Coil winder

[cesout]

This is something I put together to wind coils for audio applications. I made everything with the bot except the urigh transverse unit and metal hardware. The winding hub is made of nylon and has a removable flange for coil removal. It actually works very well for my purposes. It saved me about $14K, the differential for a small commercial unit.

949

[rb99]

Nice work. What is your application? Looks like it would make a good guitar pickup winder.

Richard

[cesout]

I'm using it for making coils for a speaker emulator/load box. Several companies made them in the past, but I guess have fallen out of favor due to digital amp modeling maybe? They're still around on stage and in the studio but try buying one, a good one that is.

I've made a few and it lets you get the power amp distortion working without getting the cops called. Completely amplifier safe too. Of course I'm talking about all tube, old school amps. I haven't found a plug in yet that sounds like the real thing.

I could go on about the pursuit of guitar tone but I don't want to blow up this forum.

I can wind crossover coils and transformers as well. I'm using 20ga wire for my application. To wind pickups, I need a larger reduction ratio driving the urigh to account for the smaller wire. Although the transverse unit has a 10:1 range as it stands, I have the 20ga set about mid-band in the range and 43ga wire is too small for the current setup. It is easy to change the pulleys to get 43ga wire transverse rates.

[rb99]

So this is a box that lets me turn up my guitar amp to get the thing working like it should, but keeps the speaker volume low?

How much are they? I have a Bruno Underground 30 with 3 8 ohm 10's and the amp is at 4 ohms. The speakers are actually at 2.5 ohms?

Richard

[cesout]

Yes. I'm toying around with the idea of putting together some kits that will go for something like $180. Everything is heavy duty and it is rated for 100w rms. I use a 70v transformer (parallel with reactive load) to drive the speaker. I use a rotary switch to select the wattage tap. I'm making a couple for some locals to try out to get some feedback. When it is market ready, I will have a web site with some other kits I'm working on. Like an Orange Tiny Terror clone with all tube effects loop.

To use this unit in your situation you would use the amp 8 Ohm tap into the emulator box, and use the 4 Ohm tap on the 70v transformer to drive your speakers. If your amp has no 8 Ohm tap, I can easily make a 4 Ohm version. They are impedance specific.

My personal experience with the unit is you get fat, buttery distortion that is clearly discernible from pre-amp distortion. Sustain is increased, and with something like a Fender Bassman, you can really hear the PS sag/compression thing. I hate trying to describe how something sounds!

Thanks for the interest. Let me know if you might want one.

[navigator7]

@ Charles,
Not to twist this thread away from your very nice work but.......
I have a few questions about coils.
1. Do coils work with AC and DC?
2. Can you imagine a coil doing the work of a ram or a turnbuckle?

[cesout]

Chuck:

Coils will 'work' with AC or DC. It depends on the application. In either case, the same phenomenon is at work.

Yes. Something like a solenoid. In my mind a turnbuckle is something different. You have a leverage effect with the screw vs. a linear force.

[john_l]

Charles, That's a cool tool. Great job.

As Wayne and Garth would say..

"We're not worthy... We're not worthy... We're not worthy..."

[mims]

is that hub a Peterson film developing reel?

[rb99]

I would love to try one out but with so many gadgets and gear to buy...it is not high on my list. I bought an Alessandro Muzzle when I got my amp and it made it pretty buzzy. I returned it.

I am really hurting for an Analog Man BI-CHORUS pedal. It has the nicest sounding leslie I have heard so far.

I am looking at getting a used Pure 64 Mean Street Classic 20 head and cab. There is a local guy selling one. Sweet!

Cheers,

RIB

[cesout]

Eric:

The hub is something I devised and made on the bot. It lets me wrap the coil while on the bobbin and the removable flange lets it come off the hub.

[courtney2018]

Richard, all you need is a variac. You can turn up your amp and turn down the voltage on the variac to get saturated low volume sound.

http://www.google.com/products?q=variac&hl=en&aq=f

[rb99]

What about blowing the transformers? Is that the same as an attenuator?

I understand it is important to get a good one to preserve the sound, and also not to blow the amp.

I am talking tube amps not solid state. (although I don't think it matters).

RIB

[courtney2018]

If you misuse a variac, yes, it can blow tubes and transformers. The idea is to lower the wattage alittle bit, not alot. Let's say your amp is designed for 110V. Dial it down to 90V. You can turn it up to where the amp likes to be for saturation without the loud volume.

There's other approaches you can use. Here's a great website you can spend a couple of hours reading over.

http://www.amptone.com/

You know, another option is building an isolation cabinet for it. If you're recording having an iso-cabinet is a MUST HAVE!

[cesout]

Richard:

I think the Alessandro unit is purely resistive, but I could be wrong. Attenuators/emulators in general will only ever approximate the sound of the amp dimed through the speaker, some approximations being better than others. Find the Radio Designer's Handbook and you will locate a circuit that is the basis for these attenuators. Season to taste.

I understand the rabbit hole problem with gear. I've thought of setting up an "old technology" museum with some of the stuff I've collected over the years.

[cesout]

Courtney:

I'm with you on the iso cab.

Variacs have been used with some success but it may cause some damage if not used carefully. This approach is along the lines of power scaling. The heaters don't run right if using a variac though.

[jim_ludi]

Charles,what are you using for a traverse mechanism. I know you mentioned Urigh but I'm not familiar with that unit. Is this commonly available? I like the idea of having the traverse syncronized to the winder with a belt.

I'm planning on making a pickup winder with a variable speed sewing machine motor and thought it would be useful to have an automatic traverse unit.

[cesout]

Jim:

Check out http://www.amacoil.com where I found my transverse unit. I misspelled the name and it is Uhing. Anyway, they were the most affordable solution for my application.

[jim_ludi]

Thanks Charles, I get it now.

You and the bot have done a really nice job on the coiler/winder! A close study of your picture reveals lots of really cool details in your design and a great use of the bot. Outstanding!

A few of questions:
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[cesout]

Jim:

The transverse drive was about $1100. Not cheap but very inexpensive compared to alternative. I've tried it by hand and things get out of control fast.

The foot treadle actuates the variable speed commercial sewing machine motor. It uses a mechanical lever for speed control.

The counter is electronic. There is a little magnet in the cam on the spindle shaft. It is a neodymium magnet so it works correctly at speed. I'm using a little reed switch to pulse the counter.

Tailstock base is a sandwich of 3/4 baltic birch.

Thank you for your kind words.