Hi.
I just took apart an old microwave oven and i want to use the fan rotor part, i also want to pick apart the wire on the winding but i've never done it before.
I can't find the ends of the wire and wondered whether anyone has done this before and can advise me.
Picture here :
http://www.qvision.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/fanrotor.JPG
Thanks,
Gary.
I think I just drilled out one or two of the rivets holding the frame together and just pulled the whole coil off with it's plastic frame. I have kept it just like that for now. I'll assume the ends are soldered to the two legs for the push on connector. Might be a little difficult getting the wire started in coming off but I haven't done that before so I can't really say.
OK thx e2 :)
Oh no problem. Not much help really but just wanted to let you know I took one apart that looked just like that and it's not too hard to take the frame apart if you drill out the rivets holding the steel plates together. Then it's easy to get the whole coil off. I'm following your progress still with Tom's motor. I was going to build it and even bought the transistors and diodes but was holding back for now because of the expense of that particular type magnet and the wire. Best of luck with it.
Thx e2.
Don't know what country you are in but i am in the UK and my magnet was £3.99.
From here :
http://first4magnets.co.uk/
Go to diametrically magnetised magnets on left-side menu.
My wire was £5.00 per spool
From here :
http://wires.co.uk/acatalog/sx_ec_wire.html
You don't need the amount of wire Tom uses, though obviously superior results are to be had if you do, but only in the pickup coil. The drive coil has to be energised just enough to negate the magnetic field.
My drive coil has 800 turns, bifilar wound. So you don't even need to buy new wire if you have enough laying around.
The plastic spool of my drive coil is fairly small so it's not a huge length of wire.
Gary.
Quote from: DeepCut on May 10, 2010, 03:10:32 PM
Hi.
I just took apart an old microwave oven
There are two nice ring ferrite magnets in the magnetron assembly.
Also, the main 8:1 transformer is worth your attention. I cut through the
laminations with an angle grinder (do the last it with a hacksaw), and
soaked it all in water overnight. This softens the paper padding, and the
two coils can, with difficulty, be eased off. An inexhaustible supply of
fine enamelled copper wire.
Don't forget your capacitors (with a 1megohm resistor connected internally,
unfortunately), some handsome power diodes, and a diddy motor which will
keep your jeans rotating on your washing line to speed up drying.
Damn !
I took all of that apart from the diodes, they looked like wire-wound resistors to me :(
That'll teach me !
Gary.
Paul-R, Yes - garage sale microwave ovens (got several) are an energy builders delight ;D I hadn't thought about cutting up the transformers - good idea!
Deepcut, the magnet I wanted was going to cost something like $20 with shipping - the shipping was more than one magnet but IIRC I could get about 4 or 5 of them for around $30. So I'm penny pinching at the moment and waiting to find a better deal somewhere.