Programmable/semi-programmable pickup and transducer switching system

• US 7,601,908 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eric P. Ambrosino
• Original Assignee: Eric P. Ambrosino
• Inventors: Ambrosino, Eric P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels; Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US11/541,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20080034950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 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 instrument switching system comprising:

a plurality of pickup coils; and

switching means communicatively interconnected to said plurality of coils including at least one integral rotary encoder control, wherein said encoder provides for the switching of combinational logic selections of a number of single coil or humbucking pickups for the passive or active switching of different multi-tonal audio instrument pickup sounds generated from the different combinations of the pickup coils.

2. The instrument switching system of claim 1, wherein said switching means includes a BYPASS switch configured to select an instrument'"'"'s original pickup tonalities further comprising a five position blade switch wired for selection of the original pickup tonalities in BYPASS mode or 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.

3. The instrument switching system of claim 1, wherein said switching means includes a BYPASS switch configured to select an instrument'"'"'s original pickup tonalities further comprising a three position switch wired for selection of the original pickup tonalities in BYPASS mode or 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.

4. The instrument switching system of claim 1, whereby said encoder comprises a plurality of rotary encoders each switching combinational logic selections of a number of single coil or humbucking pickups for the passive or active switching of different multi-tonal audio instrument pickup sounds further comprising a three position switch wired for selection of the first encoder, the second encoder or the full plurality of rotary encoders used to generate the different tonal combinations of the pickup coils.

5. The instrument switching system of claim 1, wherein said switching means includes a BYPASS switch configured to select a direct humbucking instrument pickup tonality wired for selection of the original humbucking pickup tonality in BYPASS mode or 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 type configurations.

6. The instrument switching system of claim 2, wherein said encoder further includes a ganged or dual rotary encoder control with two sets of poles providing passive audio switching of combinational logic selections of a number of single coil or humbucking pickups in an instrument on one pole and LED display switching to activate a display system next to each pickup consisting of at least two transparent fastening screws with associated LEDs configured to provide a visual backlit indication of an associated pickup activity or pickup on/off status on the second pole for an instrument with LED display operation.

7. The instrument switching system of claim 3, wherein said encoder further includes a ganged or dual rotary encoder control with two sets of poles providing passive audio switching of combinational logic selections of a number of single coil or humbucking pickups in an instrument on one pole and LED display switching to activate a display system next to each pickup consisting of at least two transparent fastening screws with associated LEDs configured to provide a visual backlit indication of an associated pickup activity or pickup on/off status on the second pole for an instrument with LED display operation.

8. The instrument switching system of claim 2, wherein said encoder further includes a ganged or dual rotary encoder control with two sets of poles providing passive audio switching of combinational logic selections of a number of single coil or humbucking pickups in an instrument on one pole and passive/active switching of saddle transducers on a second pole wired to an output jack on tip and ring respectfully.

9. The system according to claim 2, in combination with a guitar with four single coil 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.

10. The system according to claim 2, wherein said encoder further includes a ganged or dual rotary encoder control with two sets of poles providing passive audio switching of combinational logic selections of a number of single coil or humbucking pickups in an instrument on one pole and LED display switching to activate a display system next to each pickup consisting of at least two transparent fastening screws with associated LEDs configured to provide a visual backlit indication of an associated pickup activity or pickup on/off status on the second pole for an instrument with LED display operation in combination with a guitar with four single coil 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.

12. The instrument switching system of claim 1, wherein said switching means includes the use of photo voltaic MOSFET switches configured as solid state relays to act as switching elements for magnetic pickups or piezo type transducers.

13. The instrument switching system of claim 1, wherein said combinational logic selections comprise incremental Boolean logic selections.

11. A programmable/semi-programmable pickup and transducer switching system for an instrument, comprising:

means for controlling the switching system; and

a four pole, five position blade switch communicatively interconnected to said controlling means and passively wired to a 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.

14. A method of programming a programmable instrument switching system with optional three position BANK selection switch, comprising the steps of:

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

b) pulling up on a rotary push/pull type potentiometer control and turning to audition a plurality of positions corresponding to different combinations in succession;

c) pushing down on the push/pull type potentiometer to SAVE and memorize the selection to the current position of the five position blade switch; and

d) repeating the aforementioned steps a-c throughout the five positions on a five position blade switch or ten or fifteen predetermined positions when using an optional three position BANK selection switch.