psw

Ansil - I've got 100 between + & - (if thats what you mean) both on the preamp and amp...I'll try out some larger ones. Would using a battery fix it do you think? Southpaw - This has been a saga and most of the pages can be ignored. Basically, I'm working on a sustainer system similar in principle to the Fernandes, etc. These are basically a pickup in reverse. This "driver" receives an amplified signal from the guitar causing an endless feedback loop. The guitars pickups are stock and the driver replaces the neck pickup. This is so electromagnetic radiation doesn't interfere with the bridge pickup. Only the bridge pickup can be used while the sustainer is on...if you get my drift. To get you up to speed...I have developed several tiny drivers that should be able to slip under the strings near the bridge. The small size and unusual design is aimed at reducing radiation so that the guitar works as normal and no permanent alteration is required. It looks like it will be a hell of alot cheaper too! But there are bugs...I have it working with the all pickups but this EMI appears to be present in the nearest pickup as it is not apparent when the neck pickup is being used. Interestingly though, while a string is being played and sustained this continuous tone disappears...hmmm Well, nothing comes easy...it was going so well there for a while. If there's not some way to quiet it down electronicly, I'll have to deal with it by magnetic design. I've come up with an idea for a CP8x but initial tests still have EMI problems Hope this answers your question in a round about way psw

I was burried in spam and just got some behind the scenes email from LK and Ansil...sorry about that guys Ansil - I had thought of a gate and it would probably conserve power too but would rather not as it would stop the effect of swelling from "nothing" that should be achievable as well as responding to picked notes LK has suggested it maybe oscillation from the power running too close to components. As my little plastic jiffy box has undergone a number of mods There could be all kinds of problems (ground loops, etc) in there so I'll have to check this out. If thats the problem it would be great I still like the more neutral passive magnetic cycle of the CP6x. One reason for abandoning it was that it seemed to be driving the string at the octave harmonic immediately. Now with the new amp driver I'm wondering if it just wasn't too efficient. The CP7x will create a similar effect when driven hard...hmmm With all of the x series designs the string is driven in a more natural motion (not up and down) so it's hard to tell by eye or touch whether the motion is the normal string vibration or a product of the driving force...not very scientific but there you go Much appreciate the input...keep it coming psw P.S. I was getting really frustrated and going to give it a rest but you've given me hope to carry on...It's taking a little more time and mental energy than is healthy...

I'm in Melbourne and I know a place here...price wasn't too bad either...and they delivered to my door. Had a hell of a time finding anyone initially but these guys knew what I was talking about... Check out www.isola.com.au I'll try to find more details...in a bit of a mess cheers psw

Continuing to get good results...but have a few faults still Am having electromagnetic radiation problems that occur only when a string is not being played...A constant tone is heard which chirps when grounded by my hand on the string] Besides that it's working perfectly...well, very well... I can reconfigure the polarity cycle of the fixed magnets and see what effect that has... I have tried a few things short of that...I can effect it but not fix it I've even thinking of going back to the CP6x configuration...less powerfull but I suspect a better contained field...hmmm...maybe the original ideas are the best! I'm having trouble recognising on from another...now is this cp6x or cp6.1x... LK and Ansil have been sent PM to see if they can come up with anything (hint) It will work with no noise at all when the neck pickup is selected...you also get a different drive sound...not as loud, more fundamental fading into an octave above over time or sooner with a little vibrato...nice The ability to use different pickup combos is a major plus with this system which makes it unique. Perhaps I do need to build the thing in and rewire the selector so that the opposite pickup is selected to the active signal pickup...if you get my drift That is...Neck PUp--->amp // Bridge PUp ---> drive and visa versa The inbetween settings are a little odd sounding so could be ommited from the drive chain but kept in the signal chain I'm not sure if this will be a fix and I'm a little lazy to dismantle the strat to test it out...unless someone thinks that this really could be the answer. I've been able to get the driver to work just ahead of the bridge saddle, making a bridge driver option possible. I'm not sure that people want that...it would be neat but too many bridges to convert and I'm not sure how a floyd would go. One last thing...could you guys check your guitars and give me an idea how much space is clear of the bridge and the bridge Pickup and how much height...I found on my strat copy that 8mm is a little too much...I could tilt the neck back, etc but I'd rather make something that fits than to %$^ with my setup! night, night psw

Thanks guys. And Andreas, concentrate on those exams, you never know what information will be of use, I bet there's even more I could do on this if I were able to understand the theory and do the sums or even have a more disciplined mind... good luck psw

You got it!!!!!!!!!!!!GregP Further tests on the CP7x show that by manipulating the gain you can get a fundumental response to an octave and various harmonics above all from a single rotary control Other tests have been very satisfying without any fancy amp-sy (you might want to hold back LK!). This thing is starting to sound really beautiful...I think I'm in love...looks good too! I need to set up some filters to remove some high frequency oscillation, and the signal is distorted by multiple notes being used to drive single strings...may only really be sorted by some clever hex PU system or an eq that won't mind these harmonic jumps. You can even get notes to sound as harmonics simply by adjusting this control...the use of a preamp rather than just a simple buffer maybe a happy accident. I think we are creating something that goes well beyond sustain...will someone tell me what I should do with it!!!!!! cheers psw

UPDATE The CP7x in an improvement, after a few false starts. I am getting a grainy type of distortion which could be caused by the string being driven too hard or too much gain in the preamp stages causing it to be driven by a fuzz box!. It was particularly effective with the bridge and middle pickup selected. I'm not getting the beautiful swell effect from lightly tapped notes that I got from the CP1 tests as it responds immediately. The CP7x, like others I have been making, are single string drivers. That is, they are one of six elements that will be required. The CP7x measures 100mmLx5mmWx8mmH and it's unique design is the key to its success. I have anticipated some of the problems of combining these elements and have a plan to eliminate crosstalk between the drivers. They may even work better together if my theory is correct...well have to see I still haven't abandoned the idea of tuning the resonant frequencies of the drivers to the strings and driving them from a single simple amp (probably with some compression). This way it is the passive design that creates the efficiency, not some electronic compensation. Power consumption will also become an issue. The current set up is using a regulated wall wart supply of 7.5 volts. more important than the voltage though is the current I suspect and such a power supply has currrent in spades. So, testing will continue on this (by the way LK this one is 8 ohms) there are quite a few potential variables in the design before I even get close to the electronics side of things...or perhaps I'm just more in my comfort zone with magnetics... So thats where I'm at to date see ya, mates! psw

Larry seems like the kind of guy who'd change the color and call it his own..I was shocked to see what he has patents for!!!!!!!!! I'll see what I can do about the schematics see how the new driver goes and if it checks out ok send you a single to test and critique ... I think it's time that someone other than me takes an actual look at the thing. check you later psw

That sounds great LK, I know what you mean but finding, designing and building and testing such stuff for me would take alot of time and $ and remove what little of my hair that remains!! So I'll try out some stuff and perhaps we can arrange for me to send you something to help with this project and in return for your input...(unless of course you're really Larry...) I think were thinking along the same lines. Simple is best. I'm not sure about the fidelity question. It may prove that signal quality is important so as not to contaminate the signal with too many stray, unrelated frequencies that might crossover into the guitars pickup field...on the otherhand perhaps a square wave is the go... The 386 was just a convieniant device to test drive these ideas, so I'm not at all committed to this This wouldn't normally be a problem except that I've been concentrating on reducing magnetic radiation from the driver design but they're unlikely to be perfect...afterall if nothing got out it couldn't move the string!...and these things are running very close (10mm) to the pickup. Will be going to the country in the next week so I'll be pondering our progress down by the Ocean Road...(a stunning place by the way LK, nothing like this down your neck of the woods)...but I hope to complete some tests on the CP7x befor I go. Stay cool psw P.S. Protecting my driver is becoming an issue, a patent in OZ only protects you down here but as soon as you disclose it the rest of the world jumps on it and patents it everywhere else . A worldwide patent costs big bucks...does anyone have ideas on how to get some protection (and credit and possibly $) but still be able to get this thing out to people such as yourselves who can put it to good use...don't mean to sound paranoid, but...

Well yes, 3 amps is a comprimise so 6 it is! It does mean a fair few wires from the individual driving elements Compression is definitely the go but needs to be adjustable. You need to be able to select the amount of driving force don't you think? I envision this as being more than an effect. With the CP1 experiments, tapping notes at different strengths caused a beautiful swell effect as the tiny signal built upon itself - I wouldn't want to lose potential by calming it down too much. I'm having a little trouble constructing the 8 ohm version (keep breaking them and wasting parts) but it would be interesting to see how this goes. Ill try and dig out a compressor and see how it goes... Heres an open question : How do you convert Henries H to uH and Farads F to uF - i.e. what is the multiplier for the "u" keep thinking filters cheers psw Bio - what would you want - inbuilt or add on?

That's the spirit LK, I do like a blue light. I noticed though that all of our city skyscrapers are crowned in blue light so maybe it will date. Bio - If this thing was separate from the guitar - kind of stick on - it removes the problem of specialized installation and modification of the instrument. Also, there is a question of product identification - If it is too hidden no one will know it's there nor want to pay for it... Sorry, the marketing side of me coming out there, got to focus more... Got a really spiffy look this new driver I'm working on - the CP7x - slightly narrower and curved in brushed aluminium... Oops... The circuit could be buffer ---> 6 band EQ split to ---> six amps with variable gain (trim pots) ---> driver elements. A global volume/sensitivity control would be required. The new version I'm about to trial is about 8 ohms (per string) I could do 4 ohms and run them in pairs with a broader 3 band eq and three amps Controls need to be on/off switch (and indicator) and sensitivity control. I was thinking of perhaps another control to switch in preset effects such as tremolo, auto wha, distortion and octave stuff that could also be set by trim pots on the circuit. anyway, lets see how the CP7x goes and a build up a hex version and test some eq ideas. I'll post the frequencies soon. Also, if there is some energy saving amplifier idea it may prove useful - it doesn't have to sound good to our ear afterall, just good for the driver check you later psw

Yeah, I kind of liked it. What about a tailpiece arrangement with battery and everything inside (no digging into your axe to install) and the slider across the back of the bridge. Easy to see where the sensitivity is at before you switch on. Could be worked like a violin bow, or adjusted with the heel of your hand... Oh, and I like a blue LED but a little expensive...also found some push-on/off 6PDT switches with built in LED...thought that could be neat... Anyway, back to the experiments... psw

Firstly, Greg P - I'd rather not use phantom power - I rather want to keep the instrument stock. Sustainers in general suck up a lot of juice, but I'm running with very basic electronics and if the driver were "tuned" as LK and me are suggesting it should be really efficient. I had been testing with a rechargable 9 volt. I think people wouldn't mind charging their guitar like a mobile phone. LK - actually I do have an LED or I wouldn't know it was on when the thing doesn't work I don't think it is too soon to look ahead, but yes, lets get the thing going. It may inform the design process. For instance the 10mm square shape won't fit on my Les Paul...should I develop a more versatile driver? Both circuits are from the Magazine Silicon Chip. The Amp is called the Champ preset at 32db. The preamp is called the PreChamp and is set at a 40db gain. The CP6.1x (very microsoft!) has a 4 ohm impedance while the amp wants 8 so is not running efficiently. Maximum power for the amp is 0.3 watts at 6 volts. There is no filter or compression although adding various series capacitors had an encouraging effect. Driver from the neck - No, it doesn't seem to. The X series devices are very sensitive to alignment to the string and are specifically designed to run from the bridge end (possibly even in the bridge!). While I recognise the mechanical advantage, the wider throw of the vibrating string appears to be actually detrimental to the driver's electromagnetic efficiency. I don't have the schemetrics in a postable form but I can tell you that it's the usual LM386 with appropriate filters (220uF output and 100uF supply decoupling for instance) and a 10k volume control on the input. The preamp was built as a means to isolate the drive circuit from the guitar as you suggested but does add some gain. All in all there's no electronic hocus pocus here. As I've indicated before with my WCS test plank, if it will work with this stuff, imagine what it could do if I knew what I was doing! I have to say that it isn't running without it's hiccups - nothing comes that easily - but the fact that it works at all is amazing. Being able to drive it from the bridge end without modifications to the instrument, is remarkable - even if I do say so myself! Now, I got up at 3:30am to work on this while the family were sleeping (and I'll be back at real work for the next couple of days) so I've had to work fast. I had made a driver CP6.2x but it failed. People reading this should probably be told that although it may look as if I'm just dreaming this stuff up - and I am - most of what I dream up does not work or is impractical in real life. I have quite a little collection of failed drivers all sticking together in a little miniture, magnetic sculpture. The lesson here is that, until you've tried it you wont ever really know if you're being stupid or clever. Also that only via stupidity will the real gems be discovered Case in Point. While trying to put together CP6.3x I accidently misaligned the polarity of my little tiny magnets. Let me tell you, these little buggers will stick to anything and are not so easy to get in place. The magnetic fields are invisible and the effect of multiple magnetic fields somewhat unpredictable. Well, having to work fast as dawn was approaching and I had to turn back into Family Man, I did'nt check my work and plugged it in anyway - the squeal woke the 2 year old and I had to abandon it for a while. I checked it out, found the problem, but there was no improvement over the CP6.1x so was I up a blind alley...hmmm. So, I carry around a notebook and draw little doodles and have got quite good at the logic behind these 3D animated magnetic fields (which are now lodged in my brain) and played around with my mistake. The result is...drum roll... ...................................CP7x It looks as if the squealing was because of the extra power efficiency. I could tell you the logic of it but of course I would then have to kill you Anyway, further testing will be required but it loks hopeful Hope everyone is enjoying this warts-and-all account of the invention process...feel free to chip in cheers psw

We'll, I'm done screwing around with the primitive circuit (386 and an outpu cap). I've put together a 0.5 watt 386 based amp kit and a little two transistor preamp kit hard wired to the double adaptor in the guitars output. I'm getting very encouraging results with a regulated wall supply (was eating batteries something shocking) with only 6 volts. I'm getting no weird noises (a product of the battery losing power - put-put sounds) and eliminated some of the shorts. The amp is set to a gain of 32db (gain of amp x41 - my previous to x200!) and the preamp about 40db. At the reduced voltage the power is possibly half that!!!! (The amp can run on up to 16volts and the load is about 4 ohm instead of 8) Running the CP6.1x all but the high e string could be driven (high string has less mass being thinner and possible phase problems) from a sweet spot about 1cm from the bridge pickup and the bridge on a strat, roughly in line with it's angle. The unique ability of this system (except the Model C which is a slightly different principle) to drive and sense different pickups is really neat and the system should be sensitive to the guitars volume control in a musical way. Several new designs in the X series drivers don't seem to be improvements but obviously the principle is sound. The CP6.1x is cheaper and easier to make as well. The height of the driver element is about 8mm and must be placed very close to the string. However there is no string pull or noise should the driver come in contact with the string. So, should there be any practical problems with these dimensions, let me know. Also, if people have ideas for the control of this thing, now would be a good time to contribute... For instance, should the device be attached to the outside of the guitar rather than being inbuilt...should a slider pot be used for sensitivity...pushbuttons or toggles...LED's anyone...what color...inbuilt drive effects...rechargable...??????? Don't feel intimidated by LK, Andreas, Ansil and me...join in and contribute...what do you want this new generation sustainer to be? psw

LK No panic, there's always a work around! My whole life's been catch as catch can!!!!!!!! Working on a preamp and typing at the same time! it's getting there...we'll get this thing working yet...whatever it is! cheers psw

Bio - I'm just full of...err...ideas. Sometimes I just can't let go! Actually, I'm self taught though I went to University I studied Music after leaving school early ad playing in some bands...glory days....sigh Much like Lovekraft, I guess, but I wasn't such a pest...more of what we call a smart-arse...I'd find out what little information I needed to prove that I could do it. Actually I don't really know much and really struggle...but I'm not one to let that stop me Unfortunately not a good life strategy these days, I know many things but am a master of none. The guitar has always been my consant companion... Anyways, enough of this revelry....................................................... That sounds reasonable LK I was thinking: Buffer ---> amp ---> current dividing resistors to portion out gain and bring up impedance ---> series capacitors (to the values indicated by the magic formula) ---> driver element (cp6x) I have just finished a new version of the cp6x (cp6.1x ?) which is about 1cm square by 8mm high. This has a little more magnetic power but works out cheaper and even easier to make than the original! The main aim in the redesign was to cut radiation so as to move it closer to the bridge. Initial tests with a very primitive set up showed tremendous sustain driving it up to the harmonic, mid way between the bridge and the bridge PUp. Still working best on the G (heh, heh..) but I think that this must be close to its resonant frequency. So things look positive cheers psw P.S. Mrs psw and psw's 1 & 2 have requested I spend a litle less time on this, more on them...fair enough...

WOW...great source material...now you're the man... I knew about dgb studio for a while now...in fact I was wondering why it wasn't posted in answer to all those PUp wiring questions...(didn't realize freq stuff was there, ta) ...but those low voltage circuits are amazing and will be really useful on the drive signal when I finally get this thing going! Now i've been doing some research and come up with this magic formula : C = 1 / 39.5 x Fsq. x L or L = 1 / 39.5 x Fsq. x C F is frequency value in hertz C is capacitor value in farads L is inductor value in Henries 39.5 is approximately 4 phi squared Now my maths is crap...so...plugged it into a spreadsheet...(still working on specific calculations...) Given the frequency ranges for each string from dgb studio and knowing the inductors value...the series capacitor required to tune the resonant frequency of each driving element will be given...well thats the theory! Now, I think that the resonant frequency of the driving elements are potentially crucial to efficiency. I do believe that there is room to move and that this resonance need not be exact. My hope is that a resonant frequency of the average for each string will provide an adequate window for this efficiency to occur. This research brought up this: So...what does this mean? Well it suggests that you can tune a given inductor to a resonant frequency by a simple series capacitor, based on the formula above and that the full power of the circuit will only be achieved (impedance at a minimum) around this frequency. Now...present sustainer devices use a single driver and pickup system. This cuts through the patent BS we have been debating . What designers have been trying to achieve is a frequency follower that switches in various capacitors in series (hi-pass filters) and parallel (lo-pass filters) to adjust the resonant frequency to the signal. Some problems here are that they receive a complex signal from all strings and attempt to drive the strings with a driver driven at a resonant frequency of the sum of these complex waves. Inevitably, inconsistant results, such as notes winning out over others will occur. The idea here is to tune each driver to the likely resonant frequencies found on a given string (I'm not sure how it will deal with harmonics) overcoming this problem and dispensing with the variable circuit...well I hope Ultimately, a hex pickup / hex driver system would be the go but may not be necessary and just add complexity and expense$$$$ Somewhere on the sustainiac site they alluded to this but the cost of manufacture would be high (say 6x their current system + development) Hopefully with my driver element idea, this cost can be brought wayyyy down and much, much smaller. In fact, My latest refinement (still undergoing testing) is even cheaper, easier to source, allows for some adjustment of L and hopefully less radiation still. My driving element is based on magnetic balance. It is suseptable to problems with string bending. This problem gets worse the closer to the neck as the bend pushes the string out of alignment with the driver, comprimising this balance. The closer to the bridge I can get it, the less this is a problem so I'm working on that and on tuning the drivers So LK, that should scare off most people... This thread has had over 1200 views...I think it's become something of a saga...perhaps it's like some poor soap, people just keep tuning in! If you're following this thread...perhaps you could let us know! Vote A : if you want to see psw overcome his obsession with phases and get this thing going on a real guitar Vote B : have Lovekraft dismantle psw's obvious fraud with the CP6x driver Vote C : if you think Larry has already patented the CP6x just in case Vote D : if you think psw should give up and seek professional advice see you on the next installment... psw

yeah yeah yeah...of course I'd thought of that...then I stopped thinking..and then... So, great stuff LK, but electroics don't come natural... So, can you point me in the direction of Will this isolate the circuitry from the ground also? I suspect I'm getting interferance through the ground wire. Simply lifting it and connecting it to -V causes quite a racket... how about the amp - one 386 enough? Now, for active filters Do you happen to know the frequency range of each string? How about filter circuits - any sites you can suggest? I'm not familiar with these chips, any numbers you can suggest? I like the idea of a simple setup. I want this thing to be a natural extention of the instrument. The more drivers and pickups, amps etc the more complicated and expensive it becomes. The more time also it takes. While I'm prepared to investigate anything in this quest, it is the distilled ideas, the elegant solutions that are always the best, it's a shame you have to go through all the bad ideas to get to the gems...oh well Same thing with humour I suppose...keep trying cheers psw

OK LK So it's not possible to consider there being three elements - the pickup --- the driver --- and the string and that the string is the dominant resonant frequency in this sytem? I have had trouble with squealy terimin type sounds as I have said before. Hence the development of designs like the CP6x which seeks to contain and neutralize emitted radiation. Would a piezo pickup - magnetic driver system fair better as far as this feedback loop? The idea of an internal pickup/driver was to islate everything from the guitar circuitry and, as far as possible, contain this radiation. Of course I cant contain the pickup/driver from it's own magnetic fields. My only thought was to arrange the sensing and driving elements at right angles to each other. This could work as the cp6x has a circular, cycling field, a bit like a toroid transformer (no larry it's not a toroid transformer...). I could also arrange two sensing elements on opposite sides so as to be effectively N/S so that when the drive gain is cycling north more will be sensed by the south and visa versa. Perhaps some tricky switching circuit that alternately senses on the positive and responds on the negative could be arranged? This is purely speculation of course and I don't have the where-with-all to design such a circuit! Meanwhile, I'm exploring a few refinements to the driver design. I havn't given up driving it from the bridge either and this could perhaps incorporate a hex bridge piezo system as well to drive each element. I was reading a little on active crossovers. In fact there maybe some chips for this purpose. This would be useful to send an appropriate signal and gain to each string driving element from the guitars pickup using a single amplifier. Another idea is a simple common signal to each diving element as I have been trying, but I fear this wil not be refined enough. The 1st string (high e) is particularly difficult to get to respond... the g string consistantly good...hmmm Anyways, thanks for the consideration of this stuff, I hope it is of interest and not too taxing on the brains trust psw

So here's my next brainwave... build a PUp into this new drive element... Now I've got an idea of how to do this but I have a limited supply of these components on hand, and while I can get more, I don't wan't to waste them...not to mention my eyesight making these tiny things... What I'm expecting will happen is that the drive connected one way will cancel the signal so that nothing will happen...or...connected the other way, feed off itself into an uncontrolled oscillation, probably at the combined resonant frequency of the device... So, is there a way for a driver and pickup to share the same magnetic field and not simply pickup on itself...would an effective humbucker PUp arrangement help...that is, identical pickups, sensing opposite magnetic poles... Put your thinking caps on that if you could cheers psw

OK, seem to have graphics capabilities again!!! (ignore that message LK) These two graphics show the differences between the controlled cycling field of the cp6x driving element and that of a conventional coil - eg cp1 enjoy psw

Great stuff, Ansil I admire your work (I wish I could do that!) As you may have guessed, I believe that The world needs more sustain * best of luck psw *maybe it's because I go on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and so &*%&^* ON !

Hold on Guys, clearly I'm excited...but theres a way to go yet Actually, I wouldn't mind if someone bought up my idea and made a lot of money (did you get that Larry...) as long as I got a slice. Realistically, I'm not sure that that is going to happen... Meanwhile...Let's all marvel at the CP6x drive element (no it's not a coil Larry...) as a possible building block of the sustainer idea (further testing withstanding) and assume for now that I really have something here. We still have to design an effective means of driving it... But first, I would like to thank you all for your contributions and support. Thanks guys, I appreciate the help and ideas Yes, I do think this is something new and simple. While it is designed primarily as an efficient driver it would also make an interesting pickup. A special thanks to LK for turning my attention to a better driver as a solution and getting me off some of the obscure stuff in the patents. Your comment about concentrating on the driver helped motivate me to change my approach http://www.projectguitar.com/uploads/emoticons/default_biggrin.png' alt=':D'> cheers mate! A mistake I was making, I think, was to follow in the footsteps of previous designs which is to make, effectively, a reverse pickup. I have never seen anything quite like this design anywhere and I was quite amazed to see that it worked. I'd love to get a patent and sell it to some corporation (if your listening...larry), especially as I'm lifting boxes for a living and have hurt my back (don't worry not too serious, just a pain in the arse {ass}) I'll make up a hex version soon and then concentrate on drive circuits. If people feel that they could contribute more fully to the project by testing the drive element, and it lives up to it's promise, I would be prepared to make it available, hidden within epoxy, with some specs for this purpose... There is a real possibility that I could produce these drive elements and/or a completed model. I don't know much about securing my designs or making a profit from them but perhaps, by having a working model produced and in use, this would help my claim...so...who knows... All advice taken on board, keep it coming I didn't expect to make this much progress so fast so I wont be suprised if it slows down... cheers psw By the way, I have some graphics showing how it acts upon the string differently from a conventional coil design, but unfortunately I can't seem to upload the jpegs into photobucket as I did the last one...any ideas for posting images?

EUREKA! I have just started teste on a fadical new design with very exciting results: CP6x unfortunately the graphic wouldn't upload The CP6x prototype is a very different driving design utilizing the polarity balancing principles found in the CP5x but in a different way I'm very excited about it because it has some fantastic features: The field is neutral in the area of the string and an important part of it's internal design - this means little to no drag on the string - no interferance with PUps when off - no wolftones - can be set close to the string - more powerful magnets can be used in the design The field is very directional and moves in a circular manner across the string - very little energy is wasted in all directions - a more natural vibration pattern is achieved - both polarities, push pull effect, is used Two principles are at force to create the circular field - twice the energy at work means a more efficient driver - all of the energy produced is concentrated on driving the string - very little energy has a chance to leak out It's tiny and cheap - Each CP6x element measures 5x5x10mm - the first one took me 10mins to make (I could do it in 3) - it involves no coil winding - the materials are not common but are easy to source - cost A$3.00 to make each element It works! - preliminary tests show that even with the no frills 386 amp and a 9 volt battery, it was able to drive the string. - I was able to mount it with ds tape between the middle and bridge pickups of a strat - a 6R5 resistor was required to bring up the impedance and so most of the power went up in heat, yet it still was able to drive the string! This could be a breakthrough...stay tuned psw P.S. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...seriously I think I need some advice on this...i've got little money and I'm on the otherside of the world....

WARNING :D DO NOT TRY TO BREAK A RARE EARTH MAGNET THE FORCES WITHIN, EVEN THE TINY ONES, MAY CAUSE THEM TO EXPLODE AND CAUSE SIGNIFICANT INJURY