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5 new builds

Started by marauder, April 22, 2013, 03:13:41 PM

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marauder

At long last some boards I've had lying around for months are now in boxes!

Tonebender MKII.
Made from a friend's secret stash of old transistors.  A pair of OC75s, and an OC76.
Recycled enclosure from another friend, originally I think it was a Guyatone delay, with a square stomp, but some car body filler fixed that.  Also had to make a little bottom panel as the batttery compartment lid was missing.






Modded T-Rex.
The original Triplewreck "boost" is a terrible thing, why does a metal pedal have a single transistor fixed gain stage with a muff tone stack after it?  I wondered after hearing it, and this one was the better modded one.   I want  a real volume boost on a metal pedal.  

Usual suspect would be a SHO to boost the volume, and looking at the schematic I realised I could put one on the board without any track cuts.  I've changed a few parts, mainly due to what I had lying around,  25K Pot, 22K drain resistor, 4M7 bias resistors (mainly because I had a 1/8 watt 4M7), 12V zener (not quite where it should be, but should still protect the gate from static).  It all works perfectly, and gives the volume boost I expect on a metal pedal.

After putting all this together the mid pot, feels strange and tight in the middle of travel, so out it comes again.  At this point I decided to run it with a 12V supply, and it sounded even better.  So finally it's finished with a Road Rage running at 15V (the RC4580s I used have a recommended max of 16V).  It's pretty much perfect.






Black '65.
Built on a Blackbird board, I really like this, sounds stunning on my 10W EL34 amp with both cranked.






Grind Customs Tenebrae reverb.
Another box of win from Rej.  I used a medium brick for this, due to the fact no one has any shorts in stock, and its prefect for the effect.  Gives a nice shimmery background ambience when the feedback and tone are turned up.   Not the springy sound of a Rub-a-Dub, but ambient and trippy.






Modded Grind Customs De Profundis delay.
Pretty much stock, but the Time pot has been changed for a dual gang 50K, and the bottom wafer removed and changed for a 4.7KB wafer from another pot.  This is connected to the tone trimmer pads.  C14 swapped for an 82n.  This darkens the repeats when the time is increased, and helps get rid of the typical hiss associated with a PT2399.   Repeats are very dark when cranked, but I like the lack of noise more than usual hiss.






Some may have noticed that some of these decals have been seen before, any similarities are entirely coincidental ;)  

jprizz

Wow, those are all very clean builds. They look great. Nice work on the battery cover fix too!

jubal81

That is some superb work! I really like how you got creative with the delay mods to solve a problem.
"If you put all the knobs on your amplifier on 10 you can get a much higher reaction-to-effort ratio with an electric guitar than you can with an acoustic."
- David Fair

DutchMF

You and Juan are like machines, everything you do is spot on! I feel like a noob every time I see the stuff you guys put together.....  :o
Could you elaborate on the volume boost mod for the T-wrex? My board is already finished, but I think I could still change it to your specs.

Paul
"If you can't stand the heat, stay away from the soldering iron!"

midwayfair

Quote from: marauder on April 22, 2013, 03:13:41 PM
Pretty much stock, but the Time pot has been changed for a dual gang 50K, and the bottom wafer removed and changed for a 4.7KB wafer from another pot.

!!

jkokura

Quote from: midwayfair on April 22, 2013, 04:07:57 PM
Quote from: marauder on April 22, 2013, 03:13:41 PM
Pretty much stock, but the Time pot has been changed for a dual gang 50K, and the bottom wafer removed and changed for a 4.7KB wafer from another pot.

!!

I know, right?

Jacob
JMK Pedals - Custom Pedal Creations
JMK PCBs *New Website*
pedal company - youtube - facebook - Used Pedals

marauder

The so-called boost on the T-Rex whether modded as the document or the original one, is just a fixed gain stage with a muff tone stack after it (the "cream" knob).  It just makes the pedal sound fuzzy, not what I expect from a metal pedal.  This was also wired to be before the main effect.  There was no volume boost, just an increase in woolly fuzziness :(

I've taken out all the parts on the board for this part of the circuit, and added in ones which are a simple mosfet booster (SHO), all without cutting tracks.  Only one resistor has one of it's legs in another one's hole!!  This circuit is independent and can be run as a standalone boost.  It's after the main circuit and gives a volume boost.

Here's the parts changes, and a closeup picture.

R28 1k
R29 4m7
R30 omit
R31 22k
R32 20-25k pot, replaces the cream pot.
R33 omit
R34 100k

add 4m7 between R31 and R30, 1/8w resistor in picture.

C29 12V zener, anode to ground
C30 10uf, positive towards transistor
C31 100n
C32 jumper
C33 omit

T1 BS170, orient opposite to silkscreen.

jumper pads 1+2 of cream pot.






GrindCustoms

Quote from: jkokura on April 22, 2013, 04:21:31 PM
Quote from: midwayfair on April 22, 2013, 04:07:57 PM
Quote from: marauder on April 22, 2013, 03:13:41 PM
Pretty much stock, but the Time pot has been changed for a dual gang 50K, and the bottom wafer removed and changed for a 4.7KB wafer from another pot.

!!

I know, right?

Jacob

I've built 2 DeProfundis doing that mod aswell on them....., The darker repeats at longer setting just sound right...and with no real hiss apparent it's awesome.

I strongly suggest it to folks who have a board and have'nt populated it yet.

And like i've said elsewhere.....i've got to build that Triple Wreck circuit.. ;D
Killing Unicorns, day after day...

Building a better world brick by brick:https://rebrickable.com/users/GrindingBricks/mocs/

fendman

Quote from: marauder on April 22, 2013, 04:36:39 PM
The so-called boost on the T-Rex whether modded as the document or the original one, is just a fixed gain stage with a muff tone stack after it (the "cream" knob).  It just makes the pedal sound fuzzy, not what I expect from a metal pedal.  This was also wired to be before the main effect.  There was no volume boost, just an increase in woolly fuzziness :(

I've taken out all the parts on the board for this part of the circuit, and added in ones which are a simple mosfet booster (SHO), all without cutting tracks.  Only one resistor has one of it's legs in another one's hole!!  This circuit is independent and can be run as a standalone boost.  It's after the main circuit and gives a volume boost.

Here's the parts changes, and a closeup picture.

R28 1k
R29 4m7
R30 omit
R31 22k
R32 20-25k pot, replaces the cream pot.
R33 omit
R34 100k

add 4m7 between R31 and R30, 1/8w resistor in picture.

C29 12V zener, anode to ground
C30 10uf, positive towards transistor
C31 100n
C32 jumper
C33 omit

T1 BS170, orient opposite to silkscreen.

jumper pads 1+2 of cream pot.







Thanks  a lot for this...I have never liked this build, so I am really glad this has come along. Thankfully I never boxed it, so it will get the reprieve and hopefully will be a lot better :)

pickdropper

As always, great looking builds.  Some clever solutions to problems as well.
Function f(x)
Follow me on Instagram as pickdropper

nzCdog

Very slick work... and a nice contrast of artwork.  That tonebender looks awesome too

raulduke

Nice builds dude.

I agree; you and Juan are pedal building machines!

Rip57

It does not get cleaner than this. Beautiful builds.
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons, but in the very least you need a beer." ― Frank Zappa

angrykoko

Cthulhu!!   
That is the most awesome Cthulhu image ever!

Amazing stuff as always.

Koko
The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.

Loztboy

Excellent builds, I'm going to use your mod on my T-Wrex for sure!

On the Blackbird, what value did you use on the C2, C6 and C9? and did you experience any squealing or oscillating in boost when volume and gain are cranked?