Small electromagnet suppliers/mfgs.

Hello jimd7

Your watch should have a Brand Name on it.

Contact the makers, and ask if you may purchase some from them.

These type of parts are quite specialised, so the maker of the watch is your first source.

From memory, you have opened an Omega or Bulova watch, early type made around 1960, which used a tuning fork energised by a pair of electromagnets, and the tuning fork had an escapement gearing to the automatic/manual wound mainspring.

You could always purchase a roll of extremely fine copper wire, get some soft iron for the core and make your own, the pleasure of making something useful is a lifetime memory.

For that operation, you need extremely keen eyesight, a steady hand, nerves of steel, and miniature tools.

Try in Google: omega watch tuning fork (Not bolded, just the 4 words) and you should find some sources for the Omega watch.

These watches were extremely accurate in their day, but have since been superseded by the far more accurate electronic watch, which relies on a quartz crystal vibrating at 32768 Hz with divide-by circuitry.

Kind Regards....

Hi Sparky,

Thanks for your suggestions. I copied a picture of the E-M below. The watch has "Point Promotions" on the dial, assembled in Canada on the backplate, and Miyotah Co. of Japan on the mechanism. I have no idea how old the watch is but their website is at www.miyotah.com and I'll contact them anon!

The device in the watch is close but a little longer than I was thinking about.

Your other idea about building my own sounds like more fun, and a chance to learn a lot more more about my own project. But, given that my idea may be smaller than the one in the watch depending on how it works, this will require more than a steady hand, insofar as I think I'll build a machine to do it because my plan is to build several test units requiring almost 20 per unit. I think it will be also fun to design a machine to wind the ultra-fine wire coil accross the core in decrements that are probably going to be around 0.1 mm. Tension and soldering will be a hoot too! I'll ponder this avenue carefully as it will allow me to perhaps test several designs and features.

However, while I'm in thinking mode, I still contact these folks and see what they may have kicking around :)

How's the golden amber libation situation around your domain? Here in Canada we've been facing supply pinches and especially now with rising wheat prices, I'm sure the substitution effect will kick-in and lead to lower malting barley supply from our grain farmers switching crops. What's to become of inflation for those of us who like barley sandwiches unless we can convince less people to imbibe of lagers and ales :)

Anyway, I appeciate your suggestion greatly, cheers! -Jim

Hello again jimd7

Your watch is NOT the tuning fork style.

In your watch, the electromagnet pulls up a small helical spring, and that spring runs the watch gears and escapement.

When the spring runs low in stored energy, the electromagnet switches on, with a tiny click, pulling the spring tight once more - this action should happen once every 5 minutes or so.

The mechanism is quite commonly used in kitchen type wall clocks, sold for a few dollars.

Have fun with making the electromagnets, my eyesight is now not equal to miniature tasks.

The golden amber stuff here I leave alone, as I am sensitized to alcohol, even in small quantities.

Kind Regards....

Bulova Accutron

http://members.iinet.net.au/~fotoplot/acc.htm

The engineering equivalent of diving off the high-board, into the wet sponge...

Just a thought: you might be able to pick up an old sewing machine at a car boot sale or on E-bay and adapt the spool winding mechanism for winding the coil. These old machines were probably almost worthless a few years back, but, may now be gaining value as collectors items.

Thanks Randall,

That sounds about right and hopefully adaptable. I actually have a couple and will check which one can lend me its part for awhile!

Cheers,

-Jim

I think you mean http://www.miyota.com/en/index.html

This may be another good link:

http://www.swatchgroup.com/companies/watches_movements_components.php

From my experience, I would doubt these companies would sell you piece parts.

My contact with this company was quite interesting: http://www.prejection.com/english/index.htm .

tear apart an old floppy - 5&1/4 or even better an old 8" and check out the heads. I guess the word 'old' preceeding 8" floppy is not really necessary.

Gotta go, I just got a call from the Department of Redundancy Department.

The Focus drive from an old CD player may be a good source of coils, or at least tiny wire.

I've just cut up an old through hole relay its external dimension were 10mm x 9mm x 8mm. The coil for the electromagnet was about 6mm x 5mm x 4mm. The external dimensions of an Omron G6k surface mount relay are 5.2 (H) × 6.5 (W) ×10 (L)mm. They are readily available so it may be worth cutting one up to see. Also there must be smaller SMT relays on the market by now.

Thanks Everyone for your suggestions!

Instead of replying to all your posts and those which are yet to come, I'll just express my appreciation to everybody at once and post again an update after I've had some success. So, thanks everyone again!

Cheers,

-Jim

Hai Suhas,

I need to know about the manufacturers/suppliers of tiny electromagnets of size 2-3 mm dia and 20 to 30 mm length.

with core of iron/any ferrite of size ~1mm dia.

any No. of turns and wire gauge, but of good field strength is required.

Initial purchase quantity may be less but if the project is successful definitely the no. will be more.

regards

Uday

Hello - I found this old post and wanted to see if you had any success in locating the tiny electromagnets you were looking for. I am am looking for something similar to be attached to the top of a neodymium magnet. Thanks.

Hello Uday

Still the information is not sufficient.

but of good field strength is required.

The field strength depends up on the number of turns. You have to tell all required data:

Following Data will help me in quoting:

1. Drawing for the core.

2. If you will be supplying the cores or I have to find the core?

3. Wire gauge. Type of wire: Insulation class E/G/G/H? Self bonding or normal?

4. Type of termination of ends

5. Number of turns.

6. Initial order quantity

7. Regular monthly order quantity

8. Your location

This data is needed for each type of coils, if you have number of different types.

Hope I can quote. You may send these details to me at gsuhas@gmail.com

Regards,