ignition coils as pickups???

I spent a good bit of time thinking about this earlier this morning. I'm having a hard time seeing how a an automotive coil could function as a signal transfer device as a magnetic pickup does.

A mag pickup functions by having a permanent magnet positioned next to a coil of wire. The magnetic field extends through the coil winding. when a metal guitar string is held close to the coil of the pickup it too is affected by the magnetic field. When the string is plucked and vibrates, it "shakes" the magnetic field at the same frequency as the string is vibrating. This shaking (moving) of the magnetic field is what induces the signal into the winding and out to your amplifier.

An automotive coil on the other hand usually consist of two windings and no permanent magnet, so there is no magnetic field (until voltage is applied to the primary winding). Placing an automotive coil close to guitar strings and plucking it will not induce a voltage since there is no magnetic field.

I guess you could create a magnetic field by using a battery to power the primary winding. In that case, you might get an induced voltage into the secondary by putting the coil close to the guitar strings and plucking, but the signal outputted might blow up your amp since an automotive coil has a ratio of around 3,333 to 1 between primary and secondary winding.

In the end, it might be easier to just buy some copper wire and bar magnets and wind your own coil.

Replies

Tom T December 18, 2019 at 5:42pm

Those puppies typically pump out around 40,000+ volts. Not sure I would want to get near them. Do you have primary and secondary resistance figures? Is either in the 10~15k range?
- Kevin Keating > Tom T December 18, 2019 at 10:15pm
  
  No, and no idea. I'm just trying to find electro magnetic coils in other appliances, machines, etc., that may serve as pickups. I've been zapped by spark plugs before so that part of this idea was questionable to me.
  - Tom T > Kevin Keating December 19, 2019 at 9:14am
    
    I spent a good bit of time thinking about this earlier this morning. I'm having a hard time seeing how a an automotive coil could function as a signal transfer device as a magnetic pickup does.
    
    A mag pickup functions by having a permanent magnet positioned next to a coil of wire. The magnetic field extends through the coil winding. when a metal guitar string is held close to the coil of the pickup it too is affected by the magnetic field. When the string is plucked and vibrates, it "shakes" the magnetic field at the same frequency as the string is vibrating. This shaking (moving) of the magnetic field is what induces the signal into the winding and out to your amplifier.
    
    An automotive coil on the other hand usually consist of two windings and no permanent magnet, so there is no magnetic field (until voltage is applied to the primary winding). Placing an automotive coil close to guitar strings and plucking it will not induce a voltage since there is no magnetic field.
    
    I guess you could create a magnetic field by using a battery to power the primary winding. In that case, you might get an induced voltage into the secondary by putting the coil close to the guitar strings and plucking, but the signal outputted might blow up your amp since an automotive coil has a ratio of around 3,333 to 1 between primary and secondary winding.
    
    In the end, it might be easier to just buy some copper wire and bar magnets and wind your own coil.

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