An electrically insulating bobbin surrounds the magnetic core of an inductor. The bobbin includes a number of channels to receive wire for making an inductor. When wire is positioned in the channels, the wire is wound around the inductor core, but insulated from the inductor core and the other turns of wire. Because the bobbin insulates the turns of wire from each other and from the inductor core, bare rope wire can be used to wrap the inductor, resulting in reduced size and weight and improved ease of manufacture.