Seeking Info & Opinions Re: Electromuse Eye-Beam Pickup (for Lap Steel)

[rjb]

...but have it your way.

Yay! I win! ;^)

-rb

[Joe Gwinn]

Yay! I win! ;^)

-rb

Argumentum Ad Infinitum

[David Schwab]

So, then, what?
I'll have the satisfaction of knowing that the sparks from the "Eye-Beam" do or do not match the sparks from a hardware store magnet.
It's physical dimensions still dictate how much wire I can get on it, and it'll "charge up" to "whatever it wants".

Maybe spend a few minutes doing a search here for charging magnets, etc., and lean a thing or two instead of haphazardly flailing about.

Your results will show for your efforts.

[rjb]

Maybe spend a few minutes doing a search here for charging magnets, etc., and lean a thing or two instead of haphazardly flailing about.

Your results will show for your efforts.

Not to get defensive, but I have searched here & elsewhere, and have viewed the mojotone videos. I've seen and read about charging guitar magnets with NEOs, either handheld or mounted in a vise. I remember one poster stating that in order to avoid mag field distortions, you should separate the magnets with a trajectory perpendicular to the magnet faces. I do know that pickup "chefs" use different types of alnico and adjust field strengths for "just the right flavor".

But here's my situation:
> I don't own a guassmeter and can ill afford to buy one.
> I'm going to charge the Eye-Beam magnet with NEOs.
> To maximize output of this low-turns pickup, I'm going to try to get the magnet as close to "full charge" as possible.

On my desk, I have a little red horseshoe magnet. It's probably alnico, but I don't know which formulation of alnico. I'm sure most hardware stores would be unable to tell me the composition of the magnets they sell.

David, could you please tell me how doing a spark test comparing the little red horseshoe magnet to the Eye-Beam magnet will help me charge the Eye-Beam magnet and assemble the pickup?

-rb

[big_teee]

What's that Cliche Copperhead always says.
"Too Much Science Ruins the Sauce"
I would charge it, wind it, and play it!
If it's not right Rebuild it!
That's what the rest of us do on a regular basis.
Looks like you have done enough analysis.
I would wind it and move on to the next project!
Good Luck,
Terry

[David Schwab]

Not to get defensive, but I have searched here & elsewhere, and have viewed the mojotone videos. I've seen and read about charging guitar magnets with NEOs, either handheld or mounted in a vise. I remember one poster stating that in order to avoid mag field distortions, you should separate the magnets with a trajectory perpendicular to the magnet faces. I do know that pickup "chefs" use different types of alnico and adjust field strengths for "just the right flavor".

But here's my situation:
> I don't own a guassmeter and can ill afford to buy one.
> I'm going to charge the Eye-Beam magnet with NEOs.
> To maximize output of this low-turns pickup, I'm going to try to get the magnet as close to "full charge" as possible.

On my desk, I have a little red horseshoe magnet. It's probably alnico, but I don't know which formulation of alnico. I'm sure most hardware stores would be unable to tell me the composition of the magnets they sell.

David, could you please tell me how doing a spark test comparing the little red horseshoe magnet to the Eye-Beam magnet will help me charge the Eye-Beam magnet and assemble the pickup?

-rb

I'm not sure what a horseshoe magnet has to do with anything. Joe asked you what color the sparks were to determine what the I beam was made of. Different metals make different color sparks.

Since I wasn't the one that posed that question, I don't know the answer, but I'm sure Joe does.

As far as magnetizing alnico with neos. You get two nice sized neos and put them in a vice, have them facing opposite directions, i.e., N-S. Then pass the magnet you want to charge through them a few times.

Alnico will charge up pretty good, but I'm not sure that it charges up fully using this method. But I don't often use alnico magnets, so others here might know.

[rjb]

I'm not sure what a horseshoe magnet has to do with anything. Joe asked you what color the sparks were to determine what the I beam was made of. Different metals make different color sparks.

Joe suggested I compare sparks with a known alnico sample, e.g. a "hardware store magnet". The spark test link he provided shows examples for various ferrous metals. It's not just color- it's also length and shape and so on.

As far as magnetizing alnico with neos. You get two nice sized neos and put them in a vice, have them facing opposite directions, i.e., N-S. Then pass the magnet you want to charge through them a few times.

Thanks for the review.

-rb

PS- My apologies for being so cranky. This weekend, the predicted isolated random thundershowers seemed to be isolated to my back yard and timed to arrive within 2 minutes of my going outside... so I was frustrated about not getting certain things done....

[rjb]

Get Yer Gut Shots Here!

Gut shots of restored (not original) Electromuse Eye-Beam can now be found here:
http://music-electronics-forum.com/t26723/


-rb