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I am using the older version of the board as found here. I have two questions about this build.

1. Why is the 14th capacitor labeled C101? Does it correspond to R101, one of the optional pulldown resistors?

2. Where can I source 220pF MLCC caps for C1 and C5? Small Bear doesn't seem to have them in values that low.

I'd like to do the "Univibe" mod on a toggle switch, but I'm not totally sure what to do. The instructions say:

• There are two pads outlined next to Q2. You can ignore these. I had intended this to be a mod for a "Univibe" switch but in my haste to complete the layout I accidentally attached them to the wrong cap. D'oh!
• If you want to do the Univibe mod make C2 10n and C3 100n.

Would I have to wire one switch to toggle both of those caps between these Univibe values and the stock values? Having trouble picturing how to do that.

Any idea what this is? There is no printing on the back.

Hey all, I'm trying to get this fairly simple thing to work, and I can't figure out what's going wrong. Thanks in advance for your advice!

What I want to do is add a dual output buffer to an Ernie Ball VP Jr. Here's what I did:

• I populated a PCB, tested that both outputs worked, and set to installing it.
• I installed a DC jack into the VP and connected PCB power and ground to it. (Also connected an LED/CLR.)
• I cut traces on the board that connect the IN jack to the tuner OUT jack and the volume pot.
• I connected the PCB input to the tip of the IN jack.
• I connected one output to the tip of the tuner OUT jack.
• I connected the other output to the PCB pad that is connected to the middle lug of the volume pot.
• I connected the DC jack sleeve to one of the I/O jack sleeves.

Now the pedal functions basically like an on/off switch. Heel down, it's off. As soon as I push the treadle forward at all, it comes in at full volume and stays there for the whole sweep. Any ideas or suggestions?

I'm replacing a 3-button switch for a Bogner Shiva, and wanting to make sure I get a diode that works right. Pretty sure its only function is to isolate the signals from the different footswitches. It appears to be a 1N4728A, which I don't have on hand, but probably something else I have would work fine. Any recommendations for subs?

I have never really used an audio probe until now, so I'm a little tentative with how it works and how to trace the signal path on the schematic. (I've read a few tutorials, trying to apply what I've read.)

I'm troubleshooting an Aion Andromeda. On my test rig, bypass works as expected, but it's just a low level hum when engaged. With the audio probe, I get a loud hum until I touch the probe to the input. Then I get clean signal as expected. I probe one end of R1 and get more clean sound. I probe the other end of R1: nothing. This made me think, wow, the first component in the signal path is the problem, lucky me. But I replaced it and the same thing happens, so maybe the problem is... well, me. 

Schematic attached.

Cleaning out the parts drawers, and found a few things that I'm not sure about. What type of vactrol is this? And what are these ICs good for?

Either there is no octave effect, or there is, and it's subtle, and the toggle switch doesn't disengage it. At any rate, the switch does not change the sound one bit. All other controls work as expected.

[bonus points]

Inspired by trailer's thread on Strat pickups, I thought I'd check out what people are putting in their Telecasters these days. I have a Classic Vibe Thinline that might be getting more use in a new band soon, and am considering an upgrade.

Feel free to share any favorite pickup, but bonus points if you can meet my specific criteria: better than stock CV pickups (so probably not GFS or similar, but maybe) but cheaper than boutique prices.

I built this for my 13-year old son, who is getting really good at bass. Got a PCB from user brejna (Brane), and set to putting it together a couple weeks ago. After realizing I needed a few special parts, I placed a Small Bear order and waited. When it arrived, I was bummed to find out that they had made a rare mistake and sent the wrong transistors. They corrected it, and fortunately the replacement parts arrived yesterday, in time to get them installed. I had done all the drilling and decal work while I waited. I was lucky enough and extra careful enough in component placement to have made no mistakes, and it fired right up! A cool effect.

Notes on the build. It was my first time using a few parts: the XLR jack, the Lumberg I/O jacks, and the pre-wired momentary switch from Love My Switches. I like the Lumberg jacks a lot, but I probably won't get the pre-wired momentary again. It's 18-gauge wire, way too thick to use conveniently in a pedal build, as you can see from how I handled the wiring there. It took way more time than just wiring it normally would have taken.

Major thanks to Brane for answering my questions via PM, sending me documents to help with the layout, and for putting together such a stellar PCB! Eight board mounted components is no joke. But it went together really easily.

This one has been in the works for a long time. I love the 1776 Effects Multiplex. Just a stellar echo sound with a cool momentary warp/detune feature. I love the modulation on the Jr. model, but it doesn't have the momentary button. I wanted both. So step one was a Multiplex with the supplemental modulation PCB, but then I had another idea: momentary oscillation.

There are a few ways to do this, but after asking around and getting some suggestions, I decided to go with my original idea, which was to use a momentary 3PDT switch where the common row was wired to the feedback control on the PCB, the normally connected row was wired to the feedback pot, and the momentary row connected to a trimpot of the same value, set just at the edge of oscillation. With a little help from Morgan at BYOC (see here), I got it all working as expected.

So now I have a Multiplex with modulation, detune, and oscillation. Throw in a decal design from my talented designer from Dave, and we're good to go...

...except that I seem entirely incapable of building a Multiplex without mis-drilling a hole. My original location for the output jack was not compatible with my placement of the PCB. So I have a little bit of a silly I/O situation going on, but oh well.

I plan to change the modulation knobs to cream and the echo type knob to a mini chicken head, but other than that, I think it's ready to go on my board! Thanks Josh for this brilliant circuit.

I built an Afterlife compressor and boxed it up in the only enclosure I had on hand, which was a 125B with holes drilled for three pots. It got me thinking: the Diamond compressor has a tone control, and I wonder if I could add one to this circuit.

If I were to insert the AMZ "Stupidly Wonderful Tone Control" (see here) in between the positive leg of C2 and lug 3 of the volume pot, would that work?

This was a really fun build to lay out and assemble. I always love it when something with this many components works on the first try. I did find the 2SK30 transistors were kind of noisy and swapped them out for 2N5457 as Brian recommends, which seemed to help. Fun effect! Not sure how long I'll keep it around—it's awesome on single note lines but not so great at fattening two-note chords for swells, which is what I had hoped to do with it. (I guess I just need a POG for that.)

Decal was once again designed by my talented friend Dave, although I botched it pretty good by not realizing the decal stock had a film on it, but we won't go into that and we'll just say the graininess was intentional... and hope the lacquer holds up.

I'm building the LowRider, and I just realized that the larger ICs are 14-pin, not 16-pin as I assumed. So the sockets I have won't fit. Do these ICs need to be socketed, or can I fairly safely solder them directly?

Hey all, is there a simple way to put a vibe mod on a toggle switch on the current version (2011) of the Pork Barrel?

Is the 1N5817 at D6 on the new GreenBean board just a polarity protection diode? If so, can I use a 1N4001? I have no 1N5817s but a billion 1N4001s.

Seems like the answer was yes for another Madbean board when someone asked a similar question, but I want to make sure.

Not in a 1590a enclosure. Is this just a matter of using a pot in place of one of the resistors, or would it be more complicated than that?

I was wondering if the GreenBean will be available today as scheduled, or within a day or two. I need a TS board for a customer build, so if Brian or anyone knows if it's on schedule, it would be helpful. Thanks!

I built an etched Grapevine for a friend, and he's asking if we can roll of a touch of the bass in the pedal. Is there a simple way to do this, maybe a cap change?

Hi all, I'm a regular over at BYOC, but this is my first post here. I built the Smoothie with success but am having trouble with the Runt. I think the only part substitution I made is a a 2.2n cap instead of 3.3 at C8.

Bypass works as expected. LED works when effect is engaged, but it passes no sound, and the circuit board gets quite hot after 10 seconds or so. The heat seems concentrated at the top by the 3 electros. The same problem occurs both using a breakout box connected with alligator clips and with the pedal quasi-assembled in the enclosure (the PCB hanging loose with extra wires).

What I've done so far:

Double, triple, quintuple checked all wiring and parts orientation
Reflowed all solder joints
Tested wire-grounding both I/O jacks instead of only the input jack
Swapped the transistor orientation (just in case the PCB was wrong), then socketed and replaced the transistor, which is why it's just stuck in the socket without the leads clipped.
Checked continuity among all ground points on the PCB, the switch, and the sleeves of all the jacks

I feel like this has to be a power short to ground, but I can't seem to find it! Photos: