DIY Magentic Pickup from a "wall wart".

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Comment by Isaac on August 25, 2011 at 7:02pm

Hey guys! Sorry,I was over in Spain for the last little while and didn't get a chance to check in to all my forums and what not...

@hobostubs: hell yeah this would work with a diddley bow. Look at MrRandomWritings vid, he pulled it off in a very cool way.

@ joe cerroni: Thanks man! I just uploaded an MP3 to my profile of a little slow blues recorded on this little gitty. I used a direct USB recording interface, so the tone is pure. There's some swampy reverb added, but you can really hear how this super-DIY solution really works. To my ears it sounds as good any expensive "real" pickup. Have at it!

Comment by MrRandomWritings (Backwater Bri) on May 26, 2011 at 6:16pm

@Hobostubs - I did a response video using a slightly different method an dteh emo shows a diddley bow in action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Ld5VSBWIk

Comment by Hobostubs on May 26, 2011 at 12:18pm
thanks Isaac,Ive been wanting a pickup like that,but couldnt aford one,You sure are smart,I would have never known that,Do you think it would work for a didly bow,Like seasick Steve plays?
Comment by joe cerroni on May 26, 2011 at 10:46am
Cool! You got me lookin through all the junk drawers for all the transfomers i can find. Your git sounds sick. I love it. Thanks for posting, i can't believe it took me this long to stumble across it.
Comment by Isaac on May 26, 2011 at 9:29am

Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if the wire gauge, DC resistance, inductance, and output magnitude varied quite abit from unit to unit, even if they were the same voltage. In my head, it makes sense that, all else being equal, larger output voltage units should have more windings (and hopefully thicker gauge wire), and hence *should* have stronger output, but i have not tested that out. It is probably safe to assume that *most* 9v to 12v x-formers should perform decently for this usage. Mine's a 9v.

 

@Bill: yes, use your oscilloscope! I'm curious to see what these puppies put out!

Comment by Bill Harbour on May 26, 2011 at 3:55am
I've got an osciilloscope and measuring output would actually be the best method....probably.
Comment by MrRandomWritings (Backwater Bri) on May 25, 2011 at 7:24pm
I have had mixed success using these. My first one (9v) was great and then I tried some smaller voltages and a couple were fine but one was a disaster - too quiet and hummy - not being one for science I just use the old method of trial and error!
Comment by Bill Harbour on May 25, 2011 at 3:59pm
I measured about 330 ohms for the primary (smallest wire) and about 230 millihenries for inductance for the coil only.  Far more powerful than my RatShack 30gauge wire pup.  This was a 9v transformer.
Comment by Isaac on May 25, 2011 at 12:30pm

or the DC resistance off the top of my head! These things are cheap (~99 cents at goodwill), so it's easy to test out yourself. if you figure it out, let us all know!

 

Comment by Isaac on May 25, 2011 at 12:29pm

Hi Bill,

 

   I'm sorry, but I don't remember what the gauge was. I know that the x-former had heavier gauge wire on the primary side (the side that "sees" the wall voltage), and lighter gauge on the secondary side (the side that "sees" the lower voltage, but I couldn't tell you the exact gauge...

 

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