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Topic: The CoilSurround Pickup - Video Added |
Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2012 3:47 pm |
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Briefly ...
It's two reverse wound coils of 38 AWG magnet wire (one over and one under the strings) … inside a uniform dipole field produced by a Halbach Array of Neodymium-Iron-Boron magnets … encased in a Faraday Cage … 
Main Features:
* Cylindrical Halbach Array provides a homogeneous field across the air gap and establishes the reverse polarity orientation needed by the coils.
* An adjustable air gap … Uniformly increase/decrease the magnetic flux density surrounding the strings.
* Over and under “In-Phase” coils provide maximum constructive interference.
* Reverse wound coils inside the grounded “Faraday Cage” housing … virtually eliminates electromagnetic interference.
This Particular Unit:
* 1.8 k Ohm coils … 3.6 k Ohm in full Humbucking mode
* Air Gap Flux Density: 1250 gauss
* 3.25” sensing length
* Black Wrinkle Powder Coating
* 4.5” long X 1.5” wide X 1.125” tall
* Mounting plate: 4.5” X 1.5” X 0.125”
* Distance from strings to Top of Unit: 0.625”
This particular unit is very, very powerful ...  ... nothing in this house is even in the same ball park ...
I'll probably wind each coil with 1000 turns less from now on.
And although it's a tad too strong ... it is dead quiet ... even knocking on the unit or steel's body doesn't produce loud thumps ...
And it's bright enough to peal paint off the wall when the treble is elevated ...
The Halbach Array was real hard to put together ... and having the over and under coils was an unusual thought ... but it works very well ... 
I'll try and have my girls help me make a video on the iPad ... comparing it with my Sierra w/Alumitone and my prewar Ricky A25 (my best Rick) ... but I'm not much of a player ... so it might be just strums and harmonics ... 
Last edited by Rick Aiello on 21 Mar 2012 6:11 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Andre Nizzari
From:
Bronx, NY
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Posted 7 Jan 2012 4:08 pm
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wholy moly!!!
_________________
Blues in a doggy bag, is what I got to eat! |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2012 4:28 pm
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| That sucker is looking and sounding like the scariest PU in history! |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 7 Jan 2012 5:35 pm
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I would call that pickup "The Crusher", because that's what it looks like! That is one mean looking sumanab*tch, but I'll bet it sounds sweet.
Congratulations.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Stephen Abruzzo
From:
Philly, PA
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Posted 7 Jan 2012 10:44 pm
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| Is this your version of the old Supro/Valco pup units? Gotta think it has some monster blues tone in it?? |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 8 Jan 2012 6:46 am
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Thanks for the nice comments ...
Stephen, no ...  .... The only thing this has in common with that pickup is it's string through and it's rectangular 
To my knowledge, nothing like this has ever existed before ... Its closest relative would be Fender's Boxcar/Trap ... As they had an air coil in a magnetic field ... The only ferromagnetic material were the strings that ran through the center of the coil.
The CoilSurround Pickup uses air coils (no pole pieces or blades) and the only ferromagnet materials are the strings ... But the nature of the field is completely different ... And the strings run between two parallel air coils ... Not thru the core of just one, like the Traps and our old MRI.
Anyway ... I have a decent condenser mic but it requires phantom power ... So I looked around and found and ordered this Tascam iXZ ... My girls are getting into video making with their iPad ...
I'm hoping this will work with my mic ... To get better sound quality in their video comparison project ....
Last edited by Rick Aiello on 8 Jan 2012 2:02 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 8 Jan 2012 11:31 am
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| Wow!.....not only does Rick come back into the game......but he knocks one right out of the ball park..... |
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Danny James
From:
Summerfield Florida USA
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Posted 8 Jan 2012 2:04 pm
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Well whatdya know just when I started thinking about building a double neck 8 string lapsteel.
Sure looks neat Rick ! |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 8 Jan 2012 2:43 pm
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Me and Dusty (almost 8 yrs old now) put it through every amp I have today ...
Learned a couple lessons ... It takes a big amp (I should say speaker) to handle it ...
My 70's Twin and my 5 watt Epiphone head into a Peavey 15" Black Widow speaker won the day ... And will be used in the girl's video project next weekend ...
Shook a tube loose in my Pro Junior 
And my little battery amps ... Even the "big" 4 speaker Microcube ... Just couldn't deal with it ... ... At anywhere near full volume ...
And it's the first time ever ... in my experience anyway ... Where the 0.020 and 0.022 plain A & G strings I've always used ... Just didn't sound right ... Almost like you could hear the inharmonicity ... Even little Dusty heard it ...
Weird ... 
Sent for some wound ones today ...
Anyway ... all I can say after today ... is that it's bright as any pickup I have or heard ... You can hear even the slightest change in picking pressure ... And it is dead A$$ Quiet ...
Quite an interesting unit ... |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 8 Jan 2012 3:48 pm
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| Rick Aiello wrote: |
Me and Dusty (almost 8 yrs old now)
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that's a waker upper..... |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 8 Jan 2012 3:53 pm
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That pickup looks like it would demagnetize my driver's license while it was still in my wallet! I can't wait to hear what it sounds like.
Congratulations on getting back in the game, Rick. I wish you lots of success.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 8 Jan 2012 8:37 pm
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So, when are ya gonna repaint the walls ?
Very interesting concept Rick ! You are really "the man of magnets"
BILL |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 5:13 am
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... The beauty of living in a log home ... No paint
Another thing I noticed late last night, when I snuck down when everyone went to bed ...
It's the first time ... Again, for me personally ... That I could play without any finger picks ... And still sound the way I like it ...
Weird |
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Peter Jacobs
From:
Northern Virginia
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 7:36 am
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Thanks for the kind words ...
It's fairly lightweight ... A standard horseshoe unit is heavier.
Not as light as the Alumitone Tonebar for 10 string PSGs I bought ... To A/B against it
PS. I do like the Alumitone alot ... Very nice ... Big output , big tone, very quiet ... ....
But ... |
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George Piburn
From:
The Land of Enchantment New Mexico
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 7:58 am Sizes - strings etc.
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Looking very awesome from GeorgeBoards,
Is the 3.5" sensor area so this can cover a wider string setup , or perhaps 10 strings? (Example; 8 string is typically around 2.75" wide at the pup.) The Reason for asking is: could or better -- are you planning a narrower width for 6- 8 string instruments? I fully understand, 1 step at a time, R&D Cost , demand and so on.
Question#2: Can you talk a little more detail about the mounting aspect - adjustment of height and so on?
You clearly have a lot of excitement brewing 
_________________
GeorgeBoards S8 Non Pedal Steel Guitar Instruments
Maker of One of a Kind Works of Art that play music too.
Instructional DVDs
YouTube Channel |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 10:05 am
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The 3.25" sensing length was specific for my "Boobpans" needs ... 8 string w/ 7/16" spacing at the bridge.
They can be made any length ... no limitations on string spacing or number of strings..
All units will be 1.5" wide and 1.25" tall (including mounting plate)... I thought I could get a 1.25" wide one done ... but there is too much repulsion in the array for that tight of a squeeze
As for mounting ...
Mounting plates are 1.5" wide and 1/8" thick ... aluminum plate.
The unit attaches to this plate via four #4-40 screws. These screws w/springs and knurl nuts also function to set the air gap's height.
Usable range for the air gap ... 3/16" to 1/4".
The way the mount then attaches to the body ... is customized to the steel.
For the "Boobs" needs ...  ... four holes were drilled in the mounting plate and countersunk. Four #6-32 screws w/ springs and knurl nuts were then used to secure the unit to the steel.
The #6-32 screws, springs, knurl nuts ... were also used to set the air gap's orifice to string height.
The strings are adjusted to the dead center of the air gap ... no fine adjustments needed ... no one quarter, two quarter, green quarter, blue  (sorry, been around babies too long).
For a Ricky type mount ...
The mounting plate would be fashioned like a Rickys ... the unit would be attached to the plate with the #4-40 screws and the air gap's height set (same as above).
Then the Rickys mounting apparatus (half moon tabs, #8-32 screws, springs, etc) would attach the mounting plate/unit to the body ... and the air gap's orifice height would be set ... just as a you would set a horsehoe's string height.
As for Routing ... a tad less depth than a horseshoe pickups needs.
Hope that explains it ... |
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Scott Thomas
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 10:34 am Re: The CoilSurround Pickup
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Reminds me of Kronos!
| Rick Aiello wrote: |
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8emyCzH5IY&feature=related
So good to see you back, Rick! I haven't a clue what a tadpole field in a ferret cage does, but you have me thinking I need this. Great work. |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 11:11 am
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That's too freakin' funny ... |
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 5:21 pm
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My God! Doctor, what have you created?
_________________
Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Jeff Strouse
From:
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2012 5:46 pm
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| Cool! I bet it sounds spectacular!! |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2012 10:55 am
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| Rick Aiello wrote: |
| All units will be 1.5" wide and 1.25" tall (including mounting plate)... |
Better make that 1.5" tall ... Just to safe ... to accommodate the wiring
Thanks for all the nice comments ... You'll get to hear it this weekend ... in Ellie, Emmie and Dusty's "campy" video ...
Tucker, Max and Luigi may make cameo appearances ... |
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Raymond Jones
From:
British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 10 Jan 2012 11:42 am Can't wait to hear it !!
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I just measured and it looks like it would fit my Fuzzy JB Frypan 8 string exactly. Somehow I don't think that is by chance, your brain cells are working overtime. Thank you for this! When do we get in line?
Cheers - Ray |
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Mike D
From:
Phx, Az
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Posted 10 Jan 2012 6:05 pm
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Mmmmmmm, the possibilities.....  |
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