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Since it is optically-based and the delay pot on the MR is only 10k the depth control may not offer much range. But, that might be a good thing since you are probably not going to want "seasick" type modulation on a reverb anyway. It would be worth a try and maybe just use a fixed resistor for the depth pot if it turns out to be too limited.

This is tough. I am still waiting for the answer how to test the compression knob. Voltage driven? Scope? Any thoughts?

One important component here is that you are only going to notice this change when your drive level is turned up pretty high. You could put a scope on it if you are inclined. The signal should square off when the comp knob is turned up. But, your ears should be enough. When you turn the knob up, more signal gets clipped (gets dirtier) and the overall volume output goes down. If that's not what you are getting then the problem could be with the pot itself or the clipping diodes in your build. It's basically the same idea as a diode lift but using a pot for degrees instead of a switch for on/off.

Try it with the Warm knob down, drive all the way up and everything else set to midpoint. You should definitely here the comp knob doing what I described with those settings.

In very rare cases, A can be used for linear and B for Audio. Only seen that mentioned in the UK, though. For everyone else it is the other way round (99% of the time).

Indeed, Merry Christmas! We got 10 minutes of sleet last night. So, that's nice.

How different things are. My 11yo is still asleep at 9am, haha.

The only thing Star Wars I am looking forward to is the Obi-Wan movie. Mostly because I like Ewan McWhatshisname and I think he was the best part of the prequels. A grizzled OWK who doesn't give a crap about lightsabers or the Force would be a great movie.

Saw it finally. Didn't like it for lots of reasons. I think I must be over Star Wars since I didn't like Rogue One either. The light-speed ram was awesome, though. That was a true "hold your breath" moment. There was another moment with Kylo and Rey where I thought "oh this is about to go in a very cool direction...I want to see THAT movie" but, no. Reset everything back to where it started and played it safe. Bleh. I'll stick to TNG and the next season of The Orville. 

It's counter productive, but will there be a limited edition  10th anniversary pcb?


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I'm actually thinking about that, too.

So, 2018 will technically be the 10th anniversary of MBP (if you do inclusive counting starting from 2009). Seems like a good time to update the sticker and offer it for the donation option. I really wish I had done this a month ago when Sticker Robot was offering a ridiculous discount!

Thanks for all the suggestion guys.

I think a donate button is a good idea. I've resisted that for a long time since MBP is a business, but there are obviously people that would donate just because they like/use the forum, or the Etcher's Paradise. So, I'll make that happen. A small reward could be cool, too e.g. quality sticker, picks, that sort of thing. I did have those a few years ago and could certainly do it again. I'll take a look today at getting some made.

I'm dead set against charging anyone a fee for selling boards here, or charging the "sponsored" stores for their forum presence. The indirect benefit of this forum being a marketplace and a common meetup is more than enough reward and I think a fee would be a barrier that would make people go elsewhere. A donate button would provide the opportunity to allow those parts of the community to give back if they want but it is not something I would expect or ask for.

The main areas I need to focus attention on are increasing sales and actually doing some marketing. I say that every year though, haha. But, rest assured, MBP is still in good shape. The first half of 2017 was pretty concerning but the second half picked up steam and there won't be any noticeable impact from the end-user/customer side yet. Prices will not increase, and projects will still get released. I may down-size the roster a bit but mostly that would be to make room for newer stuff.

One last idea I'm considering is doing limited runs of older projects. Maybe bring back a couple of missed projects in batches of 10-25. So, I might start a thread where people can make suggestions on an old project they'd like to have and do a sign-up/pre-order type thing.

Just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge all the members here and say thank you for sticking around the MBP forum for another year. You guys are the reason this place exists and I feel very lucky to have this little corner of DIY on the interwebs. I am continually inspired by the work I see here and the overall enthusiasm and good-will we've created toward one another is a source of incredible satisfaction for me. I hope the same is true for you, too.

2017 was a moderate success in terms of the financial side of MBP. I've held off for a long time in discussing this publicly but the general trend in terms of hard sales has been decline over the last 2 years. I've had lean years, I've had wildly successful years and the "norm" appears to be leveling off into a reasonably, but not overwhelming profitable business. The only reason I mention this is because it's making me took a harder look at how I do things and what I can do better. I've sought and received the advice of several trusted colleagues so I am focusing more attention on what steps I need to take to maintain the level of service I hope to achieve. One key component to this year's success is the inclusion of the VFE projects, for which I am eternally grateful to Peter Rutter for making a reality. While I have not released as much of the VFE in 2017 as planned, I will keep at it and make it even more prevalent for the coming year.

I had hoped to end 2017 with a bang with some of the many projects I am close to releasing. It looks like most of those will get pushed to early 2018. These include the sub-mini tube projects, and many more. Things are coming to a close but not as fast as I wanted. But, I think it's just a matter of buckling down a bit and getting my s**t done. I still plan on releasing the first MBP kit next year, the For Fuzz Sake fuzz. I've been considering a Kicksarter campaign to get this going since it will take a couple of grand to launch. We'll see.

And, of course, any feedback you have to give on how things are going, what you'd like to see in the coming year, etc. is appreciated and welcomed.

I hope everyone has a great holiday! Be sure to get your entries in for the Build of the Year contest. Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate you damn heathens.

Update - down to the last few Wumpus PCBs so the giveaway with orders is over. Anyone who placed an order before this message was posted got one. Thanks everyone!

I will be giving the last couple away as PIFs in the next few days.

Excellent! Plus, sweet Fishman discounts for you to boot.

2018 will be a good year for you!

So, this is really weird. I made the change to the pdf in 2016. The revised pdf was uploaded to the site then. But, the link kept pulling up the old pdf. Even after replacing the entire folder just now it continued to pull up the old file. So, I renamed the entire folder, re-did the link and re-uploaded everything. Now it shows the corrected pdf. Very bizarre.

Long story short, what was written in the first post is correct and the corrected pdf now pulls up when you click the link. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have no explanation for why it was doing that.

http://www.madbeanpedals.com/projects/Collosalus2015/Collosalus2015.pdf

20k might be enough, or it might not. What I would do is leave the trimmer empty, then simply try a few resistors in there to see what gets you the closest match for biasing then use a fixed resistor. The trick is you don't have to use a socket or solder them in when testing. Just make sure both leads are contacting the pads while you measure the resulting voltage on the drain.

Well that's very strange. But, at least it is working now.