Do it Yourself: Winding an Electric Motor

Unscrew the four screws on the primary housing using the screwdriver. Place a flathead screwdriver against the crease for the motor housing and apply pressure. Separate the housing and place it to the side.

Remove the armature of the motor by firmly grasping the motor and pulling. Permanent magnets attract the armature, and pulling overcomes the magnetic attraction of the magnets. Pull the rubber sleeve and the end plate off the armature to expose the guts of the motor and the wire wound around the iron core.

Examine the exact pattern the wiring uses for winding around the iron core. Some motors are simply wrapped around the core and others have an intricate web of holes and slots. Write down the exact pattern using the pen and paper or take a picture of it using a digital camera.

Cut the copper wiring from the iron core using the wire cutters. Dispose of the loose copper wiring. Replace the wiring in the exact configuration as before. You can adjust the electromagnetic field by increasing or decreasing the amount of times the wire is wound around the motor. Less winding means faster revolutions per minute, but less torque. More winding means less revolutions per minute, but more torque.

Replace the motor parts in the opposite order. Plug in the motor and see if it works. If the motor does not work, then you wound the wire in an incorrect configuration.