Vibraphone Pickup Using Magnetic Intermediary to Prevent Bar Dampening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for amplifying vibraphones either dampen the instrument's bars or produce distorted feedback and extra noise, as they either physically attach pickups that alter the tone or use microphones that capture unwanted sounds.
Innovation Solution
A vibraphone pickup system featuring a bobbin with a rare earth magnet and copper wire coils that can pick up both analog and digital signals without dampening the bars, using filters and buffers to isolate and enhance the sound, allowing simultaneous transmission of both signal types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If contact pickups are physically attached to the bars, then amplification is achieved, but the bars are dampened and tone quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a magnetic field as an intermediary between the vibraphone bars and the pickup system. Magnets are embedded in the bars, creating a magnetic field that couples the bars to the pickup coils without physical contact. This intermediary magnetic field allows energy transfer for amplification while avoiding direct mechanical contact that would cause dampening.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical contact pickup system with an electromagnetic induction system. Instead of using piezoelectric elements or other contact-based sensors that require physical attachment to the bars, the system uses magnetic fields and electromagnetic induction to detect bar vibrations, eliminating the mechanical contact that causes dampening.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If microphones are used to amplify sound, then no dampening occurs, but distorted feedback and extra noise are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by positioning pickup coils in specific locations directly beneath each individual bar, and by embedding magnets only in the bars themselves. This localized arrangement ensures that each pickup coil detects only the vibrations of its corresponding bar, preventing the pickup of unwanted ambient sounds and feedback that would occur with omnidirectional microphones.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnetic field serves as a localized intermediary between each bar and its corresponding pickup coil, creating a dedicated detection zone for each note. This prevents the distorted feedback and extra noise problems associated with microphones by confining the detection field to only the immediate vicinity of each bar.
3Power
If contact pickups are placed in the wrong position, then amplification occurs, but the bar is completely dampened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the system self-adjusting by embedding the magnets within the bars themselves rather than requiring external positioning. The magnets are integrated into the bar structure, automatically ensuring correct positioning relative to the pickup coils below. This eliminates the reliability issues associated with manual positioning of contact pickups.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnetic field acts as a forgiving intermediary that maintains reliable coupling between the bars and pickups even with variations in positioning. The magnetic field extends through space, providing a larger effective coupling area compared to direct mechanical contact, thereby reducing sensitivity to precise positioning while maintaining amplification effectiveness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively amplifies the vibraphone sound without dampening the bars and reduces noise and feedback, enabling clear and strong signal transmission of both analog and digital outputs.
Implementation Method 1
a bobbin with at least one magnet, such as a rare earth (or neodymium) magnet, in the center thereof and copper wire (e.g., 42 AWG copper wire) wrapped (e.g., 8,000-10,000 times) around a first channel and a second channel
Data Source
AI summary
A vibraphone pickup has a bobbin having two coils, one for outputting an analog signal and one for outputting a digital signal. A plurality of filters and buffers are used to isolate the signals. A rare earth (or neodymium) magnet is used in the center of the bobbin. In one method of use, a vibraphone pickup is used to pick up each note of the vibraphone. The output of each vibraphone pickup is combined and fed into an amplifier.