Sometimes, you find yourself in need of a coil. You could sit around winding thousands of turns of copper wire yourself, but that would be remarkably tedious. Thus, instead, you might follow the example of [OJengineering] and choose to get a machine to do it for you.
This build first popped up on on Reddit, with [OJengineering] explaining that they had repurposed an Ender 3 Pro 3D printer to wind a stator for them. The reasoning was sound—a replacement stator for their motorcycle cost $1000 in their local area, so rewinding their own would be much cheaper. The idea was straightforward enough—the 3D printer was a capable motion control platform that really just needed to be retooled to drag wire around instead of squirting hot plastic. In a later update, they explained that they had created a Python program that spits out appropriate stator winding G-code from user-entered parameters. This G-code commands the 3D printer’s head to make rectangle winds around the stator core while moving up and down to appropriately distribute the wire. The device can be seen in action in a video on YouTube.
It’s a hacky build, but one that does nevertheless get the winding done. That’s the thing about 3D printers—they’re really just simple motion systems that can do whatever you tell them. You just need a way to generate the right G-code to do the job.
We’ve featured some other nifty coil winders before, too. Video after the break.
[Thanks to JohnU for the tip!]
Neat tool.
First thought was “A printer does not have the force to do this.”, but then the video shows the low current charge coil for a CDI.
Second was 1000$? With tax and all, something similar for both current and older machines is 300-400euro for OEM here, så I wonder what make&model this is. The linked article does not seem to mention.
Probably just got unlucky with the draw.. Some bikes have cheap stators, some have really expensive ones. Kinda depends on how many they made and whether any manufacturers still bother to produce them
Well then… also possible must be all sorts of motors, generators, pickups and transformers. Just think of the cost or simple unavailability of custom transformers for repairing antique radios or other electronics. I suppose one would have to have a form that can be opened on one end and then closed after winding or else hack one apart to make it so…
All it needs is one more NEMA motor and driver for an extra axis, so it can switch from one winding to the next by itself… I’m sure that’s next in the works, if they already bothered to develop all this hardware and software
Shenanigans!
He has used a mill to cut clearance for his coil winder in the two adjacent pole cores!
He also appears to have cut the ends off all but the core he is rewinding.
He also also is winding the coil heavy on the bottom, with wide inconsistent spacing.
tis clickbait.
Use the 3d printer to make an end on coil winder.
Buy the screw and motor, maybe the gears.
Bend a metal feed tube, what he is missing.
Never get consistent bend in the air.
well…
if you look closely you see that the stator is different around the pole core he is winding. the base is flat, not curved. the two posts next to it are covered with a brownish goo, just like the rest of the poles and never contained a foil. it almost looks like the stator has different windings for different purposes, like ignition and lights.
and yes, i hate clickbait too
Yeah, looks like it’s pretty common to have a separate ignition coil with more windings and thinner wire https://image.made-in-china.com/202f0j00YyWaLudKCEbs/Cg125-Motorcycle-Stator-Coil-Ignition-Coil.jpg
The winding results don’t seem perfect but will probably work ok.
The flat part has marks from the endmill.
Looks like he did it with a manual machine, a dull endmill and didn’t have good speed control with his hand.
Compression artifacts make the surface finish hard to see though.
This guy, pgus – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rmAHlxA6Kw , 4 years ago.
Maybe trading a lot of speed for control? Setting up a factory style winder probably burns through a hobbyist budget in the first few minutes.
Go to a breakers and $1000 would replace an entire engine on most bikes.