Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Elmar Zeilhofer on November 25, 2012 at 3:24am

nice idea Steve. In my experience, the non-circular movement of the coil isn't a problem. Passing the wire to the fingers allows a senseful treating, so that the windings align smoothly with the coil. I don't wind at high rpm, so it works fine for me. For sure, the bigger the coil, the slower the speep. I've recently wound a nine-pole pickup -> less rpm, more attention.

cheers, Elmar

Permalink Reply by Don Goguen on November 25, 2012 at 4:09am

Interesting idea but unless you have great machining skills, might be a bit of a challenge to implement.  The wire is just so thin and fragile that it doesn't take much to snag it.  This is why simplicity is easier to execute. 

With 3&4 string pickups I find is less of a problem but have wound even six string pickups with out too much issues.  The best advice I can give is to ensure the bobin is centered and that the mount runs true and so there is no wobble.  In my case I converted a mini lathe for the task and made a wire guide out of a dial indicator stand.  Having the sides limited by a guide really helps me with speed.   As Elmar said a lot of it is feel.  Learn the feel of it and don't get discouraged if you have a few goofs at first (or even every so often).  Take it slow and you should get a sense of it really quickly.

Permalink Reply by Stevesteve on November 25, 2012 at 4:31am

Thanks Don and Elmar,

I think I could build it OK but I should try the simple solution first. My lathe is old and cranky and has two speeds, slow'n'cranky and faster'n'cranky (I have still made some nice bits on it though).

I am going to start with some wire, my motor+treadle from a sewing machine and work upwards from there. I have some small neodymium magnets in a box somewhere and will see what happens.

Cheers,
Steve

Permalink Reply by Don Goguen on November 25, 2012 at 4:44am

The other question you will need to ask yourself is how you would counter act the mass of the assembly.  The wire itself is thin and easily broken by the slightest snag.  Your eccentric pulleys have weight and so as they spin, how you control ramp up and down with rpm is going to be the hard issue to solve.  Don't get me wrong, this is similar to what the production winders use but there are lots issues to overcome to the point where it would really become the hobby rather than building guitars and pickups. 

I keep it simple and for low volume, it works out fine.  I'd just rather spend my time building instruments I want to play rather than designing tools more suited for volume production.  You'll get more mileage out of designing a winding counter than a complex wire guide system and it will be loads easier.

Permalink Reply by Elmar Zeilhofer on November 25, 2012 at 4:45am

Good luck Steve!

Permalink Reply by Skeesix on November 25, 2012 at 7:27am

It hasn't been an issue for me. Pinching the wire lightly between your fingers is the most basic method.

The sewing machine motor is a good place to start, but it goes way too fast. You'll need to gear it down with an additional pulley to get it in the 600-1200 rpm range.