Current Transformers

Shortly after I graduated with my physics bachelors degree I fabricated these current transformers for another student’s PhD research project. I had been interested in the lab’s plasma research but it was the engineering that caught my attention. A discussion about the cost of some needed current transformers quickly turned into plans to build them from scratch. I first machined aluminum cores, then hand-wound insulated wire around Iron cores. I took great pride in precisely machining dimensionally accurate parts which functioned as designed, while adding enormous value to the overall project.