So, in the end, I decided to pursue the “normal” iron core motor design. Sure, I’ll lose some efficiency points, but it’s a design that I’ve worked with before and know the details of. On top of that, there is a huge hobbyist-level userbase of that type of motor which I can consult if something doesn’t work.
The “übermotor” design just had too many variables for me to juggle and too many tolerances to hold. I’ll tuck the design away for another day (or after the regular motor works and I can go “if you give me more money I can make a REALLY COOL one!”
33 pole stator chips, cut on an abrasive waterjet out of regular mild steel. I wanted to shove as many poles as I physically could manage (while maintaining wire clearance) to get the highest virtual gearing possible. It’s not electrical steel, but believe me – if I had a big sheet of electrical steel, I would have used it.
I’ll be optimizing the design some more over and seeing what else I can get done soon.