Guitar Neck Duplicator By Eric Hall

Background  Difficult to Replicate  Time Consuming  Generally done by hand

What’s Available Expensive ($2,000 – $4,000) Manually Operated

Problem The customer wants a more time efficient way to duplicate guitar necks.

Requirements  The process must perform high enough quality work so that only sanding is required to finish the product.  It must be able to duplicate a variety of different length necks (about 10"- 18" long).  Wear items must be easy to replace.  It must be autonomous.

Solution The device is based on the key maker concept. (The cutting tool follows a path that is dictated by a previously fabricated pattern part.) The key maker is explicitly two dimensional, while the Guitar Neck Duplicator will be three axis (The third being rotational).

System Overview

Mechanical Concept

Electrical Concept

Software Concept  MCU slowly advances guide transverse motor  Limit switch is pressed  MCU increments part rotational motor one step  MCU slowly advances guide transverse motor in reverse  Limit switch is pressed  Repeat  Angle sensor indicates to MCU that process is finished  MCU stops all motion

Budget Stepper Motors$50.00 Aluminum$50.00 Spring$3.00 Sensors$10.00 Microcontroller$2.00 RouterSupplied Router Bit$25.00 Misc. Hardware$40.00 Total Cost$180.00

Timeline  The project length from brainstorming to completion will take approximately 5 months.