Invertiguy's recent "TurboFlange" post inspired me to get this working. I built mine in a 1590XX. I ordered most of the ICs and transistors from UTsource. Here's a list of what I got, and what turned out to be real/working:
Part Number Brand Quantity Price(USD) Amount(USD)
2SC1815(Y) TOSHIBA 30 US $0.10 US $3.00 Fake
2SA1015Y TOSHIBA 5 US $0.78 US $3.90 Fake
MN3204 PANASONI 2 US $3.94 US $7.88 Real
MN3102 PAN/MAT 5 US $0.60 US $3.00 Real
C4570C NEC 4 US $0.60 US $2.40 Fake
It's funny the MN3204s and MN3102s were fine. Also, I didn't go through all the parts that didn't work, might be that some were bad others were fine. C4570C is a low noise dual op-amp. A lot guys on stereo forums are looking for these. I'd recommend using something else. I used my stash of OP2134s just to get it working. I'll probably swap some of them out for TL072s and see if there is a noticeable difference.
Here's some pics of the boards before I burned them up during the de-bug. I originally used a pin header to connect the two PCBs. This turned out to be a bad idea. It was a pain to get apart.
Superb build and I dig those graphics! Is that graphic done with the no film decal stuff? Very nice.
You certainly had to deal with a lot of fake stuff there what a pain in the butt... I mean fake 2SC1815s.... suck...
Great you got it all working and wrapped up so top notch!
Holy crap you are just killin it with the no film decal stuff. I'm trying to avoid this stuff like the plague but you're making a pretty strong case.
Thanks guys! But this one is just a regular waterslide with clear coat on top. I made this several months ago but decided to figure out what was wrong with it this weekend.
Looks awesome! That is really funny that the harder-to-find (at least it would seem, anyway!) chips were the ones that were real. I am guessing that JRC4558 or TL072 as you mentioned would be fine for the op amps.
You know I have to ask, how do you like the sounds compared to the A/DA you built?
Bio77, When I did mine last year, I bought working MN3204's from UTsource too.
I also bought some C4570's from them at the same time, which worked, but seeing you've mentioned your C4570's from there were fake, it's possible the ones I got from them were fake too. Possibly they're a similar opamp with the same pinout.
Regardless, it sounds great & one of my top 2 fav's (lost count how many different flangers I've owned). Highly recommended for anyone considering getting one. I've still got the SOST flanger & ? Flange PCB's to finish, I'm very late getting around to those 2 due to the daunting wiring & all the sockets etc. I did populate the ?, I just have to read up & plan ahead the drilling etc & get it finished. It looks like a nightmare & the SOST is even more of a worry. Hopefully I'll be fine, just have to put the time in.
Quote from: RDL68 on February 18, 2019, 03:50:13 PM
Bio77, When I did mine last year, I bought working MN3204's from UTsource too.
I also bought some C4570's from them at the same time, which worked, but seeing you've mentioned your C4570's from there were fake, it's possible the ones I got from them were fake too. Possibly they're a similar opamp with the same pinout.
Maybe fake was the wrong wording, definitely the one in the LFO was not working. Definitely the 2SA1015Y and one of the 2SC1815(Y) were not working. I'll have to test the rest out to know for sure.
Quote from: Bret608 on February 18, 2019, 01:48:42 PM
You know I have to ask, how do you like the sounds compared to the A/DA you built?
I'm excited about this one, I'd like to do the calibration once more to get it perfect, then test it with the band. I use a boss BF-2 with my bass, which I like. I think this one is more of that flavor vs. the A/DA, and hopefully a better version of that. The intensity foot switch is cool, I'm looking forward to having it as an option.
Quote from: Bio77 on February 18, 2019, 04:29:19 PM
Quote from: RDL68 on February 18, 2019, 03:50:13 PM
Bio77, When I did mine last year, I bought working MN3204's from UTsource too.
I also bought some C4570's from them at the same time, which worked, but seeing you've mentioned your C4570's from there were fake, it's possible the ones I got from them were fake too. Possibly they're a similar opamp with the same pinout.
Maybe fake was the wrong wording, definitely the one in the LFO was not working. Definitely the 2SA1015Y and one of the 2SC1815(Y) were not working. I'll have to test the rest out to know for sure.
Quote from: Bret608 on February 18, 2019, 01:48:42 PM
You know I have to ask, how do you like the sounds compared to the A/DA you built?
I'm excited about this one, I'd like to do the calibration once more to get it perfect, then test it with the band. I use a boss BF-2 with my bass, which I like. I think this one is more of that flavor vs. the A/DA, and hopefully a better version of that. The intensity foot switch is cool, I'm looking forward to having it as an option.
I'm glad you got it working in the end, it looks awesome, I hate it when people have trouble with our boards. I have to admit I have a bunch of stuff that I need to go back to and tinker with. Dino seems to just be able to nail all of our proto builds and I sadly have a bunch of stuff on the "calibrate later" pile. Think I should just stick to Eagle.
Do you mind if I nab the pictures for our Instagram feed???
Well I'm glad to have inspired you to get this finished, your build looks incredible! I wish my wiring was that neat! I also feel very lucky that none of the parts I ordered turned out to be fake (or if they were, that they were close enough to work correctly) considering that I got all those same parts off of Ebay. It does seem rather odd that the transistors and op-amps were fake and the BBDs were real, considering the vast difference in price and scarcity, but I guess there's no accounting for the lengths some unscrupulous individuals will go to in order to turn a quick buck. In any case, it's an awesome flanger, and I'm glad you got it working!
Received my PCBs yesterday. Placed an order for MN3204s with Utsource a moment ago - fingers crossed. Assuming they will arrive one day, is there any way to test the chips short of just trying them in a completed build?
Quote from: PMowdes2 on February 19, 2019, 12:19:49 AM
I'm glad you got it working in the end, it looks awesome, I hate it when people have trouble with our boards. I have to admit I have a bunch of stuff that I need to go back to and tinker with. Dino seems to just be able to nail all of our proto builds and I sadly have a bunch of stuff on the "calibrate later" pile. Think I should just stick to Eagle.
Do you mind if I nab the pictures for our Instagram feed???
Thanks, I just ordered another one. I have a feeling I'll need to build one for a friend once they hear it :D Sure, nab away. If you need me to email you anything, that's fine too.
Quote from: rockola on February 19, 2019, 03:20:00 AM
Received my PCBs yesterday. Placed an order for MN3204s with Utsource a moment ago - fingers crossed. Assuming they will arrive one day, is there any way to test the chips short of just trying them in a completed build?
I was wondering the same thing this morning. Also, I'd be curious to know how to tell the difference between different op-amps. I did notice that when I put the OPA2134 into the LFO, the triangle wave output had a larger amplitude than the TL072. I'm not sure if that matters but that's why I chose it.
"Maybe fake was the wrong wording, definitely the one in the LFO was not working. Definitely the 2SA1015Y and one of the 2SC1815(Y) were not working. I'll have to test the rest out to know for sure."
Maybe just a few DOA's, but it seems like really bad lack for it to happen with 3 different types of parts in one order.
For those 2 transistor types, Polida on ebay were selling 50 of each type bundled together for about $1.30 delivered, which turned out to be good value & I didn't have any problems with them.
"is there any way to test the chips short of just trying them in a completed build?"
Besides a trusty multimeter, I have a few testers to check parts, one for transistors (displays hfe etc), one for capacitors (does all the pf's a multimeter can't) & also an IC tester. The IC tester doesn't recognize BBD's, but it does opamps, the 4000 series & various others. It's helpful to check most IC's are working before installing. I also found when testing common parts like TL072 it will expose cheaper opamps that have been rebadged. For BBD's, if you don't have a working circuit to test them it's good to buy some extras (from different sources even better) so you can at least quickly try a few before resorting to more intense troubleshooting.
I placed an order on utsource for 6 mn3204 chips, mn3102 and some upc4570c and 2sc2458BL. Hopefully I can build two of these flangers. Were did you get the regulator? The LDO regulator seems rather hard to get hold of.
Quote from: skumberg on February 20, 2019, 08:41:50 AM
I placed an order on utsource for 6 mn3204 chips, mn3102 and some upc4570c and 2sc2458BL. Hopefully I can build two of these flangers. Were did you get the regulator? The LDO regulator seems rather hard to get hold of.
I used one from Mouser (pt# 595-TL750L08CLP)
Quote from: Bio77 on February 19, 2019, 10:38:09 AM
Quote from: PMowdes2 on February 19, 2019, 12:19:49 AM
I'm glad you got it working in the end, it looks awesome, I hate it when people have trouble with our boards. I have to admit I have a bunch of stuff that I need to go back to and tinker with. Dino seems to just be able to nail all of our proto builds and I sadly have a bunch of stuff on the "calibrate later" pile. Think I should just stick to Eagle.
Do you mind if I nab the pictures for our Instagram feed???
Thanks, I just ordered another one. I have a feeling I'll need to build one for a friend once they hear it :D Sure, nab away. If you need me to email you anything, that's fine too.
Quote from: rockola on February 19, 2019, 03:20:00 AM
Received my PCBs yesterday. Placed an order for MN3204s with Utsource a moment ago - fingers crossed. Assuming they will arrive one day, is there any way to test the chips short of just trying them in a completed build?
I was wondering the same thing this morning. Also, I'd be curious to know how to tell the difference between different op-amps. I did notice that when I put the OPA2134 into the LFO, the triangle wave output had a larger amplitude than the TL072. I'm not sure if that matters but that's why I chose it.
www.instagram.com/deadendfx
Here's what Utsource sent me. Do these look legit?
I can't comment on the 2 cans, but the chips all look OK (genuine) to me.
The MN3102's aren't so rare yet & it looks like they're NOS. Their pins don't look bent.
The MN3204's looks used, pins look bent to fit PCB pads or IC sockets. Hard to tell from pics if they've been de-soldered, but it doesn't mean you wont get working parts. Doesn't mean they'll all be working either, only testing them will answer that, but if you bought more than you need it'll help a lot in avoiding disappointment.
The MN3207's, I'd be more worried about the one on the left. Underneath looks like it may have been contaminated with something moist. It looks like the tide has come in from left to right. Not sure what's going on with that one.
You can check if it looks like that moisture reaches any of the pins where they come out of the IC & if so I'd be wary of that one, if moisture soaked inside it could've killed it. If that blemish is just on the bottom surface, it may be fine.