Topics

1

Build Reports / Behringer EM600 rehouse

« on: September 12, 2022, 11:20:21 AM »

A mate asked me if I'd seen the 4114 flux capacitor pedal a few months ago, he'd apparently sent that company a message to see if they were doing any more but didn't hear back. Asked if I could have a go, so I rehoused his Behringer EM600.

Took me a couple of months to figure out the code to get the speedo to cycle up on activation, and down on deactivation at the same time as the flux flashing away. There's a switch for knocking the light display completely off for rehearsal, selecting if it's on when the pedal's active or just on all the time. I printed the red warning decals off but kinda preferred it without them. Plus clearcoating the clear acrylic will only go one way.

If anyone has any use of the Behringer EM600 control layout design in a really crappy Inkscape .svg format let me know and I'll email it over, took a while to get it right. Added a second footswitch that just shorts whatever pot the Slam rotary is pointing at to 5 volts. The guitar to meter circuit was DeadAstronaut's over at DIYSB so big thanks to him for posting that.

The flux itself is a pcb to hold the addressable LEDs with LED filaments laid out over the top of them. The 'prop' part of it is wire harvested from a dead amp inside of yellow heat shrink tubing, into cheap Tayda LED bezels wrapped in red heat shrink tubing, wedged into drilled out Tayda pot covers sprayed grey. All lovingly held together with so much superglue it went everywhere and I had to clean up more stuff than I'd done. It's kinda visible on the heatshrink I used as fake rubber for the surround and inside the acrylic but testing all kinds of combinations of remover, they all bleached the crappy material so had to live with it.

The insides are.. not exactly stellar and I only got a couple of photos of them. Arduino Nano on perf, a voltage regulator for the filaments on vero, a buffer for the Behringer LED output to tell the Nano when to do stuff and the guitar to meter output on vero. I was making this up as I went along, took far too long with it and dear god I'm never doing anything that needs this much metal filing again. Couldn't figure out a way to embed an Imgur video so this is the cycling up and down - https://imgur.com/E4H9Bbn

2

Build Reports / Glasshole & Wavelord

« on: August 22, 2022, 11:50:10 AM »

Really enjoyed building these. I realise I'm extremely lazy with the artwork, none moreso than the Wavelord that I just pulled straight out of the build doc and slapped it on an orange box. Spent a bit more time on the phaser and pulled the "rotating" line off what looked like an original Mutron Phasor ad.

The tap tempo out is super cool - hats off again to Brian for these, I never knew I needed to hear a phaser do random waveforms. Did have a bit of trouble with the tempo jacks, had to swap some wires round multiple times because I'm an idiot. Worked on my board but didn't when I took it to a mate who instantly stole the tremolo so I'll just use a normal DC jack as in the build doc for when I build myself one. Innards are a bit utilitarian compared to some peoples but the duck tape over the pot cover light shield is branded stuff so maybe that counts?

Ballsed the numbers up on the phaser so they don't line up perfectly but if you screw the knob on pointing at one of them, people might not realise if you don't draw attention to it.

3

General Questions / Wavelord 1P8T Switch

« on: August 16, 2022, 02:38:40 PM »

Hello, has anyone found a source of the free rotating 1P8T switches other than Smallbear? I had some in my drawer but they stop at 8, I grabbed one from Tayda and same deal. Just if anyone knew of anywhere (UK might be a stretch but maybe Europe) to save me a Smallbear order.

4

Build Reports / Collosa.. Col.. 117 Flanger and Retrograde

« on: August 15, 2022, 03:05:22 PM »

I don't know if this beats out the Polyphase as my favourite MBP modulation this year but if it doesn't it's a close second. So many sounds with just four controls. Got to calibration and felt a bit deflated, I was getting some kind of weird filter but there wasn't any depth to it. No clangy, typewriters falling downstairs effect. Before I could even consider what I'd ballsed up, saw Gordo's build report - he mentioned the clock cap value so on a whim threw one in a few sizes down and it came to life.

Every issue I've had lately could be avoided by RTFM. I'd like to think that I'd have figured it out if guessing didn't work, hell I put a socket in for the cap and everything. Usual pillaged license-free artwork, loving decaled on misalligned and clear coated in a rush. Then belted the enclosure with my pliers near the footswitch. Ace.



The Retrograde is one I failed at years ago, so really happy Bean brought this beast back. Again, RTFM about the wiring. I read it aaand forgot it. Luckily remembered after only twenty minutes of staring at the board. I used SE300? - can't remember the last number but a bit higher gain than the SE listed in the build docs. Sounds almost on the edge of misbiased in a delicious way and I think I prefer the unoctaved mode. Thanks to Gordo for us unknowing assist, and to Bean for the boards but also the thoughts on the transistors, love reading that stuff.

5

Build Reports / Polytrogs

« on: May 20, 2022, 04:15:34 PM »

Hands down the best modulation circuit I've ever played. I never really gelled with a lot of modulation which feels a bit like an amateur baker saying "Aint cake a bit shit" but this beast is a whole new level of groovy. I like wobble but if the cycle/sweep is constant I feel a bit like a kid trying to time jumping onto a roundabout.

Made one for myself and showed a mate who had to have one but told me to lose the sweep setting. Guess which bellend wired the switch pads the wrong way at first. Also calibrating the second one I got down to the section that said "The multi-turn trimmer is included.." which was a great touch and you'd think I'd not made them days apart to forget that. Anyone else find they'd rather spend half an hour calibrating rather than 2 minutes swapping a part?

Gutted the green one is off out the door but will definitely make another.

6

Build Reports / JMC - Red Dwarf themed multi

« on: April 13, 2022, 12:22:25 PM »

Made this for a mate I went to Uni with, who also has impeccable taste in TV. I said I'd make him something, he said he's happy with dealers choice so I used some PCBs I'd had from other projects - Honey Bee, Magnavibe and a two submini tube boost thingy using the 40106 charge pump setup. I've used a different chip in a do-over to save space and for more juice but this still works as a 'sweetener' to run the Honey Bee into.

I've too many cans of spray paint lay around so a while back found a video on how to do space stuff and like how it can turn out but I'm now the proud owner of too many pieces of cardboard with planets on them. They're all the same, those blue and green planetoids. Blue, green and planetoidy.

I got right the way up to boxing it for posting today before seeing Drive has two Is in it. I blame the paint fumes but I'd spent so long clear coating at this point that it's a feature not a (Star)bug. Also panicked that the tubes would overheat so drilled some vents on the side as I was pretty much stood at the Post Office counter.

7

Build Reports / Something Old, Something New..ish. Aeons + Dreamtimr

« on: April 07, 2022, 05:05:17 PM »

I really really love this circuit. I love metal, and playing mostly through headphones it's been tougher than I thought to find a pedal that wouldn't sound like a tortoise's yeehaw noise. The Triple Wreck didn't rustle my jimmies, I screwed the Dr Boogie kit I bought a decade ago harder than my student loans does my salary (shout out to English Literature..) and I'd kinda just stopped trying. But I found this beast in a box and gave it a shot.

I hope the chap behind Grind is doing fantastically well as they were awesome at what they did. Miss that site man. Also, Apetone, I've still got a Lamphrey ready to populate but where did your bad self go?

Anyway, metal for days. It does a chug, it does a widdley widdley. Someone needs to do a do-over on this one PCB wise as I don't know anywhere that currently provides, I know Jimilee would be down (unless I'm misremembering one of his posts, sorry if I am!).




And the something new..ish. I have figured it out, if you need some hot tips on using a cheap laser to engrave powdercoat from Tayda, the secrets are: Every enclosure coating is different, so f*ck your settings, just hit some numbers and go. And most importantly - don't - and I can't stress this enough - don't kick your USB cable clean out of your laptop with 10 minutes left on the burn. That one is critical as I feel that the data transfer was a bit diminished when it dinged to a stop, I plugged back in, it reset the home position to four nautical miles away and carried on the rest of the design in a different area code. So yeah, Dreamtime became Dreamtimr with a crap A. But I've got a spiffy piece of MDF with a half a letter A and the rest of the R.

Also, Tayda aren't restocking the Mini micro subatomic switches until 2040 so I'll have that sorted as soon as I join Space Precinct, but I don't care and probably won't bother - this is the last delay I need. The FX knob packs so much in, I spent hours fannying about with this thing and it's just too much sound-wise for a 1590A. Beautiful circuit and I'm gutted I missed this until now. Massive thanks to Brian!

8

Build Reports / Tone Bender MKII for the auction

« on: April 06, 2022, 04:08:41 PM »

My laser is being a pain in the dick lately, it's a 3018 so it's a two step process to start with, laser -> hours of chipping away with anything pointy. Only now moreso. Tone Bender MKII 'Professional' which seemingly means 100k instead of 47k on Q2C that I changed back.

I remembered the last one I built was a bit quiet maxed out, someone once said on a forum "Take the output directly from the collector of Q3, it's ... louder". Yeah, turns out they weren't joking, this is the loudest thing I've ever built. Birds fell out of the sky when I turned it on, and I was wearing headphones. I'm going to have to rewire it because christ, if someone bids on it on the auctions then they're probably not after a sound that sailors fear. I've yet to build a disappointing fuzz with AC125s, either they made them different to other germs or I've just been super lucky.

9

Build Reports / Boom Boom and Kompromat

« on: October 12, 2021, 09:33:44 AM »

Really hope this formats the pictures smaller than the preview cause I got no clue how to redo them on Imgur.
Edit after pressing preview: sorry for the massive pictures. Can you specify size in the (IMG) tags like with HTML?
Edit edit: thanks EBK!

Anyway, two recent builds following moving house. I should have really been doing different things so, pedals got made. The Brassmaster is probably one of my favourite fuzzes, glorious sound. Anyone on the fence, go buy one. Not on the fence? Buy another. Artwork was a Google-find and currently using the last of my waterslide stuff up. Some idiot broke into my house and soldered 4x 100KB pots to it so had to redo them which is always a laugh having the finesse of Bigfoot with boxing gloves on.

Fantastic board as ever 'Bean!



Next up, the Kompromat. I've had a handful of CA3080s for a few years and I can never remember why I buy them so this was perfect timing being released. Recently gotten into single coils after a stupidly long time without them (if someone could just hop back in time 10 years and punch me in the nuts and yell "TELE" at me that would be great, thanks), and this thing sounds wonderful. Reused a crappy 3PDT which I'm glad about as I don't see myself knocking it off much. 

10

Open Discussion / CA3046 / differential amplifier projects?

« on: September 21, 2019, 05:55:39 PM »

Appealing to those with a greater knowledge than I. Does anyone have any leads on any projects/schematics that use the CA3046 chips? Or LM3046 obviously. Got a fair few tin can versions and all I can find is a couple of references on a synth forum. Not adversed to synth projects if they can be adapted :-)

They're a differential amplifier but with an extra transistor on the emitter of the pair. I know that the Standard Fuzz & BD2 use differentials but I don't know what I'd do with the base of the transistor on the tail to begin to try and work it in.

11

Open Discussion / Where to buy quad digi pots?

« on: July 10, 2018, 03:48:59 PM »

Bit of a weird one, want to get hold of some quad digital pots for a project but big boys all charge large postage fees (Mouser, Farnell) and it's not really a common item. Does anyone know of anywhere that doesn't charge the earth for shipping these things?

Or if anyone is on the fence about a Mouser order in the UK I'll gladly go in on it

12

Open Discussion / What transformer is this?

« on: April 16, 2018, 01:44:00 PM »

Probably/definitely a really dumb question here but what kind of transformer is this in the picture?

I've searched for "Step up transformer 1:10" so I can filter by the appropriate results regarding usage but I can't seem to find what I'm looking for

13

Open Discussion / Does anyone have the Stomptown Galacticon SMD P45 Build Doc?

« on: December 18, 2017, 02:01:34 PM »

Hello, just wondered if anyone had this build doc to hand. I messaged Stomptown but feel bad for pestering the dude as he shut his shop so shouldn't have a bellend like me badgering him.

Just feel bad cause I PIF'd the board and thought I had it saved but don't. In case anyone's looking I *do* have the Lycanthrope Tremolo and Penneyroyal chorus docs.

14

Open Discussion / Submini question - tis the season!

« on: November 19, 2017, 12:33:01 PM »

With all the submini projects in the Beanpipe I thought Id have a go at breadboarding something. I put together a subcaster, tacked on another 6N16 tube, added a tone stack. I was thinking that I could just run the heaters in series to avoid buying a 317, 6v reg or huge resistor. 12 volts / 2, job done, also works fine for the plates.

Sounds amazing, really love these little things but I think I might have an issue. My PSU is 12v 1.5A and when I've measured the heaters I'm getting less than 6volts on each, round about 5.5, and from my googling before I started in this topic someone mentions that series-ing them isn't that good as 6 is the absolute minimum:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=66746.40

So my question is, do I not care about the voltage difference, or do I hook them up a different way? The only way I can think is to power it with an 18 volt PSU with a 12 volt reg for the heaters. But this seems overkill really.

Typing all of this out I have realised that I have no filtering yet - no small value/large watt resistor to separate the power for the plates from the heaters. If this is my problem then I feel like a jackass. But still wondering if that isn't likely to be the issue Still trying to get a handle on the whole regulator/massive resistor thingy and series-ing them seemed to be too good to be true!

15

How Do I? Beginner's Paradise. / Microphone Preamp / General Recording Questions

« on: June 05, 2017, 12:28:42 PM »

Hello,

Posted this in the beginners section to highlight how daft I might sound to anyone that's ever recorded anything before.

I've always been content to record on my phone as I never wanted to do anything with any recordings but now I'm finding myself getting an itch that only Audacity is scratching right now. Before I go down the road of "WTF is mixing...", I wondered if anyone had any suggestions about microphone preamps? I'm using a Shure Prologue 10L and a Lexicon interface but feel that because it's a dynamic mic I need a preamp to bring the level up (?) but I could be barking up the wrong tree in the wrong woods. Underwater. I've seen some amazing kits (DIY is preferred) but it seems they go from £5 and jump to £200+ with little inbetween!

If anyone has any input on the following:
 - Aside from my hands, what has the biggest impact on not making things completely shit? Interface, microphone, preamp, software, knowledge of how to use your chosen recording program? Obviously paying £0.99 for each of these means I may as well record a kazoo down a drainpipe but I know little about any of the chain.
 - Do you have any favourite sources of knowledge on recording for complete simpletons?

I'm obviously googling around reading all I can, I just wanted to see if any of you fine fellas had any suggestions, tips or whatnot.