Pickup winder

[Georg]

Allan, the Alumitone is a single-turn arranged as a figure-8 (humbucker), with included step-up trafo. Same idea/method that was used for some of the best, low-z, record-PickUps that needed a step-up trafo before the pre-amp stage, a few decades ago.
The Les Paul low-z active guitar PickUps worked more or less the same way, but used a step-up pre-amp.

The "strings as individual coils" "PU" has been installed on classic guitars with steel strings - back in the 70s. Probably a few around for those who play amplified classic guitar, as the sound is exceptionally natural.
I've mentioned the method a few times in passing on the steel guitar forum. Works fine with today's low noise pre-amps and/or step-up trafos.
The problem on a PSG is that the strings need level matching, as their output levels are not equally strong. Impossible to include matching on an instrument that shorts all strings at both ends, and also shorts them with a steel bar.

The easiest compromises we can build with our winders, are low-z wound PickUps - in the 0.2K to 4K ohm ranges, and use low-noise pre-amps - pretty much copy the Les Paul low-z active guitar PickUps. They'll sound much more natural than today's high-z wound PickUps - in the 10K to 20K ohm range, but those who are used to the muddy sound of hot-wound steel PickUps may not like such natural sound

BTW: one of the reasons people tend to like the sound of single coil better than that of humbuckers, is the lower-z and more linear and wide-frequency sound of single coils. The hotter (high-z) they get, the worse they sound.

Wind them up anyway you like, boys...

[Allan]

Georg,
Thanks for the extra info on that Alumitone - it's a figure 8. Yeah, that makes sense. And, it is just a transformer then, not anything active. I thought so but wow, must be a total hog to wind.
I didn't know that the 'strings as coils' had actually ever been used. In our case it grew out of an attempt to simplify some work we were doing in a weapons research project. Can't say much more on that here. Was interesting though.

Bent,
So you haven't actually soldered the wires into the calculator. Is that right? Ah, that's where I went wrong. LOL, I made a total pigs butt out of the one I tried to work on. Anyhow, I have some more to play with now so I should get something to work.

As an aside, I was thinking about what I payed for the first pocket calculator I ever had and now, here I am pulling them to pieces to use this way. Makes me shake my head in wonder.

Thanks guys, Allan.....

[Bill Ford]

mac,
How is the pup fastened to the round disc? Looks don't mean anything if it works OK, the one that I saw used was made from a sewing machine bobbin winder. Hey, if it works don't knock it, besides it shows ingenuity at work.
Do you count the turns, or like we did use a full 1/4 pound spool?

Bill

Edited to say,...I didn't realize there were so many posts between my original post...we used a couple of rounds of electrical tape to insulate the magnets.
I read somewhere, the problem with doing nothing is, you don't know when you're finished....also
The man that says he doesn't make mistakes, doesn't do anything.

[Allan]

Have a look at this one folks... HERE

Allan.....

[Bent]

Allan, Sure sure, almost 400 bucks it looks state of the art but too rich for me
Yes, Allan, the wires just stick into the hole and bend them over on the other side of the board.Put a tape across to kind of hold the wires steady so they don't move and disconnect.
Can someone tell me: Do I have to put the magnets in the bobbin so that they all have the same polarity on each side? I E North on top? Or can I reverse them? I am having a heck of a time here. They are popping out...no way will I be able to glue them in there. This is definitely not the way to do it but I don't want to waste the plates that I have made. A jig is needed for sure.

[Bent]

Bill, It looks like everybody uses a counter. Using a 1/4 pound of wire will make for some difference in OHM from one pup to the next won't it? If the pup is to be wound at 17000 OHM, 17400 or 16800 won't do.
How it's normally done according to what I have learned is make notes of how many turns to say 17k OHM from one pup to the next. then, when you get close to the amount of turns, scrape off a wee bit of insulation and check with your ohm meter. Cover up the scraped off portion with a bit of nail polish.

I wonder what they will think when I show up at the drug store to buy some nail polish????

[Bill Ford]

Bent,
I retired from playing in 1979 and that project was several years before then, I don't remember how we decided that 1/4 pound was the right amount. Probably because the wire was available in 1/4 pound spools, and I think Charles had used that as a point of reference, I think he later used the method you describe for checking and achieving the desired ohm value. However it was decided, the tone/sound, etc was very good, i played that guitar for several years, quit in 79, started back playing (I use that term loosely) as a hobby/personal entertainment in1999 when I retired, eventually building the red S12, and playing at jams, etc, now playing in our Praise group at Church. Last account I had it was still playable, sold on ebay a couple years back, I sold it in 2002 when we finished the S12.

This has progressed into a very interesting thread.

Bill

I wonder what they will think when I show up at the drug store to buy some nail polish???? ........Don't get blushing pink...get clear.

[Georg]

Bent, about the magnet polarity...

Get out a compass, or something, so you can get a sense of the field-strength, and use that to decide how to orient the magnets.
You want as strong and even a field as possible across the strings, since that's the field the strings "disturbs", and the coil picks up that "disturbance" as electro-magnetic variation - sound.

OTOH: that static magnetic field also resists and dampens string vibration a tiny bit, so the perfect PU shouldn't create a magnetic field at all.

There's a reason there are so many ways to build a PU with magnets to put under strings: the perfect solution hasn't been designed yet.

Sorry if I created more confusion than provide solutions with the above. Just couldn't help myself...

[Bill Ford]

Just lay them side by side and they will all orient themselves the same, remember the lil black and white doggies? Then the question arises...Which end up? North, or south?

Bill

[Georg]

For perfect reproduction of "ohm" in a PU coil, a separate measuring wheel should be used so you know exactly how many meters, feet, or whatever you choose to measure in, has gone onto the coil. Easy to measure the actual resistance - ohm - in for instance 10 feet of wire, and calculate how much you need for a given PU from there.

Such a measuring wheel could double up as mechanical resistance to hold the tension stable while winding, and together with an arm that follows the shape of the coil improve the overall performance of your winder.

Now, I suggest you test out what you've got and see how well it performs, and how happy you are with it after a coil or two. We can spend some quality time sorting out any real problems with your PU winder contraption in two weeks time.