both series & parallel pup vol control

[sharkfin]

Ok, don't laugh at me now, I know pretty much nothing about electronics, but I was thinking about a way to mix the middle pup of my strat with the bridge & neck - not unlike the S-tastic mod.

The idea is to use the neck tone pot as a master tone, and the third pot as a blend (?) for the middle pickup, so it can be mixed in at any volume...

...so far so good...

...but here comes the problem: Can the pot be the type that has an indent in the '5' position, so turning the pot from 5 to 10 (clockwise) fades the M pup in series and turning the pot from 5 to 0 (counter-clockwise) fades it in parallel?

Please don't hit me - I'm just uneducated in the ways of wiring!

If this were to work, then the 5 way would function:

blend pot at '5' (M pup off):

1: N
2: N+B
3: N*B
4: -N*B
5: B

--------

blend pot at '0':

1: N+M
2: N+B+M
3: (N*B)+M
4: (-N*B)+M
5: B+M

--------

blend pot at '10':

1: N*M
2: (N+B)*M
3: N*B*M
4: -N(B*M)
5: B*M

--------

Can it be done? Opinions anyone?

 

[Artie]

Re: both series & parallel pup vol control

...but here comes the problem: Can the pot be the type that has an indent in the '5' position, so turning the pot from 5 to 10 (clockwise) fades the M pup in series and turning the pot from 5 to 0 (counter-clockwise) fades it in parallel?

This is the electronic-geeks equivalent of a crossword puzzle. I love it. :laugh2:

I don't think it can be done . . . but I'm gonna chew on it.

Artie

Edit: Welcome to the forum.

 

[octavedoctor]

Re: both series & parallel pup vol control

If anyone can solve this i reckon it's Artie, but I don't think it's possible without specially modified pots.

At the very least your blend pot would have to be a dual gang, but the problem with having the "centre off" is that the track value would have to fall to zero in the middle. Not impossible, but how to isolate it from the other pickuos so that it doesn't short them out?

 

[octavedoctor]

Re: both series & parallel pup vol control

I don't think this is the solution you're looking for, but it might help spark some ideas.

The idea is to use a dual gang pot instead of a DPDT switch. When the slider is over to the left the coils are in parallel, when it's over to the right they are in series. The black and yellow lines are obviously the signal wire from one coil and the return from the other. I'm thinking that this could be done to series /parallel a humbucker, but how would it sound in between? I'm not sure that it would work with two single coils, i feel that an extra contact set would be needed.

Artie, help!

 

[sharkfin]

Re: both series & parallel pup vol control

How about not using some imaginary pot i dreamed up, but maybe a push-pull pot, pushed down fades the pup in parallel and pulled up fades it in series...

would that work? Sorry again for sounding like a retarded chimp.

 

[Artie]

Re: both series & parallel pup vol control

Edit: This is "quick & dirty" and doesn't address your exact question. More later.

I've got the basic idea worked up, but I need to work out a few details. Here's the basic idea:

That diagram shows the blend pot in the middle. As you turn it one way, wiper "A" moves from point "B" (ground) to point "C" (middle series).

When you turn it the other way, (wiper "A" is back at ground now), wiper "1" moves from point "2" to point "3" (output in parallel).

This isn't perfect, but it should work. I'll post back a bit later with more details and recommendations, but a friend is over right now, checking out my guitars, and drinking beer.

Artie

(I'll post back tomorrow.)

 

[sharkfin]

Re: both series & parallel pup vol control

Thanks for taking the time to help!

I have another question; I've heard that a pup that gets blended in series reaches its top volume very fast, not smoothly fading in as blending it in parallel. Is there a way maybe with caps or resistors to 'spread out' the series vol increase, to match the parallel vol increase?

sorry again for my lack of brains