I have never liked playing out of dirt pedals too much....I am more of a booster guy, because I own what I consider the best sounding amps out there (Dr Z Maz 18, and a Tone King Metropolitan). So for a little more gain, I just prefer to push the preamp tubes with a SHO-style circuit.
But this thing.....if I close my eyes, it's like I'm playing straight through my Maz, dimed. Hands down the best dirt pedal I've ever played through. And so tonally versatile. I am blown away.
I modified the etched board for a trimmer for bias, and used an AC176, hfe 83, very low leakage.
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/06/asubahup.jpg)
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/06/naruqy6u.jpg)
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/06/erypahy8.jpg)
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/06/u4yneteq.jpg)
Radical! I love the graphic.
Thanks.
On a darker note.... apparently, cutting down the potentiometer shafts with a cut-off wheel gets them hot. Hot enough to damage the carbon inside the pot. And I now have to rip it apart to fix it.
Lol, it wouldn't be mine unless I had to tear it apart to fix bonehead mistakes, I guess.:P SMH.
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Nice work and your review makes building one of these very tempting.
I think I might have to see what I can knock up in eagle.
It's a great circuit. it can do boost, overdrive, and even fuzz. It's like a damn Swiss army knife of dirt. I bias mine so when it's got the fuzz side turned up, it's FUZZY. ;)
Looks killer mate, love that graphic. I have had to cut a few pot shafts down myself lately, used a dremel, i hadn't heard that this can damage the pots. Is there another safer way to do this? all the best, Matt.
I'm not sure of a better way....but the knurled shaft pots they sell at tayda are just a bit too long for Davies knobs. And I just can't afford to go through some of the other supplier outlets, they are more than twice the price. I may try small bolt cutters.....no more cutting wheel for me, tho. I'm pretty bummed out about having to redo the pots.
Ah well.....I have 10 more projects to do in the meantime:P
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Great looking build!
I've used a hand file and a hacksaw with no ill effects (other than blisters :-\)
Very nice build. And by your verdict, I wanna build one of those too;) . (It sounds a bit stupid, but i am out lookin for another project with 5 knobs... i have an enclosure i want to re-use...).
By lookin at the PCB layout, i can really see the space for the trimmer replacement (R11, right). Good thinking:)
Cheers
Nice build. You're right this is an incredibly versatile dirt box.
Fantastic graphics! Really really love everything about it.
As to circuit goes, haven't built one yet, but it is on my list for months I have an etched board for it, and everything I've heard about this circuit makes me think I'm gonna LOVE it, so, ... hm, maybe I'll put it in my 3-in-1 that I am planning. Hm...
First of all, great looking build. The graphics are really cool.
I completely agree with you about this circuit. It, along with the very similar Lunar Module, is one of my favorite dirt pedals. So versatile.
I've also overheated and killed a potentiometer by grinding. These days, I file them down, which is a pain and certainly penance for something horrible I've done in a former life.
Lovely build dude!
I agree about the screwdriver; it's a fantastic circuit (still need to box mine up).
Quote from: Vallhagen on June 06, 2013, 06:39:55 AM
Very nice build. And by your verdict, I wanna build one of those too;) . (It sounds a bit stupid, but i am out lookin for another project with 5 knobs... i have an enclosure i want to re-use...).
By lookin at the PCB layout, i can really see the space for the trimmer replacement (R11, right). Good thinking:)
Cheers
yea, R11. I didn't have any 5k trimmers so I used a 10k, and set it at 2k7 before I soldered it in, and worked it from there....I never understood why some germanium circuits are set up without bias trimmers, given how temperamental they are to age and temperature....
Quote from: Guitarmageddon on June 06, 2013, 06:36:12 AM
Great looking build!
I've used a hand file and a hacksaw with no ill effects (other than blisters :-\)
a file....the thought occurred to me, but then I looked at my new dremel setup sitting in the room.....:o
Quote from: billstein on June 06, 2013, 07:26:18 AM
Nice build. You're right this is an incredibly versatile dirt box.
Quote from: Cortexturizer on June 06, 2013, 08:21:57 AM
Fantastic graphics! Really really love everything about it.
As to circuit goes, haven't built one yet, but it is on my list for months I have an etched board for it, and everything I've heard about this circuit makes me think I'm gonna LOVE it, so, ... hm, maybe I'll put it in my 3-in-1 that I am planning. Hm...
Quote from: pickdropper on June 06, 2013, 12:39:29 PM
First of all, great looking build. The graphics are really cool.
I completely agree with you about this circuit. It, along with the very similar Lunar Module, is one of my favorite dirt pedals. So versatile.
I've also overheated and killed a potentiometer by grinding. These days, I file them down, which is a pain and certainly penance for something horrible I've done in a former life.
Quote from: raulduke on June 06, 2013, 12:43:51 PM
Lovely build dude!
I agree about the screwdriver; it's a fantastic circuit (still need to box mine up).
Thank you, all. It's your build reports that motivate me to NOT leave mine in plain, unpainted enclosures.;) I usually just want to box them and throw them into the pedal board (which is actually just a rug on the ground ).
The only time I usually do any sort of artwork, is if I'm giving it away to my kid or a friend, or selling it to fund my next projects.
Another little tidbit I learned.....throwing the enclosure in the oven to help the clear coat dry faster is a bad idea if you have a waterslide decal on it...... anyone here remember shrinky-dinks?
I had to coat the box so thick to get rid of the edges of the decal after it started to shrink, it took 4 days to finally dry.
SMH again. :P
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Very nice graphics, though I must say that being able to read Cyrilic makes your labels sound very funny. :)
About the pot shafts: I recently BROKE a set of clippers by trying to cut the pot shafts. And dented another very nice pair. I need something stronger I think. :(
Oh man, don't worry yourself over that shrinking waterslide. I managed to do that on my Cosmo even without baking it! ;) And I sure got that clearcoat on there thick enough to minimize the edges, only the clearcoat ended up being less than beautiful!
But the circuit is so good it's what made me want to push myself enough to even try a waterslide for the first time! I love what you did with this. I'm curious how the bias you like on the trimmer differs from the fixed resistor value. I tend to like the pre-gain jacked, but there are great shades of lower-gain dirt on tap too.
Quote from: Bret608 on June 06, 2013, 03:54:21 PMOh man, don't worry yourself over that shrinking waterslide. I managed to do that on my Cosmo even without baking it! ;) And I sure got that clearcoat on there thick enough to minimize the edges, only the clearcoat ended up being less than beautiful!
But the circuit is so good it's what made me want to push myself enough to even try a waterslide for the first time! I love what you did with this. I'm curious how the bias you like on the trimmer differs from the fixed resistor value. I tend to like the pre-gain jacked, but there are great shades of lower-gain dirt on tap too.
I haven't had a chance to check the bias voltage, yet. I set it as per the schematic, but I included it because I play in a converted attic of a circa 1926 house, so the temperature up there varies widely. It can go from around 65°f to 100°f in the same day. So germanium is not always cooperative.;)
Quote from: midwayfair on June 06, 2013, 03:52:59 PMVery nice graphics, though I must say that being able to read Cyrilic makes your labels sound very funny. :)
About the pot shafts: I recently BROKE a set of clippers by trying to cut the pot shafts. And dented another very nice pair. I need something stronger I think. :(
Jon, I wasn't crazy about the Cyrilic at first, the "b" looks like a "g"....Damn Russians, why can't they write in English like normal people? :P
I bit the bullet and ordered some proper pots from mammoth last night. This circuit deserves not to be MacGyver'd . Altho, I really have to sell a couple builds now to pay for the parts.....still not working, so I can't justify spending money on things I enjoy as opposed to things I need.
I can justify the money if I build it for my kid, tho.;)
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A short question, that maybe should suit better under the "general questions", but i ask here as it is about the actual circuit:
The build doc asks for BC109 as Q2. I have BC108B in my drawers. By checking specs i cant see any important differencies between them, which should mean that 108B would do the job just fine. Any opinions on this?
Cheers!
Couldn't you have used a washer or two to adjust the height of the pots?
The best endorsement I can give for the Cosmo is that I haven't built another pedal since I built mine. I've actually been playing my guitar instead of building pedals 8) (Gassin' for a LowRider, though)
Quote from: slimtriggers on June 08, 2013, 05:41:25 PM
Couldn't you have used a washer or two to adjust the height of the pots?
The best endorsement I can give for the Cosmo is that I haven't built another pedal since I built mine. I've actually been playing my guitar instead of building pedals 8) (Gassin' for a LowRider, though)
board-mounted pots, so no room for adjustments after they were soldered in...but I won't make that mistake again.:)