Messages

1

General Questions / Re: Less gain out of a BSIAB II?

« on: April 28, 2022, 02:23:37 AM »

If I remember well the BSAIB clean up very well with the guitar volume pot (but it even can reach a clean and sparkle sound at low gain setting with its Gain pot. The one was mine did it).

Maybe you can try to add a sort of Pre-Gain control, a simple pot in front of the circuit.

If you really want to decrease the overall gain (I don't know what kind board you built your circuit) you could try to add a voltage divider before the gain pot, a sort of fixed gain pot (at 50%), placed before the stock gain pot, I guess this will halve the amount of the gain.

Looking at the schematic of the BSIAB II and the Vertex Steel String Clean Drive, mentioned by zombie_rock123, I think a big difference does the caps and the resistor, on the transistor in the first stage, between the source and the ground. A bigger resistor and a smaller cap (it's enough one) will reduce the gain (and maybe the low end).

2

Build Reports / Re: MIAB - Golden Falk

« on: February 21, 2022, 03:01:41 AM »

The schematic is very similar to the Ramble FX Marvel Drive, but I guess it sounds good.

3

General Questions / Re: Woolly Mammoth: 2k linear or... 1k rev log?

« on: February 03, 2022, 12:28:57 PM »

Thought the tape will work better, seeing my experience with a linear, do a 5k cut even more gain?
DO you play it with a guitar? How do your pedal sounds at lowest gain setting?

Anyway, I can't explain how the original keeps all that gain at minimum and at half setting if it use a 2k, while the one I built, and other DIY I Woolly Mammoth I seen on some video need higher setting of the Wool pot to come alive.

4

General Questions / Woolly Mammoth: 2k linear or... 1k rev log?

« on: February 03, 2022, 05:25:48 AM »

Hello guys, I'm playing around the Woolly Mammoth circuit since... over three years! It's arrived the time to finish it. (Tagboard veroboard layout).
My build has some adding, but it's the same basic original schematic we know.
I play the pedal on a totally clean channel with a guitar.
Watching some demo, this for example:

&t=82s

I noticed something different in a pair of pots. I'm talking about the Volume pot (maybe it's a log not a linear, but that's not so important), and in especially way about the Wool pot, the fuzz control.

My Wool pot works a bit different from the demo I watched. First thing: at half setting I have lower gain than the original. And at minimum setting it sounds really poor, very low gain, not a nice cleanish, just a dirty muddy and faint sound. While the original sounds still rich of gain. In my pedal the Wool pot increases the gain suddenly in the last 10%. I see all these behavior in some DIY pedal videos.
So, the original seems to have a smaller range of fuzz, a more linear tape and it has more fuzz at minimum setting.

In all the schematic we can find the Woolly pot is a 2k linear, but I think a 1k rev log could sound more close to the original. Unfortunately I have none to try.
I just can't understand how every schematic, document, build, etc. I find has a 2k linear as Wool pot.

5

Open Discussion / Re: Tayda orders, calculate of the duty, fee, taxes... please?

« on: December 14, 2021, 06:06:14 AM »

I used to make about 40 $ order only with coupon, too. And registered mail.

Unfortunately, DHL doesn't say, at least I didn't find out, how they calculate this fee. I heard a guy, with a 42 $ order, DHL shipping included, paid 28 $ of fee. More than 65% of cost.
I think small orders are the worst thing we could do today. In the past I did two or three 40-45 $ gathering all the parts I need for my projects, but maybe I should spend all in one bigger order just stocking parts.
Maybe the weight could increase some fee, but if a fee is fixed (16 €?) and the about 12 $ DHL shipping is fixed (this we know it) bigger order can be more convenient then small reducing the percentage of the cost causes by all the fee.
Afterall, Tayda itself says:«import tax and DHL import clearance handling fees can be very expensive!! not ideal for small orders».

I think with some example of orders made from Tayda we could draw a sort of graphic. If somebody from EU want to share his experience.
After we have this schematic we could decide how we should to spend from Tayda to be more convenient than Musikding or other shops, and maybe even what exactly to buy. Resistors and pots are very cheap, some film caps or IC costs almost the same, and save just two or five cents it's not enough, knowing in the end the cost will be increased of 30%, for example. Better to fill the cart with other stuff.
I need to order other stuff from Musikding, anyway.

Off Topic: The target of the EU was increase internal market demand, but that has only diminished our purchasing power, imho. I'll be more poor or I'll buy less stuff.

6

Open Discussion / Tayda orders, calculate of the duty, fee, taxes... please?

« on: December 08, 2021, 05:00:19 AM »

Hello guys. I have a big problem to afford the cost of my DIY hobby activities in the last period.
Tayda has been a big resource to buy material at low cost to build pedals. I always used Registered Mail and coupon code 15% discount.
But now we don't have coupon, and registered mail, at least in EU, I guess. And the new rules about duty and fee has increased the cost very much.
I can't place my order (around 65 $) because I don't know how fee I'll pay in the end, and I afraid it could be really much high.
I just know I have to add VAT (22% in Italy), but I have to include before even some other costs.

Do somebody calculate these duty or write here how much he paid for its orders, please?

7

Build Reports / Re: Dragonbeard (Expandora)

« on: November 02, 2021, 03:37:28 AM »

How did you polish the enclosure? I use sand paper until 1000, then an abrasive paste, but I can't get that result.

8

General Questions / I want to try the tiniest 1590LB boxes

« on: October 23, 2021, 02:58:18 AM »

Hello guys.
After some pedals in 1590A boxes:
https://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=29489.0
https://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=32628.0
I want to try the tiniest 1590LB boxes.
The one I'm going to buy will be this: https://www.musikding.de/BoxType-LB (51x51x32mm).
I have one of this boxes to build a simple project that includes 3.5mm jacks and a toggle switch, so I have enough room for it.

I don't need buffer or a "classic" booster. I want to put into this box a schematic with a sort of mid filter with boost.
But to fit into the box a 3PDT blue footswitch, two open frame jacks (even Lumberg type), DC jack (12mm mounting hole with external nut), two 9mm pots and a stripboard 21x26mm (with low profile caps) it's not so easy, and I afraid I can't find a right fit method.

I looked at some gutshots, but I need some tricks.

Thanks!

9

Tech Help - Projects Page / Re: Help with chunk chunk mod?

« on: September 16, 2021, 02:05:40 AM »

40K? Weird value for a reseistor.
Anyway, if that resistor is smaller than stock 470k let pass more signal, so more gain, maybe a bit of more treble.

10

General Questions / Re: Dr. Boogie in the 2020

« on: September 05, 2021, 02:29:20 AM »

I experimented on the filter in the power supply section, but my initial oscillations issue was caused from the layout design.

I tried to change the value of the 1uF caps, but in the end I like the original. It was more difficult to include resistors in the veroboard layout I used.
I included a three way switch to change the value of the cap in the first stage.

11

General Questions / Re: Dr. Boogie in the 2020

« on: September 04, 2021, 01:59:21 AM »

Thanks.
My Dr. Boogie works at 9v and the drain voltage setting is about 4.7v. Not oscillation problem for me. I got it, but I solved easily.
After some experiments I didn't get a lot of dynamics, but it's fine enough for this pedal. Not really touch sensitive, but I guess this is the circuit.

12

General Questions / Re: Dr. Boogie in the 2020

« on: September 02, 2021, 02:13:32 AM »

Thanks for the info. Honestly, I don't remember, with that voltage setting it sounds less gainy and aggressive, it isn't? I guess that is the reason it clean up better.

(I assume the big amount of gain doesn't allow to clean up well. I still didn't build a JCM800 fet emulator, but maybe it doesn't have this kind of problem because it should be smoother.)

13

General Questions / Re: Low battery indicator, setting minimum voltage

« on: August 10, 2021, 01:43:10 AM »

Ok, I'll try to do something.

14

General Questions / Re: Low battery indicator, setting minimum voltage

« on: August 09, 2021, 02:32:44 AM »

I ordered the TL431, the circuit is smaller, so I prefer it, anyway.

For the two BC547 transistor schematic I can't get how I have to set the trimmer to make the LED light up at the voltage I want.

I tried to put a pot in line to the battery and the 9v to decrease the voltage of the circuit. Then I set the trimmer until the LED turned on, but maybe this mess up the voltage, too. Not sure.
I need some instructions I can't find anywhere.

15

General Questions / Re: Low battery indicator, setting minimum voltage

« on: August 08, 2021, 04:17:17 AM »

Thanks, ok.
I'll buy a TL431, and I'll see well how I could set the right voltage for me.