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I wound a few coils lately that haven't produced very good results despite testing normally on my multimeter. The pickups were hum buckers wired in series that made a loud buzzing noise like you'd get from a short or grounding issue. I can confirm that the solder joints at the leads were fine and that the pickups were wired correctly. I poked around on the pickup and discovered that the buzzing fluctuated when I pressed in on the sides of the coil. Therefore, I suspect something may have gone wrong inside and I'm trying to track down what I might have done that compromised the coil. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps something went wrong during potting.
I've been potting at around 170-190 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes per coil. The last couple of times, I may have been less precise about the temps. Is there any risk that the heat from the wax melted the insulation around the coil wire by having exposed it for too long? The other thing I'm thinking is that perhaps my bobbins are warping or twisting putting unexpected stress on the coil. I've been making my own bobbins out of thin sheets of birch plywood impregnated with CA glue. I'm wondering if this isn't so stable anymore. Any ideas?
I've been potting at around 170-190 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes per coil. The last couple of times, I may have been less precise about the temps. Is there any risk that the heat from the wax melted the insulation around the coil wire by having exposed it for too long? The other thing I'm thinking is that perhaps my bobbins are warping or twisting putting unexpected stress on the coil. I've been making my own bobbins out of thin sheets of birch plywood impregnated with CA glue. I'm wondering if this isn't so stable anymore. Any ideas?
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