to sykavy

i say if you have no formal education in this field, your on the right track!! LOL
Peters dvd was my first look inside understanding electric motors and i think im more open to being taught because someone else hasnt spoon fed me these "basics" in school so i am not going to assume i allready "know about this stuff" like so many others ive met have. how to start? 2 things ive learned. 1 if you're genuinly interested and not just curious, and you have a desire or reason to learn. than all you need are some good books to brush up on some basics (like i'm doing!) and dont be afraid to go fourth seek some open minded friends who can answer any questions you might have from reading those books!! 2 is ive learned that "one mans garbage is anouther mans treasure" dont jump out and spend a bunch of money on new materials and fancy tools right away only to waste it if your not sure what your doing with it. first watch the dvd as many times as it takes untill you can start understanding the "what and why" we are looking for in a single coil on an iron core with a rotor that completes the magnetic loop. then try finding old "free" appliances (like the junk microwave i took apart) and look for parts that might have laminated cores and maybe a coil even attached!! study these parts in your hands and try to determine if you can hack, bend, warp, twist, turn, or modify in any other way the existing structure of the part to utilize the "concepts" you learn from the dvd. might be good to make sure your modifications wont cost more than starting from scratch!!. if you have friends or family who are machinists use them!!! i dont yet so im getting charged a minimum of $120 for my project from a local machine shop that has the required tools. personaly i feel its more than worth it to fork out the money because thats the level of my determination. you have to pick your level.