Why are hand-wound coils so common if commercial inductors are available? [duplicate]
This question already has an answer here:
Why do we have to hand wind toroids?
2 answers
In most schematics of ham radio receivers and transmitters the inductor is mostly given specifically as the number of turns around some certain toroidal ferrite ring (for example). This corresponds to a certain inductance, which more often than not is just a standard value, say 220uH. These exist also as "lumped element" components, like the ones in the picture:
It seems a precise inductance is quite difficult to achieve (with homemade coils) and measure, whereas with store-bought inductors this problem is largely gone.
Why are hand-wound inductors so common?
Is it just a nostalgia thing? Do they tolerate more power? Why don't we need to do this with capacitors as well?
inductor
marked as duplicate by Marcus Müller, Community♦ Nov 26 at 11:06
This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.
add a comment |
This question already has an answer here:
Why do we have to hand wind toroids?
2 answers
In most schematics of ham radio receivers and transmitters the inductor is mostly given specifically as the number of turns around some certain toroidal ferrite ring (for example). This corresponds to a certain inductance, which more often than not is just a standard value, say 220uH. These exist also as "lumped element" components, like the ones in the picture:
It seems a precise inductance is quite difficult to achieve (with homemade coils) and measure, whereas with store-bought inductors this problem is largely gone.
Why are hand-wound inductors so common?
Is it just a nostalgia thing? Do they tolerate more power? Why don't we need to do this with capacitors as well?
inductor
marked as duplicate by Marcus Müller, Community♦ Nov 26 at 11:06
This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.
Why are hand-wound inductors so common? I addressed this in my answer, linked above, but the short of it is: because it's the only component (or at least the only "interesting" one) that a private person can halfway decently produce themselves. And a lot of this hobby is about doing things yourself (not about doing things optimally or cheaply).
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:02
@MarcusMüller Oh! That actually seems to answer the question. I'll close my question as a duplicate then. Thanks!
– ahemmetter
Nov 26 at 11:05
hope it's really helpful :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:07
add a comment |
This question already has an answer here:
Why do we have to hand wind toroids?
2 answers
In most schematics of ham radio receivers and transmitters the inductor is mostly given specifically as the number of turns around some certain toroidal ferrite ring (for example). This corresponds to a certain inductance, which more often than not is just a standard value, say 220uH. These exist also as "lumped element" components, like the ones in the picture:
It seems a precise inductance is quite difficult to achieve (with homemade coils) and measure, whereas with store-bought inductors this problem is largely gone.
Why are hand-wound inductors so common?
Is it just a nostalgia thing? Do they tolerate more power? Why don't we need to do this with capacitors as well?
inductor
This question already has an answer here:
Why do we have to hand wind toroids?
2 answers
In most schematics of ham radio receivers and transmitters the inductor is mostly given specifically as the number of turns around some certain toroidal ferrite ring (for example). This corresponds to a certain inductance, which more often than not is just a standard value, say 220uH. These exist also as "lumped element" components, like the ones in the picture:
It seems a precise inductance is quite difficult to achieve (with homemade coils) and measure, whereas with store-bought inductors this problem is largely gone.
Why are hand-wound inductors so common?
Is it just a nostalgia thing? Do they tolerate more power? Why don't we need to do this with capacitors as well?
This question already has an answer here:
Why do we have to hand wind toroids?
2 answers
inductor
inductor
asked Nov 25 at 20:24
ahemmetter
337212
337212
marked as duplicate by Marcus Müller, Community♦ Nov 26 at 11:06
This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.
marked as duplicate by Marcus Müller, Community♦ Nov 26 at 11:06
This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.
Why are hand-wound inductors so common? I addressed this in my answer, linked above, but the short of it is: because it's the only component (or at least the only "interesting" one) that a private person can halfway decently produce themselves. And a lot of this hobby is about doing things yourself (not about doing things optimally or cheaply).
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:02
@MarcusMüller Oh! That actually seems to answer the question. I'll close my question as a duplicate then. Thanks!
– ahemmetter
Nov 26 at 11:05
hope it's really helpful :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:07
add a comment |
Why are hand-wound inductors so common? I addressed this in my answer, linked above, but the short of it is: because it's the only component (or at least the only "interesting" one) that a private person can halfway decently produce themselves. And a lot of this hobby is about doing things yourself (not about doing things optimally or cheaply).
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:02
@MarcusMüller Oh! That actually seems to answer the question. I'll close my question as a duplicate then. Thanks!
– ahemmetter
Nov 26 at 11:05
hope it's really helpful :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:07
Why are hand-wound inductors so common? I addressed this in my answer, linked above, but the short of it is: because it's the only component (or at least the only "interesting" one) that a private person can halfway decently produce themselves. And a lot of this hobby is about doing things yourself (not about doing things optimally or cheaply).
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:02
Why are hand-wound inductors so common? I addressed this in my answer, linked above, but the short of it is: because it's the only component (or at least the only "interesting" one) that a private person can halfway decently produce themselves. And a lot of this hobby is about doing things yourself (not about doing things optimally or cheaply).
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:02
@MarcusMüller Oh! That actually seems to answer the question. I'll close my question as a duplicate then. Thanks!
– ahemmetter
Nov 26 at 11:05
@MarcusMüller Oh! That actually seems to answer the question. I'll close my question as a duplicate then. Thanks!
– ahemmetter
Nov 26 at 11:05
hope it's really helpful :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:07
hope it's really helpful :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:07
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
There is also the matter of how much current the device needs to carry. A hand-wound coil made from a few turns of relatively heavy copper (compared to the off-the-shelf devices shown in the question) will pass a lot more current than a tiny pre-bought inductor. The ones in the picture look like 1/4W or so, but you could easily put 5W into a small hand-wound coil with the same inductance.
A hand-wound coil would also have a known (or at least calculated) Q, for which the circuit was designed.
Well, if you buy inductors, you actually get a datasheet that specifies Q (or the values necessary to calculate it) … based on the measurements and models of the manufacturer which, I'm pretty certain are a tad more exact than the rules you generally find applied in self-winding guides :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:01
1
Oh for sure, but if you’re making a project based on someone else’s circuit that was designed for specific hand-wound coils, their characteristics were built into the design. Also, many turns of thin wire (looking at that picture again) make for a very low Q generally
– Scott Earle♦
Nov 26 at 13:31
add a comment |
Speaking only for myself... I have found air-wound coils to be relatively easy to make and tolerant of misuse. In the several instances I would have preferred to buy an inductor, I found it difficult to find something appropriate.
So --for me-- it is mostly ignorance.
This very nicely reflects what I alleged in a prior answer to a very similar to equivalent question asked a while ago: ham.stackexchange.com/questions/10506/…
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 10:59
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
There is also the matter of how much current the device needs to carry. A hand-wound coil made from a few turns of relatively heavy copper (compared to the off-the-shelf devices shown in the question) will pass a lot more current than a tiny pre-bought inductor. The ones in the picture look like 1/4W or so, but you could easily put 5W into a small hand-wound coil with the same inductance.
A hand-wound coil would also have a known (or at least calculated) Q, for which the circuit was designed.
Well, if you buy inductors, you actually get a datasheet that specifies Q (or the values necessary to calculate it) … based on the measurements and models of the manufacturer which, I'm pretty certain are a tad more exact than the rules you generally find applied in self-winding guides :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:01
1
Oh for sure, but if you’re making a project based on someone else’s circuit that was designed for specific hand-wound coils, their characteristics were built into the design. Also, many turns of thin wire (looking at that picture again) make for a very low Q generally
– Scott Earle♦
Nov 26 at 13:31
add a comment |
There is also the matter of how much current the device needs to carry. A hand-wound coil made from a few turns of relatively heavy copper (compared to the off-the-shelf devices shown in the question) will pass a lot more current than a tiny pre-bought inductor. The ones in the picture look like 1/4W or so, but you could easily put 5W into a small hand-wound coil with the same inductance.
A hand-wound coil would also have a known (or at least calculated) Q, for which the circuit was designed.
Well, if you buy inductors, you actually get a datasheet that specifies Q (or the values necessary to calculate it) … based on the measurements and models of the manufacturer which, I'm pretty certain are a tad more exact than the rules you generally find applied in self-winding guides :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:01
1
Oh for sure, but if you’re making a project based on someone else’s circuit that was designed for specific hand-wound coils, their characteristics were built into the design. Also, many turns of thin wire (looking at that picture again) make for a very low Q generally
– Scott Earle♦
Nov 26 at 13:31
add a comment |
There is also the matter of how much current the device needs to carry. A hand-wound coil made from a few turns of relatively heavy copper (compared to the off-the-shelf devices shown in the question) will pass a lot more current than a tiny pre-bought inductor. The ones in the picture look like 1/4W or so, but you could easily put 5W into a small hand-wound coil with the same inductance.
A hand-wound coil would also have a known (or at least calculated) Q, for which the circuit was designed.
There is also the matter of how much current the device needs to carry. A hand-wound coil made from a few turns of relatively heavy copper (compared to the off-the-shelf devices shown in the question) will pass a lot more current than a tiny pre-bought inductor. The ones in the picture look like 1/4W or so, but you could easily put 5W into a small hand-wound coil with the same inductance.
A hand-wound coil would also have a known (or at least calculated) Q, for which the circuit was designed.
answered Nov 26 at 0:32
Scott Earle♦
1,9451721
1,9451721
Well, if you buy inductors, you actually get a datasheet that specifies Q (or the values necessary to calculate it) … based on the measurements and models of the manufacturer which, I'm pretty certain are a tad more exact than the rules you generally find applied in self-winding guides :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:01
1
Oh for sure, but if you’re making a project based on someone else’s circuit that was designed for specific hand-wound coils, their characteristics were built into the design. Also, many turns of thin wire (looking at that picture again) make for a very low Q generally
– Scott Earle♦
Nov 26 at 13:31
add a comment |
Well, if you buy inductors, you actually get a datasheet that specifies Q (or the values necessary to calculate it) … based on the measurements and models of the manufacturer which, I'm pretty certain are a tad more exact than the rules you generally find applied in self-winding guides :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:01
1
Oh for sure, but if you’re making a project based on someone else’s circuit that was designed for specific hand-wound coils, their characteristics were built into the design. Also, many turns of thin wire (looking at that picture again) make for a very low Q generally
– Scott Earle♦
Nov 26 at 13:31
Well, if you buy inductors, you actually get a datasheet that specifies Q (or the values necessary to calculate it) … based on the measurements and models of the manufacturer which, I'm pretty certain are a tad more exact than the rules you generally find applied in self-winding guides :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:01
Well, if you buy inductors, you actually get a datasheet that specifies Q (or the values necessary to calculate it) … based on the measurements and models of the manufacturer which, I'm pretty certain are a tad more exact than the rules you generally find applied in self-winding guides :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:01
1
1
Oh for sure, but if you’re making a project based on someone else’s circuit that was designed for specific hand-wound coils, their characteristics were built into the design. Also, many turns of thin wire (looking at that picture again) make for a very low Q generally
– Scott Earle♦
Nov 26 at 13:31
Oh for sure, but if you’re making a project based on someone else’s circuit that was designed for specific hand-wound coils, their characteristics were built into the design. Also, many turns of thin wire (looking at that picture again) make for a very low Q generally
– Scott Earle♦
Nov 26 at 13:31
add a comment |
Speaking only for myself... I have found air-wound coils to be relatively easy to make and tolerant of misuse. In the several instances I would have preferred to buy an inductor, I found it difficult to find something appropriate.
So --for me-- it is mostly ignorance.
This very nicely reflects what I alleged in a prior answer to a very similar to equivalent question asked a while ago: ham.stackexchange.com/questions/10506/…
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 10:59
add a comment |
Speaking only for myself... I have found air-wound coils to be relatively easy to make and tolerant of misuse. In the several instances I would have preferred to buy an inductor, I found it difficult to find something appropriate.
So --for me-- it is mostly ignorance.
This very nicely reflects what I alleged in a prior answer to a very similar to equivalent question asked a while ago: ham.stackexchange.com/questions/10506/…
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 10:59
add a comment |
Speaking only for myself... I have found air-wound coils to be relatively easy to make and tolerant of misuse. In the several instances I would have preferred to buy an inductor, I found it difficult to find something appropriate.
So --for me-- it is mostly ignorance.
Speaking only for myself... I have found air-wound coils to be relatively easy to make and tolerant of misuse. In the several instances I would have preferred to buy an inductor, I found it difficult to find something appropriate.
So --for me-- it is mostly ignorance.
answered Nov 25 at 20:38
Chris K8NVH
4171113
4171113
This very nicely reflects what I alleged in a prior answer to a very similar to equivalent question asked a while ago: ham.stackexchange.com/questions/10506/…
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 10:59
add a comment |
This very nicely reflects what I alleged in a prior answer to a very similar to equivalent question asked a while ago: ham.stackexchange.com/questions/10506/…
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 10:59
This very nicely reflects what I alleged in a prior answer to a very similar to equivalent question asked a while ago: ham.stackexchange.com/questions/10506/…
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 10:59
This very nicely reflects what I alleged in a prior answer to a very similar to equivalent question asked a while ago: ham.stackexchange.com/questions/10506/…
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 10:59
add a comment |
Why are hand-wound inductors so common? I addressed this in my answer, linked above, but the short of it is: because it's the only component (or at least the only "interesting" one) that a private person can halfway decently produce themselves. And a lot of this hobby is about doing things yourself (not about doing things optimally or cheaply).
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:02
@MarcusMüller Oh! That actually seems to answer the question. I'll close my question as a duplicate then. Thanks!
– ahemmetter
Nov 26 at 11:05
hope it's really helpful :)
– Marcus Müller
Nov 26 at 11:07