• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Magnets & Copper Wire: A Pickup Building Thread

#841
Now, getting a fart-like sub-tone out of the bass's frame is a different game. You'd have to build the frame so it has a natural resonance down around 10hz? What's the best frequency for a fart tone? I'm guessing it's in the 5-20hz range?

To get the fart tone out of the pickup, you'd have to make some part of the internals go into resonance in that frequency range.

I'm being serious here, by the way. This is something that someone could develop as a specialty pickup. A built in sub-low mechanical resonance. It could be much better sounding than an electronic pedal distortion effect. Not for everyone or every song, but some bassists use sub-low distortion as part of their sound.

Extra points if the pickup has a little lever on the side to shut the fart off.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Passinwind and Beej
#843
Popping some bobbins together while sunday dinner roast beef is in the oven...

IMG_20211003_155145.jpg
IMG_20211003_160700.jpg
IMG_20211003_161716.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jeff Siddall, Matt Liebenau, Freekmagnet and 4 others
#845
  • Like
Reactions: dwizum
#846
41hzthunder said:
What's the thickness on the flatwork?
Click to expand...

These are .09" fiberboard from ponoko. Although, I did just buy a tiny little desktop cnc with the goal of cutting my own going forwards since I'm kind of sick of paying them tons of money and then waiting several weeks to get flatwork.

BassikBrad said:
What you having roast beef & yorkshire pudding, with Colemans mustard or Horseradish sauce ?
Click to expand...

Popovers in place of yorkshire pudding and hoseradish!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 41hzthunder, BassikBrad and slowburnaz
#847
dwizum said:
These are .09" fiberboard from ponoko. Although, I did just buy a tiny little desktop cnc with the goal of cutting my own going forwards since I'm kind of sick of paying them tons of money and then waiting several weeks to get flatwork.



Popovers in place of yorkshire pudding and hoseradish!
Click to expand...

Just curious... what do you use to press the magnets in?
 
#848
dwizum said:
These are .09" fiberboard from ponoko. Although, I did just buy a tiny little desktop cnc with the goal of cutting my own going forwards since I'm kind of sick of paying them tons of money and then waiting several weeks to get flatwork.
Click to expand...

I'm also curious what mill you were planning on using on the fiberboard. I was looking at the possibility of laser cutting those but it seems like you need a fairly serious CO2 laser. So now I maybe I should try cutting them on the CNC -- assuming I ever get it finished!
 
#849
slowburnaz said:
Just curious... what do you use to press the magnets in?
Click to expand...

I used to use my old drill press but doing so always made me nervous (break a tooth on the work gear, or slowly destroying the bearings). So I went to harbor freight and bought their tiny little press. It was like $50 I think. It's pretty clearly the same press (or at least the same cast part) as pretty much everyone else who sells a small benchtop press, it even looks like the same thing as Stewmac's fret press. I don't have complicated tooling, I just use the square arbor. I have a block of cherry on the bottom surface to hold the flatwork, and I have a little square of mdf with some shims taped to it to get the depth that the magnets extend out the front side of the top flatwork consistent. I also have a little wedge of mdf with a hole drilled in the corner that's a loose friction fit on the magnets, so I can use that to hold each magnet in place while I press it. Some day I want to make jigs for each bobbin so I can drop all of the magnets into a little holder, press them all in, and be done. But this is still pretty fast.

Jeff Siddall said:
I'm also curious what mill you were planning on using on the fiberboard. I was looking at the possibility of laser cutting those but it seems like you need a fairly serious CO2 laser. So now I maybe I should try cutting them on the CNC -- assuming I ever get it finished!
Click to expand...

I just got the little 3018 prover from sainsmart. It seems like the "nicest" of the tiny cheap cnc mills. I was thinking about a laser as well but I couldn't get much of an answer on if the cheaper k40 style lasers can actually cut vulcanized fiber.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BassikBrad and Jeff Siddall
#850
If you want to get away from outsourcing the laser-cutting of vulcanized fiberboard, and do something in-house, then I would drop the vulcanized fiberboard. Switch to plastic for your bobbin flanges. CNC cut them from plastic sheet, or cast them from plastic resin in molds. What's the reason for using vulcanized fiberboard? I don't see what the advantage is?
 
  • Like
Reactions: dwizum
#851
I like fiberboard because it's so tough. It holds up well to having the magnets pressed in, and you can make the fit tight enough that the finished part is nice and rigid. It withstands soldering heat, isn't bothered by potting, and so on. It can hold small details really close to edges (i.e. a hole drilled right in the corner doesn't split or tear out of the material when you pop the eyelet in). But I'm definitely not attached to it. I do plan on trying a handful of materials. Thin plywood, plastic (just not acrylic - I'm over that), anything else I can get my hands on, really.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Passinwind
#852
dwizum said:
I just got the little 3018 prover from sainsmart. It seems like the "nicest" of the tiny cheap cnc mills. I was thinking about a laser as well but I couldn't get much of an answer on if the cheaper k40 style lasers can actually cut vulcanized fiber.
Click to expand...

I have a K40 and it cuts through. You can adjust the speed of the cut and the power to the laser to avoid burning. It also is very accurate, so you can do the holes for magnets/poles in the same operation. The CAD software is the hardest part. I also want to try the K40 for fret slotting. I've set the machine up well and the kerf is smaller than a fret slot. I'm in the process of modifying the cutting area to 25" so a bass fretboard will fit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jeff Siddall, Novarocker, Bruce Johnson and 1 other person
#855
41hzthunder said:
I have a K40 and it cuts through. You can adjust the speed of the cut and the power to the laser to avoid burning. It also is very accurate, so you can do the holes for magnets/poles in the same operation. The CAD software is the hardest part. I also want to try the K40 for fret slotting. I've set the machine up well and the kerf is smaller than a fret slot. I'm in the process of modifying the cutting area to 25" so a bass fretboard will fit.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... interesting. Are you thinking of adjusting the power of the laser to a depth suitable for a fret tang? Assuming you didn't do blind slots, I wonder how burned the edge of the board would be where the slot is visible.
 
#856
I don't know anything about laser cutting. Is wattage a good approximation of cutting power? Are K40 lasers actually 40 watts?

The laser module for my new little CNC is only like 6 or 7 watts but there are YouTube videos of people cutting thin plywood and plastic with it.
 
#857
CO2 and LED lasers aren't directly comparable, but a 40 W CO2 will generally cut a lot more than a 7 W LED. BTW: A 7 W LED is actually pretty powerful as LEDs go. I have a 1 W and it will only cut through thin cardboard, but it does a good job engraving wood.

EDIT: Also, to answer the specific question, yes, K40 means 40 W but that is the maximum rating of the tube. They normally run the laser at 30 W.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: dwizum
#859
Jeff Siddall said:
Hmmm... interesting. Are you thinking of adjusting the power of the laser to a depth suitable for a fret tang? Assuming you didn't do blind slots, I wonder how burned the edge of the board would be where the slot is visible.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I'm keeping track of the power setting, type of wood and depth of cuts. I don't really have an issue with burning when cutting. Prior to adding an air assist (blower nozzle), and adjusting the cutting speed, it was a bit of a problem. Upgrading to K40 Whisperer software helped with conrolling the cut and speed, as well as just making it easier to use. Burning can be a bit of a problem using the laser to clear out for inlay as the laser spends a little more time in a small area. Multiple passes may work. My laser stays well aligned with multiple passes. I'm still experimenting.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jeff Siddall

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back