I am building a simple circuit and was wondering what is the difference between a coil and a transformer? Also, in my circuit I have a generator. My generator is made up of a coil and magnets. I would like to know do the amount of turns my coil is determine the power of the generator? When I select the gage wire I am going to use we that determine the amount of volts and current I can gain from my generator?
A transformer is nothing but a magnetic core on which two isolated coils are wound. Power of generator depends on many factors 1. Size and strength of magnet 2. Size and magnetic properties of iron parts 3. Rotating coils, speed, diameter, length. Gage wire is chosen based on volt / ampere considerations, not the other way.(gage does not decide voltage and ampere of the generator)
A transformer is used to transfer power and either step up or step down the voltages. Hence for this purpose, the mutual inductance must be very high. The leakage inductance needs to be minimum. Thats why iron core is used. A Coil is a conductor generally wrapped in a helicoidal form by certain number of turns.
A transformer is two or more coils that share the same magnetic flux path. In an ideal transformer (every bit of flux caused by current through one coil circles every turn of that coil and also circles every turn of all other coils in the transformer), every turn of all coils shares a similar induced voltage that is proportional to the rate of change of that common flux. Two coil transformers have the property that the power going into one coil will exit the other (except for copper and iron losses). Since power equals voltage times current, and volts per turn are all the same, a transformer with half as many turns on the output winding (secondary) as there are in the inlet winding (primary), will output half as much voltage as is applied to the primary, but will output twice as much current as goes through the primary. That way, the product of voltage times current going in equals the product of voltage times current going out. -- Regards, John Popelish
