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Theory Section descriptions: Brief introduction to coilguns and instructions on how to build a simple table-top coilgun. Electromagnetic Basics 1, 2, 3, 4 - Describes the basics of electromagnetic forces and shows how these operate in general. This section looks at the principles involved in the operation of a coilgun. If you don't have a high resolution ohmmeter then this formula will give you a good approximation to the coil resistance. Optimised Coil Parameters 1, 2, 3 - Find out how the circuit resistance and coil parameters affect the current density and field strength in the coil. Make sure that you don't melt your coils. Find out how to estimate the temperature rise. A transient technique is described which can be used to determine the inductance of a coil. FEMM can be used to determine the approximate inductance of a coil operating at low frequencies. This describes the most common semiconductor devices which can be used in a coilgun system. The main types of triggering are discussed and some example circuits are given. How fast does your coilgun fire that projectile? This explains two methods which can be used to tell you just that. If you want your projectiles to go ballistic then think about some of these design issues. Metal accelerator tubes mean one thing, eddy currents. This section shows how to reduce eddy current paths in a metallic tube. High power coilguns experience large dynamic forces so the coils need to be constructed with inherent strength. Some simple ways to achieve a strong coil are discussed. Suggestions about what can be used to power a coilgun. Covers some of the math used in electromagnetics. A brief look at two free finite element numerical field solution packages, Quickfield and FEMM.
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