Hi,
I'm just curious what resources people have used or come across regarding inexpensive (I'm thinking AliExpress / eBay levels) transformer core laminations for DIY sorts of projects?
I'm aware that cut / finished core laminations must be pretty inexpensive if one does any kind of volume ordering of a custom or standard shape, but I've never shopped for a standard or custom one (usually just finished cores) and I'm more interested in low volume DIY stuff at the moment which is usually harder to find at low cost if custom.
What about amorphous ribbon and planar / other ferrites, any suggestions on good inexpensive DIY suppliers other than of course what is on offer from DigiKey and other usual distributors. I haven't tried eBay/AliExpress and I suspect there are some, so I'm looking for more specific recommendations as to good vendors rather than "yeah it is possible". But mostly I was wondering about custom cut or less usual shape laminations since those are much less likely to be "off the shelf" on eBay I assume.
Standard / custom / varied pole pieces, Re magnets?
I'm aware that cut / finished core laminations must be pretty inexpensive if one does any kind of volume ordering of a custom or standard shape, but I've never shopped for a standard or custom one (usually just finished cores) and I'm more interested in low volume DIY stuff at the moment which is usually harder to find at low cost if custom.
Great question. Personally, I am also highly interested in the associated costs of a
custom jobby, or the feasibility of doing it yourself.
Our towns recyling program lets us remove items for our own use. I have lots of microwave oven transformers that I have rewound for another project.
You can also order Ferrite cores or rings on eBay if those would work for you.
Our town of 1500 people/ 600 households discard 2 microwave ovens a week on the average. Half of them still work when plugged in. Those are interesting numbers about how we in th US use our resources.
For standard E I laminations I buy from Temple Steels. They sell commercially only. As far as ribbon or what we call tape wound magnetic metals still sell them, but here again only in quantity. I would recommend contacting your nearest transformer manufacturer and trying to buy some of whatever they have too much of. Let them know its for experimentation and you might get a tour of how they do it.