Tapping a crude choke/inductor

Thread Starter

Chefslot

Joined Sep 24, 2018
39
Is it possible to tap a inductor made from a microwave transformer? After the ac to dc rectification tapping the inductor at 4, 8, 10 turns will give me a more or less pulsed weld.
Regards
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
Are you talking about tapping the factory made primary or the homemade secondary? The former would be very difficult to impossible. The latter can be done quite easily . The MOT welder I made only had 6-1/2 turns. How many turns do you have in the secondary?

Are you talking about current pulsing as is done in MIG? I pulsed mine using a SST and one shot timer.
 

Thread Starter

Chefslot

Joined Sep 24, 2018
39
Are you talking about tapping the factory made primary or the homemade secondary? The former would be very difficult to impossible. The latter can be done quite easily . The MOT welder I made only had 6-1/2 turns. How many turns do you have in the secondary?

Are you talking about current pulsing as is done in MIG? I pulsed mine using a SST and one shot timer.
Thank you for your reply, both the primary and secondary will be removed to give me just a core, that will then have 12 or 10 turns to smooth out the amperage, I then wanted to tap that to adjust the smoothness of the DC signal.
Regards
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
I don't see why you cannot tap a winding that you are making. With magnet wire, I would just solder to it. With heavy gauge stranded wire, I would probably use a crimp fitting or a T-junction (e.g., effectively two windings). I have not done that, so that latter advice is not based on experience.
 

Thread Starter

Chefslot

Joined Sep 24, 2018
39
I don't see why you cannot tap a winding that you are making. With magnet wire, I would just solder to it. With heavy gauge stranded wire, I would probably use a crimp fitting or a T-junction (e.g., effectively two windings). I have not done that, so that latter advice is not based on experience.
Going to be using awg 2 wire around 250-300 anp so a crimp fitting might be a little difficult. Yes thinking solder a shrink tubing over. I think do the windings first as that may be the hard part. then hack into the side.

When you wind something like this does it matter if the windings are like the //////// or XXXX

Regards
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
Actually I used #4 welding cable in my MOT. By "welding cable" I mean the heavy gauge, flexible cable with many small strands that are often composed of bundles. The problem with soldering welding cable is that the solder wicks quite a ways from the point of soldering. That can be a source of stress and break. For such cables, I believe crimping is the preferred method. Even if you bring the winding to a terminal, make the Y and return it, I don't believe the inductance will be much diffident than with a one-piece cable. At least, the equations I have seen for low frequencies only consider the number of turns.

I am ignoring the effect of the winding at the splice being further from the core than the others.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
@#8

Yes, something like that is what I would do. When I wrote "crimp", I included screw tightened terminals in that class. The split bolt design you show has the advantage that the main wire is not interrupted.

John
 

Thread Starter

Chefslot

Joined Sep 24, 2018
39
@#8

Yes, something like that is what I would do. When I wrote "crimp", I included screw tightened terminals in that class. The split bolt design you show has the advantage that the main wire is not interrupted.

John
I know i shouldnt say this, and it would be down to my own doings, but will the choke get hot enough to melt hot glue,, i'm thinking of a way to isolate them now?
Regards
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
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