Topics

Hey Brian, how important is it to use the10uF tants?
I have some on order but i have populated the board and accidentally put in 10uF electros as my brain was on autopilot.  (Idiot!!!)
I can try to desolder but i find fabbed boards a ballache to desolder but am prepared to if its worth it.
Will it make much difference to the sound or how it functions?
Thanks

Thought id share some completed pics of my current project.
Its 3 od pedals and an SHO boost - marshall guvnor, voodoo labs sparkledrive and the rockbox boiling point. All done on vero.
A 4p3t switch is used to switch between pedals and theres an led indicating which od is selected.
The output signal then goes to a SHO boost which is switch offable.
All works apart from the SHO boost but thats a job for another day.

Heres some pics ....

Im building a pedal with 3 overdrives, a guvnor, a sparkle drive, a boiling point and an sho boost.  Theres a 4p3t switching between the overdrives and theres a led indicating which od is selected and then the output signal goes to a dpdt which selects the boost on/off.

Anyway, im doing all the offboard wiring and tested out the switching. The bypass led is an 8mm diffused red with a 1k resistor and the overdrive and the 3 od selection diodes are 5mm blue diffused with a 4k7.
When the bypass led is on i find that the blue led is off and when the bypass led is off, the blue ked is on. Im guessing that the 4k7 resistors need to be reduced in value to get the blue and red to both light up but i thought id ask here as i dont want to do any unnecessary tinkering and experimenting (because i have broken my thumb a few days ago)

Heres some pics. Sorry about the coffee stain, i grabbed the first bit of paper that came to hand.

Btw,  the way it is presently wired to the 4p3t switch, the od selector led is always on when the box is connected to a power supply. Im thinking about grounding them all to the bypass led ground so that alm leds are off when bypassed.

Hi, Ive got a pot question.

Im building a Wampler Pinnacle on vero and one of the pots is a C50K, which I dont have.  I do have a C100k and I was planning to put a 100k resistor across lugs 1 and 3 but I wasnt sure of that would affect the antilog taper of the pot. 

Would it make a difference to the taper and if so would it make an audible difference?

Thanks

Caught the pedal building bug about 18 months ago.  Initially wanted to buy a TS808 but didn't want to pay a couple hundred quid so came across the tonepad website, DIYSB and here...

Anyway, 18 months later, I thought Id take some pics of the pedals Ive built.  I have way more than I need but it was never about the necessity.  Its just plain addictive...

I don't really understand the technology but my basic knowledge of electronics have improved.  I'm planning to start reading about how they actually work but still looking for an idiot proof guide to basic electronics.  Some of the wiring in these stomp boxes are shocking, if so they're probably some of my earlier works

Anyway, heres the pics and some boring commentary...

Tubescreamer (madbean greenbean)

Nice OD, not sure if Ive done something wrong but I can't hear much of a difference with the fat switch.




MXR Envelope Filter (Tonepad)

Really dig this envelope filter.





Deluxe Memory Man (mabean)

WIth MN3005's.  I think that they're legit, but not sure.  Im sure I haven't biased it properly and am getting some distorted repeats and about 450ms delay max.  Im gonna take some clips and post some voltages and start a separate thread about this one as Im not sure why I can't get it to bias properly




Dr Boogie (madbean)

Named Screaming Milan after Milan, my 2 yr old son who has a rockstar scream




Wampler Triple Wreck (tagboard effects vero)

Sceaming Milan II, the sequel.  The white tone knobs are just temporary till the slim black metal ones arrive but they're growing on me.  Main PCB runs off 18V via a charge pump up in the top right of the gutshot.




Octaver (madbean)

White finish with magic fairy dust from Dr Tweek.  Looks a bit girly but nice finish under light.





Orange Compressor (madbean cupcake)




Systech Harmonic Energizer (madbean)




Mutron III (madbean)




MXR Flanger (Madbean)

Really dig the darth vader design.  Great flanger but a bit temperamental, I think theres a loose connection in there somewhere, sometimes it flanges and sometimes just normal signal, when I wiggle the PCB I can get the flange back.






Multiplex Delay (1776 effects PCB)

One of my favourite delays, everyone should do one




Phase 90 (tonepad)




Rebote Delay (tonepad)

My first successful PCB etch!




Looper (Madbean Loophole)

PCB by Haberdasher.  Cant get the detune function to work, worked the first time and then nothing.  Anyone else have this problem?





Midi-fi Clarinot

Found the PCB files from the web, can't remember where from.  Another Haberdasher etch.  Great pedal, I have no real use for it but its loads of fun to play with.





Zyvex Wooly Mammoth Fuzz (Tagboard effects vero)

Thats my son with his axe




Bajaman Trembulator with mods (madbean)





Muff Creamy Dreamer (Madbean)




Phase 45 (madbean)




Fuzzface (madbean babybuild)

1590A enclosures painted white look like apple devices to me.  The knobs are just temporary till I find something that is more 'apple-like'




Klon (Tagboard effects vero)




ISP Decimator

Another haberdasher etch.  PCB design from someone from DIYSB, I can't remember who but I think the PCB has his name on it.  This is sans enclosure as Im repainting it at present.




Dipthonizer (madbean)




Suhr Riot (madbean uproar)




Madbean Boneyard

Has a 2 tone LED for channel select




BSIAB (Tagboard effects vero)




Afterlife optical Compressor (madbean)

This was in a 1590A but I used it to make the iFuzz so is awaiting rehousing.




After building all these pedals, there were a few that I either didn't like or couldn't get to work.  Im sure everyone has one.  This is my failbox:



Im gonna take a break from pedal building for a while now.  Theres 20-something builds here and I haven't actually played anything for ages and now my leads are sloppy and my vibrato sounds like Kirk Hammett.  Also, I need to clean my guitar room...

Room

Anyway, thats probably a fitting end to this 18 month chapter of pedal building (but probably not as I have my eye on the fish head, zero point deluxe, stage fright and harbinger...)

I was testing out a collosalus on the weekend and just finished biasing it and was getting some flanging noise with no guitar signal...



and so I read in the build docs that some of the noise can be fixed by running it thru 12v, so i adjusted my power source to 12v.
Unfortunately, I forgot that the power was also daisy chaining my angry wife (2 channel boneyard with a buffer) and I think the higher voltage killed it.  I heard a high pitched squeal from the pedal.   
On a more positive note, the noise issue with the collosalus is fixed.





Im surprised that the 12v killed it, thought it would just give more headroom.  Would the TC1044SCPA have pumped the 12v to something high enough to kill it?  I guess I'll have to get the audio probe out and see whats died...

Hi, Im building the collosalus and was wondering how specific I have to be with the LM7815.  I couldnt find one so I ordered an ST7815 from banzai.  I hate desoldering so thought Id check if that one is ok to use. 
If not is the 78L15 from smallbear ok?

Thanks

Hi Brian,

I know you dont want to be emailed about release dates but I just wanted to ask if the fishhead is likely to be released this year.  Its just that Ive made the tonepad maestro FSH and didnt particularly like it and I know a lot of people have had issues with the ticking on the sample hold mode.  Therefore if it was going to be released this year then I can write the tonepad project off, otherwise I'll keep trying with it.

Thanks

Ive just ordered the dirtbag and had a look at the BOM and was wondering whether the revisions on it were recommended when starting from scratch or only to try if there are issues with distorted repeats when going with the original design.

Ive recently built a honeydripper and I note that when the pedal is on it isnt doing anything to the sound, Im just getting what sounds like a bypassed signal and turning the knobs and 3p4t isnt doing anything.

The other thing I noticed is that Im getting an output even when I remove the battery.  I initially thought that there may be a wiring issue that is just bypassing the circuit but I got the audio probe out and when I toggle the on/off switch on there is signal going through the PCB in and out.

Im very confused why theres signal going through when the power is off (and also why the signal is unchanged).

Has anyone else had this problem or anyone have any suggestions.

I made the suggested mods as per the BOM:
R5 330k
C2 - 560pF silver mica
R21 - 2k
D3/4 - 1n34a

I'll take some pictures soon.

Is there much difference between CD 4013 BCN and 4013 BE

I ask because Ive built a low rider and while the tracking is good,

1
I find the traking goes off on some notes eg on playing the open low E  for the 1 octave down and perhaps a it more so for 2 octaves down.  Im using the 2n5457 trannies.

2
I cant get any upper octave despite turning the trimpot thru its full range of movement very slowly, all I get is fuzz.  (ive made the mod as per the document  to increase the upper octave)

Im using the Cd4013 BE and was wondering if getting the BCN would make much difference?

Hi everyone in beanland. Ive just finished a loophole and it works fine. I notice that when i hit record, both the red and green leds come on and when play just the green. On the pdf it shows on the diagram that the red is for record and green for play.

How did it work out for everyone else?

Also, on a completely unrelated side note, in the context of an octaver pedal, what does tracking mean?

Ive got a TL072 CP and a TL072 CN

Likewise with the JRC 4558 D and DD

Are they the same thing and if not what to you guys do to choose which one when making your builds?

Hi there, Im sure this is a totally noob and totally stupid question but I have no shame so I thought Id ask...

I was fitting some geramanium diodes into the PCB (1n270's into the afterlife compressor) and while bending the pins, a small piece of the glass broke off.  Will the diode still work or will I need to order some more?  I wasnt sure if the glass had a purpose or if it was there just to make the diode look nice (and it does look nice).

Thanks for your help...