In the next pages the capacitor arrays will be assembled and mounted on two birch plywood panels

(each 9” x 15”). Since 2 panels have 4 sides, 3 of the sides are reserved for capacitors. I used
“cable
tie mount bases” (Home Depot) to secure the capacitors to the panels. For single capacitors I used
the adhesive back to secure the mount base but where larger capacitors were involved, I used #6 x
3/8” Phillips screws to secure the mounting bases to the panels. An easier way to mount the
capacitors is to drill holes through the panel and use cable ties. If you use a metal mounting panel
you will need to use rubber sheeting to keep the metal capacitors from contacting the metal. Gene
Dillman found considerable stray current in his metal cabinet but solved the problem by insulating the
metal capacitors.

This is the 30 µf capacitor. The dark

strip of wood on the left edge of the
These are two of the cable tie panel is a cap of cherry that hides
mounting bases. They have slots the edge of the plywood when this
for the cable ties to pass through plywood was used as a shelf long ago.
and up around the capacitors. The
ties are 7 inch ties and are just
long enough for all the capacitors
used in a DCM.

The mount bases have an adhesive

backing but when mounting the
larger capacitors there is some prying
action when you tighten the cable tie
and the adhesive releases. This
prying occurs because two bases are
used for the large capacitors so they
can cradle in the gap between the
two mounts.
This 30 µf (PART 225-5010) capacitor is the only one
on switch B. I label all capacitors to avoid mistakes in
wiring to the switches. Avoid pulling too tightly on the
cable ties. The capacitors shouldn’t move around but
make the tie just snug enough.
These capacitors for switch C, each 8 µf (PART 591-7045)
will be connected together in a parallel circuit so they should
be mounted near each other.
 The 4 µf (PART 591-7025) capacitor for switch E has
On the next page these capacitors will be
been mounted to the panel and above the 8 µf (PART 591-7045)
connected in a parallel circuit
for switch D will follow.

The short pieces of 12 gauge wire have their ends
stripped of insulation and the spade connectors
will be crimped on. These wires are used to connect
the two capacitors in cap array C together in a parallel
circuit.
Use this section of the crimping tool to secure the connector
to the wire – be sure there is no wire insulation in the
aluminum collar that will be crimped. Also be sure that the wire
does not turn independently of the connector –if it does crimp
It some more. Notice how flattened the yellow insulation is
where the crimping pliers were used
The capacitors used in a DCM do not have plus and
minus terminals. By connecting the top terminals together
and the bottom terminals together you get a parallel Here is the entire side of the first panel. There is no capacitor
circuit (even if you turned one of the capacitors 180 degrees for switch A. Switch A is used for frequencies that require
and rewired it. Here the panel is lying flat and in the picture capacitances larger than 62µf which is the sum of all capacitors
to the right it is upright on its edge – the way it will be in a DCM.
mounted in the cart.
 They don’t all work out to be this neat but this one makes
These 4 µf (PART 591-4205) capacitors for switch F will
a good picture.
be in a series circuit. It doesn’t matter which ends you
twist together. Hold them as shown. Leave about !” of
wire Is between the capacitor and where they cross.
They will be twisted together with fingers so once you
start the twist be sure to pinch the spot where the wires
cross so the twisting doesn’t migrate down toward the
capacitors.
 Decide where you want to place them then attach mounting
Trim the ends but not so much that the twist is loose.
bases and cable ties or drill holes and use cable ties.
All of the twist connections like this must be soldered
This series connection of 2 - 4µf (PART 591-4205) capacitor
For switch G three 3 µf (PART 591-4200) capacitors will be
will be connected to switch F
connected in a series circuit
Twist the wires together as before - place the array to determine
the location of mounting bases.

Using a marker to label helps when wiring the capacitors together.

Its just another way to keep yourself organized

parallel
Capacitor array H two 1 µf (PART 591-6085) to be connected in
series to switch H is shown mounted on the panel. Notice that the
wire twists that will be soldered are all out where a soldering iron
can be used very easily.
series
The capacitors for switch I involve a parallel and a series
circuit. First connect two .47 µf (PART 591-6075)
capacitors end to end. Use needle nose pliers to make a
bend In each of the free wires so they are perpendicular
to the two joined capacitors. Connect a .015 µf
(PART 591-6150) to these free wires which results in a
parallel connection I used pliers to twist these connections
since the available wire for the parallel connection is limited
in length.
Just a few more arrays on this panel will be enough.
Switch J is connected to capacitors in a parallel circuit.
Connect a .1 µf capacitor (PART 591-6175) front to front
and back to back to a .022 µf capacitor (PART 591-6155).
They are shown here mounted to the panel.

Switch K is connected to two capacitors connected in a
parallel circuit. Connect a .047 µf (PART 591-6165)
capacitor front to front and back to back with a .015 µf
(PART 591-6150) capacitor. Don’t twist the wire so
much that the capacitors get close together.
F H
I
G
J K
The second panel is finished. All the wires on the left of each array
will be connected to their respective toggle switches. The wires on
the right of each array and all other capacitor arrays will be joined
together and go to one of the terminals on the binding post. The
binding post is where the coil plugs into the system with banana plugs.
We are now working on the second panel (the third side for This is another single capacitor for switch M. It is a .015 µf
capacitors). This side will contain the remaining capacitors (PART 591-6150) capacitor.
and the other side of the panel will contain the resistors.
Shown is the capacitor for switch L. It is a single .033 µf
(PART 591-6160) capacitor.
Switch N connects to this
Single .01 µf
(PART (591-6145)
capacitor.

Switch O connects to this series circuit consisting of

two .015 µf (591-6150) capacitors. The switches are
Switch P connects to this series of two
located to the right. Both panels will be mounted in a
.01 µf (PART 591-6145) capacitors.
perpendicular direction to the back of the switch panel
 Soldering capacitor arrays
Soldering is easy and fun. Be very careful with the hot soldering iron tip since it would be very easy to melt a hole in
the casing of a capacitor. Ventilation is a good idea because the flux in the hollow core of the solder wire vaporizes
when you melt the solder. Vaporized flux damages the eyes and lungs. Once the soldering tip is hot, touch the wires
to be soldered and melt some solder on the tip of the soldering iron. The solder flows by capillary action so to ensure
that it seals the connection, heat just long enough until you see the solder appear to sink into the joint.

The soldering iron tip is under the twisted wire to be soldered.

The idea is to get the solder melted and onto the twisted wire
quickly. Heating too long can ruin components like capacitors.

This is a strip of solder

coming directly from a
1 lb. spool.
 Connecting the capacitor arrays to the switches
Each capacitor array has been lettered. It would be wise to check each array
(before soldering) to be sure that where a series circuit is needed you actually
do have a series connection and not a parallel connection. I chose to use
solid 12 gauge wire to connect the capacitor arrays to the switches because
there is always enough left over from coil winding but you could use stranded
wire instead. Stranded wire is much easier to use than solid wire since it bends
so easily.

A wire is soldered to one end of each capacitor array and then
goes to the bottom spade terminal of the respective switch. In the
case of the large metal jacketed capacitors with spade terminals,
a spade connector is crimped to each end of the wire so no soldering
is necessary. The switches shown have 3 male spade connectors.
Switches with just 2 are easier to use since you don’t have to figure
which one is not used.
Here a spade connector is pushed onto one of the two
terminals of the 30 µf capacitor for switch B. Each of the
2 terminals has 4 spade connecting spots. You can choose
any of the spade ends but when we connect all the capacitors
together later you must use the other terminal to connect a wire to.
The grey wire shown goes to switch B so the upper terminal with
4 spade ends is the one we must use later. After all of the capacitor
arrays are connected to switches the wire on the other side of each
capacitor array are all connected together and will go to the
binding post where the coil plugs in.
The 30 µf capacitor is connected to the bottom
spade end of switch B.
You can choose any of the 4 terminals on these parallel capacitors
to connect to the switch. I chose the one on the lower capacitor and
the terminal back toward the panel. The grey wire is going to switch C.
When we connect all the capacitors together later, the terminal away
from the panel (on either capacitor must be used).
This wire from capacitor array C is connected to switch C. Connecting capacitor arrays that don’t have spade terminals
requires soldering directly to the capacitor wire. An easy way
to do this is to use about 3” of a strand of stranded wire and
wrap the copper wire going to the switch and the capacitor
wire together. Its easy to solder the connection this way.
Another way to make this connection is to wrap the capacitor
wire around the thicker 12 gauge solid wire and then solder
the connection
Capacitor array F is connected to switch F. You can connect
all the other capacitor arrays to their respective switches but I
recommend that you first do the operations on the next few
pages. The reason is that finishing the capacitor to switch
part is easy – just push the spade connectors onto the lowest
terminal of each switch. The next steps require a lot of finger
room and will prove to be easier if all the switch wires were not
in the way.
To avoid photographs that were mostly masses of wires
and clumsy to work around. I do not have the switches and
capacitor arrays connected to their switches in the next several
pages. The next step is to cut 31 four inch long pieces of
stranded 12 gauge wire. Strip 3/8” of the insulation off one end
of 16 of the pieces and crimp a spade connector to that end.
Strip about 5/8” of the insulation from the other end of the 16
wires. Attach the spade connectors to the middle terminal on
the back of each switch. Spread the strands into a fan to make
the next step easier. The top-most terminal on each switch
is not used.
There is an alternative method for this wiring shown in the last
section of this tutorial.
Take the remaining 4” sections of stranded wire and
strip 5/8” on insulation off of both ends. Spread the strands
into fans as shown above.

Take 2 of the wires you just stripped and fanned

and place them with the 4” piece of fanned wire
connected to switch H (top left on the back of the switch
panel). You will be twisting three pieces of wire together with
your fingers. The fan shape make twisting easier.
Here two of the pieces of wire and the wire attached to switch H
are twisted together. Don’t use pliers to twist since many of the fine
strands may be broken. It is sufficient to use your fingers. Use an
alligator clip or two to hold the three wires in place for soldering.
The connection has been soldered. When the solder cools
use a red wire nut to cap the connection. The stranded wire
that is almost vertical in this picture will be twisted with the
wire immediately behind it and another loose piece of wire.
What we are doing here is using the loose pieces of wire to
“jump” from one switch to the next. In the end all switches
will be connected together.
The piece of wire pointing to the left coming from the soldered
connection will be twisted with the wire below it and a loose piece
of wire.
Keep connecting the set of wires until you get to switch A.
This photo shows the detail of switch H. Notice that the wire
There are just two wires to twist and solder for this switch.
nut has two “jumpers” which allow you to continue across the
All of the twisted connections should be soldered and
top row of switches to the right to switch A and down to the
capped with wire nuts.
bottom row of switches to the right to switch I. When you get
to switch I do not solder until you see the next page.
When you get to switch I add in about 9” of stranded wire
(I used black so you can see it in the picture. This black wire
will be connected to both set of resistors
switch I
Notice the grey wires that are soldered to the bare copper wire
that connects a set of resistors. The grey wires go to the left and
are attached to the black wire. The black wire goes behind the
wood panel to the wire nut that leads to switch I as shown in the
picture to the left. The above resistor panel is not in the picture to
the left – it was added to show how the resistors connect to the
switches.
Building the resistors sets is discussed in the resistors section.
The grey wires coming from the left side of both
resistor sets go to the black wire and then to the
wire nut at switch I.
The other two grey wires go to the right and
go the back of the amplifier. Notice they are
soldered onto the bare copper wires
connecting the right sides of the resistor sets.
 Connecting all of the capacitor arrays

Notice how grey wires go from a terminal on a capacitor

to the switches. Also notice that grey wires now attached
to the other terminal go back toward the left. The wires will
be connected together and with “jumpers” will be connected to
all of the other capacitors.
Here are the rest of the capacitors on this panel showing the grey wires going to the left.
The top two capacitors labeled C are actually identical in size. The photo was taken at
an angle which suggests that the top capacitor is larger. Notice that the wire going to switch C
is connected to a different terminal than the wire going to the left. Both of these wires could
have been attached respectively to the other C capacitor at the top.
A large blue wire nut secures all of the capacitor wires. Notice that a “jumper” wire
goes to the left and through a hole to connect the other capacitors on the other panels.
An extra wire is joined to the blue wire nut and goes to the binding post where it will be soldered.
The wire insulation on the end of this wire is stripped so the bare end can be wrapped with a strand
of copper wire and secured to the post for soldering.
Grey wires were soldered to the ends of the capacitor arrays and twisted with
electrician’s pliers and will be soldered. The wire to the lower left is a “jumper” that will
connect with a group of capacitors mounted on the panel to the right. Again notice
that the wire on the other side of the capacitors will be connected to their respective
switches but are not yet connected in this picture

This picture shows the 3rd panel of capacitor arrays – the other side of this panel
is where the resistors are attached.
There are too many capacitor arrays on these two panels to twist all the wires together so I made
three bundles of wires connected by “jumper” wires. The arrow points to the “jumper” that is
already connected with the wire nut to all the capacitor arrays on the panel to the left. The next
page shows the 3 bundles.
• The

There are 3 jumper” wires in this picture. The wire bundles with grey wire nuts were
composed of fewer wires so required a smaller wire nut. See an alternative way of
connecting the capacitors together at the end of the tutorial on the “New and
Alternate Ideas Section.
The unseen side of this panel
has all of the metal jacketed
capacitors on it. The blue wire
nut connects all of those capacitors
together.
This is the wire nut connecting all the metal jacketed capacitors – the “jumper” wire
connects this panel of capacitors to all the other capacitors.
 Resistors
There are 10 resistors in a DCM. They are connected in two groups
of five resistors each. The wires coming out of a resistor are not quite
long enough to twist all five resistors together and still have
space for cooling around each one so I mounted each one on a cable
tie mounting base.
After 5 resistors are mounted and strapped down, strip a
The resistors on the left have been connected to each
length of solid 12 gauge wire of insulation and wrap about
other on both sides. Mount the remaining 5 resistors
!’ of each resistor wire around the solid copper wire. Do
on mounting bases and connect them together also.
the same thing on the other side of the resistors. Each
resistor could easily be held in place by drilling holes and
using just cable ties.

Here are the 2 sets of resistors. The resistor wire-
copper wire connections should now be soldered.
Choose the side of the resistor sets that is closest to the back
of your QSC1850HD amplifier. Two solid copper wires must be
connected to teach resistor set and one must go to the Channel 1
Minus output terminal and one must go to the Channel 2 minus
output terminal on the back of the amplifier. Since my DCM is
completely contained on a cart, I had to drill a hole in the shelf that
holds the capacitor arrays and resistors to allow these wires to pass
down to the first and lowest shelf to the amplifier.
The two copper wires are hard to hold in place while soldering
since you will have a roll of solder in one hand and the soldering
iron in the other. Use one thin strand of wire to wrap the two
together and then solder the joint and all the copper wire-resistor joints.
It doesn’t matter which set of resistors is connected to the
amplifier Channel 1 minus output terminal. Connect the other
set of resistors to the Channel 2 minus output terminal.
Here are two copper wires that lead to the amplifier channel 1 an 2
minus output terminals.

The wiring for the other side of the resistors is discussed in the
section on Capacitors.
One set of resistors should be connected to Channel 1 output.
The other set of resistors should be connected to Channel 2 output.
 Wave/Signal Generator
Many people wonder how a DCM can pulse a magnetic field at a given
frequency. It’s easy – you choose!

A DCM has as an integral part, a wave generator but you must purchase a
wave generator that produces low frequencies. – in the Hz range (for waves
such as 306 Hz, 432 Hz, 625 Hz, 2112 Hz). A short online survey of wave
generators will quickly show you that most produce waves in the mega Hertz
(MHz) millions of waves/second and many produce Giga Hertz (billions of
waves/second) frequencies. A wave generator such as these will not be
compatible with a DCM. You must have a wave (sometimes called a signal or
audio) generator that emits very low frequency waves - as low as you
can go toward zero waves per second. The Instek SFG-2004 generator
produces waves down to .1 Hz (waves per second).
 This is a BNC
jack – the cable
supplied with the
generator has a BNC
connector on one end
And alligator clips on the
red and black wires
that split from the main
cable. You can
change the clips to
fork connectors that
fit under the screws on
the back of the amplifier
if you choose

This is the Instek SFG 2004 signal Generator..

 Coil Stand
• I designed a coil stand that holds the
coil off the back of the stand about !
inches for better cooling. There are
four short 1 "” long dowel pieces
glued in #” deep holes. Each of these
pieces has a "” hole drilled through it
so the coil can be strapped down to
these support pillars with 4 cable ties.
The weight of the coil is further
supported on 3 dowels that are 3 #”
long and glued into #” deep holes (so
3” of each dowel sticks out of the back
of the stand. This dowel length will
accommodate coils that are as wide as
2 #”, which is wider than the vast
majority of coils used in coil machines.
The coil shown is an 8.51 mh coil.
The stand is made of red oak. The
base is 1 1/8” thick and the tilted back
is 7/8” thick. The angle between the
back and the base is 14 degrees.
 Cutout for handle allows coil to be moved
but not abraded by constant handling. Cutout
was made by drilling overlapping 1” holes
with a Forstner bit with a drill press.

The cable tie goes through the pillar and
around the coil – there are 4 pillars holding
the coil off the back
The coil rests on three 1 inch diameter
dowels in addition to being strapped to
4 pillar supports with 4 cable ties. The two
bottom dowels are really the only ones needed
for support.
 Top support pillar

Bottom support pillars

The top right shows that two pieces of red oak have been
glued together to make a wider piece for a coil stand base.
The dried glue is shown along the glue joint. I use polyurethane
glue exclusively. The wood must be slightly dampened to
The slanted blades shown (an adjustable dado cutter)
activate the glue but when it cures in a day its very strong.
consists of two blades that rotate around a wedge that
tilts one blade so grooves (dadoes) of various widths
can be – up to 7/8”. The saw is tilted 14 degrees
to give the tilted dado. This helps to move the center of
gravity of the 9 lb. coil backwards and stabilizes
the stand
A spindle sander is great for cleaning up the insides of cutouts.
I drilled 1” diameter overlapping holes to make the cutout.

This is the vertical part that holds the coil. Here it is

being planed so it fits into the slanted dado groove
The 3” radius curves have been cut of a bandsaw for the edges. I could do without the sanding part but there are
The piece on the right is the base and the piece on the parts for 3 coil stands here and they all need a
left is the upright lot of sanding.
 The 4 dowel pillars have a 1/4” hole drilled so a cable tie
can be put through the hole and around the wire coil. This
straps the wire coil to the coil stand. Be sure to drill the hole
before the pillar is glued in its hole and be sure to turn the pillar
in such a way that the cable tie will go through the hole and
The 4 one inch circles will be drilled 1/2” deep
around the wire coil without twisting.
with a 1” diameter Forstner bit. One inch diameter
and 1” long dowel pillars will be glued in these
holes for the wire coil to sit on.
The other 3 one inch holes are for longer dowels to support All dowels are glued in place.
The weight of the wire coil. The coil for this stand is
1 !” thick and the holes are 3/8” deep so the dowel
supports end up about 2 3/8” long (they are slightly longer
than the coil is thick).

The wire coil is strapped to the 4 short pillars with
cable ties and the wire coil sits on the 3 longer dowels.
Three glued stands. They will dry overnight.
The cured glue usually squeezes out and must scraped
off with a sharp wood chisel. I use one coat of a tung
Oil..

A more universal stand would be to eliminate the long upper-

most dowel. Coils of different sizes could then just sit on the
two lower large dowels.
After removing any glue (with a narrow, sharp chisel) that
squeezes out around the dowels, the stand is sanded and
Here the cable tie has been pulled tight and
coated with tung oi lfinish. I let it dry for a day and then
the end has been trimmed.
mount the coil with cable ties that pass through the short
dowels and around the coil.
This is one of the 15’ long speaker wires that will attach
to the coil on one end and to a banana plug on the other end.
It has been stripped of its Insulation (about 1/2”) and twisted
around one of the solid copper wires of the coil. An alligator
clip is very handy for holding the two wires while they
are soldered.
The connection has been soldered. Cut off any
of the stranded wires that stick out and trim the
length of the solid wire if it sticks out. Use a wire nut
to insulate the connection.
This is a finished coil stand with an 8.51 mh inductance coil. The coil’s dimensions
are 2” wide and 1 ! inches thick. This section on building a coil stand is not intended
to show the best way to support a coil. The intent is to generate ideas when one way of
supporting a coil is shown. This design however is especially nice to hold in your lap
while sitting.
 Connecting the speaker wire to the banana plugs

Unscrew the plastic insulator from the plug. A
small adapter (not shown) was screwed into
this plug in case the user wanted to solder
very thin wire Into the plug – just discard this
part. These plugs were purchased from
http://www.elexp.com but many suppliers have
Them.
I used regular pliers to hold the banana plug. To hold the pliers
in a closed position without squashing the tip portion of the banana
plug, I used masking tape on the handles. Strip about 3/8” of the
clear insulation off the ends of both wires and be sure to put the
red and black insulators onto the wires before soldering.
Hold the flat bladed tip of the soldering iron against the
threaded end of the banana plug. It will be hot enough
to melt solder in about 30 seconds. Put the end of the
solder into the hollow end of the plug and almost fill it The color of the insulated plastic barrel has
with molten solder. Put the soldering iron down and nothing to do with the color of the wire in the
quickly pick up the end of the speaker wire and insert above picture. The other end of the speaker
the well twisted stranded wire end into the molten solder. wires will be connected to the two wires on
Hold it there for a few seconds until it is secure. If you fill the coil – do it wrong and there will be a huge
the end of the plug with too much molten solder, it will run explosion – just kidding – just connect them.
out and into the threads of the plug. You might have to file
the threads off if the solder is too thick. Taper the end of the
plug with a fine file so the plastic insulator can be twisted on
without stripping the threads inside. It’s a lot easier to not
fill the hole with too much solder.
 Doug Coil Machine on a Cart
I designed a cart for my DCM so all components could be in one place and also
be portable. Since the QSC1850HD amplifier is the largest part and heaviest
(50 lbs.), the cart’s dimensions are based on it alone. The lowest shelf holds
the amplifier, the second shelf contains all of the capacitors, resistors, and
wiring to the switches. The top shelf holds the coil stand, the multimeter, the
signal generator, a stop watch, and a printout of the frequencies and switches.
The next pages will show the cart but not all the woodworking details. The
legs and shelf supports (stretchers because they hold the legs in place)
are all made of red oak. The shelves are !” oak-veneered plywood. The
wheels are 2 "” diameter rubber swivel wheels (Home Depot). I am presently
designing a model that will eliminate the cart. The electronics will be in a frame
and panel red oak cabinet that will fit exactly on top of the amplifier and will
itself be about 7 or so inches high.
 The 16 switches are here The binding post is here
The bundle of wires
goes through a hole in
the top shelf to the
signal generator and the
multimeter
The 2 white wires go
The side panels have cutout
to a signal generator
hand-holds. I
+ and – output terminals,
they come through the
The cart seemed like a great
hole leading down to the
idea because it is mobile but
amplifier
it turned out to be in the way
most of the time. The last
The two sets of
section of this tutorial has some
resistors are here
details of an oak cabinet that has
the same footprint as the
amplifier.
One of the black wires is
the power cord for the
signal generator on the
top shelf.

The other black wire and

the red wire are the test
leads from the multi-
meter located on the top
shelf. The red and black
alligator clips are shown This is the cart with the top shelf removed so you can see the electronics shelf. This
attached to a set of is the first DCM I built and is not the one photographed for this tutorial but is virtually
resistors. identical. You can easily see the three panels of capacitors. If you go through the
tutorial a few times you will recognize everything that is here.
Each vertical plywood panel is held upright by twos !” x !” X 19” wood strip on each side of the
bottom of the panel. They are just screwed to the shelf. An additional screw or two could be
placed horizontally to the shelf through the wood strips and into the panels. The vertical panels
are not attached to anything at their tops
 New and Alternate Ideas Section
1. The twisting of capacitor wires together with wire nuts is messy looking. It
certainly works but here is an idea for a neater look. Radio Shack (and
many others) sells terminal blocks. You will need 3 if you have 2 upright
panels containing capacitors and resistors but just 2 if you have all of your
capacitors on one surface (shelf). The screws across from each other on a
terminal block are connected electrically but not to any of the other screws.
Here is a way to make all the screws have continuity.

The jaws of wire stripping pliers have grooves on the jaws that grip very
well. Strip about 2” of the insulation from some 12 gauge wire. Use the
pliers to grip the wire about 1/8” from its end. Turn the pliers to bend the
wire into a small loop. When you have a 180 degree bend use the pliers to
squeeze the bend into a tight U-shape. Make sure the ends of the U are
just far enough apart to fit between 2 adjacent screws on the terminal block.
You may have to adjust the shape of the U with the pliers. If your terminal
block has 8 sets of screws you will need 7 U-shaped bends of wire. The
pictures on the next page illustrate this idea.
This is a terminal block. Each set of 2 screws between the black dividers are
connected together with a metal plate beneath the screws. To get all the screws
connected together you need to use jumpers or bridges.

Here a loop of wire was formed with

the stripping pliers and then the loop
of wire was squeezed into U-shape.
Every screw on the top row can have 2 wires attached to it (on its left and right sides).
Notice the two end screws on the bottom row – 1 more wire can be attached on each
side of the terminal block for a total of 18 wires. The black plastic is a good insulator
so the block can be screwed down to a mounting surface.
The 4 wire nuts in this picture connect the wires from 15 capacitor arrays and 3 jumper wires to
connect the capacitor arrays together - it makes for a busy look. Three terminal blocks (one for
each capacitor panel) would be mounted on the panels and each of the wires going to the wire nuts
would instead go to the terminal blocks. Only 2 jumper wires would still be required to get from panel
to panel. If all capacitors and resistors were mounted on one flat surface – only 1 terminal block would
be
needed. The 8 screws could each accommodate 2 wires from capacitor arrays plus the ends of the block
containing the copper loops has 2 spots for 2 additional wires. There are actually 18 places wires can
attach.
2. Most people do not have complete wood shops for cabinet making. Here is
an idea for a simple structure but not in (because the electronics are
exposed) a household with children or pets unless you could restrict access
to the coil machine when it is in use. To look balanced, the base of this
structure should be same size (or less) as the length and width of the QSC
1850HD amplifier since it would sit on top of the amplifier. Short feet, chair
feet protector buttons, or small blocks of wood could be attached to the base
to allow for air circulation above the amplifier.

The !” thick panel should not be thicker switches and

because the switches would not be long binding post
enough to secure the threaded collar go here
to tighten them onto the panel.
capacitors and
resistors

This base sits on

A few screws will hold the amplifier
the panel to the base.
3. Another idea is to eliminate the extra wiring with jumpers and wire
nuts to connect the switches together. A simple solution would be
to use #30-305 switches (the switches used in the tutorial #30-310
could be used as well) which have 2 terminals and on/off switch
action. On pages 82-85 a wiring method is shown to connect all the
switches to each other with the red stranded wire. All of this could be
eliminated by mounting one terminal block on the back of the switch
panel (and use copper U-shaped jumpers to connect all the screws on
the 2 row, 16 screw terminal block together) . Use a length of solid 12
gauge wire with a spade connector on its end to connect to the bottom
terminal of the switch. The other end of this wire would be connected
under one side of a screw of the terminal block. Do this operation with
every switch so that 16 switch wires would go to the terminal block. Two
additional wires would have to come out of the terminal block and go to
the two resistor sets to connect them into the system.
A much more compact DCM than a cart model is the frame and panel cabinet
model. The cabinet sits on top of the amplifier so the footprint is as small as
possible. The main disadvantage is that the space inside the cabinet for
capacitors and wiring is much more limited so the capacitor and resistor layout
is more important since space cannot be wasted. I decided to place the
resistors on a small vertical panel.

vertical resistor panel terminal blocks instead of

twisting wires and wire nuts
This is the back of the switch panel (switches are #30-310 – see the Word document
“Coil Machine Parts List” on the CD for the source for the switches - with 3 spade terminals).
If you would mount a terminal block above the switches you could simply attach a wire
to a switch’s middle spade terminal and attach the other end of the wire to the terminal
block. To do this with all switches would connect all of them electrically. Switch #30-305 only has
2 terminals so you would connect the wire from the correct capacitor array to the bottom spade
terminal. The wire going to the terminal block would attach to the switch’s other terminal. A
terminal block in this situation would save a lot time (no twisting of wires and no soldering).

Since the switch panel is 1/4” plywood you cannot attach the terminal block with screws.
One way around this problem is to glue a strip of wood about the width of a terminal block
but about 1/2” longer onto the panel. You will need to clamp the wood strip and let the glue dry
overnight. Place the terminal block on the wood strip – mark where the holes are located and drill
small holes in the wood strip and attach the terminal block.
I would be very pleased if anyone who invents an improvement in design or
finds an easier way to do any of the things shown in this tutorial would email
the ideas to me. Especially important would be structures to house the
electronics portion of the Doug Coil Machine, coil stands, wiring improvements
and I will incorporate them into this tutorial either in the main body
or in this section. The idea is to make the construction of this coil machine as
clear and as uncomplicated as possible for anyone to build. Your name will be
attached to your ideas.
 Encouragement Page
That’s all there is. I hope everyone who views this tutorial will do it more than
once because it will become more and more clear as you begin to understand
initial points. Don’t give up and say I can’t do it because you can start and
finish a Doug Coil Machine. Just think for a second that this might be the best
accomplishment, as far as making something is concerned, in your entire life. I
cannot believe that anyone who built a Doug Coil Machine would feel bad
about it afterward – you will not only feel good, but the most important point is
that you will be helping yourself.

If you have questions, I would be most happy to hear what you need to know.
Thanks for your interest, John Stolar

johnstolar1224@yahoo.com