Can I use a copper wire instead of magnetic wire?
What is called Magnet Wire? The magnetic wire is a copper wire with an enamel (a kind of paint ) coating on it, and used for transformer coils and motor coils. Copper wire is a conductor, like bare copper.
What is correctly called Magnet Wire is a copper wire with an enamel (a kind of paint ) coating on it. It typically has a brownish color.
Are you conflating “magnetic wire” with “magnet wire”, which is generally copper but covered with thin insulation such as enamel and used for winding coils?
When you say copper wire, it’s not clear exactly what you’re referring to. If it is a bare copper wire, you cannot use it to wind coils because each turn will short to the next one. If it isn’t insulated copper wire you can use it to make electromagnets, but if the insulation is thick it will prevent you from getting very many turns per inch which means it will be a weaker electromagnet compared to enameled Magnet Wire.
Just don’t be trying to make an electromagnet or transformer out of it.
The spacing of the plastic insulation will reduce the magnetic permeability of the windings, so there will not be as many(windings) per length of bobbin.
If you were to use plain copper wire, then there would be no insulation, and the current would short across the coil, and not keep the current confined inside the loops of wire.
No loops of wire, then no reactance. No reactance, then no resistance (very little) to current flow.
(Reactance is only relevant with AC, and a single shorted loop will cause the magnetic field to collapse, but probably have little affect on the resistance of the coil)
Copper wire , has a certain resistance at 20C, for the size(area) of the strand. The insulation of ‘magnet wire’, has a voltage rating, based on the gauge of the wire, and how thick the varnish(coating) is applied to the copper.
(Voltage rating has nothing to do with the gauge of the wire, ONLY the thickness and material of the insulation)
If you are mis-understanding the use of iron, and its characteristics, then you may be referring to iron wire as ‘magnetic wire’.
Any conductor, can be ‘magnetic wire;, be it aluminum, copper, gold, silver, tin, lead etc. It is the current through it, and the shape(coil, spiral) that determines the magnetic effect.
