Please help designing a specific electromagnet

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the design of an electromagnet, focusing on determining the appropriate wire gauge, resistance, number of turns, and inductance for a specific application. Participants are exploring the relationships between these parameters to meet specific performance criteria, including a time constant requirement for the coil.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks assistance in calculating the wire gauge needed for their electromagnet, emphasizing the importance of matching the wire's resistance to the battery's internal resistance for optimal power transfer.
  • The same participant mentions needing to determine the maximum number of turns and the inductance of the coil to achieve a specific time constant between 0.0007 and 0.0008 seconds.
  • Another participant suggests using basic algebra to solve for the length and cross-sectional area of the wire, given the resistance equation and the number of turns.
  • A further contribution includes a formula for inductance that incorporates the number of turns, permeability of the core material, cross-sectional area, and average length of the coil, raising questions about how to calculate the wire gauge from these parameters.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants are generally aligned in their approach to solving the problem using mathematical relationships, but there is no consensus on the specific calculations or methods to determine the wire gauge and other parameters.

Contextual Notes

Some limitations include the need for specific values for the core material's permeability and the geometry of the coil, which are not fully defined in the discussion. Additionally, the relationship between the wire gauge and resistance is not resolved, leaving some assumptions unaddressed.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for individuals interested in electromagnet design, electrical engineering students, or hobbyists working on related projects requiring detailed calculations of wire specifications and coil properties.

checkmatescott
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[/ATTACH][/ATTACH]I need some help designing my electromagnet because I am a bit lost with it
I need to work out the gauge of the wire to be used,
the resistance of the wire needs to match the battery's internal resistance for max power transfer
I need to work out the most amount of turns i can have
I need to work out how much inductance this coil has to then work out the time constant for that coil
this time constant MUST be below 0.0008 seconds and above 0.0007s for the purposes of my build
I have a few equations that i think may help and i think I am almost there but i just can't work it out

heres what i have if more info is needed for anything just tell me and i will find it thanks again for any help its really appreciated thanks a lot in advance

B * gap = Mu * N * I

B is in Tesla (10,000 gauss)
gap is in meters (This is the opening of the "C ".)
Mu = 4π * 10-7
N is an integer equal to the number of turns in your coil
I is the current in Amps

Another famous law, called Ohms law, tells you the relationship between amps, volts and resistance.

Volts = Amps * resistance (measured in Ohms)

Your coil should be made so it has a voltage drop equal to what your battery can put out at the best rate of discharge. A piece of copper has resistance which can be determined form the following formula.

Resistance = Rho * L / A

Resistance is in Ohms
Rho is a constant for each metal and for copper it is 1.6*10-6 ohm-centimeters
L is the length of the wire used in centimeters
A is the cross section area of the copper wire in centimeters squared

here is an inductance calculator for sqaure loop http://www.technick.net/public/code/cp_dpage.php?aiocp_dp=util_inductance_calculator


I also have this picture but it isn't very clear to me and i have drawn a diagram to show the dimentions of the core
 

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Last edited:
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also I've worked out abit more i need 500 turns with a resistance of 290 ohms how do i work out the gauge and length of the wire?
 
You have two equations and two unknowns; L , A. Should be basic algebra.

R = rho * L / A
L = 500 * "circumference of one turn" <---- given by geometry of your coil/core
 
THANKS FOR THE QUICK RELPY my core is 8 centimeters in circumfrence and it is square does it matter i also have another equation L= N^2*uAl / l
L = inductance
N = number of turns
u = absolute permeability of core material
A cross sectional area in meters
l = average length of coil in meters

how do i work out the gauge of the wire
 

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