5B0E7101-0595-4561-918A-4348AE6C3AA1.jpeg

The speaker in the pic is from my work. They were switching out PA speakers and let me have one; they were pitching them anyway. On the left you’ll see a coil of copper wire. Can a person make a pup out of that? I’ve seen a couple of vids or guys making a pup out of a copper wire coil in a wall wart. Can the same be done with what I found on that speaker? And where would I find instructions? Thanks!

Views: 509

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

you could use the wire but i doubt the coil as it is is of any use.  Its a 100V line PA speaker.  audio output from an amp is fed into a transformer and sent down a pair of wires. as many speakers as you want can be used as long as the are less in total wattage than the amp used. at the speaker the 100V is transformed down by the local transformer to an 8 ohm low wattage to drive a speaker. 

you could strip the wire out of the transformer and wind your own coil around a magnet and custom make a pickup. heaps of youtube videos on pickup winding.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsZb2pzzyy0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKS0ZWCHI4g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPvIYBYeZ7k

just a few random examples......

Thanks Timothy. I had seen these vids before; good refresher. Sorry, I’m a total dunce about ‘lectronics, but do I need the copper coil/transformer on the speaker to use the speaker? I’ve seen vids where there isn’t one, so I don’t think so, but I don’t know. If not, it might be fun to wind and build my own single coil pup.

I was thinking of using the speaker, BTW, as either just a speaker on a DIY amp, or maybe as a mike on, say, a stompbox.

Some people use smaller speakers as pickups in foot stompers, but I suspect that that wire is a bit too thick for a conventional pickup, that looks to be 2-3 times the size of the standard 42awg pickup wire? That particular model is a 25v transformer & is actually being used to protect the speaker from the voltage going through it?  FYI Rauland made PA & Intercom systems for offices, hospitals & transportation terminals? I would pop that in an amp, it’s hard to get vintage speakers in that condition so cheaply these days? 

Thanks Brian. So, am I to gather that the transformer isn’t a necessary piece of equipment if I’m going to pop it in an amp? And I also gather that when the worker guy gave me that speaker (rather than just pitching it) it was kind of a fortunate score. Cool! Now I have to decide what kind of amp to build.

Is the speaker marked with the impedance?

Right, in an ordinary low wattage amp you don’t need it, but it’s necessary if you’re going to add an External speaker Jack to the amp?, because there will be a need for voltage to drive the extra speakers? What’s the power rating on the speaker?

I've messed with  these types of things  a bit back in the day .  it looks doable .  and its easy to test .    unscrew the thing . cut the wires  at the speaker  tab .   plop an earth magnet on it   bare the  wire ends and attach a cord  or jack."even temporary" and  plug into an amp.   .  hold the thing over top of an existing  guitar  , strum the strings .   and you will know .

and you might have a huge  madmax looking pickup that probably has a bunch of noise  and hum ..  but might look cool.

and  you still have a cool usable vintage  speaker.

Or ... you could try and  take it all apart ,  to salvage the wire alone . but  I am reminded of the guy that built a doghouse to hide in... to avoid building a bird house  for his wife.  lol ..  alot  more work  for less than impressive results ,, compared to  the cost of a spool of wire .

but wheres the fun in that ;-)

yes you can use the speaker without the transformer. just cut the two copper wires coming from the transformer to the speaker tabs and unscrew the transformer from the speaker.

the speaker is just a normal 8 ohm speaker the transformer is there to reduce the 100V line to what the speaker can handle. the impedance of the output of the transformer will be 8 ohm to match the speaker. 

All really helpful guys—thanks. One more Q: where do I look to get instructions on how to use the speaker to build a basic amp? I’m REALLY not good with tech stuff; schematics give me a headache. If there are vids and other “for dummies” instructions, that would work. Thanks again!

You could buy a pre-wired artec 2.5watt amp board,? All it needs is an enclosure & speaker? I have watched plenty of those “for dummies” videos & most of them are made by “dummies” who also don’t know what they’re doing, so beware? Also, impedance can be easily tested with a multimeter? That black mark on the rivet may be a polarity marker? (Black is Negative) 

a multimeter will only give you the DC resistance of the voice coil. Impedance is an AC thing .music/sound is an AC signal.... 

DC resistance will probably be around 6 Ohms. 6.8 for an 8 Ohm impedance speaker if i remember correctly.

for a first amp you are definitely better off with a kit module where all you need to do is add a input jack a speaker and power. CB Gitty sells a kit i think. you can use your speaker just fine. 

to find correct polarity of the speaker connectors use a AA battery try negative on one connector and tap the other connector with a wire. if the speaker cone moves forward ie out of the frame then that is the positive connector and the other is the negative. of course the opposite if the cone moves in to the frame. just don't hold the battery on the contacts too long or you could burn out the voice coil.

Great advice. I saw the vids about how to find the polarities of the speaker, and you nailed it. I plan on ordering an Artec rig from CB Gitty. It will be fun. Thanks!

RSS

The Essential Pages

New to Cigar Box Nation? How to Play Cigar Box GuitarsFree Plans & How to Build Cigar Box GuitarsCigar Box Guitar Building Basics

Site Sponsor

Recommended Links & Resources


Forum

crossover guitar.

Started by Timothy Hunter in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 21. 11 Replies

Tune up songs

Started by Ghostbuttons in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 9. 5 Replies

Duel output jacks

Started by Justin Stanchfield in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Taffy Evans Mar 8. 6 Replies

How to Get Your Own Music on Spotify

Started by Cigar Box Nation in Feature Articles. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 21. 2 Replies

CB Bass Guitar

Started by Mi Rankin in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Justin Stanchfield Jan 27. 5 Replies

Latest Activity

BrianQ. commented on Dar Stellabotta's video
2 hours ago
BrianQ. liked Dar Stellabotta's video
2 hours ago
Southern Ray commented on Southern Ray's photo
Thumbnail

Project Punch!

" Thank ya again Keith!"
4 hours ago
Southern Ray commented on Southern Ray's photo
Thumbnail

Punch Project!

" Thank Ya Keith!"
4 hours ago
Doug Thorsvik commented on AGP #'s photo
Thumbnail

AGP #527 - ''Led-Zep 2''

"This build really strung you along Alan! Reminded me of all my fishing line experiments; a lot of…"
6 hours ago
Doug Thorsvik commented on A.D.EKER's video
Thumbnail

Im Troubled (Tribute) Mc K Morganfield by BCB - A.D .Eker 2024.

"Diggin’ the slow blues. I like that last pic Andries! Look at all those cool guitars. Yeah!!!"
6 hours ago
Dar Stellabotta posted a video

A Cigar Box Guitar Six Stringer Built by Louie Lamanna

This video is the unboxing and the demonstration of a beautiful, six stringer built by Louie Lamanna. Join Louie and I June 15 at the second annual Pittsburg...
7 hours ago
Doug Thorsvik commented on Doug Thorsvik's video
Thumbnail

Hail the Resurrection Day: 2-String Violin Chugger Cigar Box Guitar

"Happy Easter to you too Andries! The passion is definitely in full swing. Turns out I’m…"
8 hours ago
A.D.EKER commented on Doug Thorsvik's video
Thumbnail

Hail the Resurrection Day: 2-String Violin Chugger Cigar Box Guitar

"Happy Easter Doug ! the Passion is in full swing !"
8 hours ago
A.D.EKER commented on Ricky D's photo
8 hours ago
A.D.EKER commented on A.D.EKER's video
8 hours ago
Keith Rearick liked Doug Thorsvik's video
12 hours ago

Music

© 2024   Created by Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

\uastyle>\ud/** Scrollup **/\ud.scrollup {\ud background: url("https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/963882636?profile=original") no-repeat scroll 0 0 transparent;\ud bottom: 25px;\ud display: inline !important;\ud height: 40px;\ud opacity: 0.3 !important;\ud position: fixed;\ud right: 30px;\ud text-indent: -9999px;\ud width: 40px;\ud z-index: 999;\ud}\ud.scrollup:hover {\ud opacity:0.99!important;\ud}\ud \uascript type="text/javascript">\ud x$(document).ready(function(){\ud x$(window).scroll(function(){\ud if (x$(this).scrollTop() > 100) {\ud x$('.scrollup').fadeIn();\ud } else {\ud x$('.scrollup').fadeOut();\ud }\ud });\ud x$('.scrollup').click(function(){\ud x$("html, body").animate({ scrollTop: 0 }, 600);\ud return false;\ud });\ud });\ud \ua!-- End Scroll Up -->