Signal strength: Wiring a disc and rod piezo together - Cigar Box Nation2024-03-29T01:20:39Zhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/forum/topics/signal-strength-wiring-a-disc-and-rod-piezo-together?commentId=2592684%3AComment%3A3271844&xg_source=activity&feed=yes&xn_auth=noA blend pot would be an excel…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2019-01-14:2592684:Comment:32725462019-01-14T19:06:38.620ZPaul Craighttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/PaulCraig
<p>A blend pot would be an excellent idea.</p>
<p>A blend pot would be an excellent idea.</p> If you connect the rod and di…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2019-01-14:2592684:Comment:32725942019-01-14T11:14:05.891ZJLhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/JL239
<p>If you connect the rod and disk in parallel, any signal created by one travels not only down to the volume pot but also backwards up the other's wire.</p>
<p>think of one as a 12v battery and the other as a 6v battery. </p>
<p>If you connect the rod and disk in parallel, any signal created by one travels not only down to the volume pot but also backwards up the other's wire.</p>
<p>think of one as a 12v battery and the other as a 6v battery. </p> Thanks for everyone’s helpful…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2019-01-14:2592684:Comment:32723312019-01-14T07:44:08.991ZBryan Pieperhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/BryanPieper
Thanks for everyone’s helpful feedback.
Thanks for everyone’s helpful feedback. That’s a great idea. I will a…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2019-01-14:2592684:Comment:32723302019-01-14T07:42:57.674ZBryan Pieperhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/BryanPieper
That’s a great idea. I will attach the disc piezo all the way up at the neck and body junction.<br />
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Also, I didn’t really factor in the fact that rod piezos are made to function under compression, not merely vibration. When I tested them, I simply tapped the disc and rod on the table or flicked them. Perhaps that isn’t really a proper test of what signal the rod will produced when compressed under the saddle.<br />
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In any event, it sounds like a rod simply generates less signal than a disc. Next time,…
That’s a great idea. I will attach the disc piezo all the way up at the neck and body junction.<br />
<br />
Also, I didn’t really factor in the fact that rod piezos are made to function under compression, not merely vibration. When I tested them, I simply tapped the disc and rod on the table or flicked them. Perhaps that isn’t really a proper test of what signal the rod will produced when compressed under the saddle.<br />
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In any event, it sounds like a rod simply generates less signal than a disc. Next time, maybe I’ll install a blend pot between them to see how that works. The piezo elements used in th…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2019-01-13:2592684:Comment:32722292019-01-13T18:24:13.762ZPaul Craighttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/PaulCraig
<p>The piezo elements used in the Rod type piezo is of a different type. They have less output and less sensitivity than the larger round piezo type.</p>
<p>The piezo elements used in the Rod type piezo is of a different type. They have less output and less sensitivity than the larger round piezo type.</p> Correct. The string vibration…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2019-01-13:2592684:Comment:32721462019-01-13T18:16:38.784ZPaul Craighttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/PaulCraig
<p>Correct. The string vibration will be stronger at the bridge area and the rod needs to be under string pressure at the bridge.</p>
<p>So you'll be lessening the output for the disc at the neck area and giving the rod piezo the most exposure to try and equal out the output.</p>
<p>Disc piezo at the neck and body junction will have a more mellow/warm tone. Upper low string side of the neck for more bass, lower high string side for more treble.</p>
<p>Correct. The string vibration will be stronger at the bridge area and the rod needs to be under string pressure at the bridge.</p>
<p>So you'll be lessening the output for the disc at the neck area and giving the rod piezo the most exposure to try and equal out the output.</p>
<p>Disc piezo at the neck and body junction will have a more mellow/warm tone. Upper low string side of the neck for more bass, lower high string side for more treble.</p> partly because the vibrations…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2019-01-13:2592684:Comment:32718532019-01-13T03:38:50.638ZTimothy Hunterhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/TimothyHunter
<p>partly because the vibrations at the neck would be less than the bridge but mainly because these rods are supposed to be under compression, directly under the bridge piece.</p>
<p>partly because the vibrations at the neck would be less than the bridge but mainly because these rods are supposed to be under compression, directly under the bridge piece.</p> Correcting a typo:
“I don’t…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2019-01-13:2592684:Comment:32718442019-01-13T01:12:11.900ZBryan Pieperhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/BryanPieper
Correcting a typo:<br />
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“I don’t see how the electrical signal generated at the end of one branch of the “Y” (the end of the ROD piezo branch). . .”
Correcting a typo:<br />
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“I don’t see how the electrical signal generated at the end of one branch of the “Y” (the end of the ROD piezo branch). . .” I’m not sure I follow you abo…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2019-01-13:2592684:Comment:32720002019-01-13T01:10:11.930ZBryan Pieperhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/BryanPieper
I’m not sure I follow you about the resistors, but having th tripple-checked and built it twice, swapping out for a new rod the second time, I am confident I have no shorts, bad solder joints, or Reversed polarities.<br />
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Since the piezos on each fork or branch of my system (disc on one and rod on the other) are generating their own separate electrical signal separately from each other from the vibration they each respectively experience, Absent some kind of wiring flaw, I don’t see how the…
I’m not sure I follow you about the resistors, but having th tripple-checked and built it twice, swapping out for a new rod the second time, I am confident I have no shorts, bad solder joints, or Reversed polarities.<br />
<br />
Since the piezos on each fork or branch of my system (disc on one and rod on the other) are generating their own separate electrical signal separately from each other from the vibration they each respectively experience, Absent some kind of wiring flaw, I don’t see how the electrical signal generated at the end of one branch of the “Y” (the end of the piezo branch) would ever travel into or through the other branch of the “Y” (the disc branch). The disc is not along the piezo signal’s path to ground, and they do not form a loop.<br />
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Am I making sense? I thought about the fact that…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2019-01-13:2592684:Comment:32718392019-01-13T01:00:24.108ZBryan Pieperhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/BryanPieper
I thought about the fact that the rod is really several piezo wired in series, but I can’t see how that would cause the rod to be quieter than the disc. After the signal leaves the rod (via the hookup wire in your diagram), the hookup wires from the rod & disk then merge into one wire which plugs into the preamp. In other words, the wiring system looks like a “Y,” with a disc on one fork or branch of the “Y,” and a rod (several piezos in series) on the other branch.<br />
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Wiring piezo in series…
I thought about the fact that the rod is really several piezo wired in series, but I can’t see how that would cause the rod to be quieter than the disc. After the signal leaves the rod (via the hookup wire in your diagram), the hookup wires from the rod & disk then merge into one wire which plugs into the preamp. In other words, the wiring system looks like a “Y,” with a disc on one fork or branch of the “Y,” and a rod (several piezos in series) on the other branch.<br />
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Wiring piezo in series increases the impedance across the whole system, not just the branch of the system where the in series piezo are. So if increased impedance were causing a signal decrease, I would think it should affect both branches in the system (the branch where the disc is as well as the branch where the rod is), not just the branch where the piezos are in series (the rod branch).<br />
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Thoughts?