. If you are feeding to the middle of the bobbin ( the center roatation point )the wire will be bouncing quite a bit. It is easier to maintain tension if the outer edge comes by and pulls it out of your hand.

[David King]

There are tension recommendations on the wire manufacturer websites for each wire gauge. I'd start with those as a guideline and work towards least tension possible that gives you good results.
Measuring tension is difficult without a gauge of some kind but you can get a sense by tying a weight to the end of a piece of wire and training your fingers to reproduce that level of pull.
See:
AnaLog Services CCL Magnet Wire Data
They recommend 34-39gr of tension for 42AWG of wire. An AA sized battery weighs about 28 gr so you can tie one of those to your wire.

To keep the wire on the bobbin you can either use guide posts to limit where the wire goes or you can add masking tape "funnels" to the ends of the bobbin to redirect the wire into the slot.

[csjang]

Thanks for the advice, all! I will try your suggestions. Actually I failed to find threads about this so ended up posting it to get help. Will also search for them again.

[big_teee]

Thanks for the advice, all! I will try your suggestions. Actually I failed to find threads about this so ended up posting it to get help. Will also search for them again.

Basic winding techniques and how to avoid oddly shaped coils
Most of these kind of things are in the beginners corner.
Good Luck,
T

[csjang]

Thanks again, T! After studying the threads and some trial-and-error, I think I came to a solution after adjusting the way I hold the wire (or tension) and wire limiter position relative to winder arm. It is now tight

[big_teee]

Thanks again, T! After studying the threads and some trial-and-error, I think I came to a solution after adjusting the way I hold the wire (or tension) and wire limiter position relative to winder arm. It is now tight

Glad it worked out!

[JCrab]

I had the same problem in the beginning and I made a arm rest and adjusted seat height and just practiced and practiced and everything worked it's way out.. Congrats