Fishing Reel Auto-Traverse

[jrdamien]

I wanted an auto-traverse option to experiment/r&d some pickups. CNC machines are too expensive for my little business and I don't have the time to learn stepper motor control programming (someday!) plus I wanted a simple, non-computer reliant, mechanism.

The inspiration was John H's winder that likewise uses a fishing reel. I combined that with Throbak's slug winder. It's actually setup to use with a Harbor Freight lathe (because I can use the live center to hold up as many bobbins as I want to stack) but here it is, in it's infancy, setup with a different winder I use.

I used a 60rpm geared dc motor through a PWM controller to drive the reel. The speed seems almost perfect at 100% but I think I'll get a 120rpm motor so that I have considerably more speed options.

The wire feeds (the clothespins) are mounted to a piece of oak that's bolted to a drawer pull out.

Again, this is a mock up. You can see all the design mistakes that were made along the way and all the things that need correction and/or refinement, BUT...you get the idea and it works!







Here's a short video showing the wire being laid down nice and even without bobbin end pileup.
https://youtu.be/2Tz82VwHMsE

I apologize...something was on in the background - the audio is terrible.

[Lollar Jason]

Yeah it works! Its a uniform velocity cam if its the same as a level wind- its just laid out in a cylinder - the same cam alot of old coil winding machines from the 30's and later use like the Leesona. Antique Pflueger 1993 L Reel Parts Level Wind Gear | eBay


all you have to do is come up with a way to adjust the throw with a lever that has an adjustable pivot point- looks like you might have that going on with the various holes in the flat bar?

[jrdamien]

Yeah it works! Its a uniform velocity cam if its the same as a level wind- its just laid out in a cylinder - the same cam alot of old coil winding machines from the 30's and later use like the Leesona. Antique Pflueger 1993 L Reel Parts Level Wind Gear | eBay


all you have to do is come up with a way to adjust the throw with a lever that has an adjustable pivot point- looks like you might have that going on with the various holes in the flat bar?

Yes, same cam which is why the reel idea was always a good one. The only issue is the size of the mechanism necessary to compensate for the length of the reel's throw. Too bad there's no smaller way to do it (which would be one benefit of a simple linear stepper).

Jason, that is what the holes are for. But ultimately I will need a lever of some sort. Originally the bar was a rod and the lever would have been a locking shaft collar. But I couldn't find a bearing that didn't have too much play in it.

Alignment is tricky enough at this point that I'll probably now build a small winder that will be a permanent part of the whole thing.

[Lollar Jason]

Thats what I had sussed on the adjustment- I like this old mechanical way of building machinery, lasts for decades and its reliable.

[jrdamien]

Thats what I had sussed on the adjustment- I like this old mechanical way of building machinery, lasts for decades and its reliable.

Absolutely. I'll take old mechanical device almost every day over computer whatever.

[John_H]

Nice work Jesse, It looks like you put some thought in to it. I'm looking forward to the refined version.

[Jason Rodgers]

Dude, this is what I needed! I've been staring at a fishing reel and trying to figure out how to adjust the spooling throw. I'm ON it!

[jrdamien]

Thanks, John. I do owe you a great deal of credit for it.

[jrdamien]

Yeah man. Don't forget to show what you come up with. I'm sure it goes without saying but...you can figure the length of the traverse along the diagonal by drawing the arch of the reel throw as a horizontal relative to a point. The longer, I think, the better, because the adjustment area is pretty small.

[John_H]

Dude, this is what I needed! I've been staring at a fishing reel and trying to figure out how to adjust the spooling throw. I'm ON it!

That's want we do, stare at stuff, and re-purpose.

Thanks, John. I do owe you a great deal of credit for it.

You're welcome. I'm excited to see somebody putting my ideas to work. For a first mock-up, that looks great. It's always a good idea to prove your design before spending a bunch of time on something. I was very focused on driving the traverse from the main shaft to keep things in sync, but as long as you've got accurate TPL data to rely on, there's nothing wrong with your method.

Yeah man. Don't forget to show what you come up with. I'm sure it goes without saying but...you can figure the length of the traverse along the diagonal by drawing the arch of the reel throw as a horizontal relative to a point. The longer, I think, the better, because the adjustment area is pretty small.

The longer rod will give better resolution, but I didn't have any difficulty with the way I did it.

[jrdamien]

The longer rod will give better resolution, but I didn't have any difficulty with the way I did it.

What do you mean by "resolution" here. I remember there being some discussion in your original thread about the pros and cons of the rod length but cannot find it now. Were there other things to consider?

[John_H]

What do you mean by "resolution" here. I remember there being some discussion in your original thread about the pros and cons of the rod length but cannot find it now. Were there other things to consider?

What I meant was that by using a longer traveler arm your adjustments are more precise. The arm on mine is only about five inches long. Near the pivot the travel is almost nothing, and at the other end it's about 5/8".

You've got a lot more moving parts involved in yours, but I think it would serve you better if you rearranged the geometry of the rod. I would try moving the pivot point closer to where the control linkage connects. This will give more adjustment. Winding multiple coils would be cool, but the setup seems like a pain.

I've been building "Auto Winder 2.0" in my head for a couple of years now. I want to come up with something that's easier to reproduce, and cheap to make. I'm not sure anyone would build one though. I thought the first one was "as most proud Papas do" pretty innovative with easily adjustable traverse, and variable TPL on a home built mechanical winder. I still haven't seen anything as versatile, or simple in construction. Yet, nobody has to my knowledge tried to copy what were I thought the most clever aspects of the machine.

I applaud you for building, and experimenting. Keep it up.

[jrdamien]

What I meant was that by using a longer traveler arm your adjustments are more precise. The arm on mine is only about five inches long. Near the pivot the travel is almost nothing, and at the other end it's about 5/8".

Cool. We're saying the same thing, then.

You've got a lot more moving parts involved in yours, but I think it would serve you better if you rearranged the geometry of the rod. I would try moving the pivot point closer to where the control linkage connects. This will give more adjustment. Winding multiple coils would be cool, but the setup seems like a pain.

"A lot" more? A few more.

The setup is kind of a pain, I suppose. But for winding certain types of humbuckers there's no beating a machine that can replicate most of the factors with precision (tension being the least precise "factor").

I applaud you for building, and experimenting. Keep it up.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]35630[/ATTACH]

I am keeping it up.

Updates this week included a more fluid connection where the vertical and horizontal bars connect. It's a patio door hinge of some sort. Very smooth and very inexpensive.

Also, I cut a rough channel in the vertical to allow for easier adjustment of the traverse. This is mostly unnecessary. I hand wind everything and this will be used primarily for humbuckers only, so just under a 1/4" traverse is what's needed. Still, this small channel allows for an adjustment from about 1 to 7/16ths. That covers a lot of bobbin territory.

The sweet spot is marked on the rear and the adjustment is a wing nut and lock washer.



Still fairly crude but coming along. Although...I want there to be a certain degree of crude involved.

https://youtu.be/JL0_vu0nE_I

[Jason Rodgers]

What I meant was that by using a longer traveler arm your adjustments are more precise. The arm on mine is only about five inches long. Near the pivot the travel is almost nothing, and at the other end it's about 5/8".

You've got a lot more moving parts involved in yours, but I think it would serve you better if you rearranged the geometry of the rod. I would try moving the pivot point closer to where the control linkage connects. This will give more adjustment. Winding multiple coils would be cool, but the setup seems like a pain.

I've been building "Auto Winder 2.0" in my head for a couple of years now. I want to come up with something that's easier to reproduce, and cheap to make. I'm not sure anyone would build one though. I thought the first one was "as most proud Papas do" pretty innovative with easily adjustable traverse, and variable TPL on a home built mechanical winder. I still haven't seen anything as versatile, or simple in construction. Yet, nobody has to my knowledge tried to copy what were I thought the most clever aspects of the machine.

I applaud you for building, and experimenting. Keep it up.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]35630[/ATTACH]

Oh yeah, I remember your machine now! But you know, I had a hard time making heads or tails out of the traverser, at least understanding it enough to apply the concept to my own setup. Makes sense now, but I realize that seeing jr's vertical system clicked in my brain, but your horizontal setup didn't. Funny how simple orientation can make all the difference. Thanks to all y'all!

[John_H]

Oh yeah, I remember your machine now! But you know, I had a hard time making heads or tails out of the traverser, at least understanding it enough to apply the concept to my own setup. Makes sense now, but I realize that seeing jr's vertical system clicked in my brain, but your horizontal setup didn't. Funny how simple orientation can make all the difference. Thanks to all y'all!

I tried to demonstrate it thoroughly, but I guess because it was born in my head, it made perfect sense to me.

I am keeping it up.

Nice. The entire machine can be overwhelming, but when you start working on separate parts, things become easy.