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Making a pickup

Posted by Eric Kasten on March 28, 2014 at 11:25am in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

Making another pickup...  Below is my setup.  The Fiskars hand drill is 3.5 to 1 ratio so 100 turns of the handle = 350 turns of the pickup.

I'm using nails for the metal part of the magnetic pickup and a flat rare earth magnet that will be glued to the bottom (the middle nail will be cut to length after I wind the wire).  The nail heads are countersunk... which I learned from my last one needs to be done.  I had tried nails last time thinking the flat head would be better than a bolt head, but it is still too tall.  I think it will work better this time like this.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Now I need to find a cheap, easy way to count the revolutions of the pickup so I don't have to do it in my head.

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Replies

  • Eric Kasten April 14, 2014 at 6:05pm

    306270972?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024Finally got my pedometer and hooked it up.  Works great!

    I had the rare earth mag on the chuck so long it magnetized it...  At first I was dbl-counting revolutions until I took the magnet off and it counted them correctly.

    • John Sawyer > Eric Kasten April 14, 2014 at 7:05pm

      Sounds like a ped. might count faster than a cheap calculator... Back to the $ store for me...

  • Eric Kasten April 10, 2014 at 6:47pm

    306274270?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024306275405?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024306276554?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024Finished pickup.  4000 turns...

    Thinking of making a smaller top and larger bottom next time so I can make it adjustable (up/down)

    • Richey Kay > Eric Kasten April 11, 2014 at 1:22am

      Well done, it's looking good. I use the thickness of the top of the bobbin to control the height of the pickup. I use a design where the fingerboard is raised above the box lid (say if I use a 1/8" fretboard, it will sit 1/8" above the box lid, and I can then use a scrap of the same wood to make the bobbin top.) Make sense?

      • Eric Kasten > Richey Kay April 11, 2014 at 8:31am

        Yep.  Makes perfect sense.  I'm using the same thickness (1/4 inch) fret board to sit on top of the box.  So it sounds like I'm doing the same thing as you describe.

    • John Sawyer > Eric Kasten April 10, 2014 at 8:40pm

      Looking good!  Picked up an enclosed reed switch, found an old calculator in the garage and soldered it up... now I need the rest!!

      • Eric Kasten > John Sawyer April 11, 2014 at 8:33am

        I went through 3 different calculators.  None had a regular circuit board under the keys... all had a plastic film instead.

  • Eric Kasten April 10, 2014 at 6:45pm

    306274042?profile=originalBlack circle = new mounting location for spools of wire to allow it to come off easier.

    Yellow circle = parts to make a distortion pedal.

    Red circle = Where the pedometer will go to count the revolutions.  Should b here this weekend.

    Blue circle = reed switch

  • Eric Kasten April 7, 2014 at 8:14pm

    Sorry for the slow reply... Picked up 2 more calculators from Wally World and both of them also have the film under the buttons instead of a board.  The one I was going to use (film type) is too iffy.  Will maybe order a pedometer... I hope to have better luck.

    Up to 1350 turns on the pickup.....  slowly but surely....

  • Eric Kasten April 3, 2014 at 11:16am

    Got my reed switches in the mail yesterday.  But also came down with a fever... Will be back out in the garage tomorrow... this weekend at the latest.

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