Tony Enamel

I discovered I had my MPF102 poles mixed up! I still have no sustain, however. I'll keep trying. I've ordered some 32gauge wire so I'll be building a (few) new coil(s) soon. Then I'll assult you all with a barrage of silly questions! Here's the first one: Resistors are not polarized, right? It shouldn't matter which end is which?

1. OK. I built my amp circuit on the breadboard last night, wired it into my guitar and driver and what I got was a loud hum that changed pitch as I adjusted the gain and volume pots. Does this sound like a poorly potted coil? (BTW, this is just a test coil that I wound with 30 guage (.275mm) wire to 8ohms). It hums as soon as the guitar enters the circuit regardless of where the driver is sitting (near the strings or far from the guitar). Perhaps I have it wired wrong. I disconected my neck pickup all together and wired the amp input to the 3way switch at the bridge pickup pole. I wired the common ground rail of the ruby to the back of my volume pot. The driver was wired to the output and ground of the ruby. I can feel quite a buzz on the coil especially when I pull the magnet away from the coil. almost an electric shock! 2. On the Fetzer-Ruby circuit, I need to bias the drain of the MPF102 to 4.5V. I connected my multimeter (V setting) to 9v+ before the trim pot and the other lead after the trim pot but I got no reading no matter what I did to the trim pot. Am I doing this wrong?(obviously!) Thanks, Dezz

Thanks Primal. You've been a great help both here and at my Fetzer-Ruby-Nooby thread. A couple questions: 1. The driver will have a start and finish lead. One is soldered to the output of the amp. Where does the other go? (same with the bridge pickup. One to input, the other to...?) I guess what I need is an idiot proof wiring diagram! 2. Does my driver coil have to make direct contact with the metal core, or can I use a regular pickup bobbin which has plastic between the coil wire and the pole peice(s)?

Thanks guys. I'm almost there.... ...and what does the ground point connect to? (on a guitar, all the grounds end up at the output jack.)

Thanks a lot, Primal. Just to clarify: 1. What does the sweeper connect to? 2. You say base, collector and emmiter, My data sheet says drain source and gate. Which is which? 3. Do you mean to say the 9v- IS common ground (every thing that goes to ground goes to 9v-)? Thanks again.

OK. I got all my components for my Fetzer-Ruby. At the risk of embarassing myself, I have a few questions: http://www.runoffgroove.com/fetzer-ruby.png 1. on a polarized capacitor, how do you tell which lead is + and which is -? 2. on my trim/vol/gain pots there are 3 poles (ccw, cw and sweeper). How do I tell which is which on the schematic? 3. I'm using an MPF102 which has 3 poles (ground, source and drain?). Which is which on the schematic? 4. I have to "bias drain (MPF102) to 4.5v". How do I do this? 5. I see where the 9v+ goes. Does 9v- go to ground? What is common ground? (can you tell this is my first project? ) I'll be eternally grateful for the answers to these questions!! Dezz

Big Thurs: Clever idea (using pole pieces as bobbin core). Does she work well? Do you still get the use of the pickup? Also: Does anyone have a pcb layout (transfer) for the Fetzer-Ruby?

Has anyone ever used this ( http://www.mwswire.com/bond1.htm ) self bonding magnet wire? Would it help with our microphnic coil issues? Also, could a fetzer-ruby be used to amplify my piezo saddles effectivley. Can I use one amp for piezo and sustainer in the same guitar? Thanks, Dezz fookgub said: "Sorry I don't have any pictures of the winding process or the finished coil. I can get one of the coil if anyone wants to see, though." I'd love to see this coil of yours.

If speed is what you're after, Play S-L-O-W-L-Y. What you're trying to do is to teach your muscles to make the millions of adjustments necessary to execute a bit of musical expression (and to do it fast!). You can play with all the soul in the world but, if your fingers only know a few ways of behaving, you become like someone who only knows a few words trying to communicate. When you practice slowly (and I'm talkin' really slow), you allow your muscles a chance to learn the movements of a particular technique (or combination of techniques). Not only that, your ears have a chance to hear how well you are actually playing. Never Practice mistakes!!! Stanley Jordan described how, when he practices, he plays so slow that it's near impossible to make a mistake. This is for two reasons. For one, his muscles (nervous system) never learn what it feels like to play a musical passage incorrectly. As well as that, he says, when we make mistakes, we feel a certain degree of stress or frustration. This, over time, develops a relationship between stress and poor playing (mistakes). The next thing you know, you're on stage in front of a new audience. You feel a little nervous (stress) and you can no longer play even pieces you normally nail! My point is: If you're making ANY mistakes, you're practicing too fast.

Hey all, Is this the kind of wire I need for my driver? http://cgi.ebay.com/32-AWG-SPN-MAGNET-WIRE...1QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks Primal, I ordered all the parts from Small Bear Electronics. The fellow there was nice enough to send me a parts checklist for the fetzer-ruby so I know I got all the right parts. I can't wait to start burning my fingers with my iron! I'll let you all know how it goes.

I did a search at Hobbytron for LM386 and found a few amp kits there. Have a look at this page: http://www.hobbytron.com/Amplifier.html Do you think any of these will work for my sustainer experiments? Edit: I got a hold of the fellow from Small Bear and ordered everything I need. For anyone else interested, he has a parts checklist for the Fetzer-Ruby amp so you can be sure not to miss anything. I ordered the components to build 5 F-R amps and it cost about $45. That's less than $10/amp! Not too shabby. Why 5, you say? I learn by trial and error. And on the off chance that I'm succesfull the first time, I can use the other parts for some different projects (ie. stompbox boost, practice amp, etc.).

"Make sure that the 22uF, 100uF, and 220uF caps you get are electrolytic." I got those. Thanks. What kind are the other caps? (100n, 22n)

Hey all, I'm a complete newb when it comes to electronics, HOWEVER, I am going to build myself a Fetzer-Ruby amp circuit to use with my sustainer experiments. Here's the schematic: http://www.runoffgroove.com/fetzer-ruby.png A couple questions: 1. I went to the store to get components (caps, etc) I found 100n and 100u caps but the all have different voltage ratings. What is the appropriate voltage rating? 2. I'm in Ontario and Circuit City (no Radio Shack) is the local electronics shop but they don't have J201, 2N5457 or MPF102. Where can I find these? Thanks in advance. When I actually start building this thing there will be many more questions! Dezz

Hey pete, Thanks for all your help. I was wondering if you could sum up a parts list for the fetzer-ruby(caps, resistors etc. and thier values). I know almost nothing about electronics but, I'm determined to build one of these things. Trial and error is how I work best! Also, I've listened to the sound bytes from your sustainer. It seems to me that it works perfectly. Congrats on the success. Hopefully I can get similar results. Dezz Afterthought: I've studied the schematic and, from the looks of it, Here's what I need: Caps: 100u, 220u, 22u, 100n, 22n Resistors: 68k, 1M, 1k5, Variable resistors: 100k-B(vol), 1K-B(gain), 100K (trim) Other: LM386, Q1 Questions: 1. What is Q1? 2. Is this what I ask for at the store? 3. Have I missed anything? Thanks, Dezz Further Afterthought: Q1 is the amplifier. The schematic indicates 3 different choices (2N5457, J201, MPF102). Any preference? The Q1 component has 3 poles, ground, source and drain. Which one is which on the schematic?

This is the info I have found. I'm just learning how to read a schematic ( I started today) but some help would be greatly appreciated! What would be really helpful is some detailed pics of this thing so I can compare the schematic to the pic and the pic to my own work. Amplifier: The guys over at runoffgroove.com have a circuit for a small 386-based amplifier called the Ruby which is very well suited to our needs here. I built this and found that it worked great with hot pickups but did not have enough gain for lower-output pickups. Fortunately, they also have a preamp design called the Fetzer valve which is enough of a preamp to get sustain with about any pickup I've tried. The schematic is given below, and more info and troubleshooting tips can be found in the forum at runoffgroove. Thanks to runoffgroove for allowing the use of this circuit in this tutorial. The only difference here is that our "speaker" will be our driver, which is discussed next.

Hey pete, Thanks for the quick response. I'm seeing a lot in this thread about making a driver (as, I belive, this is the critical part of the experiment) however, I would love it if someone out there with the electronics experience could give us neophytes a small tutorial on building the pre-amp/amp combo. Or, point out where I can find this info. I need to know what parts I need, where to find them, how they go together and how it connects to the guitar. I don't ask for much, eh? Thanks in advance, Dezz (my real name)

Thanks for the response. As far as the amp goes, What do I need to build one? I've read in this thread, about the lm386. Can I just use one of those? I found this: http://www.national.com/pf/LM/LM386.html . If you scroll down a bit, you'll see several different models. Will any of these be suitable?

Hey all, Awesome thread!. I've been reading through it for a few days now, and I'm pretty sure I understand what I gotta do to make one of these things. A couple of qustions: I want a setup like PSW (driver on single coil, power, LED, harmonic switch and sensitivity control) What's the parts list? 1. steel core bobbin (I'll make one) 2. 0.2mm wire 3. glue and clamps and stuff to wind the driver 4. Fetzer-Ruby amp circuit 5. 2 switches (dpdt?) 6. LED 7. gain pot 8. battery 9. wire Am I missing anything? ALSO, where can I order a fetzer-ruby amp? I've seen schematics all over the net but I just want to buy one already put together and working. Thanks a bunch guys. Keep this thing going. Dezz Asante

I've had the same problem before. Yes, the stewmac paint is water soluble. you can just scrub it of with a damp cloth. A tip: let the sheilding paint dry AT LEAST 24 hrs before continuing and even then take care not to transfer any to the finish.

Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I'm in Canada (ontario) and can't order StewMac nitro. Does anyone know where I can order nitro from that will ship to me?

Thanks Guys, So, most likely I'm using the wrong lacquer. I used duplicolor auto paint so I guess I'll try to find a duplicolor clear coat. One more question, Does it matter if my paint has a gloss to it? I heard that you should use only a matt paint and that the clear will give the shine. But The color I want has a gloss to it. Is this OK? Thanks again.

Hey all. I just painted my latest creation (automotive spray paint) and the clear coats won't stick to the paint. It goes on seemingly beautiful but even the slightest knick or bump and the lacquer comes away from the paint. BTW, I'm using a Varathane gloss lacquer. So, I'm wondering. Do I need to sand the paint coat before spraying the clear? If so, What grit? Am I using the wrong product? HELP!!!!!

This might help with your dust problem: http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/hi_tools/art...3087042,00.html Or you could practice holding for breath for extended periods of time!!

I think it might have something to do with my gotee. The mask seals nicely around my nose but air seeps in around my chin. If you know a solution, I'd be greatfull (other than shaving!).