Wilkinson wiring colors diagram incorrect? How to confirm?

rmackowsky

New member
Bought Wilkinson Low Gauss Hot Rail Ceramic Single Coil Sized Humbucker Pickups. Wire color diagram included with them is attached. Read a review that said it was wrong. Checked the wires myself with a MM, and sure enough it's wrong. (used ohm setting to determine coil wire pairs, and voltage setting to determine magnet polarity of each coil. I found the following:

North Pole: Black +
White -
South Pole: Red +
Yellow -

Since I am planning on using push/pull pots for a variety of wiring options, I really need to know with certainty the correct wiring of these pickups.Particularly the coil winding direction, since that may change the wiring polarity (if I'm not mistaken - novice at this stuff).

Is there a way to, with certainty, determine the actual wiring polarity, start finish, coil winding direction, etc? I emailed Musiclily (Wilkinson retailer) - waiting for response.
 

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No. He used MM as well. But that won't determine winding direction. BTW: is start/finish measurable with MM? Is start/finish the same as positive and negative?

I'm lost here, I was hoping to get answers like you. Lol I just bought a set for a Squier Strat.
 
There is a way to test coil direction, but I can't remember specifically how to set it up. Something like setting your voltmeter to measure voltage, touching a screwdriver to the pickup and pulling it away to see if the voltage goes positive or negative, but don't quote me - I really can't remember. It was posted by either ArtieToo or GuitarDoc (can't remember, maybe Artie) Try searching around (via Google, site:forum.seymourduncan.com)
 
There is a way to test coil direction, but I can't remember specifically how to set it up. Something like setting your voltmeter to measure voltage, touching a screwdriver to the pickup and pulling it away to see if the voltage goes positive or negative, but don't quote me - I really can't remember. It was posted by either ArtieToo or GuitarDoc (can't remember, maybe Artie) Try searching around (via Google, site:forum.seymourduncan.com)

I did that, which is how I determined + and - for each coil. But how does that give me coil winding direction?
 
Not sure, that's why I'm asking. Even if it does, I don't think that tells you the winding direction.

Sorry I have no advice to offer on that one. Not even sure there is an easy way to determine CW vs CCW.
Hopefully somebody more knowledgeable will notice the thread and chime in.
 
The trick Artie always mentions is to connect a multimeter, stick a screwdriver on a pole, then pull it off. One way will swing positive, the other negative. Now I’m forgetting if they should both be the same since that indicates signal or if they should be opposite due to the coils being RWRP. I think it’s the same IIRC.

So you’ve identified the pairs, do the screwdriver trick to see what you get.

Something I do is hold a finished Pickguard/guitar up against a fully strung guitar just to confirm nothing is out of phase. You can do that with just the pickup, wire it like you think it should be, (two coils joined in series) then use aligator clips or whatever and hold the pickup against the strings of a guitar and strum. Try it the other way... one way will be in phase.
 
In case it helps, some more info:

I am certain that the wire pairings for each coil is wrong based on MM ohm readings. The proper pairings are: north coil - black and white, south coil - red and yellow.

Assuming clockwise winding on both coils: north - black +, white -, south coil - red positive, yellow negative (based on screwdriver voltage test). The problem is the assuming part. I have no idea if that is true, and that would effect what is positive and negative.

With that info, how should I wire this for the following:

- Standard humbucker
- Coil split

Seems to me I'd need to know the start/finish wires and actual coil winding direction to know. Maybe I'm wrong.

One last bit of info.

Using alligator clips, when I connect red and white wire (it actually came with red and white pre-soldered together to create humbucker per their diagram, I separated them for testing), then connect black to MM positive lead and yellow to negative lead, do screwdriver voltage test, I get a positive jump. If I switch yellow to negative and black to negative, I get negative jump. That has to mean something I just don't know what. Here is a pic of the back of the pickup. Top in picture is north magnet.

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Couple pics of the front of the pickup. Top left - black wire, top right white, bottom left red, bottom right yellow: Top magnet is north.

IMG_8692.jpg IMG_8693.jpg
 
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