Electrical Coil-winding Machine

Here is a coil winder that features a variable speed control, automatic counter and can be built inexpensively
By HAROLD P. STRAND Craft Print Project No. 265

Part 1

NLESS you have a metal-turning lathe, or some similar machine capable of holding and turning a coil-winding form at a slow speed, winding a coil having hundreds of turns on it can be quite a chore. To answer the need for such a machine for those of you interested in making home-built electrical devices requiring coils for special size transformers, solenoids, etc., the electric-motor driven winder shown in Fig. 1 has been developed. The winder is powered with a used Hoover vacuum-cleaner motor purchased at a repair shop for $5. It is of the ac-dc or universal type which is subject to speed control with a variable resistance or reactor and is of a large heavy-duty type. The foot controlled reactor (Fig. 1), for which building plans will be included in Part 2 of this article, has an infinite number of speed control steps, will not heat up in use, wasting power, and has no wiping contacts of the type usually employed with a resistance control. When purchasing the vacuum-cleaner motor, turn it on and observe the commutator. There should not be appreciable arcing at the brushes which could indicate a short in the a r m a t u r e winding. Failure to run at its customary high speed is another indication of defective armature windings. However, worn carbon b r u s h e s could also produce these effects, so check t h e
FEBRUARY, 1957

Variable speed, foot-control switch regulates speed of motor when winding coil. Photo A shows how magnet wire is hand guided from spool to coil windings.

length of the brushes they should be at least 7/16 in. long. Alsb check the armature-shaft bearings for wear. Remove the motor from the cleaner and attempt to move the fan and shaft from side to side. Any side movement indicates worn bearings. A little end play, in and out movement of the shaft, is permissible, h o w e v e r . Select a motor having a 187

Left, Cleaning disassembled motor with rag moistened in kerosene. Right, Clean commutator with fine sandpaper to inspect it ior grooves or ridges.

A 150-watt lamp is connected in series with motor to reduce its speed when test running.

3/8 in. dia. shaft on it. After purchasing a motor in the best possible condition, take it apart and clean with kerosene or carbon-tet. First remove the brush holders and brushes from their supports on the insulated ring. Then remove the two screws at the ring of the outside bearing cap, disassemble the motor as in Fig. 2. When cleaning, do not immerse the wound parts in cleaning fluid, merely wipe them off with a cloth dampened with the cleaning fluid or brush off the dirt if it is dry and loose. Clean the armature commutator with fine sandpaper as in Fig. 3. If ridges or grooves appear on the commutator after cleaning, have it turned down in a lathe and lightly sand smooth. Then clean out any deposits between the segments, which might cause shorts, by scraping with a thin but sharp tool. A quick test for shorts or grounded wiring in the armature can be made by having it tested on a growler at your local automotive generator repair shop. If it is found that new armature-shaft bearings are needed, they can best be installed at a vacuum-cleaner repair shop while you have the motor apart. At this time also saw off the % in. armature shaft so that it will project only 1 in. beyond the outside edge of the bearing when as188

sembled. Be sure to apply a drop or two of light machine oil on the bearings when assembling the motor and install new brushes if the old ones are worn down to under 7/16 in. in length. Since these motors operate in a clockwise direction, when facing the shaft, change the direction of rotation by interchanging the two brush leads. Later, after testing the motor, adjust the insulated brush ring so that the brushes will be located at a point
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where the speed and torque of the motor will be at maximum. These motors were also designed to operate in a vertical position and have a drilled shaft and wick to supply oil to the lower bearing. To operate in a horizontal position, drill a 1/16-in. hole at the top side of the extended end of the bearing so that oil can be applied directly to this bearing. After reassembling the motor, test run it with a 150 watt lamp connected in series as in Fig. 4 so that the motor will o p e r a t e at a r e d u c e d speed. Check the commutation and let the brushes run in to a good fit. Make the motor bracket (Fig. 5A) and fasten to the motor flange with three bolts. To make the slotted holes used to fasten the bracket to the base, drill three Vi-in. holes side by side and file to a slot by hand or with the filing machine (Fig. 6) described in the Home Electrical Handbook Vol. 3. Since it is difficult to purchase a 1-1/2 in. dia. V-belt pulley with a 3/8in. bore, a 1/2 ODx3/8 ID bushing is placed in the 1/2 in. hole of the pulley. Drill through the bushing so that the pulley setscrew can be tightened down against the motor shaft. Make the base (Fig. 5B) next by gluing two pieces of 3/4 plywood together to form a 1-1/2 in. thick piece. Have a 1/16 in. thick piece of sheet steel cut to the exact size of the plywood base at your local sheet-metal shop and fasten to the base with six #6x1 in. fh screws countersunk flush with the steel base top. Dress the edges of the steel top with a sanding disc and slightly round the top corners with a file. Then lay out and drill the holes for the motor bracket and spool support. To finish the base, give it two coats of gray paint on the edges and bottom of the plywood and attach four 3/4 in. dia. rubber headed tacks to the underside at the corners for feet. After purchasing the counter, (see Materials
FEBRUARY, 1957

List for source of supply) make the counter support bracket (Fig. 5C). Since the counter must rotate at a one-to-one ratio with the polishinghead shaft, a pulley having the exact same diameter as the small pulley on the polishing-head (Fig. 7) must be made for the counter shaft. If you have a metal-turning lathe this becomes a fairly simple matter. Make the pulley for a round, rubber vacuum cleaner belt. Drill and tap the pulley for a 6-32 set-screw to fasten it to the counter shaft. If you do not have a metal turning lathe, purchase the two 1-1/2-in. pulleys seen in Materials List. Bore one to 1/2 in. for polishing head and bush the other to suit counter shaft. A chain and sprocket drive (Fig. 6) which costs about $5 for parts, would assure accuracy. The winder parts can now be assembled to the base for testing. Loosen the set-screw in the small pulley of the polishing head, slide the 189

Left, Alternate drive design using chain and sprocket assures positive accuracy in counting number of turns. Right, Making accuracy check of counter by turning polishing head shaft by hand a counted number of times.

A cotterpin retains spool and spring which applies braking action on spool to prevent spinning.

threaded shaft and slip the vacuum cleaner belt on the small pulley. Reassemble the shaft and place a 6 in. dia. V-belt pulley on the end of the shaft having the left-hand threads. Bolt the motor to the base first. Then, with the V-belt on the motor and polishing head pulleys pulled taut and in line with each other, mark the base for the polishing head mounting bolts, drill and fasten the head to the base. Locate and mount the counter on the base in the same way. To check the counter drive for accuracy, mount a hand-tight drill chuck on the polishing-head spindle and grip a piece of wire bent to the shape
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of a handle in the chuck jaws as in Fig. 7. Then mark the chuck or 6 in. pulley with a spot of paint or crayon so that the number of revolutions can be counted as the crank is turned. Set the counter at zero, turn the crank exactly 10 times and note the number of turns registered on the counter. If there is much of a difference in pulley diameters it will show up on the counter as over or under 10 turns. If the error in pulley diameter is only very slight, the counter will probably register accurately over so few turns. However, since even a slight error will be cumulative, it is well to try a hundred or more turns of the crank if 10 turns show up accurate. If the figures on the counter are less than the number turned by hand, it indicates the pulley on the counter is larger than the pulley on the polishing head. If the figures are more than the number turned by hand, the pulley on the counter is smaller than the polishing head pulley. You can reduce the diameter of either pulley by putting it in a lathe and turning the bottom of the pulley groove down. It is also possible to place a turn of narrow friction tape at the bottom of the pulley grooves to make the size correction. After testing the counter and making the corrections if needed, make the holder for the magnet-wire spool as detailed in Fig. 5D. Fasten the holder to the base with two bolts and using nuts as in Fig. 8. If various width spools of wire are to be used, make the bar longer and drill several holes spaced to suit the spools. Allow space for the washers and spring compressed enough to supply some braking action on the spool so that when the winding is stopped, the spool will not spin around and tangle the wire. Part 2 appearing in the next issue (on sale February 28) will describe the construction of the variable speed, foot control switch.

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