Hi all, this is my first post here - I make pickups and build guitars but I'm new to making CBG's. I have my materials together and hope to start next week sometime on my first one :-)
In the mean time, some here might be interested in the winding setup I built -
Lathe based, has counter, tach and programmable auto stop. I routinely wind at over 3000 RPM.
Total cost to build was $159.00 and I have a lot of functionality for that price.
If anyone is interested I can post up a build thread.
A few pups that I've wound on it -
String through tri-bucker
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Regards
Phil Hale
aka Philyaboots
Fantastic write up. Thanks for sharing the details on the build. The only question I have is why are there two holes in the opto interrupter? I would have thought it would have only need to pickup a signal once per rev.
Thanks Dan, glad you like it. The two holes in the disk are for balance - the first prototype disk I made had one hole and the lathe almost walked off the bench :-) Two holes makes it run super smooth.
Both the Tachometer and the Counter are easily programmable for multiple counts per revolution, so you could make a disk with many more holes it you wanted to. As it is, you just program them both for 2 counts per rev and everything stays balanced and accurate. The optical sensor and counter are fantastically accurate - 3000 RPM isn't even getting close to their limits.
Very nice pro setup. I bet the guys over at the Pickup Makers Forum would be very interested in your build.
http://music-electronics-forum.com/f11/
How are you making the bobbins?
Thank you! Those guys didn't really care about my setup, they're doing different things :-) Too much cork sniffing for me.
I laser cut my bobbins, both prototype and production. I assemble them with an inexpensive 1 ton arbor press; everything comes out super square and nice and neat.
I agree there is a lot of cork sniffing over there. I can't believe they didn't like your setup though based on things I've seen over there. Oh well, their loss...
Where can ordinary mortals get hold of a laser cutter?
It's cool, they're just doing different things I guess.
I just genuinely want to give a workable idea and good design to the community and provide an alternative and enhanced capability over most of the winders currently on the market, at a lower price to build then even the entry level models.
I saved up quite a bit for mine a few years back - it's an Epilog Helix, made in Colorado. There really are only two American companies producing products in this market segment - Epilog and Universal.I've used both and both are EXCELLENT products with top notch American based support. You don't get sent to a call queue in India when there's an issue with the equipment from either of these companies, or wait for an email from mainland China.
I normally don't mention that I have a cutter, puts people off sometimes and makes them think your something you're not. The truth is I'm a buy one, cry once kind of guy when it comes to tools of consequence, and I saved up my nickles and eventually bought the tool that I wanted.
Thanks Again
Whoa. This is lots of great info. Thanks for sharing this! Those little 3-string pups are pretty sharp too!
Thank you; happy to share. Those 3 string PUP's were actually for a prototype 6 string split coil humbucker - my homebrew version of a Supro lapsteel string through design. Looks like a Coodercaster pickup. They'd work for a 3 string CBG as well I'd imagine. They're tele width, so fairly wide and each one has 11K winds.
You have to make a cleat to mount them on the lathe winder... I need to post up a pic of that setup.
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