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Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 6:07 pm
by MisterCasual
I have a science project to build a hydro generator, I went to home depot to get wiring for the coils and he gave me some copper wire, the copper wire was twisted and stuff and it looked fine, so I bring it home then i realized the wire had to be enameled, and I doubt he gave me enameled wiring and by the looks of it it doesn't look enameled. (Then again it might be)
So I was looking through my house and found some speaker wire, covered in plastic and it had 2 wires in it... If i strip both the pieces apart can those be used as wires to be coiled for the electricity generation?
Please if anyone knows anything about this sort of stuff please help me.
Thank you
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 6:57 pm
by volcanogeorge
you need as many turns as possible, hence smaller diameter wire, hence enameled wire is usually used.
if you can solder to it, it's not enameled, you'll need to strip the enameling off with sandpaper/a knife
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 8:20 pm
by EliteLennon117
#loops / length
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 8:38 pm
by pembroke
Isn't the point of enamelled wire that you should be able to solder it without having to strip it?
Would it be possible to check with them? Perhaps posting a picture would be more helpful to someone trying to identify your wires.
Anything that can 'hold' a potential difference in order to deliver a current should be usable for what you're doing. So yes, the speaker wires should work.
Personally though, I could never bring myself to take a speaker apart hahaha.
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 8:59 pm
by volcanogeorge
pembroke wrote:Isn't the point of enamelled wire that you should be able to solder it without having to strip it?
Would it be possible to check with them? Perhaps posting a picture would be more helpful to someone trying to identify your wires.
Anything that can 'hold' a potential difference in order to deliver a current should be usable for what you're doing. So yes, the speaker wires should work.
Personally though, I could never bring myself to take a speaker apart hahaha.
no the point is that its insulated without needing a really thick layer of plastic, thus enabling it to be wound into coils without shorting out on itself.
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 9:19 pm
by pembroke
I meant compared using actually thick layers of plastic for insulating.
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 9:27 pm
by volcanogeorge
the main advantage it has is that you can fit more turns of wire in the same volume than you can with plastic insulation.
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 10:01 pm
by pembroke
Fair.

Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 5:37 am
by lovelydivot
Isn't the point of coiling - to generate more surface area?
and if so - Why would you want it insulated at all?
I mean - Why do you need to coil - I don't understand what you are doing.
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 5:51 am
by lovelydivot
This is a full on science wind up thread isn't it..
It's 1:55...+4, -4
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 3:29 pm
by pembroke
Dunno about you, but I don't much like the thought of being electrocuted every time I try to touch my science project.
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 3:38 pm
by lovelydivot
but aren't you trying to cross the wire over a magnetic field to generate electon movement?
How can you do that if your wire is insulated against it?
Maybe you shouldn't be touching the wire - needs to be chambered...
But I could be wrong - maybe magnets work through insulation...
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 3:41 pm
by pembroke
Is there a reason that the coating alone should act to diminish the magnetic field?
Edit - wire to coating
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 3:47 pm
by dickman69
isnt the point of electricty that u can run wires with it
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 3:56 pm
by lovelydivot
ok so, while generating - your coils do have to be insulated from each other...to control the shorting as you said...
- " but in all cases the individual turns must be electrically insulated from each other to ensure that the current travels throughout every turn."
and your answer - "For ease of manufacturing, most new magnet wire has insulation that acts as a flux when burnt during soldering. [1] This means that the electrical connections at the ends can be made without stripping off the insulation first. Older magnet wire is normally not like this, and requires sandpapering or scraping to remove the insulation before soldering."
I mean - Borax flux - is glass - as is enamel...
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 4:08 pm
by pembroke
rayman612 wrote:isnt the point of electricty that u can run wires with it
What do you mean by running wires?
And generally I think the point of electricity is to transport charge.
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 7:04 pm
by volcanogeorge
what the fuck happened here
Re: Speaker Wire vs. Enameled Wire
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:27 pm
by pembroke
Highschool
