DIY Electric Pickgun ... need help refining concept

[pickmonger]

There are a number of ways to convert rotary action to the up/down action of a pickgun.

Unlike the standard eletric pickgun that we normally see, here is an idea I am toying with. Instead of the off center pin at the end of a shaft, what about using a cam shaped to impart the up down motion?





A= a cam shaped to impart a up down motion to rod E. when the cam is rotated counter clockwise. B is the pivot point for rod E .... C is a thumbscrew that exerts a downward pressure on the rod (to adjust the amount of up and down action) and D is a compression spring that pulls up on the rod and keeps it against the cam.

The shape of the cam can be varied to give a different up and down motion.

I think that the motor and cam can be rotated 90 degrees so that the pickgun conforms to the usual shape or maybe running the motor at the side will work fine.

This is modified from a design copied from Eddie the wires material. Due to copyright issues I can't just copy his diagram.

Wire mentions that the cam be made of a piece of plexiglas 6 * 12 inches, 1/4 inch thick and the cam protrusions be 3/16 of an inch.

[Keyring]

I like the concept. The spring is actualy what gives the impulse, so I would make the strength adjustable. I think I would tend to make it a pusher (from underneath), and have an adjustment screw below it.

The sharp step in the cam could well be a better motion than something more sinusoidal, as this is the only way to genuinely get a 'billiard ball' effect. You could even have different sized steps so that you would automatically be trying different settings without any manual adjustment.

One of my pet theories, is that you either run these things slow enough to let the pins settle down between impulses, or at a much faster rate where you don't really know where the pins are after the first impulse; so it might be nice to experiment with a slower rate, which would also prevent so much brass dust coming out of the lock.

I noticed some motors with gear trains attached for sale in Maplin on Sunday. Made me think that it's too easy to get hung up on using a screwdriver! Could just be any old plastic box.

[Shrub]

Very noisy and subceptable to serious wear.

Best left to the steven hampton book on making a manual pick gun

[zeke79]

Very noisy and subceptable to serious wear.

Best left to the steven hampton book on making a manual pick gun

Those were my exact thoughts. This design would wear very quickly. If you move forward with this, make sure your pick needles are made of a softer material than your cam.

[SFGOON]

Yeah, but what would that do to the cam? This design is going to require some lubrication.

[jellywerker]

The cam could be cut steel, in which case it wouldn't wear out to much faster than the pick, but you would need a rather heavy duty motor that would make it useless as a portable pick. Even with a gearbox the pressure on the cam would be too much, if you were using the kind of pressure needed to make the spring give a good snap to the pick.

[Shrub]

The cam could be cut steel, in which case it wouldn't wear out to much faster than the pick, but you would need a rather heavy duty motor that would make it useless as a portable pick. Even with a gearbox the pressure on the cam would be too much, if you were using the kind of pressure needed to make the spring give a good snap to the pick.

Wrong otherwise the electric pickgun wouldnt be available at all, motor power isnt the governing factor here nor is the spring to be honest.

If you cut the cam spigot out of steel the lever would have to be out of somthing harder as well, wear is still going to be te issue, the harder tha material the louder the noise.

This is going to be like having a claxon in your ear all day, the tool will not last longer than that day.

The pick blade could be made softer or springier to lessen the impact but then the theory behind the EPG will not be followed.

This drawing is in a book by eddie the wire or steven hampton and is meant for a manual snap gun but even then it doesnt work too great.