Klein Bottle WIP

[EBK]

It's up and running, but I haven't tested every knob and switch yet.  I'm not yet smart enough to use this thing.   

I think I will need to first methodically go through each control individually to make sure everything does what it is supposed to do.

[DLW]

I recently finished one too. Definitely a tinkerer's pedal... have you watched this demo video yet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xXUcbK6pwg

[EBK]

I recently finished one too. Definitely a tinkerer's pedal... have you watched this demo video yet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xXUcbK6pwg

I watched that video before I ordered my kit.  I probably should watch it again.

The only thing I've played around with so far is connecting an envelope filter and a delay.  I got some interesting sounds, but didn't feel like I understood what I was doing.  I did discover that I need to order more short cables.   
This pedal is going to be fun, eventually.

[EBK]

Minor update:
I have begun methodically testing my pedal.  I have so far verified everything except for the Trails switch and the n-to-n pots.  The good news is that I've basically verified everything that would have been a giant pain in the butt to troubleshoot and resolder.

[benny_profane]

I'm almost certain I've verified my build. I fed a delay into a distortion to verify the n-to-n functionality and the trails switch. The trails function took me a bit to wrap my head around. It's a very cool pedal. I was surprised, but it does subtle really well. Of course, you can do some wild things with it as well.

I'm still trying to find good balances with the pre and mix controls. Might have to tinker with the internal makeup gain trims a bit too.

[EBK]

The trails function took me a bit to wrap my head around.

Since you figured that switch out, could you explain it to me?  I do not understand the official description of that one.

[benny_profane]

Signal Pathway:
Input buffer: Splits the input into four signal paths (Channels 1-3 and dry signal for final mix).
Channels 1-3 Signal Routing:

• HPF*
• Makeup gain (internal trimmer)
• LPF*
• PRE level: Sets the volume/gain level going out the send of the FX loop. Push it up to either add gain/distortion to a drive pedal or to makeup gain from aggressive filter cuts.

* Slope of the HPF/LPF is set by the 6dB / 12dB switch:

• 6dB: Modest cuts
• 12dB: Extreme cuts (best for canceling out frequencies to assign specific bands to different loops)
• Middle: 12dB/octave HPF and 6dB/octave LPF

Channel Mixing Stages:

• Channel 1 has a variable phase circuit before mixer stage.
• Mixes the signal from the PRE level with the signal(s) from the Feedback controls.

FX Loop Send/Return:

• Signal sent to Send is controlled by the channel foot switches.
• Goes through whatever is in the effects loop.

Return buffer: Splits the return into three signal pathways for each channel.

• MIX level: Sets how much of the return is fed to master mix section.
• Feedback controls (two for each channel): Set the amount of the effects loop return is sent to channel mix sections determined by routing (n-to-n controls).

Master Mix Stage:

• All three FX channels and the clean/dry signal are mixed.
• MASTER level: Sets the output gain of the final mix circuit

Trails Switch:
FX Loop Switching (Internal):

• SWITCH 1: Turns on/off the signal going from the PRE level into the first mixing stage (Channel mixing stage).
• SWITCH 2: Turns on/off the signal going from the FX loop return into the master mix stage.
• SWITCH 3: Turns on/off the signal going from the FX loop return into the feedback controls.

Trails Toggle Switch Modes:

• Middle = No trails
     ⁃   All three switches turn on/off with the corresponding channel foot switch.
• SENDS = The FX loops remain active at all times. You can activate just one loop, but still feed that loop into the other two (and back again).
     ⁃   SWITCH 3 is always on; other switches are controlled by the corresponding foot switch.
• ALL = Turning an effect loop on/off only turns on/off the input to that effect loop from the input. The feedback loops and the return from the loop remain active. This allows time-based pedals to decay naturally when bypassed.
     ⁃   SWITCH 2 and SWITCH 3 are always on; SWITCH 1 is controlled by the corresponding foot switch.

[EBK]

Hmm...  Let me try to back into this:

When I click the Pedal 1 footswitch OFF:

If in Trails OFF mode:  Pedal 1 MIX knob and 1-to-n knobs are effectively turned to zero.

If in Trails SENDS mode:  Pedal 1 MIX knob is effectively turned to zero.  1-to-n knobs work as usual.

If in Trails ALL mode: Pedal 1 MIX and 1-to-n knobs all work as usual.


Does that sound right?

[benny_profane]

Hmm...  Let me try to back into this:

When I click the Pedal 1 footswitch OFF:

If in Trails OFF mode:  Pedal 1 MIX knob and 1-to-n knobs are effectively turned to zero.

If in Trails SENDS mode:  Pedal 1 MIX knob is effectively turned to zero.  1-to-n knobs work as usual.

If in Trails ALL mode: Pedal 1 MIX and 1-to-n knobs all work as usual.


Does that sound right?

I think you've got it!

Put another way:
OFF = PRE, MIX, and Feedback controls are bypassed with the footswitch.
SENDS = Feedback controls are always active; channel PRE and MIX controls are bypassed with footswitch.
ALL = Feedback controls and MIX controls are always active; PRE control is bypassed with footswitch. (This is the 'traditional' trails functionality with the added routing of the Klein Bottle too).

Let me know how that works for you. That made sense to me when I was working with the unit.

So, I basically combined the site's copy, the info from the interactive image, and the kickstarter page description up there. You sorta have to know exactly how the signal is routed before you can really know what the trails switch is doing. And I thought it'd be good to have a bit more of a collected user guide for people to reference without hunting for info.

[EBK]

I should've probably wrapped up my open build report much earlier by posting a couple photos to show it was officially no longer a WIP. 

[lars]

I always get nervous tightening nuts on a finished enclosure because I don't always have the correct sockets to minimize the chance of scratching the enclosure.

Your build looks great so far. One thing I've found that helps with sockets is to put a small piece of blue painter's tape around the tip, so a bit of it folds over onto the edge that can ding the face your enclosure. Even if it does leave a mark, it ends up just being a smudge instead of a scratch down to the metal.