Help me build my pickup winder?

[guitarcam123]

Ok, so im new here although I do know quite a bit about pickups.

I have decided to start winding my own pickups. I just bought a sewing machine motor and foot pedal. I have plans and everything to build my winder. I have one question though,
How do i wire in the Reed Switch/ Counter?
I've heard of using a calculator with a reed switch attached to the enter button or something? Can anyone explain this? Im trying to go as cheap as possible.

Thanks
Cam

[Peter Naglitsch]

First (sorry if I’m mentioning what you already know) the counting circuit is separate from the motor/speed control part, if you are not planning on an auto-shut off function.

The reed is mounted so that you have some type of mechanical manipulation from the face plate of other part that is spinning. Then you open up a cheepo calculator and find the “=” sign. Solder two tine wires at the PCD so that when you close the wires the calculator performs the calculation (pressing the “=” sign). Now you punch in “1” and “+” and every time the reed switch is activated the calculator add 1 to the sum. It the reed switch isn’t on the face plate but on some other, geared part that doesn’t spin as fast at the face plate you can easily compensate for that by calculating the different in ration and punch in that instead of 1. If you have a ration of say 7.45 that can be used and every time the geared part does one revolution (and the face plate does 7.45 revolutions) the correct amount of turns is calculated and presented.

[guitarcam123]

so i have to press + 1 every turn?
I want an automatic one...

I'm very confused :S

[chevalij]

A thoroughly extensive 45 second search with google turned up this...

http://europa.spaceports.com/~fishba...nter/count.htm

[Peter Naglitsch]

Thanks chevalij. Much better explanation than my crude one. Before I got my industrial high speed counter module I also tried to use a step meter /pedometer, the type you wear in your belt to measure how many steps you have taken during the day. The problem with those are that they often have debouncing circuits. Those make it impossible to use it for higher frequencies (=high speed winding)

[chevalij]

When I first built my winder I tried the reed switch routine. I found it more trouble than it was worth. Would skip counts, or would stop completely at higher frequencies. I quickly moved to an optical switch counter. I'll draw up the schematic with a parts list and post it in a bit...

[John_H]

Here's what I'm using for my optical switch. It's simple, cheap, and works really well.

emitter/detector
voltage regulator

[chevalij]

I'm using essentially the same thing, but instead of two discrete diodes I got an H21LOB optical switch. I didnt' bother with the voltage regulator, even though I know I have a 5vdc one in my cupboard of doom.. I just whipped up a voltage divider and pumped 9vdc from a wallwarm into it. Little paddle on the winder shaft to trigger the switch and away I went. Probably good for a hell of a lot more than anyone would wind. If I remember the switch will trigger at 10kHz which is winding at 600,000 rpm.