Quick n dirty coil winder
 

Hi peeps....I am sure there are zillions of these out there.. but here's mine.

Made in a day.. looks it too.... but for the moment ideal...making a modulation transformer... I got bored hand winding.

Thing will be added .such as a rotation counter when I find one..a tension arm.. when I have time..

Sorry peeps.. looks like its on its side.. but you get the idea :D

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

Small magnet stuck on to the winder and a reed relay connected to an old "stepmeter".
My winder was a surplus fishing rod and the feeder a solder reel holder with looped tape and weight for tension.
Used for winding mains transformer secondaries for Sussex tester.

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

My coil winder lash up.
I am looking for an Avo Douglas automatic one to go with it.

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

You can get digital turns counters which just need an AA cell for power. Each turn is triggered by a 'proximity switch'.

Basically, you attached the supplied small neodymium magnet to the shaft of your winder, and position the sensor about 5mm away, and each rev will trigger the counter.

All very simple.

Here's an example:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-Digit-C...-/324311172604

You can make a counter using a cheap pocket calculator, which I did some years ago on a hand wave-winder but it's a bit of a faff. (See pic below).

Basically, it involves connecting a microswitch across the equals sign contacts on the calculator PCB, and to fit a cam on the shaft of the coil winder so that with each rev, the microswitch shorts out the 'equals' button of the calculator. To start counting, you press '1' then + +, then each time the = button is pressed (or shorted out) it will increment by 1. (Just need to make sure it's not an auto turn off calculator because if you don't note the turns right away, the calculator will shut off!).

Lots of videos on using calculators as turns counters on youtube.

You can use a reed relay rather than a microswitch, and trigger it with a magnet of the oil winder shaft. EG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1FP2NIWj6k

Hope that's of interest.

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

Well thanks peeps......a million people all with different ideas..... Thanks David.... great idea...I have posted in the "Wanted" section.... and if nothing turns up.. I will certainly be ebaying...:D

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

I have built one with a vertical spindle powered by an ice cream maker drive on an old Kenwood with a chip on the gearbox that makes the mincer bend the locking pin.
I found a device called MICOS-C that contains a 74 series counter with nixie display and another board with more 74 series chips and an octal relay that changes state according to the setting of the much in demand thumb wheel switches.
With an added paper sensor out of an old huge printer it works.

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

Just been looking on eBay. I entered Avo Coil winder...tongue in cheek...however there are a miriad of coil winders from China..IF I was making lots I would consider... but this is a "one off" job.... so not worth while...If you are a serious coil winder then I guess one would be suitable..but from what I see.. the gearing is plastic..thus not got a lot of wear.. before backlash may be a problem.... I would be interested to hear from any member that has one.... Also the shaft seems a bit large in diameter.. maybe 6 or 8mm
But as far as availability plenty to look at.

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

The coil winder that I am building uses one of those Chinese jobs. The output shaft is M8 and the conical bobbin holders are approx 12.5mm dia upto 25mm dia. These are a bit too large for the bobbin that I wish to wind but I found a couple of aluminium feet that are small enough in external diameter and can be drilled out to the 8mm shaft size. Being a hand wind type it comes with a detachable handle. There are 2 drive gears, which will produce 2 different winding speeds. The handle is detachable as well as one of the gears. It is designed to use the handle to hold the chosen gear in mesh. Everything is metal except the turns count worm driven gear, which is plastic. Although these winders appear to be high precision, there is more play in the drive systems than expected.
I will take some pics later to show my build and a bit more detail on it. BTW thanks for all the info about using a tape counter as display, never though of that with mine coming with a display but I like the sound of changing it to digital read out, so to speak.
Dave

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

I made a coil winder out of LEGO

it worked - but had no bells or whistles like counters - although that would be easy with the modern Technics components.

I cannot link to youtube from here - but it should be easy to find using key words like 'coil' 'winder' 'lego' etc.


SEAN

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

Here's my version, I used it to produce coils for my home service sender
'pantry tx' A variable dc power supply to the geared motor gives adjustable speed. the former fits between two tapered knobs. a small magnet stuck to the flexible coupler triggers a pound shop pedometer for turns counting.
the left hand pushes the micro-switch to start and the wire hand fed with the right hand.
not short of wire, have a boxful of scrap relays.

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

And here is where I'm at so far with my build. Basically all the parts were lying around in my stores apart from the toggle switch and the metal box, the coil winder itself was purchased some years back but never used. This is one of those back burner projects on my long to do list, which has prevented a few other projects being started, due to not having the coil winder working.
Dave

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

Hi All..... Dave... nice to hear that you bought a Chinese jobby..... just from the photo's it looked like the gears were plastic..IF... I embark on a more serious project I will buy one.. re the turns counter.... I finished up getting an electronic one from the "bay" ref 324311172604..... £9...... just needs a reed switch and magnet... and a "AA" cell... just arrived this am......re the shaft size...... obviously not intended for small formers...... I will keep my scratch build for those. My project was a means to an end... not the "End" its self. :D

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

I also use a counter made from a freebee step counter and a magnet and door alarm sensor. My occasional rewinds are 1920's intervalve transformers and headphones so many turns of thin wire and improvised mounting methods.

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

I have done a rebuild... yes.. so soon.. LOL.. I upped the diameter of the shafts to 6.5mm and added more bushes...The original problem was a total dis assy of the shaft holding the bobbin....so I cut the shaft.. added more bearings...fitted a turns counter.
The turns counter I bought from ebay...it is driven from a mini magnet on the outer of the handle drum, and a reed switch below. The counter was modified to accept an external battery, as the battery removal was inconvenient. The only real problem is that the counter clicks "UP" for every rotation.. be it clock or anti clockwise.... thus I need to re design a counter using a PIC... and two magnets to detect direction of rotation.

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

To detect direction one magnet will still suffice otherwise you will need to divide the pulses by two as well, but you need two sensors mounted in quadrature (90 degrees apart) to sense direction, ie. sensors AB or BA depending on direction.

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

Hi Baz.. thanks for the reminder... I knew about the solo magnet... I may go optical though..its not important as this machine is a means to an end.. not an end in its self.
My main end is a Topband AM transceiver ....

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

I modified a desk top calculator as a turns counter. I can't exactly remembered what I did, but i do remember i had open up the calculator and very carefully solder to a clear plastic foil pcb. I use a reed relay and a small magnet mounted in paxillin disc. All fits in my lathe, the reed sit on a mounting below the rotating chuck with the disc attached. i haven't used it for several years I get it out later and report back. Ted

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

Hi Ted. I found with the reed relay a lot of "debounce" is required..even slugging it with a 1 uf cap........ I could go up to 10 uf...but again it clocks up a + digit.. which ever rotation is made... thus if you need to reverse wind to tidy up... it adds ....... rather than subtracts... therefore a method of rotation direction detection is needed... thus a rotating opto disk etc... IF I decide to carry on with it.. I will report back... but more important things are in the "offing".. :D

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

It actually doesn't matter on the sensor technology used, be it magnetic, optical, or other. You still need two sensors to sense direction, sensor A and sensor B mounted apart, this works by sensing the 'firing order' of each sensor where either sensor A fires first and then sensor B fires second for one direction, or vice versa SB then SA for the other.

Another way of doing it with a DC motor is to sense polarity at a point on said DC motor, ie. + for increment and - for decrement, or whichever way round that suits.

Re: Quick n dirty coil winder
 

Just an addition to my previous post really.
There is another way to the polarity sense with a DC motor that could also be used with AC motors, is to arrange an auxiliary switch linked/ganged to each direction change switch/logic to tell the counter whether to increment or decrement if this function on the counter is available.
Of course the pulse/rotation sensor is still required in either case to count the number of turns.
It will be interesting to see what you do with this in any event, I know this is only a means to an end for you personally but it could provide useful information for others, have fun.