How can U distinguish ceramics frm alnico?

[Runewalker]

Have a bunch of pups, sometimes undesignated. Any way to determine ceramic from alnico magnets?

[GuyaGuy]

i'd hate to have written all this for nothin' if one thread is deleted so i'll post the same text that appears in my reply in the electrics/wiring section:

ferrite (ceramic) magnets are made by mixing magnetic fragments into a kind of pottery clay which is then fired. they're not made of metal and so feel softer. they'll have a bit of the same feel as a rubbery fridge magnet--but obviously not quite as soft.

however, in my experience, the slug ceramic magnets used in single coil pickups are usually coated with something like chrome to give them a more metallic look. so, that rubbery feel will be more apparent on the humbucker magnets.
if you feel an alnico magnet, it will actually FEEL like metal. usually it has a rough feel due to the cross-hatch pattern that you see in the pix that wesman posted a link for.
that's all the info i can offer. maybe someone out there has a more scientific method for testing?

[TooManyWires]

AlNiCo magnets are an alloy, whereas ceramic magnets are, as GuyaGuy said, a pottery-like clay-ish kind of thing. As a result, AlNiCo magnets will conduct electricity, while ceramic magnets will not. If you have a multi-meter, set it to test resistance, and touch it to two points on the magnet. If it reads a resistance of 0 then the magnet is AlNiCo. If it reads an infinite resistance, then the magnet is ceramic.

[Trey]

Hmm, that's a great tip TMWs. I'll have to remember that one...

[GuyaGuy]

trey said:

Hmm, that's a great tip TMWs. I'll have to remember that one...

yeah, well,
i knew that, but, um, i just...uh...wanted to see if anyone else could come up with the answer!

[TooManyWires]

I only knew it because I read a thread on it back on GN1...so what goes around comes around, and now you know...

[bcrichfan86]

CRAZY MAN, THATS CRAZY!!!

[ChrisK]

If it reads an infinite resistance, then the magnet is ceramic.

however, in my experience, the slug ceramic magnets used in single coil pickups are usually coated with something like chrome to give them a more metallic look. so, that rubbery feel will be more apparent on the humbucker magnets.

Unless the chrome plating conducts electricity!

[UnklMickey]

Ceramics are more crunchy.

Alnicos are more chewy.


so says Iron-Jaw Samson.

[ChrisK]

So what are cow magnets made from???

[UnklMickey]

okay Chris, i'll take the bait.

what are cow magnets?

[ChrisK]

Whoa!

I thought that this was a universal bit of trivia.

Cow magnets are cylindrical encased magnets (2 - 3") that look like a lipstick pickup (they actually may be using old pickups - I don't know fer sure).

Cattle are forced to swallow them. As they wend their way "outward", they collect the ferrous stuff inadvertently ingested.

When too many are ingested, the cow becomes a barn (or refrigerator) magnet. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

It's late (21:36), I haven't eaten fer a while, been at work over 12 hours, and appetizers are now half-off at Applebeeeee's.

I think that I'll go drown meself in coconut shrimp.

[UnklMickey]

chrisk said:

...Cattle are forced to swallow them. As they wend their way "outward", they collect the ferrous stuff inadvertently ingested.....

i wanna know everything.

but in some cases ignorance IS bliss.


i'll never look at a Dano pickup (or a girl applying lipstick) in quite the same way again.

[wesman]

"I'll never look at a Dano pickup (or a girl applying lipstick) in quite the same way again. "

This guy might change your view of a P-90 also:
meatexz.com/cheesyguitars/cow_magnet_pickups.html

[ChrisK]

OooooooK,

This guy might change your view of a P-90 also:
meatexz.com/cheesyguitars/cow_magnet_pickups.html

At one time I discovered (and used) a cheap source for coil-winding wire: the windings inside of discarded speakers.

Yeah, #44 AWG solid wire is used in speakers (that draw so little current that they can't be heard), and have voice coils that are thousands of feet in wire length.

or car engine coils. Just be absolutely certain to TOTALLY DISCHARGE THE COIL BEFORE CUTTING IT OPEN. They can store up a dangerous amount of capacitance, just like capacitors in amplifiers, and can give you one hell of a shock if they aren't handled carefully.

Yeah, I've been storing up capacitance in the form of capacitators fer years now. I keep 'em in little drawers that charge 'em up with even more capacitance as I slide them open and closed. I've had to mark them with new (higher) capacitator values every few years.

Oh, wait. It's the COILS


Obviously I discovered this the hard way. Maybe it's a better idea to just use the windings on old speakers, eh? Yeah, forget that crap about car coils. Too dangerous. For your own safety, just go and buy a roll of #46 Formvar or whatever ... it isn't very expensive.[/quote]

[ChrisK]

OooooooK,

This guy might change your view of a P-90 also:
meatexz.com/cheesyguitars/cow_magnet_pickups.html

At one time I discovered (and used) a cheap source for coil-winding wire: the windings inside of discarded speakers.

Yeah, #44 AWG solid wire is commonly used in speakers (that draw so little current that they can't be heard), which have voice coils that are thousands of feet in wire length.

or car engine coils. Just be absolutely certain to TOTALLY DISCHARGE THE COIL BEFORE CUTTING IT OPEN. They can store up a dangerous amount of capacitance, just like capacitors in amplifiers, and can give you one heck of a shock if they aren't handled carefully.

Yeah, I've been storing up capacitance in the form of capacitators fer years now. I keeps 'em in little clear plastic drawers that charges 'em up with even more capacitance as I slide them open and closed. I've had to mark them with new (higher) capacitator values every few years.

'Course I can't use a permanent marker since once I shorts 'em out the values change again.

Oh, wait. It's the COILS that store up that there capacitance. Now I gots to mark all me coils with higher capacitator values. 'Course I can't use a permanent marker since........

Obviously I discovered this the hard way.

...along with my deep understanding of....

Maybe it's a better idea to just use the windings on old speakers, eh?

?Wire splicing dementia?

Yeah, forget that cr@p about car coils. Too dangerous. For your own safety, just go and buy a roll of #46 Formvar or whatever ... it isn't very expensive.

"whatever" is a very common engineering specification.


But, since;

Just for the record, the following information is 100% absolutely true. NONE of it is made up. Really.

what do I know, really?



I don't have any issues with the cr@p about the cr@p, it's the cr@p about the other stuff that concerns me.

[UnklMickey]

chrisk said:

...Yeah, #44 AWG solid wire is used in speakers (that draw so little current that they can't be heard), and have voice coils that are thousands of feet in wire length....

Chris, when i first started reading your post, i was about to blast you with both barrels, about that T.I.C. remark.

i was thinking, if a newbie read this and surmised from (the red part of) your remarks that this was the thing to do, then shame on you, being a mobal gloderator and all.

then, as i read on, i saw that you followed it up with enough hyperbole,
that everyone would understand that you were just being snarky.

i'm glad you posted this.

when i read the article i got a great laugh, but wanted to debunk the "charged coil" remarks he made, for our members.

but i was juggling too many things at the time and that fell one through the cracks.


the other thing that puzzled me was that he never mentions using a bobbin, or form.

that leaves one to think he was winding directly around the magnet.

well, if you tryed to wind around one of those things, longitudinally, there's no way the windings would stay in place.

this magner is basically a cylinder, with roughly spherical ends.

the windings would turn into a snarled mess long before you could ever epoxy them in place.

i suppose he could be winding them around the diameter.

or perhaps the entire article is just T.I.C.

[ChrisK]

And, like, what's the magnet pole location? Methinks it's north at one end and south at the udder.