Before I start, please note I haven't blown anything up YET, I'm just checking to see if I'm likely to blow anything up!
So I bought a couple of these pups:
and I stuck one in my canjo - then it occurred to me and my dad, electricity + tin could end up in some sort of fire or explosion or just a simple electrocution - which would be funny, but not funny enough that I want to try it and see. So here I am.
The jack lead is just screwed right on the tin - is that gonna be a problem?
If so, how could I make it safe?
Thanks a bunch!
UPDATE: Here's a pic
Replies
Well, this might not matter as much but if I was gonna use hot glue ( or any glue for that matter ) I would make sure to scuff up the inside of the box, on the spot your gonna glue it. If it's too slick the piezo could come loose. Just sayin
No zap fears warranted here . but . i'd seperate the jack from the tin with a rubber / cardboard , plastic , foam./wood washer etc ..for cleaner tone , looks like you already did that with the vol control. and i'd mount the piezo in in a bed of hot-glue on the wood part of the neck , then cover it again in hot glue (or use silicone ) . Attached right to the tin may be too harsh , and sound like pulling a cat through a keyhole . (to quote another member here ) ;-)
ps . did you see the replies in your other post ?
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/group/class101/forum/topics/canjo-pic...
I did see them, at the moment the disk is held in place with a rubber band until I can get hold of my hot glue gun!
Cool. great job on the temporary placement . you can test try different areas by just taping it on to try and find a sweet spot . it seem sto be a different on many guitars . as suggested by MadGomer , a felt / foam sandwich works too . you gotta muffle it a bit from direct contact . otherwise you may hear the hair of your arm brush against it and get feedback issues. and scare kittys .. etc .. ;-)
Definitely no safety issues there... the voltages these things produce are so small they are hard to measure...
Holly, I don't believe there's any safety concerns with a disc piezo setup as you have, but per Bear's comment you may need to do some things from a sound quality/feedback perspective. I haven't done a metal tin yet but I do sandwich my discs between felt or pot them in hot glue when I sandwich them between neck and bridge for conventional wood boxes to calm down the feedback.
I've done canjos with the jack lead direct into the tin lid. Just didn't sound great, though I didn't get a shock. I fixed mine with a layer of insulation tape between the bottom of the lid and the jack socket. Something about the positive/negative layout of a jack socket? Seemed to sound much better though.
I can't comment or say whether it would help in your situation as I used a piezo in that build. I think (THINK) the same should apply though. I'm sure others will be along soon to help more.
Enjoy the build.
Bear :0)