Gav's Pickup Winder

[gavinturner]

hi guys,

After endlessly reading and re-reading Gav's thread on building your own pickup winder, I resolved that this was something that I absolutely, positively had to do. I ordered all the parts from aliexpress some months ago and have been waiting for a suitable time to get started on it. That time is now!

In terms of internal parts I bought:

• 240V AC -> 24V DC power supply
• 24V electric motor
• 24V electric motor controller with reverse
• Electric counter
• magnetic switch and magnet

All in all these parts set me back about $50 (can't remember the exact amount). I still have to get a couple of parts before I can complete the project, but that is a little way off:

• 240V wall socket wire (i'll probably butcher a cheap extension chord)
• internal hookup wire
• brackets to mount the pickup loom to the motor spindle
• a guide for the wire as it spools

this will get me to the same stage as Gav, fingers crossed!! I am also thinking of incorporating an arduino circuit to measure the resistance of the pickup as it is being wound. I know that it's quite easy to build a resitance meter with Arduino (I have all the parts), but the only trick will be a mechanism to actually keep contact with the end of the wire that first attaches to the pickup and is spinning with the spool. Any ideas on how to do this would be very welcome!

Anyway, today I (finally) got in and started to build an enclosure. My base dimensions look good, (i made sure i could accomodate the power supply and the controller easily on the floor of the enclosure) but the height looks way off. It looks way too top heavy to me - the way it is now it will shake itself to pieces when the motor gets going. I reckon I'll take it down by half before I put the rest together. I've built a motor holder as Gav suggested (two pieces of oak with a hole through the center) and am just waiting for the glue to dry before adding the adjustment bolts and installing it on the inside wall.

Once I've done this I can get a mock up of the wiring completed. Hopefully I won't electrocute myself

cheers,
Gav.

[stan]

..mmmmm... glad you don't write code for me, when do you have time? !

great project Gav, looking forward to my first set of hot wound Turner Pickups.... Strat set please, happy to road test them for you haha

[gavinturner]

..mmmmm... glad you don't write code for me, when do you have time?

Luckily stan I am superhuman. I do my whole days coding before morning tea. I have to take it slow after that so that noone else feels too inferior .

cheers,
Gav.

[gavinturner]

Wonder if i could work a slip-ring into the design to allow for resistance measuring:

http://www.adafruit.com/products/736...pUsaApdV8P8HAQ

cheers,
Gav.

[stan]

or do some tests and work out approx ohms per 1000 turns or something, after that you can do it by count

[Nickosaurus]

^ that's what i was going to suggest. Run 10 tests at 100/1000 winds and tests ohms. Then you can calculate winds easily through the static number

[gavinturner]

Yes @stan that's another option!
Using arduino I can code a clever heuristic with lookup tables based on the pickup type and the number of turns, exrapolating and interpolating for values in between. This may well be the way I have to go.

cheers,
Gav.

[stan]

i have no idea what you just said, but i think it was like what i just said. if so, good plan. if not, probably a better plan

[keloooe]

I was just thinking of using a lookup table... Dangit Stan, Nicko and Gav, beat me to it!
I reckon a slip ring could still possibly work, but the pickup would need to be on an elevated stand to access the wires?

[dingobass]

Just wind the bloody thing Gav.
Chuck on 1000 winds, measure the ohms then carry on until output reaches critical mass....

It will take a few goes before you start to wind a great pup but it is worth the effort.

Oh and build in a intergalactic space modulating flux capacitor, every pickup winder should have one......