Image: An electric spinning wheel

Description: This electric spinning wheel is an Electric Eel Wheel 6 by the Dreaming Robots company. This spinning wheel uses a band-braked flyer to create a tension differential between the flyer and bobbin. The bobbin and flyer are driven by an electric motor that can be controlled by a hand switch or foot pedal. The drive band connecting the motor to the flyer is on the front end of the machine, the bobbin is driven through friction with the flyer shaft, and a brake band at the rear of the machine slows the bobbin relative to the flyer when the user lessens their tension on the held yarn. The speed differential causes the yarn to be wound around the bobbin when the user lessens their tension; when the user holds tension the bobbin and flyer spin together, adding twist to the yarn. This bobbin braking setup is known as 'Scotch tension'. This particular wheel can only be set up in Scotch tension, but some wheels can be set up in Irish tension (where the bobbin is directly driven and the flyer is braked) or double-drive (where the bobbin and flyer are both directly driven via whorls of different sizes).
Title: An electric spinning wheel
Credit: Own work
Author: Tangledyarn
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
License: CC0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en
Attribution Required?: No