Yet Another Pickup Winder Build Thread

I want to acknowledge right out of the box, that I'm openly, and quite shamelessly stealing ideas from guitarbuilder, nosmo, and many others, but mainly Barncaster, who's experimenting with DC gearmotors and variable power supplies I have adopted as the best approach, insofar as I can tell.

There are any number of perfectly acceptable alternate methods, Scatter Lee proved it could be done with a fishing reel, but I have a couple of ideas I want to try, a sick Strat that needs some OEM type pickups that I want to wind myself, plus the smart money thinks next year's Challenge will include a requirement for builders to wind their own. So here goes:

I had already ordered up the gear motor, 24 Volts DC, and a 5-amp, 24- volt variable power supply for it based on Barncaster's winder. Early tests with this equipment did not disappoint me.

So I got to work on the winder this weekend.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Winder%20Build%20Thread%201/IMG_5500.jpg

My next door neighbor, who used to work at a machine fabrication shop, let me paw through some of their cutoffs a while back, and one of my finds was a piced of 1/4" thick aluminum plate. Since the shaft length of my motor is a bit over 1/4" long, this seemed ideal for the winder head plate. So I broke out the hacksaw. I had not realized that this was some aluminum alloy, and is pretty hard stuff--suffice it to say, I got a workout cutting a slab off.

The gear motor I got, and apparently most of them in this class, have 6mm diameter output shafts. Rob (aka Barncaster) had trouble locating domestic sources of 6mm drill bits. Luckily for me, not too far away, there is an extremely well-stocked hardware store that's in what used to be a bowling alley, that actually had a 6mm bit. And just about anything else you could possibly think of, too!:razz:

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Winder%20Build%20Thread%201/IMG_5504.jpg


Before I drilled the 6 mm hole, I looked at the flatwork pieces that came with the StewMac pickup kits I bought for my Strat, Top and bottom pieces have a small hole dead center, that would make a great anchoring point. (I suppose that's what it's there for--duuuhhh). Anyway, it occurred to me that if I drilled the 6mm hole all the way through the aluminum piece, there was no way I could use that small hole in the flatwork to secure the pickup bobbin to the winder.

The first alternative that occurred to me was drilling half way through with the 6mm bit, and the other half with the no. 20 or so bit so that a 4-40 machine screw would fit. 4-40 is roughly the size of the hole (no. 4 screw, 40-pitch thread). But if I drilled half-and-half, there would only be 1/8 inch of the motor's shaft secured in the winder beam, and I didn't think that would be stable or very secure.

So my plan evolved to making a securing piece--a "collar", if you will, what would be the full 1/4" thick, then another 1/4" piece that would be the actual beam to which the pickup was secured. This piece would be drilled and threaded dead-center for a 4-40 screw to be used to secure the pickup bobbin.
The two pieces would be attached together by 4 machine screws in holes threaded in the winder beam.

Following are some shots of the machining process. It will be clearly apparent I'm no machinist, and my only machine was the drill press, plus files, emery paper, and a lot of wordy dirds when things did not go well. Like when I drilled way oversize for one of the setscrews. :cry:

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Winder%20Build%20Thread%201/IMG_5502.jpg

First I had to true up my crappy, wandering hacksaw cuts. It is pathologically impossible for me to saw anything with a hacksaw in a straight line, no matter what.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Winder%20Build%20Thread%201/IMG_5501.jpg

However, one glass of lemonade that came out of this lemon is that I finally discovered at least one thing my crappy Harbor Freight belt and disk sander is semi-good at--helping to straighten out poorly cut lines in aluminum. Sort of. :roll:

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Winder%20Build%20Thread%201/IMG_5505.jpg

The photo above is the 6mm hole being drilled into the securing piece.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Winder%20Build%20Thread%201/IMG_5506.jpg

Drilling for the setscrews. I actually drilled the right size setscrews pilot holes. The problem came when I realized my taps were too short to thread the whole length of the bore. So I decided to overdrill part of the pilot hole, so the tap wouldn't bite until about half way down the hole. Then it would be able to thread the rest of the way to the motor shaft hole. I'd wanted to use two setscrews opposing each other for a good, tight fit. However, I'd forgotten ole Murphy who sleeps in my shop, and is always awakened by projects, and stands in the background ready to "help". For the oversize bore, I forgot to tighten the depth stop setscrew on the drill press, so it dutifully drilled an oversize hole the entire length of what should have been the setscrew hole. Dang! I can probably go get a bigger diameter setscrew, but I hate it when stuff like this happens. Stoopid! :mad:

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Winder%20Build%20Thread%201/IMG_5507.jpg

Tapping for the one good setscrew. I did try to "collapse" the oversize hole by using a drift then a centerpunch, struck with a hammer, to try and push the walls of the hole in some, enough for the tap to catch and cut a few teeth that would hold a setscrew, but no dice. It did manage to nicely collapse one edge of the 6mm hole, requiring that I rebore it.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Winder%20Build%20Thread%201/IMG_5509.jpg

I didn't get many shots of fabrication of the rest of the "collar", or of the winder beam itself. Mainly locating the center points of both, drilling clearance holes and threaded holes for the securing screws. After the first trial assembly--(which went unusually well--YAAAAAYYY :grin:), I picked the thing up, and man, it was heavier than I'd anticipated--I put it on the scale and it weighed 8.1 oz.--half a pound. I'm not sure what kind of bearings those little gear motors have, but I have no doubt that it will wear out a whole lot sooner with that kind of weight on it. So I decided to drill some weight reduction holes--same principle as chambering a guitar build, except no need to conceal these. If I had a nice, fancy mill I could have made some nice neat pockets, but I was able to remove more than 2 oz. from the assembly. Hope it's enough!

Anyway, it's great when you've got some good cutting oil, a sharp bit, and the right speed dialed in to your drill press--these long streamers of aluminum squiggles fly around everywhere and whip around the bit until they break off. (Or, I suppose, lacerate your face to ribbons! Face shield, remember!).


http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Winder%20Build%20Thread%201/IMG_5511.jpg


So here's a shot of the ugly side of the components, showing the main parts, the setscrews (only one of which can be used right now), the assembly screws, the 4-40 screw to hold the bobbin in place, and the lightening holes I bored into the thing. You can clearly see the drift and center punch holes where I tried to salvage the oversize setscrew bore--just made it even uglier, and did no good. :sad:

And finally, the money shot--here it is assembled and on the motor. 6mm hole seemed a little tight, but I cleaned up the bore with a little 600 grit emery paper rolled into a tube, and it seemed to fit tightly.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Winder%20Build%20Thread%201/IMG_5518.jpg

Next post will be a little video of its first trial run.

Here's a short composite video of two test runs I did. It seems to have a wobble that I can't figure out. The face of the beam while it runs seems to be perfectly flat, so far as I can tell at this point. It may be that the 4-40 hole was drilled crooked, maybe I had a chip under the workpiece of drill vice, I don't know. It's annoying, but looks worse in the video that it really is. I think I can live with it. The amount of wobble is little enough so that secured only with masking tape, it doesn't really shake itself loose. (It just slowly pulls loose of its own weight.)

It may still be too heavy, and more than I need. Maybe I should just use a scrap of oak or maple--hardwoods I can probably cut threads into (for setscrews), and abandon the aluminum idea.--Any thoughts out there?

yUJSSiwWYxc


Anyway, my next step involves some woodworking, but until I finish the bed refinishing project from hell, I can't make any sawdust in my shop. So it will be a few days until I resume the thread, but will post as soon as I have something to show.

Rick

Nice, I like to see aluminum machining..... ....:-). The end mounting screw is a good idea.

Finally got in a position to make a bit of sawdust in the shop yesterday.

First task was to find a Forstner bit the same, or close, diameter as my motor's gear housing. The motor housing itself is thin sheet metal and seems a bit thin. The gear case, however, is more sturdy.

I liked Barncaster's clamp-style mounting for his motor, and set out to emulate (that is; shamelessly copy) what he'd done.

Started out by cutting a length of oak board and boring for the gear housing in the board:

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5543.jpg

Hmmm-- it's a bit big, but my next smaller bit was quite a bit too small. Wish I'd invested in some of those "in-between" size bits, but too late now. Besides, the hole will clamp smaller when I get the thing finished.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5545.jpg

Next step is to cut a saw kerf, vertically, through the top of the board, down into, and through the hole, so the sides of the hole can be drawn in by a bolt and nut. My longest bolt was a bit too short, so I cut some recesses in the board's top for the bolt. Also bored a through-hole from side to side for the bolt.

First test was without the motor housing in the hole. Threaded the bolt in, and when I wrenched on it, you could see the halves of the board pulling toward each other, and the motor mounting hole becoming narrower. . . . .

Then. . . . CRRRAAACCCKKKK . . . . . Where I'd cut the recesses into the top of the board, weakened the board, and it split badly. On top of it all, even with the bolt tightened, and the cracked portion pulled way over, the hole was STILL too damn big to clamp the motor. Damn you, Murphy! :mad::mad::mad:

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5547.jpg


Sewooooo---- back to the drawing board. Clamping the motor housing was the obvious best way to do the job, but without the proper size Forstner bits, what's a boy to do? While ruminating on the challenge, actually tending to slip into a little bit of a pity-party, I thought about my thickness sander project, now stalled, also the temporary victim of some setbacks. But while pondering that project, the pillow-block bearings came to mind, and bearing caps.

So I decided to try to clamp, but instead of a single slit with one side being drawn in, I'd manufacture a cap clamp, like the main bearings of a car motor crankshaft.

Bored the same hole, and then bored two vertical holes for long screws from the top of the board, that would hold the halves together when finally split.

Here's a shot of the final stage, before assembly, which probably 'splains what I was doing more clearly:
http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5551.jpg

And the finished job, with motor <<<securely>>>:razz: mounted in place. I may still try to find my roll of cloth friction tape so the motor fits very snugly in place before being clamped, but it is useable as is.
http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5553.jpg

Sorry, didn't realized the shot was a little fuzzy until just now, but I think you can get the idea.

I'll post some more as progress continues. I've got some electronic parts ordered to make an optical sensor to trigger the counter, which hopefully will be more accurate and trouble free than a magnetically-triggered switch. But if the electronic circuit gives me trouble, I'm not above sticking a mag switch in there and running with that.

Rick

Nice save on the clamp! Pickup winders are cool, opens up even more doors. Looking good and I'm keen to hear how your end products sound!

Hey Rick,

Way to go! As far as exorcising the wobble gremlins, I have found spending time truing the old drill press to really pay off. Concerning the motor mount, I used only one pinch mount which turned out to not be very stable or accurate. Two pinch mounts would cradle the motor housing and be much more accurate for alignment purposes. Also, the aluminum holder is trick. That center screw is a really good feature. Mind if I borrow that one?

Rob

The speed is controlled by the increase in volts, correct? I'm not sure who it was who came up with the different amounts of batteries, but I think I may try it out.

Edit* Oh it was you! How much was the voltage controller?
Would this work? http://www.ebay.com/itm/3800W-0-220v-Voltage-Regulator-light-lamps-Dimming-Speed-Temperature-Control-New-/330774979177?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d03b9a269#ht_2525wt_1186

Hey Rick,

Way to go! As far as exorcising the wobble gremlins, I have found spending time truing the old drill press to really pay off. Concerning the motor mount, I used only one pinch mount which turned out to not be very stable or accurate. Two pinch mounts would cradle the motor housing and be much more accurate for alignment purposes. Also, the aluminum holder is trick. That center screw is a really good feature. Mind if I borrow that one?

Rob
Good point, Rob. My vintage Craftsman drill press is getting a bit worn, and the chuck seems to grab bits unevenly at times. Wouldn't hurt to put a square on each chuck-up. Its good and tight now, but I think a few wraps of cloth friction tape would help really snug it up.

Regarding the center screw--are you kiddin? After the ideas of yours I've used . . .:mrgreen: Man, knock yourself out. It does occur to me though, that Rob D's practice of wicking in a little CA between the slugs and flatwork would be a good way to help ensure that you don't collapse your bobbin. That and not over tightening the hold-down screw.




The speed is controlled by the increase in volts, correct? I'm not sure who it was who came up with the different amounts of batteries, but I think I may try it out.

Edit* Oh it was you! How much was the voltage controller?
Would this work? http://www.ebay.com/itm/3800W-0-220v-Voltage-Regulator-light-lamps-Dimming-Speed-Temperature-Control-New-/330774979177?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d03b9a269#ht_2525wt_1186

Bentley-- correct on the speed control. My multi-battery idea would give you variable speeds, but in steps, not a smooth continuous increase like a pot. would give you. I think if you're careful, it would work OK as a rudimentary pickup winder speed controller. Whether the voltage regulator you linked to would work depends on the motor you use. I'm not sure it would work with low voltage DC motors we've been working with lately, though.

Hey Rick,

Watch the CA wicking. If there are ANY gaps between the magnets and the top flatwork, the CA will migrate all over it making a huge mess. If the mags are flush then you can sand the surface smooth an relacquer. If the mags are proud, oh well. I'm developing a dislike for CA.

Rob

Hey Rick,

Watch the CA wicking. If there are ANY gaps between the magnets and the top flatwork, the CA will migrate all over it making a huge mess. If the mags are flush then you can sand the surface smooth an relacquer. If the mags are proud, oh well. I'm developing a dislike for CA.

Rob

And after seeing the result of your CA potting experiment, who could blame you?

Maybe thick glue, sparingly applied, would do the trick without running all over the place?

And after seeing the result of your CA potting experiment, who could blame you?

Maybe thick glue, sparingly applied, would do the trick without running all over the place?

Hey Rick,

I think there is real value in gluing the magnets to the flatwork. The water thin CA just tends to go everywhere it shouldn't, kind of like an old girlfriend of mine..... Anyway, yes the thicker glue will probably make for less headaches. How is the winder coming? Have you picked your debut winding song yet? It should be project appropriate. It imparts special mojo to the pickup being wound. This of course could work either way. I know Arthur Brown works well for winding but I would stay away from Mitch Miller......... The goatee was cool but that's about where cool ended....

Rob

Paul McCartney "The Long and Winding Road"

or maybe...

Sheryl Crow, "Everyday is a Winding Road"

use only water thin, hobby shop quality cya. use a needle nozzle - this is important and will only allow a drop of cya to spread. only wick in the cya to the insides of the bobbin, and a drop on each side of each mag pole. there will be no excees glue, dripping or spreading. i do this with every bobbin i build. it's just good insurance and now even more so since i'm moving on up to a live center lathe for holding on the bobbin.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/rfdee/cav_lion/cl11.jpg

nxs6gGVYHzQ

use only water thin, hobby shop quality cya. use a needle nozzle - this is important and will only allow a drop of cya to spread. only wick in the cya to the insides of the bobbin, and a drop on each side of each mag pole. there will be no excees glue, dripping or spreading. i do this with every bobbin i build. it's just good insurance and now even more so since i'm moving on up to a live center lathe for holding on the bobbin.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxs6gGVYHzQ">YouTube Link</a>

Thanks Rob,

Now I have "The Jeffersons" theme stuck in my head......

Rob

use only water thin, hobby shop quality cya. use a needle nozzle - this is important and will only allow a drop of cya to spread. only wick in the cya to the insides of the bobbin, and a drop on each side of each mag pole. there will be no excees glue, dripping or spreading. i do this with every bobbin i build. it's just good insurance and now even more so since i'm moving on up to a live center lathe for holding on the bobbin.

...

Rob - how slow does that lathe go? The specs on that say that the lowest speed is 750 RPM - that would be about 11 Hz (CPS) - does it go a little slower, I really like my crappy AC motor because when I wind pickups I can get it down to like 1 Hz if I want to inspect the wind quickly while I'm setting the transverse limiters or trying to see if I have an even wind.

Rob - how slow does that lathe go? The specs on that say that the lowest speed is 750 RPM - that would be about 11 Hz (CPS) - does it go a little slower, I really like my crappy AC motor because when I wind pickups I can get it down to like 1 Hz if I want to inspect the wind quickly while I'm setting the transverse limiters or trying to see if I have an even wind.

Yes, inquiring minds would like to know...;-)

see this post ...

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/338763-simple-cheap-pickup-winder-3.html#post4359791

Thanks Rob,

Now I have "The Jeffersons" theme stuck in my head......

Rob

Hah! That one got me too.

Hey Rick,

I think there is real value in gluing the magnets to the flatwork. The water thin CA just tends to go everywhere it shouldn't, kind of like an old girlfriend of mine..... Anyway, yes the thicker glue will probably make for less headaches. How is the winder coming? Have you picked your debut winding song yet? It should be project appropriate. It imparts special mojo to the pickup being wound. This of course could work either way. I know Arthur Brown works well for winding but I would stay away from Mitch Miller......... The goatee was cool but that's about where cool ended....

Rob

Hey, Rob--

Seems the fates are gaainst me just lately. I twisted or did something to my right knee, and it's so sore I can't bend it enough to bend to put on a sock. Hard concrete floor in shop is not recommended for a few days, hopefully things will heal up soon, but man, this hurts like nothin I've had in a long long time.

All is not lost, though, my electronic parts came in today, and I can sit at my desk and put the winder counter trigger together, and wire up the motor harness for the motor.

As far as a winding song goes, it's my intent to use my Stew Mac Strat pup kits as my test effort. Sooo--seems natural that a song prominently featuring a Strat would be in order. Something with a lot of Strat quack. Any suggestions? I have one in mind, but don't want to color the incoming suggestions.

Ive been wanting to get some of those micro droppers so I can control thin CA. It occurs to me that thick CA might make a ridge or hump at the joint of the slugs and flatwork.

Hey, Rob--

Seems the fates are gaainst me just lately. I twisted or did something to my right knee, and it's so sore I can't bend it enough to bend to put on a sock. Hard concrete floor in shop is not recommended for a few days, hopefully things will heal up soon, but man, this hurts like nothin I've had in a long long time.

bummers, sorry to hear. take zyflamend and put traumeel on the knee

All is not lost, though, my electronic parts came in today, and I can sit at my desk and put the winder counter trigger together, and wire up the motor harness for the motor.

As far as a winding song goes, it's my intent to use my Stew Mac Strat pup kits as my test effort. Sooo--seems natural that a song prominently featuring a Strat would be in order. Something with a lot of Strat quack. Any suggestions? I have one in mind, but don't want to color the incoming suggestions.

hah! i'll leave the songs to the players, all i wanna do is build good pups. :mrgreen:

Ive been wanting to get some of those micro droppers so I can control thin CA. It occurs to me that thick CA might make a ridge or hump at the joint of the slugs and flatwork.

you really need to use quality water thin cya. i use hot stuff and buy it by the case - it's a luthier's friend. :cool:



....

Man, this is frustrating, trying to get anything done with a bum knee. Hurts to walk on it, hurts to sit too long. I'll try some of your recommendations, Rob D. Stuff the doc prescribed seems to produce upset stomach, no knee relief.

Anyhow, enough whining.

My electronic parts came in from Mouser today, so I got a little start on the IR trigger for the counter.

Basic configuration will be to have a small piece of perfboard, with holes drilled in diagonal corners for mounting screws. I'll mount this on the the motor support pedestal where it can look at the back of the winder beam as it goes by. My plan is to put small compression springs between the board and the mounting pedestal, slipped over the springs, so I can fine tune the distance from the sensor to the winder beam by turning the screws in or out.

Tonight I cut the piece of perfboard, drilled one hole--I'm using one of the board's corner holes, and attached the QRD114 with the leads prominently marked with fine point Sharpie. Maybe this will help avoid wiring screw ups !
Long leads poking through front will be trimmed after soldering.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5558.jpg

I'll connect this assembly to another perfboard with the rest of the trigger circuitry back on the winder's main body, using some thin wire.

More to come, hopefully soon

Rick

Hey Rick,

Sorry to hear about the knee. Is it in the water cuz my gout is kickin too. Weird! Anyway, I like the concept of the IR counter. Seems slick. Also, on your motor mount, were you satisfied with one clamp or did you need 2 to form a cradle? I like the long screws with the clamp method. Simple and effective! I may have to thieve that one too....sorry!

Rob

Okay, for next year's challenge I have thought of a new stipulation. You need to have a pickup winder ON/IN your guitar. :shock:

Man, this is frustrating, trying to get anything done with a bum knee. Hurts to walk on it, hurts to sit too long. I'll try some of your recommendations, Rob D. Stuff the doc prescribed seems to produce upset stomach, no knee relief.

i'd always seek homeopathic first, western hard drugs last. :cool: get bette! quick!

Anyhow, enough whining.

My electronic parts came in from Mouser today, so I got a little start on the IR trigger for the counter.

Basic configuration will be to have a small piece of perfboard, with holes drilled in diagonal corners for mounting screws. I'll mount this on the the motor support pedestal where it can look at the back of the winder beam as it goes by. My plan is to put small compression springs between the board and the mounting pedestal, slipped over the springs, so I can fine tune the distance from the sensor to the winder beam by turning the screws in or out.

i'm gonna stick the qrd1114 inside a small tube. no pcb required since the only component to add is a 180ohm resistor. the rest is in the 5v dc leads and the trigger leads to the cub counter. the trigger tube will sticky tape sit atop the lathe main housing, aimed at a sliver of silver mylar strip that's sticky taped to the back of the lathe platform. there might be a need for a light shield hood over the end of the sensor tube and the lathe flywheel platform, gotta see ....



....

I agree with Rob D about the western drugs, however, some pain killers should be taken with or just after a good meal. I had some prescribed by a doctor while I was working at his home (I'm a carpenter) and they really hammered my stomach! Great for the back pain though. I hope you make a full and speedy recovery.

Hey R. Strat, looking good so far. I'm glad to see you moving forward with this. Sorry to hear about the knee.

The aluminum parts are looking great. I love the machining part of tool and jig building.

I think the wobble issues may be partly due to the lack of mass in the motor. I didn't give much thought to either of my winder plates other than marking and drilling a center hole and they spin smooth and true on the mass of the coil winder. You might consider moving the plates to a shaft and attach to the motor with a belt. That way the motor sees a nice, smooth pull and the belt absorbs any harmonic vibrations from the plates...bet your motor will last much longer this way. :cool:

I had considered using a center screw on my most recent plate but got ahead of myself. My plan was to countersink the back side of the plate to accommodate the screw head and have the threads sticking thru the plate in an unthreaded hole...turning it into a stud. This way it's self centering when tightened. On the subject of deforming the bobbin, just add a washer that spans the two center poles and there's no way the bobbin can crush...works for staggered and non staggered configs.

Watching with interest. :cool:

another consideration for the winding plate is bobbin eyelet relief. some eyelets are really large and can be filed down a bit (you don't wanna remove them completely on the bobbin's outside). they NEED to be filed flush on the inside part of the bobbin so the coil wire won't snag, but some filing on the outside will help with bobbin "tilt". i prefer to relieve the winding plate with a dremel, or build an addition to the platform to allow for multiple coil footprints, where the eyelet areas are relieved.

another consideration for the winding plate is bobbin eyelet relief.

Good point. This is why I use foam mounting tape. Along with it's great grip, I never have to worry about the eyelets.

Good point. This is why I use foam mounting tape. Along with it's great grip, I never have to worry about the eyelets.

i tried a dozen different double stick tapes (well, maybe more) and the best for me is 3m concrete outside - fantastic stick, pliable weave pattern that allows for good removal and reuse up to and beyond 6 bobbins. for me, when there's 4 or 9 bobbins waiting to be wound, double stick tape usage really matters.

soon a moot point for me with a lathe and live center. :cool:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/rfdee/cav_lion/lineup.jpg

Rick - Very nice. About time someone started a winder thread. :roll:

I've been internetless for a couple days so it's good to see you building a winder. Sorry about your knee - hope it gets better soon.

Hey Rick,

Sorry to hear about the knee. Is it in the water cuz my gout is kickin too. Weird! Anyway, I like the concept of the IR counter. Seems slick. Also, on your motor mount, were you satisfied with one clamp or did you need 2 to form a cradle? I like the long screws with the clamp method. Simple and effective! I may have to thieve that one too....sorry!

Rob

Might be the water. I have gout, also, but up til now, always in my foot and ankle. Hope the damn thing is not creeping up my leg! Big part of the stomach upset is the doc was hedging his bets against gout, and with the NSAIS's, and antibiotics, he gave me some colchicine (or the new improved, much more expensive version). That brew was just not something my stomach could handle, so I went back to the antibiotics and Ibuprophen.

The cradle method seems to hold very well. I clamped my board in the vise and put power to the motor, and it seems to do fine. Still looking for my cloth friction tape to get a really snug fit, though. Feel free to "thieve" anything at all. I'm here to share, and I've certainly done my share of taking. . .:mrgreen:



I agree with Rob D about the western drugs, however, some pain killers should be taken with or just after a good meal. I had some prescribed by a doctor while I was working at his home (I'm a carpenter) and they really hammered my stomach! Great for the back pain though. I hope you make a full and speedy recovery.

Thanks RobD and Craftyfox--I hate taking anything at all, part of the total bummerism! Oddly enough, doc hasn't really given me anything for pain as such--NSAID's for swelling, and incidentally, pain, but no blitzbombs or anything the DEA would be interested in.

Hey R. Strat, looking good so far. I'm glad to see you moving forward with this. Sorry to hear about the knee.

Thanks, GN. I am going to drive forward on this as best I can


The aluminum parts are looking great. I love the machining part of tool and jig building.

I also enjoy the machining--although it forces me to a level of precision I don't have to achieve working wood, so sometimes my lazy ways get me in a bind!

I think the wobble issues may be partly due to the lack of mass in the motor. I didn't give much thought to either of my winder plates other than marking and drilling a center hole and they spin smooth and true on the mass of the coil winder. You might consider moving the plates to a shaft and attach to the motor with a belt. That way the motor sees a nice, smooth pull and the belt absorbs any harmonic vibrations from the plates...bet your motor will last much longer this way. :cool:

I think you're probably right, some intermediate power transmission mechanism would smooth things out, however, one of the appeals of the ACW-2 is that it is simpler, as there is no intermediate machinery. I did think about motor life, even more so when my winder beam and collar turned out heavier than I'd anticipated, but for now, heck, the motor was like $9.99 with $5 for shipping. If I wear it out, I'll just replace it.

I had considered using a center screw on my most recent plate but got ahead of myself. My plan was to countersink the back side of the plate to accommodate the screw head and have the threads sticking thru the plate in an unthreaded hole...turning it into a stud. This way it's self centering when tightened. On the subject of deforming the bobbin, just add a washer that spans the two center poles and there's no way the bobbin can crush...works for staggered and non staggered configs.

I like your idea on the screw sticking through, and the washer to support the bobbin. Also watching RobD's lathe with its live center made me think about the little box of skateboard wheel bearings I have down in the shop. Hmm, what can I use for a cone. . . .? (Maybe second winder iteration) :mrgreen:

Watching with interest. :cool:

i tried a dozen different double stick tapes (well, maybe more) and the best for me is 3m concrete outside - fantastic stick, pliable weave pattern that allows for good removal and reuse up to and beyond 6 bobbins. for me, when there's 4 or 9 bobbins waiting to be wound, double stick tape usage really matters.

soon a moot point for me with a lathe and live center. :cool:

Yes, Rob--live center addresses a number of issues and very well. I do plan to deal with grommet protrusion in some fashion. Have you seen Rob Barncaster's method of using a vise to crush them flat? In addition to making the bobbin lay flat on the winder beam, it also gets them out of the way of the magnet wire, so it doesn't snag and break. I thought I'd give that a try before I haul out the Dremel and attach my finely-polished pickup winder beam face. :smile:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/rfdee/cav_lion/lineup.jpg

Rick - Very nice. About time someone started a winder thread. :roll:

I've been internetless for a couple days so it's good to see you building a winder. Sorry about your knee - hope it gets better soon.

Thanks, nosmo. I thought i'd put up a completely new post about a subject that's never been discussed here on the forum before. :shock::roll::lol:

I hate it when my internet goes down. With my ISP, it's often, that or it gets so slow as to be useless. I get to missing this place.

Thanks to you and everyone else for the good wishes about the knee.

It's feeling a lot better this afternoon. My buddy smacked his hand on a boat transom, and it swelled up, got red, and was very painful. Doc said he had a septic joint, gave him antibiotics and it cleared up in two days. I got a bad rash-thought is was poison ivy, on my right shin a couple of weeks ago, and except for putting cortisone cream and some other anti-itch stuff on it, didn't think much about it. But it's gotten very red and angry looking so my doc gave me an RX for antibiotics and said that maybe the infection had gotten into my knee, so the Ab's would address that, too. Hopefully, the improvement I'm feeling now is that the AB's are getting to the root of the problem, like with my buddy's hand. gonna take it easy, though.

PS-- Contest lines are still open, and operators are standing by to take your calls on recommendations for the best Strat pup winding songs.

Or am I just gonna have to pull out some random Clapton??

Hmmm Vaughan Brothers' "Family Style" is kind of a strat-fest, maybe some SRV?

For me, high intensity strat winding would have to be done to Voodoo Chile, Jimi style....., accept no substitutes ;-) For mellow and soulful, Mr. Gilmour has that covered in spades. Probably my most favorite strat player ever.

Rob

my fave jimi - "red house"

pIDhmkDDEUc

For me, high intensity strat winding would have to be done to Voodoo Chile, Jimi style....., accept no substitutes ;-) For mellow and soulful, Mr. Gilmour has that covered in spades. Probably my most favorite strat player ever.

Rob

I knew there was some reason I liked you, Rob. :lol:

Whoa--mo better candidates than I'd expected.

But I'm disappointed no Eric Johnson--any guy who used to front a band named the Electromagnets has to be on the short list for pickup winding songs, n'est ce pas?:grin:.

But I guess for now, I'm leaning a bit toward Jimi--- Does quack count if it comes through a wah pedal?

fBgyXXnbfBc

Hmmm Vaughan Brothers' "Family Style" is kind of a strat-fest, maybe some SRV?


And of course, SRV has a version of Voodoo Chile that I've always favored just a wee bit--

OEJh2FFUUoU

It Works!!:razz:

Couple of notes--I used a 68 ohm resistor for the LED section of the optical sensor. I started out with the 180 ohm, as recommended, but it would not work. Went to an 82 Ohm and it worked kinda, now am on a 68 Ohm. It may be worth smoking one sensor just to see how much it will take, that is, how low I can go with resistor values, because my experience proves to me that the brighter the IR light is, the better it senses.

The spec sheet says it has a built-in daylight filter, so unless you're out in the sunlight, or working under grow lights or something, normal shop or office lighting I don't think will be a problem. That's a 60w incandescent goosneck desk lamp on the counter, and it seemed to make no difference at all to the counter if on or off.

In the video, you can see the IR light. In real life, you cannot. I'm sure with a real reflective surface (reflective automotive safety tape, for instance?) performance will improve a lot.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY-- REVERSE THE LEAD CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PIN 1 AND 2 FROM THE SENSOR MODULE TO THE COUNTER FROM THOSE SHOWN IN THE SCHEMATIC. IN OTHER WORDS, PIN 1 OF THE SENSOR SHOULD BE CONNECTED TO THE BLACK LEAD (COMMON) OF THE CUB COUNTER, AND PIN 2 CONNECTED TO THE WHITE LEAD (COUNT) OF THE COUNTER. DON'T ASK ME WHY. IT JUST WORKS THIS WAY, AND WON'T WORK THE OTHER WAY. PROBABLY THE INTERNAL POLARITY OF THE COUNTER CIRCUIT IS BACKWARDS FROM WHAT SEEMS LOGICAL.



U0rP2sWO-40



Here's the modified circuit as I got it working tonight:

Whoops! Lost the schematic in the last post. Here 'tis:

You are right Rick , Cliffs Of Dover would be a great tune for winding strat pups :)

6OI9qcTwRN4

Im thinking I might have to burn a collage of strat winder songs. Too many good ones to try and pick the best.

Hmmm Vaughan Brothers' "Family Style" is kind of a strat-fest, maybe some SRV?

Absolutely. Some Fab Tbirds would be appropriate too, dontcha think?

I think I'm building up a winding song repetoire long enough to wind a music store worth of pups!

Looking good, Rick. As you're finding out, tinkering with a circuit is sometime needed. That's part of the fun.

On the R1 value, the 68Ω is about as low as you want to go in a 5v system. The diode is drawing just under 49mA. Add in 5% resistor tolerance and you may already be at the max current. The next lowest standard value is 62Ω and that would put you at 53mA...50mA being the limit according to the data sheet. You could back R1 down to 75Ω (44mA) and be a little safer. Then just get the triggering distance worked out and you're golden.

Watching with excitement. :cool:

Looking good, Rick. As you're finding out, tinkering with a circuit is sometime needed. That's part of the fun.

On the R1 value, the 68Ω is about as low as you want to go in a 5v system. The diode is drawing just under 49mA. Add in 5% resistor tolerance and you may already be at the max current. The next lowest standard value is 62Ω and that would put you at 53mA...50mA being the limit according to the data sheet. You could back R1 down to 75Ω (44mA) and be a little safer. Then just get the triggering distance worked out and you're golden.

Watching with excitement. :cool:

You know, if you guys would stick to English I'd have a lot easier time following this stuff! :mrgreen:

You know, if you guys would stick to English I'd have a lot easier time following this stuff! :mrgreen:

That made perfect sense to me! (and I agree!)

I'm sure it did Jim:roll:

Yeah, I gotta admit, as soon as I see that stuff, I get put off the whole idea.

Might just end up going with a fishing reel and calculator, more my speed. :mrgreen:

i used a variety of "motors" to wind pups back in the late 50's - how 'bout a 45rpm record player? talk about taking Forever! :mrgreen:

Looking good, Rick. As you're finding out, tinkering with a circuit is sometime needed. That's part of the fun.

On the R1 value, the 68Ω is about as low as you want to go in a 5v system. The diode is drawing just under 49mA. Add in 5% resistor tolerance and you may already be at the max current. The next lowest standard value is 62Ω and that would put you at 53mA...50mA being the limit according to the data sheet. You could back R1 down to 75Ω (44mA) and be a little safer. Then just get the triggering distance worked out and you're golden.

Watching with excitement. :cool:


Thanks, GN--I am enjoying it, especially when it slowly comes to life! And I owe you and jimdkc a debt of gratitude for hashing out the circuit basics. Thanks!

I'll see if I can get it going with a higher value to avoid burning out my LED. I can juke around with sensing distance, and reflectors.

You know, if you guys would stick to English I'd have a lot easier time following this stuff! :mrgreen:

That made perfect sense to me! (and I agree!)

Yeah, I gotta admit, as soon as I see that stuff, I get put off the whole idea.

Might just end up going with a fishing reel and calculator, more my speed. :mrgreen:


nosmo and kwerk, you guys just need to do what I do, wait for the smart guys to hash out the circuit,:idea: then slavishly copy what they have developed. "Electronics by numbers", kinda. Besides, there are several of us working on this using very similar approaches, and somebody's gonna come up with the optimal approach, and everybody else can adopt it. :grin:

i used a variety of "motors" to wind pups back in the late 50's - how 'bout a 45rpm record player? talk about taking Forever! :mrgreen:

Man, Rob-- At what age did you get into this here git-fiddle buildin?.

Well, I thought I had successfully replaced the Jefferson's theme song as my involuntary brain song with some Voodoo Chile, but NOOO--that damn Movin On up keeps popping up now.

Anyway, I'm movin on up in my winder build. Got a bit done this afternoon. Knee felt better, now it's hurting like he:twisted:. So goes it.

In anticipation of using the opto-electronic sensor for tripping the counter, I took off the winder motor, and sprayed the back with non-relfective paint. Something in a flat black, or in this case, cheap big box paint that looks more flat dark gray. Whatever, so long as it doesn't trip the sensor.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5563.jpg


While the motor and winder beam were off the stand, and when the paint dried, I made a concentrated effort to dig out my roll of cloth friction tape. It has a fabric base, saturated with adhesive, so it builds up a kind of resilient, grabby surface that as I'd hoped, makes the motor fit very snugly in the cradle-clamp. Made me remember my youthful days when my dad would wrap the handles of our hockey sticks for better grip, and the blades of the sticks, too, for better puck control. Handles worked OK, I guess, but puck control--?? Our idea of playing hockey was to just skate up to the puck and smack it as hard as we could toward the goal. We don need no stinking finesse :!::lol:

Weird, looking at the photo, I see hockey sticks is one of the applications they have right on the package. I had never noticed that before. I guess they got all kinds of high-tech designs and materials for hockey sticks now--the old wooden ones we used to have are just decor for sports bar walls now.


http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5564.jpg


After I shot my test video to show how the sensor works with the timer, I thought I'd returned the camera setting to normal photo, but it was on some other setting, and I stupidly shot more than half today's work with a setting that both darkened the shots, and did not trigger the flash. :oops::roll: So much of today's progress isn't documented. Solly.:sad:



I drilled a hole in the motor stand at the outboard end of the winder beam's radius, so the sensor would sit right at the very end of the beam's travel, and the wires from it would stick out the back side of the stand, through the hole.

Above and below this hole I drilled small pilot holes for #6 screws, slipped some small compression springs over them, and. . . .dang, the square corners of the winder beam's "collar" hit the perf board I'd mounted the sensor on.

Back at the drawing board, I realized that if I mounted the board with the holes to the sides of the clearance hole, instead of above and below it, and nipped off the unneeded corners of the perfboard, it would work. So I did it, and it spun without interference.

I designed a layout for the console--unfortunately, I don't have Rhino any more, I never learned to use Sketchup, and I can barely make lines and squares with Paint, so I don't have a fancy isometric (or any other kind of) drawing, 3-d rendering, etc. It's in my head, where I can easily erase it when I make a boo boo! I cut out the base, sides and top for the control console, and the control panel from Oak plywood of various thicknesses.

The only shot that came out even close is one I made while finishing up the cutout in the control panel for the counter with my coping saw.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5567.jpg

Made a good fit.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5570.jpg

I cut out, drilled, and finished fabricating the other parts, drilled for switches, wiring, and so forth. Unfortunately, again, I got no photos.

But before I shut down in the shop, I took a couple of teaser shots, to be fully revealed after tomorrow's shop session, knee willing.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5572.jpg

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5573.jpg

Hey Rick,

Got any pictures? How is it coming along?

Rob

nosmo and kwerk, you guys just need to do what I do, wait for the smart guys to hash out the circuit,:idea: then slavishly copy what they have developed. "Electronics by numbers", kinda. Besides, there are several of us working on this using very similar approaches, and somebody's gonna come up with the optimal approach, and everybody else can adopt it. :grin:

That's the plan, though I have been discussing an Arduino based build with a buddy who knows about such stuff. Literally program in the number of winds desired and go. Might not be cheap, though it wouldn't be ridiculously expensive either, but it would give me an opportunity to learn more about the thing.

Phil, I think Arduino control would really be cool, and very do-able using low voltage DC.

I'd love to see what you come up with. My son gave me an Arduino Uno for my birthday earlier this month, and its fun to play with--although my accomplishments so far include getting the LED to blink faster or slower. :lol:

I agree-- I don't think it would prohibitively expensive.

Please be sure to post your work on it.

Rick

Hey Rick,

Got any pictures? How is it coming along?

Rob

Good Morning Rob-- Latest pix are those directly above your post. Stay tuned, tho., with a little luck there should be the grand unveiling later today or this evening.

Rick

...

nosmo and kwerk, you guys just need to do what I do, wait for the smart guys to hash out the circuit,:idea: then slavishly copy what they have developed. "Electronics by numbers", kinda. Besides, there are several of us working on this using very similar approaches, and somebody's gonna come up with the optimal approach, and everybody else can adopt it. :grin:

I actually work on/with some pretty hight tech stuff. Fiber optics, dc control circuits, 3000vac combined with salt water and depths up to 4000 meters, but for some reason Ohm's law never stuck in my little pea brain. I can follow the schematics, and I can solder pretty well on some really small stuff, but honestly I don't know a capacitor from a resistor. Actually figuring out formulas and resulting voltage from changes in resistance is Greek to me. I'm taking your advise and stealing it when all the prototyping is done here.





And I don't even feel guilty about it :grin:

You shouldn't. After all, I stole it first! :lol:

But you know what paves the road to hell, right? Yeah, Good Intentions. Moving slowly because of stupid knee, and getting chores done today limited my shop time, so I did not complete my winder as I'd hoped.:cry:

However, I made some excellent progress, and I can see that the light at the end of the tunnel is not the locomotive, at least I don't think it is.

When I signed off last night, I'd just put a coat of stain on the wood parts of my winder. Although I like the ACW-2 prototype of Barncaster's, especially for portability and storage of parts, when I looked at all the parts, even the giant mortar ammo can I have couldn't hold it all, so I decided on an open frame model.

I gave it a couple of shots of satin Minwax lacquer, but did not wait for it to harden up to buff. It ain't getting buffed. This is just for basic protection. I noted how lousy a job I did slopping on the gel stain, but this is a functional machine, not a purdy geetar.

When dry, I began reassembly. The beam seemed to wobble worse than ever on the motor shaft. You may (or may not) remember that I chumped the drilling for one of the setscrew holes, so the beam was being held by only one setscrew. I decided to redrill the holes and use some bigger setscrews so I could secure the winder beam on the motor shaft with setscrews in opposite directions. This, I'm thinking, may give me some ability to tighten and loosen opposite setscrews and even up the rotation.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5575.jpg

Here's a shot of the old setscrew and one of the new ones side by side. Should hold the thing on fine, and it seems to have cured most, if not all, the wobble.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5576.jpg

Kinda fuzzy. Sorry:oops:



I may have discovered a new point of refinement that needs working out. The reflective tape I bought seems to have facets, in fact, under some light conditions, it looks to have stripes of reflective facets. Not knowing exactly how big a target the sensor would need, I cut and stuck on a piece of tape that covers essentially the whole width of the winder beam.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5587.jpg

I'm thinking this could actually cause multiple counts as the facets of the tape go by the sensor. I plan to experiment and if need be, trim down the tape as necessary.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5595.jpg

Here's a shot of the winder beam with the tape stuck to the lower end, and the perfboard mount for the sensor, spring-mounted so I can fine tune the distance between the sensor and the reflective tape.

Stuck some rubber (vinyl) feet to the bottom of the winder to cushion any vibration and make sure it doesn't try to walk away.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5585.jpg

Nice finishing job on the bottom board, huh? :roll:

Running errands in the old van today, like it was pre-ordained, a small strip of Velcro material fell out of the fire extinguisher box. It looked exactly like what Rob DiStefano made his wire tension device from, so I stuck it in my pocket to take to the shop, taking as a sign from on high that this was what is to be. I cut some small sticks and dug out the thick CA glue and a clamp.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5577.jpg

A little dab'll do ya. (You old guys will remember that one, yeah?) (Except you wouldn't want this crap in your hair!)

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5580.jpg

Clamp it up. . . .

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5582.jpg

When dry, slice the two halves apart with a razor blade, steal one of the wife's clothespins, and Bob's Your Uncle! Have to get a consult from Rob about how tight a rubber band I need on the clothespin, but it's essentially done. Yeaaahh.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5600.jpg

(Actually, I see that that's one of the clothespins I use to hold targets for pistol shooting. Looks like one that got a little too close to the bullseyse. That's the only way one would get damaged by a bullet, you see. . .:mrgreen:)


One of the many, many ideas I stole for use on this project is the use of a bolt as the wire guide support. I reasoned that if I used a high-grade bolt, it would polish very smooth, and not be scarred up by the collars that limit the wire's travel. Also, the setscrews that came with the collars required an allen (hex) wrench, a big PITA to find when you need to make changes, and clumsy to boot. You can get thumbscrews with the same 10-32 thread that the collars have, but the "ears" on the thumbscrews could protrude into the wire's path, potentially snag it, or otherwise be a problem. So I used cap screws with serrated perimeters, which give you some finger purchase to tighten them, but stay within the collar's profile, and don't overhang the wire's path at any time. The cap screws do have allen sockets, so if needed, they can really be cranked down hard, but so far, they stay put just fine.

BTW, the setscrews that came with these collars are what I used to replace the ones in the winder beam.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5596.jpg


I got started wiring up the control panel. First I rewired the motor with stranded, more flexible, lamp cord. That solid copper wire I originally used was just too stiff and unwieldy. Nice job on the spade lug crimps, huh?:oops:

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5598.jpg

But while rooting around in my electrical parts box, I found something I didn't remember I had--a 5 volt DC wall wart! So I did some more digging and found a power socket for it. Although I had my counter working with a 9V battery, this is a tempting simplification of the thing. It also eliminates potentially tragic results if a battery goes dead or voltage falls too low, during a wind, losing count.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5597.jpg



Sooo--finding the wallwart is a good news-bad news thing. It that means I want to first test out the sensor circuit using the wallwart to make sure it will work, before I alter my winder's wiring, and I just ran out of time.

But I did take some mockup shots of the thing before I dragged it upstairs to wire it, so here's pretty much what it looks like. (Sans control panel labeling, etc.)

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5589.jpg

Introducing----(fanfare, please)---The OK-1 Winder. It's really not "OK", it's just made of OaK.

Here's a closeup of the control panel

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5590.jpg

It is configured so the power supply sits on the base board, with the front elevated by the "ramp" the front of which is the control panel. This gives better view of the readouts of the voltage and amps, and better access to the voltage control knob, which controls speed.

I shamelessly stole--just flat out stole--Rob Barncaster's electrical terminal binding posts, because I think the brass looks so damn cool with the oak. Positive and Negative leads from the power supply get hooked here.

The black button to the left of the binding posts is the counter reset. My counter does not have the red reset button built in, that many Cub models do.

Immediately below the reset pushbutton is the winding directional switch, which simply reverses polarity to the motor. To its right is a switch I had intended to be the on-off switch for the 9V battery that powers the trigger circuit for the counter. If the wall wart works out OK, I'll likely use this hole for the power socket, that the wallwart will plug in to.

I think my counter has the smallest numerals of any of the Cub models, and is much smaller than many of the counters I've seen here. I know it's not the size of your counter but how you use it that matters, but I'm still jealous.

Got a big day tomorrow on the road, hoping to make it back before its too late and get some things done on the OK-1, but it may be a day or two before I can get back to it.

Time for bed now, good night.

Rick

Looking good, Rick.

Very nice...

However, I still think that uninsulated binding posts, out in the open, used for anything but ground, are a bad idea from a safety standpoint (no matter how cool they look!)

Good Morning Rob-- Latest pix are those directly above your post. Stay tuned, tho., with a little luck there should be the grand unveiling later today or this evening.

Rick

Hey Rick,

Sorry about the dumb question. When viewed on an iPad, sometimes TDPRI pictures don't come through but on the old desktop here, things are looking fine! Well done sir! But one question, where are you going to put the cheesy gold mailbox letters?

Rob

you guys making your own pickups, has to make old timers like bill and peggy smile. i love there pickups. even tho i only own there buckers.
keep on doing what you love. makes life fun.
chris.

Very nice...

However, I still think that uninsulated binding posts, out in the open, used for anything but ground, are a bad idea from a safety standpoint (no matter how cool they look!)

Thanks, and You're right about the uninsulated exposed binding posts, Jim. Maybe I can find some good looking insulated terminals. But meanwhile, I promise to unplug the thing and remove the leads whenever I'm not actually winding.

Hey Rick,

Sorry about the dumb question. When viewed on an iPad, sometimes TDPRI pictures don't come through but on the old desktop here, things are looking fine! Well done sir! But one question, where are you going to put the cheesy gold mailbox letters?

Rob

Not dumb at all. Must be your IPad--the cheesy hardware store letters are right on there. Just kiddin. I actually had in mind some cheesy mini label-maker labels stuck on there. Some people don't think they're as tacky as big shiny gold stick on letters, but sometimes you just have to make do, y'know. :mrgreen:

Got home kinda late after some serious windshield time today, and popped right up to the ole office (where I do my electronics, mostly). I'd been planning out in my head all day how to incorporate the 5V wall wart into my design.

I wired it up with some temporary twists, using the higher value resistors as recommended. No dice. This thing just has to have the 68 Ohm resistor. I could see the relative brightness of the IR LED using my digital camera, and it looked nice and bright with that value, and I left it running for a couple of hours while I ate supper and did a few other things, and it was still nice and bright, resistor wasn't hot, etc. It may be right on the edge, but so far, not over it.

So I soldered everything together, and put heat shrink over all the joints. What great stuff that is! :razz:

Put on terminals where I could, then buttoned it up.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5601.jpg

After a couple of test spins, I broke out the label machine, and made some labels for it. Sorry Barncaster, I just couldn't find room on my tiny control panel for those nice big cheesy house numbers. I did find a "shadow" font on my label maker that I did not know I had, so I used that for the name.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5604.jpg

I think I mentioned that a design criteria I had for it was to have room to put the somewhat heavy power supply right on top of the winder's ramp and base board, to weight it down, in case it wanted to vibrate or move. Here's (finally) the money shot with every thing in place.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5606.jpg

In this photo, I've just completed my accuracy test and the power supply got moved aside to make some adjustments. It actually runs quite smoothly. I'm happy with it.


Speaking of accuracy test, at first, it appeared to not be counting all the revs. But every time I'd manually spin the winder beam, as fast as I could by hand, then looked at the counter, it was dead on.

So I reasoned that this is supposed to be a 1,000 RPM motor. If I timed it from 0 turns for one minute, the counter should show 1,000 counts.

And dang if it didn't come out pretty much right on. I timed exactly one minute and got 1155 revolutions on the counter. I'm calling it dead-on, or at least well within acceptable parameters because: The start up wasn't exact. I hit my timer button just a fraction after I twisted the voltage knob up to full blast, to try and count it when it was running at full speed. Secondly, at one minute, I flipped the voltage knob down to zero very fast, but with the heavy aluminum winding beam, got quite a few additional revs as the thing wound down. And last but not least, I noticed while it was winding that the voltage control was actually reading right at 26 volts instead of 24. I will probably try again and see if I can hit exactly 24 volts, as the motor is rated at 1000 RPM at 24 volts. No doubt the extra 2 volts helped account for the few extra revs. Also, no telling how accurate the speed rating is for the motor, what their margin of error is. Could be dead on, could be 10% or more off.

And even if none of the above factors applied, the thing was still within about 10%--plenty accurate for my needs.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5603.jpg

I shot a video of the thing running with the counter counting, but since its so late, and it takes so long to upload videos to YouTube over my crappy internet connection, I think I may just wait until I actually have a pickup to wind, then shoot a video of how that's going. Unless somebody just absolutely needs to see a video of an idle winder running, with the counter dutifully counting the revs.

BTW, in anticipation of my winding adventures, does anybody have a good cleaning method for getting beeswax and paraffin out of your wife's prize Crockpot? :shock::lol:

Rick

I was pretty sure that sensor would work... It was just a matter of working the kinks out!

How far is the sensor from your aluminum block? And what are you using as a reflective sensing target? Did you use any ambient light shielding?

I was pretty sure that sensor would work... It was just a matter of working the kinks out!

How far is the sensor from your aluminum block? And what are you using as a reflective sensing target? Did you use any ambient light shielding?

Yes, and really there weren't that many kinks. Thanks again for circuit design/refinement advice/assistance.

Reflecting target is a piece of reflective "safety" tape. got a package of several red and several white pieces about 7" long by 1-1/2' wide. Snipped off about a 1/2" piece (by 1-1/2 " wide) Of the white and stuck it to the winder beam where it would pass right in front of the sensor.

Sensor is about 1/32" from spinning winder beam. I adjusted it as close as possible from the get-go, and thought if I got multiple pulses per rev, I could try backing it off some, but no apparent problems in this regard.

No ambient light shielding. Seems to work the same in dim light or bright light.

Still had to go with the 68 Ohm resistor, though. :neutral: It even metered out to only 66 Ohms, but so far, the LED's held up fine. It simply would not work with 180 Ohms, worked only sporadically with the 82 Ohm, but 68 was the charm.

One of the many, many ideas I stole for use on this project is the use of a bolt as the wire guide support. I reasoned that if I used a high-grade bolt, it would polish very smooth, and not be scarred up by the collars that limit the wire's travel. Also, the setscrews that came with the collars required an allen (hex) wrench, a big PITA to find when you need to make changes, and clumsy to boot. You can get thumbscrews with the same 10-32 thread that the collars have, but the "ears" on the thumbscrews could protrude into the wire's path, potentially snag it, or otherwise be a problem. So I used cap screws with serrated perimeters, which give you some finger purchase to tighten them, but stay within the collar's profile, and don't overhang the wire's path at any time. The cap screws do have allen sockets, so if needed, they can really be cranked down hard, but so far, they stay put just fine.

BTW, the setscrews that came with these collars are what I used to replace the ones in the winder beam.

http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j383/rickspeir/Pickup%20Winder/IMG_5596.jpg




Another in a long list of stolen ideas. I mean ideas I stole from someone else. I am definately going to modify my guide like this - brilliant!