Programmable/semi-programmable pickup and transducer switching system

• US 7,115,810 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2005
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ambrosonics LLC
• Original Assignee: Ambrosonics LLC
• Inventors: Ambrosino, Eric P.
• Primary Examiner(s): DONELS, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US11/179,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20060011051A1
• Time in Patent Office: 447 Days
• Field of Search: 847/35, 847/37, 847/42
• US Class Current: 84/742
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/18 Selecting circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/465 Bridge-positioned, i.e. assembled to or attached with the bridge of a stringed musical instrument
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/505 Dual coil electrodynamic string transducer, e.g. for humbucking, to cancel out parasitic magnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/525 Piezoelectric transducers for vibration sensing or vibration excitation in the audio range; Piezoelectric strain sensing, e.g. as key velocity sensor; Piezoelectric actuators, e.g. key actuation in response to a control voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/18 using a string, e.g. electric guitar mechanical features G10D1/085

Abstract

A programmable/semi-programmable pickup and transducer switching system includes a control, a plurality of switches communicatively interconnected to the control, an encoder communicatively interconnected to the control, a memory/buffer/drive with switching element options for passive or active pickup switching, said memory/buffer/drive being communicatively interconnected to the control, and a display system communicatively interconnected to the memory/buffer/drive. The display system includes at least one transparent fastening screw with an associated light emitting diode configured to provide a visual indication of an associated pickup activity.

Claims

1. A programmable/semi-programmable pickup and transducer switching system, comprising:

a control printed circuit board;

a plurality of switches communicatively interconnected to the control printed circuit board, the plurality of switches including a five position blade switch;

an encoder communicatively interconnected to the control printed circuit board;

a memory/buffer/drive with switching element options for passive or active pickup switching, said memory/buffer/drive being communicatively interconnected to the control printed circuit board; and

a display system communicatively interconnected to the memory/buffer/drive, the display system including at least one transparent fastening screw with an associated light emitting diode (LED) configured to provide a visual indication of an associated pickup activity.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control printed circuit board is an integral control logic board configured to provide low noise operation and efficient power consumption.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of switches further comprises a push/store switch.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of switches further comprises a three position switch configured for BANK selection in groups of five for selecting fifteen preprogrammed selections of pickup combinations of single coil and humbucking type configurations.

5. The system according to claim 1, in combination with a guitar and at least two pickups, wherein said display system further comprises at least two transparent fastening screws with associated LEDs configured to provide a visual indication of an associated pickup activity or pickup status.

6. The combination according to claim 5, wherein said at least two transparent fastening screws with associated LEDs are configured on any side of the associated pickup, pickup cover or pickup retaining ring.

7. The system according to claim 1, in combination with a guitar and at least two pickups, wherein LEDs are mounted directly into said at least two pickups, pickup covers or pickup retaining rings to provide indications of which pickups are on or off or provide system status.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising photo voltaic MOSFETs configured to act as switching elements for magnetic pickups or piezo type transducers.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said photo voltaic MOSFETs are mounted directly into pickups or transducers for switching the pickups on and off.

10. The system according to claim 9, further comprising linear photo voltaic MOSFETs to control an amplitude (output level) or frequency (tone) of a pickup or piezo element.

11. The system according to claim 1, in combination with a guitar with a wireless port, said guitar being remotely controllable in a wireless manner through the wireless port.

12. The system according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of switches further comprises a switch configured for normal operation of an instruments original wiring as BYPASS operation for selection of pickups to SEMI-PROGRAMMABLE mode whereby a single selection of multiple selections offered by the encoder provides semi-programmable selections of pickup configurations of single coil and humbucking type configurations.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the rotary encoder is an integral rotary encoder control providing passive audio switching of incremental Boolean logic selections of a number of single coil or humbucking pickups and transducers on an instrument.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the rotary encoder is an integral ganged rotary encoder control providing passive audio switching of incremental Boolean logic selections of a number of single coil or humbucking pickups and transducers on an instrument on one pole and LED display switching to power a display system indicating pickup on/off and system status on a second pole.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the rotary encoder is an integral rotary encoder control providing passive audio switching of Boolean logic selections of single coil or humbucking pickups on one pole and passive/active switching of saddle transducers on a second pole wired to an output jack on tip and ring respectfully.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control printed circuit board includes the five position blade switch passively wired to a single four wire pickup with shield, volume control and optional tone control for selection of three single coil tonalities, one out-of-phase tonality and one humbucking tonality of passive audio pickup switching.

17. The system according to claim 1, in combination with a guitar with four pickups, wherein a center of a first pickup pole is harmonically located for pickup poles under a second octave harmonic of all open strings, placing a center of a second pickup poles under a second fifth harmonic of all open strings, placing the center of a third pickup poles under the third octave harmonic of all open strings and placing a center of a fourth pickup poles an additional half inch from under a third harmonic at the “

Low E”

string side and a center of the fourth pickup poles an additional eight tenths of an inch from under a third fifth harmonic at the “

High E”

string side of a slanted fourth pickup.

18. A method of programming a programmable/semi-programmable pickup and transducer, comprising the steps of:

positioning a five position blade switch to a predetermined one of the five positions;

rotating a rotary encoder to audition a plurality of positions corresponding to different pickup combinations in succession;

at each of the successive positions of the rotary encoder, auditioning sound produced by the pickup combination;

pressing a SAVE/STORE switch to memorize a selection when the audition produces a desirable pickup combination in order to save the rotary encoder position in a memory/buffer/driver location corresponding to the predetermined one of the five positions of the five position blade switch;

moving the five position blade switch away from the predetermined one of the five positions of the five position blade switch;

moving the five position switch back to the predetermined one of the five positions of the five position blade switch;

auditioning sound at the predetermined one of the five positions in order to recall the desirable pickup combination; and

repeating the previous positioning, rotating, auditioning, pressing, moving and auditioning steps throughout five, fifteen, or twenty-five predetermined positions.