[Boatanchors] Winding coils

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Whether the coil is for RF or not has nothing to do with anything.  The right 
hand rule applies at any frequency we might be concerned with.  If the 
handedness doesn't matter, it wouldn't matter at any frequency.

But the handedness may matter, depending upon what you are building, because 
mixed right and left hand wound windings have reversed phase relations (that 
pesky right or left (depending upon whether you are a conventional or electron 
current aficionado) hand rule again.

However, to answer Duane's original question, while there is to my knowledge 
no theoretical best or proper way to wind a coil (you get the same inductance 
either way), the average human is right handed will probably wind the coil 
clockwise if left to his/her own volition.

If you doubt this and wish to perform an experiment, enlist the aid of ten or 
more (more is better) friends or acquaintances.  Hand each of them a stick 
with a few feet of string tied to it.  Ask them to hold the stick in their left 
hands and wind the string onto the stick.  Odds are huge that the majority at 
least, being right-handed, will wind it clockwise.  On the other hand (pun 
intended), if you tell them to hold the stick in their right hand and wind with 
their left, you will probably get slightly to somewhat different results.  One 
presumes that left handed humans (a minority) might do it widdershins.  But I 
don't know this for a fact and the only left-handed person I knew (my Father) 
is long dead and I can't ask him.

And if you happen to be fresh out of string and sticks, you may use twine and 
dowels or rods.

In a message dated 7/7/2008 8:00:58 PM Central Daylight Time, 
rbethman at comcast.net writes: 
> Being that the coil is for RF, it matters not.
> 
> The "right hand rule" is a bit senseless in a multiple million shift in 
> the field.
> 
> Bob - N0DGN
> 
> Duane Fischer, W8DBF wrote:
> >I wonder, which is the proper way to wind a coil form, clockwise or 
> >counterclockwise?

Robert & Susan Downs - Houston
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