mrjstudios

PSW So that IC buffer would replace the Fetzer? In other words, we could build a RUBY amp and run this IC buffer into it for the same/better effect that the Fetzer has? Cool. That is simple.....I like things that are that simple in the DIY circut field.... I may build a ruby with champ mods, and then create a simple plug-in system between driver, poweramp, and preamp, using plastic computer type plugs so that I can easily switch parts in and out without soldering. I must say I had my doubts about the appearance of a "giant" aluminum bar between your 2 blade cores on your driver, but the finished product looks great! It really fits in with the guitar. Even the LED's look cool..... (wow, I can't believe I think that ) The only thing that would make it look more uniform with your guitar (but not necessarily better) would be to paint the mounting plate black so it looks like the other pickups. I myself would leave it silver, but those of you going for the "hidden driver / uniform look" might want to consider that. Either way, it looks great. I hope you can do an audio or Youtube test later so I can hear it! That F/R is basically the layout I use. Except that jumper between C2 and the ground that runs 'under' R1 looks different. I'll check my circut and see if mine has that.... -MRJ

-MRJ

Hmm, how do you get an "avatar" picture like PSW...??...

Oh, ok. Oh well. I replaced mine with the correct pot', and it sort of works..... still a distorted sound compared to the youtube tests... The reason I built a new one is because although the youtube one worked perfectly at times, it would only do so if I bumped the wires just right. By the time I had moved it around to install it in the guitar, I could no longer "wiggle" it into working, and had no clue as to where the shorts and disconnections were. So I built the new one to the SAME specs, literally built it side by side, but with much better soldering technique, etc., and it works consistantly -- no weak connections. The only problem is its quieter, and more distorted sound. I also hooked it up the XS002 to the amp today and got a few open string sustains (on the 3 low strings, that's it) even with this bad F/R, connected to my single coil driver. It seems underpowered though, and just squeels when you give it enough power to do anything in harmonic mode. Also, I noticed a radio station coming thru as well at certain times, and my cell phone was making it click like it does when I get a call near a police radio scanner.... So any clues as to what may be wrong with the circut (simple wiring problem most likely) that would cause those very specific problems?

Aha!!! Aidouri Did you use a pot' labeled "100k A" for the volume pot'? I sure did, and it is the wrong type of pot'!!! That may be our source of bad sound quality.... I'm gonna test it now and put in a "100k B" type pot', which is a linear taper instead of an audio taper. Maybe that will fix it..... -MRJ

I think the F/R is the best bet at a starter-type introductory circut. That was my first real circut build -- and so I looked long and hard for an easier way out, but the F/R was definitely the best bet. This whole circut thing here is definitely a big part of this project as a whole, so lets get a standardized one done NOW!!! (Not making demands, just excited ) Ok, here's my proposition.... Lets take the F/R design as it stands: I really think (and think you all would agree as well) that the L386 is the way to go for that stage of the amp. I know many people have objections and are probably right in criticizing the Fetzer valve stage of the amp, but the the L386 is solid, standard, cheap, and works really well. Plus, it is easy to find all over the world -- be it online order or stores. SO, lets take the above diagram of the F/R, and get all our electronics experts to come out and lets mod the thing to death -- even if it turns into just a 386 amp with all new other components, lets start small and slow with the F/R, which is known to work really well as it is, and try cutting down the necessary parts, and making it more efficient. We can keep the most current 'master diagram' on this forum, and as we go, just keep modding it until we get our own "perfect" design. So all you electrical geniuses, copy the diagram onto your computer and draw in your mods (with explanations as to why you are modding it) or just tell me what to add where in the same fashion and I'll keep up a neat and uniform looking 'master diagram.' I think with the talent and know how on this site, we may very well be able to come up with a much simpler 386 based sustainer amp, that also works much better. Also on a side note -- Aidouri seems to be having the same problems with his F/R as me even though he built his 'the right way.' I wonder if when I built it the first time (and it worked, see youtube) I built it the 'wrong way' according to the specs, but the real right way. In other words, are the specs flawed? Something to ponder, and a good reason to rebuild the entire circut..... -MRJ

OK, GOT A NEW MULTIMETER!!!! YAY!!!! My dual coil design is actually 10.4ohms total (wired in parallel). Not sure if that would work with the F/R..... but at least I know now for sure. Before I tear it apart I will definitely test it whenever I get a working circut (just to make sure that higher ohmage is not a better option) I can't... but it looks a lot simpler than the F/R. Can that champ circut be used as a stand-alone unit? In otherwords, can the circut as shown on your picture drive the sustainer by itself? (Now I'm excited) If it can, then that is definitely what I will use..... Also, is that the circut you use? EEEEEEWWWWW. That is messier and more 'frankensteined' looking even than mine. Apart from the driver's sleek manufactured look, I really can't say I'd be embarassed to whip my sustainer unit out in a room full of fernandez-users, even at its current state!! I will test my single coil driver soon to give you all its exact ohm measurement as well.... By the way, my sustainer guitar (#XS002) plays perfectly now and functions like a finished guitar (minus the paint). The only thing on it that doesn't work is what it was built for; the sustainer. -MRJ

Like I said before, without a stable F/R anymore, I can't effectively test anything because chances are the driver is good and the amp is bad...... Could you tell me where to add the caps? Or post the champ circut again please? I'm gonna try some more tinkering with the F/R and see what happens. If I can fix whatever is causing the really bad distortion in the circut (that wasn't there in the first F/R as you can see in the video when the little speaker was hooked up), then I can finally test the single coil and then later comparatively test the dual coil. This F/R is better than the first, however, because it consistantly does the same thing -- so for me, that is a really good thing, since the 1st one would cut in and out as my bad soldering job would get bumped (yes, it was an electrical engineer's worst nightmare). It works, I just need to figure out how to clean up the sound so it is like the first one had (if and when it worked) in the video. -MRJ

Well, I don't know what to say. I did rebuild the entire F/R -- but it still is not working perfectly. I wired on a test speaker like I did before, but it only works in 1 harmonic mode. And not very cleanly in that mode. Also, I hooked up the speaker to the 2 input poles on the harmonic switch, so flipping it should not have mattered.... very confusing..... Anyone know why the F/R only works thru the speaker on a very low level, then squeals in a range of very low and very high notes on higher volume levels? Perhaps I did something wrong, but it is very hard to troubleshoot even this little amp. As for the Dual Rail driver, I still don't have a good multimeter, but my latest guess is that it is about 6.9ohms. I found another even older analog one that is from the 60's or 70's, and even though it is also very hard to calibrate, I did get it to st on 0ohms correctly for a while and that's when I got the 6.9ohm reading for my dual coil. At this point, I need to either start over with an amp circut (simpler would be better, and a PCB layout would be nice -- I'm open to suggestions) or I need someone to figure out what I must have done wrong on the F/R. Then I will be able to focus again on the driver aspect of this project..... -MRJ

Thats what I got. It is my Dad's, and I think he got it in the 80's.... Anyway, every time I turn it on and touch the probes, I get a different 0ohm reading, and have to adjust with the "0ohms adjust" wheel. Once adjusted, I can wait about 3 seconds, touch the probes and it will be about 2 - 8ohms off already, so I'm just gonna get a spiffy digital one. Well, initial tests of the dual coil didn't work, and I thought it was because of my F/R, so I stuck in my old single coil and it didn't work either. SO, IT IS CONFIRMED that the F/R was bad. I just spent the afternoon building a new F/R, so it better work because I built it much better this time..... So I will test the new F/R with the single coil and see what happens. I really like the versatility of your re-wire PSW. That sort of thing seems like a good mod for guys like me and you who have S-S-HB strat type guitars, even without putting in a sustainer. It seems like it would allow for some more sound options that the usual choices for that type of guitar; screamin' HB power, crunchy overdone S, or both at the same time..... I would like my S-S-HB to sound like a Tele every once in a while..... -MRJ

Well, I'm afraid that my driver is only about 5ohms, but like I said before, I have no idea because my multimeter is still screwed up.... BUT, the thing fits nicely in my guitar, and the electronics having to do with the driver are much improved from the last one. (Telephone wire works really well by the way for patching near the driver!!) It is all ready to be tested but my crappy soldering of the F/R has caught up with me I think. In one harmonic mode the thing emits a low E constantly, and in the other a shriek. Turned down a bit and it doesn't work at all, so I will be putting the old single coil (that is known to work) back on the guitar to really test the F/R. Whenever I get that working, a video will be posted -- and then I'll either re-build a dual coil that is REALLY 8ohms, or I'll find out what my current one is... -MRJ

Aidouri Well, mine looks like that, but with a curve on one side -- but that one should be it. Yes they do have 3 pins. As long as it is called something with 201 in the name you should be ok, since different companies label them differently. PSW Would a dual-coil parallel-wired driver that had a total of ~5ohms resistance work? Just curious about how much being close to 8ohms affects the performance.... -MRJSTUDIOS

Ah yes, Col is right -- had a brain lapse there, but it doesn't really matter as for your design. Either way, your .5mm wire is just not what people here have used to their success. I would definitely go with 32AWG or .2mm (those are the same wire by the way -- that is the conversion) wire or smaller if you really want a good sustainer. The limits set here by trial and error seem to be: Biggest = 30AWG or .25mm General Use = .2mm or .18mm Smallest = ~.16mm (? not quite sure how small people have gone...) -MRJ

Aidouri For starters, I have no idea if the amp you showed would work or not, but I do know that the Fetzer/Ruby does work. Here is the part list for a Fetzer/Ruby amp: R=Resistor, C=Capacitor, IC1=L386 audio amp, Q1=N-Channel General Purpose amp J201, VR= Variable Resistor That picture is also a very good way to arrange the components, since the layout is not too cramped and therefore easier to solder. Build the circut first, and then we'll work on testing it with a .5-1watt 8ohm speaker on your guitar. Please elaborate on what you think you are going to build the driver with. Usually more work than just re-winding a pickup is required for a good, efficient sustainer. Right off the bat, I am worried about the .5mm wire. That is twice the thickness of the thickest stuff I have ever seen used. (I used a very-thick-by-the-standards-set-here .25mm wire for mine, which did work ok.) -MRJSTUDIOS

Well, gee *sigh*, I didn't know that I was supposed to make the diagram to perfect scale! :D Anyway -- you're right, it is a bit misleading to a beginner to the sustainer 'field' in guitar building. Good summary of this forum's progress on that site. As long as you didn't go over 300 turns on yours or something then I should be ok (despite what my stupid meter tells me every other time or so now.....) I don't think our .2mm wire could have that drastic of a resistance difference per turn -- in otherwords, I think since we both got in the range of 200+ turns, then mine should be ok. I think today I will fill in with HOT GLUE like you epoxy'd yours, and see about some sort of non-conductive/non-metallic/non-magnetic casing (probably more nice white scrap garbage can plastic). -MRJ

Oh, if this helps, each coil is: ~230 turns Height of ~4.35mm (average) width (out from core) 6.6mm Length of 65mm I hope this is about what you got PSW, if not bigger, and that it was only the pictures that made my coils look smaller. -MRJ

The driver itself went together great, but I am really worried about the ohm readings. Even with new batteries, and depending on the calibration, I have gotten readings that either one is 17ohms and the other 12.5ohms, or one is 10ohms and the other is 8ohms. Since you (PSW) noticed that my driver looked like it had less wire than yours, I am even more worried. I did about 230 turns for each coil -- with the .2mm wire, which is supposed to give you about 16+ohms by my calculations/guesswork. Does that sound right? If so, then I think I'm good to go and I'll continue with the current coils. If the 230 turns sounds wrong, then perhaps the multimeter is right when it says my ohmage is too low.... and I'll have to start over with the coils (same unit though).... good thing I bought a ton of .2mm wire! For now, I'm just trying to get the sustainer guitar up and running with my single coil sustainer (the youtube one). Once that works perfectly and reliably, and whenever I can figure out the coil situation, then I'll test the dual coil driver. By the way, has it been concluded that dual coils in parallel are superior to ones wired in series? Because 2 x 4ohm coils is not only easier to build, it is more efficient (in the time it takes the current to traverse its length) and much smaller/compact (which I thought was better for the magnetic field created by the coil....) -MRJ

By the way-- Do these sustainers get hot enough on the inside to melt my LOW/MID-TEMP hot glue? I would really like to use it to fill in once my driver dries, and I don't think the sustainer would ever get nearly hot enough to melt anything, but I thought I would ask... -MRJ

Well, still not sure whats up with my multimeter -- it is analog, and old, so I may just get a new digital one. After waiting almost exactly 24 hours, I pulled off the temporary bobbins and the coil was perfect. I don't mean the winding was perfect, it's probably pretty bad, but the coil had a perfect outer coating of dry PVA glue, and the inside was still squishy, so I could easily work with it. It kept its overall shape since the outside was solid, but still squeezed and could be manupulated on the inside! I then poured more PVA glue on both coils and slipped my permanent bobbins over the top and bottom of either core. I was able to sqeeze the coils together a litttle, forcing them to be a more efficient shape (instead of bowing out as much at the center.) Now I'm gonna let the thing dry for 2 or 3 days before I use some sort of filler glue around the edges, and meanwhile I will perfect (to me that means try to badly solder it enough to get it working consistantly) my circutry and finish the sustainer guitar (MRJ #XS002). Here is its general setup -- (no power on off switch yet, my Radio Shack "solderable" part melted itself before the leads were hot enough to melt the solder!) And yes, that is my single core sustainer -- I'm going to test the guitar with it first, and make some videos for youtube so that we can compare a single core in a given guitar with a given circut to a dual core in that same setup later. -MRJ

Maybe..... I don't know. Either way, the sustainer HAS to be around the ~8ohm mark since I overwound each one.

Well, about removing the coils -- I'm letting them dry overnight, then I will remove the temp bobbins. It will still be wet, but will hold its general shape. I'll then cut the final holes in the permanent bobbins (made from the same plastic, but with a definite size and shape) for each core to slide into. From there I can squeeze the coils together permanently and stuff. *Ignore my ohm readings thus far, I don't think my stupid multimeter was even near being calibrated! It was reading about 3-4ohms when touching the 2 probes.....* For clarity, I will post exact results in a very neat fashion later, but for not for now. Ah, try listening to Van Halen while you build your sustainer.....somehow they just go together; guitar building and Van Halen. I would suggest these nifty (sustainer) tracks: Rise Catherine It's About Time (?) etc. more later

THE .2mm WIRE ARRIVED YESTERDAY!!!!! So here is my early morning progress... They are wound on temporary bobbins (yes, I use a much different winding/building style than the other guys) and the system came out to be about 7.2ohms - 7.8ohms, but I haven't physically tested it in parallel yet, just calculated. As for the pickup winding website, add 50 turns to whatever they say! You can always take off a bit later, and they seem to estimate low.... Also, this .2mm wire's resistance over a given length is much more varied than .25mm. Oh yes, if I was to add a standard (not micro cell phone) LED as a power on indicator, say directly hooked up to a 9v, what would be the circut involved? -MRJ

Since you will not reveal what a HEX driver is, could you tell me: Does it work better than a standard or dual rail driver, or does it fundamentally have a better possibility to work with its design? Just curious....

Good!! I'm glad!! HAH!! Don't we all..... STILL NO WIRE HERE!!!!! It should come monday, so then I can start in on my driver that has fallen so far behind! -MRJSTUDIOS

PSW Glad you like the design -- I did that one completely by hand. Just took a few scaling measurements and then free-handed the shape right there on the MDF. It turned out to be a smaller guitar, more like the size and feel of a les paul, and not quite the size of a strat. Yes, the MDF is heavy, but my first guitar #X001 (the red and blackish one that I posted pics of earlier) and all of my guitars for that matter, are made of 3 layers of MDF, and so they can be extensively hollowed out via the middle layer before they are glued into being a "solid body." This also gives me the ability to work on the guitar "inside out" since the 3 layers can be easily taken apart while constructing the thing. The #X001 guitar's finished weight is about that of a stock Telecaster, or in other words, very heavy for a guitar. But it is not abnormally heavy when compared to factory made guitars. The current design is MUCH lighter, being smaller and even more extensively routed out. (See the rear cavity specially made for the sustainer circut and battery.) This guitar, except for its shape, is really built around the sustainer. Still no wire here..... -MRJ STUDIOS