Making an inductor from an old motor stator core

Thread Starter

RogueRose

Joined Oct 10, 2014
375
Would it be possible to make a functional inductor out of a laminated stator from an old motor - one which has had all the windings removed? I have a bunch of old stators of various sizes that could use wire from 18g to 4 gauge, though I suspect an inductor that uses 4g would be quite large and expensive to make. The wire could be wound through the slots where the windings one were, or placed outside of the windings cavity, making use of the inner space of the stator.

So I'm wondering how much difference there would be in the magnetic flux/field in an inductor that uses a pressed/powdered metal core vs the laminated steel cores.

Has anyone ever attempted this and know if it works or if it is worth trying?

The stators look like these below, but vary in size.





 
Last edited:

oz93666

Joined Sep 7, 2010
739
Looks like hard work to wind that !! And it would not be the optimum shape for an inductor , it would create an inductor , but for the same length of wire you'd be better off using standard design ...

The laminations show this is designed for around 50 Hz , they reduce eddy current losses ... at higher frequency the only way to stop these losses is pressed powder , but this is much worse at making good inductors ....

Your choice is determined by the frequency the inductor will work at .
 

BR-549

Joined Sep 22, 2013
4,928
Those stator cores are designed to direct the flux externally into another core. This transfers power from one core to another core.

Usually with an inductor, we want to kept all the flux inside one inductor core, if possible.

There are always exceptions.

Edit:....maybe with the right circuitry and environment, a low frequency magnetron.
 

Thread Starter

RogueRose

Joined Oct 10, 2014
375
To use he core as an inductor you would wind it as a toroidal core with the wires wound around the core donut as below:

I'm sorry I didn't state this in the OP, but that is exactly what I meant, the donut winding. As I said, the wire could go through where the windings once went, one turn in each of the "grooves". Or, maybe with larger wire, in the interior "donut hole" part (where the rotor almost touches as it spins).
 
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