Backwards coil splits, could really use some wiring help please

[Taymar]

Hi all, I've just finished wiring a new guitar with 2x humbuckers, a 3 way switch, 2x tone pots and 2x push pull volume pots with coil split.

I'm having two issues.

1. The coil splits work backwards to how I'd like - right now pushed in is single coil and pulled out is humbucker. I want the opposite. I've tried swapping wires but with no luck.

2. I've got quite a bit of 'noise' that goes away if I touch any component of the guitar. Seems like a grounding issue but everything's connected. Anything I can try to narrow it down? I know my capacitors are in the correct way around but that's about it.


I used the SD wiring diagram (attached), and at the top I've shown how I connected the volume pot wires to the CTS push pull pot. Purple is the wire I added to ground against the pot body.

Any help would be awesome please. I've read all sorts of articles but I can't seem to wrap my head around how the switch makes the coil split happen.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Backwards coil splits, could really use some wiring help please

Have you tried removing the extra ground wire? The push/pull pots are already grounded via their connection to the tone pots.

 

[Taymar]

Re: Backwards coil splits, could really use some wiring help please

I haven't tried that - thank you will try first thing tomorrow.

I'm trying to understand how this all is supposed to work - is this accurate?

1. signal (or current, or whatever it's called) enters the slug coil through the black wire.
2. it exits the slug coil through the white wire.

3. with no coil splitting, it then either enters the screw coil through the red wire and exits through the green wire.

4. with coil splitting, we intercept the signal before it passes into the screw coil. I'm assuming this happens because it's a less resistive path to ground vs. going through the screw coil.


If this is correct, in the above diagram when it's in coil split, the slug would be acting as a single coil and the screw would be switched off. Is that accurate too?

Would really appreciate anyone explaining the science part of this to me, I desperately want to understand how it works in the most simple terms.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Backwards coil splits, could really use some wiring help please

If "pushed in is single coil and pulled out is humbucker", then you don't have it connected as you say.

In the CTS p/p pot the lugs are numbered as you show. When it is pulled "up" (toward the pot, which is "down" in the diagram), the left pole/common or "C1" makes contact with the left throw/lug #2, closest to the pot. Your diagram shows that this is also connected to the green wire and ground. That should split you pup. If pushing the p/p in causes the split, that means you have connected the green/ground wire to lug #1.

 

[Artie]

Re: Backwards coil splits, could really use some wiring help please

You simply need to move your green/purple wire to terminal "1". Also, I wouldn't actually try connecting the green wire to the push-pull. Just makes wiring messy. Connect green to any good ground. Then just run a jumper from "1" to ground. Red/White can stay on "C1".

 

[Taymar]

Re: Backwards coil splits, could really use some wiring help please

Thank you guys, that was it. I wasn't reading the switch diagrams 'upside down'. Red & white soldered to C1, green/bare/gray soldered to 1 & linked to ground. Works beautifully now.

really appreciate the help.