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Aquaboy mod ideas

Started by Strategy, August 15, 2012, 02:40:20 PM

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Strategy

I finally put together and tested my Aquaboy. It's actually going to be part of a desktop multi-effects thing I can use for when I do live shows with my drum machines and synths (will contain ring modulator, aquaboy, MS-20 style filter and a compressor). So it has no switching, for now.

Mod ideas:

- 100% wet mix. Is it possible with this circuit? I know the original Boss DM-2 does not do this. Does Aqua-Puss? Would this be easy or hard? Quickly glancing at the schem on my lunch break I did not get any ideas (yet)

- CV input: I took a spare VTL5C3 and 200R resistor and created a kind of kludge that allows me to send control voltages from synthesizers into the center lug of the Delay pot to see if I could modulate delay time from an external modulation source. This has worked well with many other circuits and pedal projects I've built. I tried various 0-5V signals like LFO's, a sequencer, etc. but I could not get any nuanced modulation of the delay time.

Would it be possible to implement the Modulation daughter board, but to have it accept external voltages as well as the vibrato LFO?

Thanks for any help!
STRATEGY


stecykmi

1) should be possible. the mixing stage does not have a way to control the dry signal, only the wet. by my reckoning, the easiest way might be to put R36 on a switch. when taken out of the circuit, only the wet signal remains, however this gives you only on-off control. you could also replace R34 with a pot, probably a 50kA, but you may have to play with the value. lug 3 goes to pin1 of IC1A, lug 2 goes to pin6 of IC1B and lug 3 goes to ground.

2) this should also be possible, check out brian's topic in the development board, he released an etch version of the next aquaboy http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=5521.0. i believe he placed the LDR differently than you, lug 1 of the delay pot. give that a try.

you can try connecting your CV through a 100k resistor (you may have to play with this value) to pin3 of IC1A on the mod board (from the pdf in the topic above). this should add the CV + LFO voltage. this may take some tweaking...

Strategy

Thanks for the advice!

Actually on (1) the dry signal kill switch is sufficient. When you run an effect from the "aux send" of a mixer (not usually done with pedals I guess for most people), you don't want to mix the main channel sound with a send/return channel that has a mix of dry and wet because you can get weird phase issues sometimes. For running a delay this way it's most useful to just be able to turn off the "dry" signal. Of course, playing guitar there are almost no times I would use 100% wet signal. So just a switch should work well. I'll try this

For external CV input connecting to the modulation daughter board, I will have to etch this board first before I can try it!

Strategy


stecykmi

before you etch, i would definitely breadboard it first. IC1A is not really implemented as a true mixing stage, it's just there as a buffer. In fact, I would probably stick a resistor in there to separate the oscillator from the buffer.