KingBollock

I haven't used the Hicon plugs, but I do use the generic pancake plugs from Bitsbox. They're cheap, and it's obvious, but they do work. The only problem I have had with them is that, no matter how much scuffing I do, I cannot get solder to adhere to the case of the plug to attach the shield. So I solder the core onto the centre tab and then fold the shield back over the cable and clamp it down when I close the case up. Because they're an angled plug, unplugging them doesn't put pressure in a direction that might cause this method to fail, and I haven't had one fail yet.

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1425418376' post='2707212'] I've been thinking about this recently. I have a five string set with a .125 B, that aren't very old, I only replaced them because I won a set of Elixirs. I have been coming up against a lot of stuff in C, C# and D, that is proving to be awkward on my five string. How bad an idea would it be to put the bottom four from the five string set on my four string and tune the whole lot up a tone? I don't mind the strings being tight, I just don't want to turn my bass into a medieval ranged weapon. [/quote] Sorry for quoting my own post but it got lost at the end of the last page. I am considering having a crack at it tonight and would like to know I'm not going to regret it.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1425419310' post='2707238'] [i]Sic transit Gloria Gaynor[/i] [/quote] I take Ginger tablets for it, but is hear Quells work well.

I've been thinking about this recently. I have a five string set with a .125 B, that aren't very old, I only replaced them because I won a set of Elixirs. I have been coming up against a lot of stuff in C, C# and D, that is proving to be awkward on my five string. How bad an idea would it be to put the bottom four from the five string set on my four string and tune the whole lot up a tone? I don't mind the strings being tight, I just don't want to turn my bass into a medieval ranged weapon.

I have used Dunlop Big Stubby 3mm for the last twenty years. Then, a little over a year ago, I think, I switched to Dunlop Primetones in 3mm, because they sounded a bit nicer and, as it turned out, lasted much longer (the first one lasted a year, but considering how much they cost...). Then, recently, I have been playing a lot more Death metal, Obituary, Bolt Thrower, Cradle of Filth (I know... Not death metal...) and an awful lot of Amon Amarth, amongst other things. And it turned out that I got a better, less muddy, more defined sound with a flappier tip, when playing the really fast parts. I have quite a collection of types, material and sizes in my pick box and found the Tortex .60mm to be ideal. I went out to a couple of local shops and bought some more to try to fill in any gaps around that size, just in case, and didn't find anything more suitable. I still use the 3mm Primetones when I want a more finger like sound, especially if I am using a pick for the main notes but plucking chords with my fingers.

I should add, that I have never actually used the mains output of that box, only the earth. In fact, just after fitting a plug to the thing I am currently mucking about with, I looked at it and thought "Huh, I could have just stuck it in there... Oh well.".

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1424981452' post='2702647'] OK, I see; be careful with all that, though. I'd be circumspect with the notion of 'test something quickly' in this context. I've had enough warning jolts in my time to no longer (if ever I was...) in [i]that [/i]much of a hurry. Nice to see that you've such a passion for it all, though; you must be doing [i]something [/i]right..! [/quote] I did electronics in college. Even though I have no GCSEs I do have qualifications in electronics (I can't remember what they are, though, either City & Guilds or BTEC. I did get credits in them, though, which is nice). I remember being on one work placement and being annoyed by people bragging about who had had the biggest electric shock. They didn't like it when I suggested that if they were any good they would have got any... I got my first shock when I was about 10. I was messing about with a broken camera and I came across the capacitor... Which I promptly put in a matchbox with a finger sized hole cut out of the side, and took to school... The second was when I was 14 and working in a guitar shop. The owner asked me to fix the phoneline outside the shop, which someone had cut. I got distracted by a police car stopping and arresting a couple of lads that had stolen a bike. The third was when I was 18 and I had forgotten that I had left the other end of the lead I was working on, plugged into the mains. That was the biggest and stupidest one. I haven't had another since. I think the way I usually work with electricity can be summed up by a remark made by a bloke interviewing me for a work placement. He said he had never known anyone go so slow, or be so neat and precise. I got the placement.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1424978359' post='2702577'] It's doubtless a dumb question, but could you explain what advantage this has over a normal mains socket..? I'm a bit confused as to its utility. Why use banana plugs with mains..? [/quote] The banana plug sockets are the type that unscrew so you can attach a bare wire to it and fasten it down. It's just handy for when you want to test something quickly without having to install a plug, just like the rat traps. I only really did it because I was going to run mains into a transformer in the box anyway, for a variable supply that I was going to make using a pre made circuit that I thought had just blown a fuse, but it turned out that there was more wrong with it than I thought, so I didn't use it. I also wanted a banana plug for a connection to the earth for my anti-static mat and wristband. Plug sockets are a precious commodity in my hobby room, and most of them are in very awkward places. Which is why I want to bring as much as I can onto the top of my workbench.

[quote name='6v6' timestamp='1424973022' post='2702527'] tbh a 240v *output* from a bench power supply sounds terrifying As does the fact that a temporary short on your house electrics "destroyed something" - if it's wired properly (you do have a decent/recent consumer unit with RCD trips and MCB's right?) all it should do is trip a breaker. Back on topic, you might consider an auto-resetting fuse of some sort: http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/16a-auto-reset-circuit-breaker-ak08j Not as good as a proper current limiting circuit, but it could be a decent saftey net on the outputs to protect the regulators and transformer. IMHO a normal (low rating) fuse and RCD plug on the 240v side should suffice - if you're regularly shorting mains wiring something is really wrong (sorry, that sounds harsh, but don't hurt yourself! ) [/quote] Our consumer unit was fiddled with last year when we had solar panels installed and has been more sensitive since then, we can't run the washing machine and the dishwasher at the same time, for instance. I didn't fiddle with it. The thing that got destroyed was a UV lamp in a wall mounted fly zapper that I use as a night light (long story). The damned thing is quite temperamental anyway, I just need to have a proper look at it. Last year we had a power cut (caused by a tree branch against the overhead power line, so not my fault) and it also killed one of the lamps in the same unit, along with a UV lamp in a terrarium and a PC monitor. The 240v output on the PSU I am currently using, which is just a plastic box with a fuse, switch and three banana plug sockets, isn't ideal. Which is why I'd like to switch to one of those rat traps when I start putting a proper PSU together. The last time I shorted mains wiring was in 1991. I don't really make a habit of it... That circuit breaker you linked to is just the sort of thing I was hoping for.

I know the feeling. Where I live and turning 40 this year, what do you think my chances of getting into a symphonic, melodic, blackened, death metal band are? And I'm not kidding, that's what I'd love to do.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1424890596' post='2701651'] Most bench power supplies (I have a couple here) have current limiting, which is not only useful for protection, but also a very useful thing for a bench power supply anyway (in fact I am not sure what good one would be without it). On my main one I have a voltage knob and a current limit knob. Doesn't matter if your bench power supply trips at 3 amps if the board you are testing blows up at 50ma! [/quote] I will more than likely include current limiting. I haven't come anywhere near to a final design yet. I mostly just wanted a 9v supply in a convenient place on my bench for testing home made pedals but, as the mains goes into the box as is, I decided to include a 240v output, too, mostly for the earth connection for the anti-static mat and wristband. While experimenting recently, I knocked up nicely filtered 9v and 12v outputs, so I will include those, too. And I bought a couple of variable voltage regulators, with the vague idea that I might use them for something. The main reason for including a trip wasn't really for protecting my projects, but to stop anything I did wrong from tripping the house electric. But the ideas are still growing and once I have finished my current projects I will make a proper start on the bench PSU.

I like my Bass V-Amp Pro. Ideally, to really get full use out of it, you need to use the PC software for it, it really lets you right into all the settings, which can be difficult with the hardware interface. You will need a midi to USB lead for that, but you can get one of those for under a fiver. It's a cracking bit of kit for recording. Though I have yet to make full use of it for recording, I do use it through my PC for practicing at night. I have it in my rack, in the effects loop of my Peavey T-Max, where it is mostly used to add effects, or as a preamp for extra tone shaping. There is a really useful thread on TalkBass about it. There's a chap on there that has written guides on how to get the best out of it, such as getting into apparently hidden settings that make a huge difference, especially to the built in tuner, or making a patch that is completely devoid of influence from the V-Amp, so you have a good place to start building new patches. http://www.talkbass.com/threads/behringer-bass-v-amp-pro.687422/ http://www.talkbass.com/threads/behringer-bass-v-amp-pro-part-ii-get-on-back-jack-do-it-again.791182/ I should say, though, that even the chap that made those guides and gushed over the V-Amp for so long, has now started moving on to Zoom stuff.

Thanks. There are quite a few other interesting things on that site, too. At the moment I am considering taking apart an RCD thingumy and installing that. I could just use it as is and have it inline with the mains input, but the layout of my workbench would make this awkward.

I didn't really know where to put this... I was mucking about with a PSU I am making and managed to make a stupid, rookie mistake and shorted the live across and earthed chassis of a transformer, tripping the electricity in the house. This causes alsort of problems, but the main thing is that it has destroyed something that is going to cost to repair. My next project is to finish making my own bench power supply. It will have 240v, 12v, 9v and a variable 1.2v to 30v output. I am not thinking that I would like to build a trip switch into it, something more sensitive than the houses trip. I am using fuses, but they're not ideal. If they blow, which didn't happen tonight, they need replacing. Other than wiring a couple of household consumer units, I have never tried working with trip stuff, and I was wondering if anyone might be able to give me a clue where to start, what to be looking at? When I have worked in repair places in the past we always used [url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000KFTHUY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=17XQW8G0NYZJK&coliid=IQX31EE3IT3PL#productDetails]rat traps[/url], I have been thinking of getting one, but I wonder if there's a version with a built in trip circuit?

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1424739263' post='2699991'] I'd suggest simply running a short length of screened 'mic' cable between the present jack solder joints and the rear socket pins. No-one is going to be plugging into both at once, and, even if they did, what harm could it do..? Sometimes simple is best. The cable shown in the link would work, but is overkill for the job. Have you not a jack lead with a busted jack that you could cannibalize..? You don't need vintage, cloth wrapped stuff; that's for pimping guitars. It'll work, but there are cheaper solutions, just as efficient. Just my tuppence-worth. [/quote] Hmmm, well, there is that...

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1424738395' post='2699984'] I had to read it three times, but yes, that would make sense. [/quote] That's a relief!

Lately I am finding a lot of music that is in C# standard tuning that I would like to learn. Often I can play it fine on my five string, but sometimes it is too awkward. What I was wondering is, would it be possible to install one of those D-Tuner thingumybobs on the B string and, when needed, switch it up as far as C#? I have this idea in my head, that I am sure is wrong, that if installed normally, for drop tuning from E to D, keeping it tuned to D and only occasionally to E, would stress it and wear it out. Does that make sense, even if it is wrong? As you can tell, I don't really know how they work.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1424695280' post='2699177'] I suspect it might not be that simple. When you insert a jack plug it does two things, first up it connects the signal to the input of the amplifier, secondly it quite possibly removes a connection from something else (an anti thump ircuit for example). Worst case scenario is that you 'might' need to stick a jackplug into whichever socket you aren't using. If that's the case, and I never wanted to use the front socket again, I'd be inclined to slide a couple of thin plastic shims between the socket contacts and 'arms' to break that front socket connection. [/quote] I did wonder about that, but then, for some reason, chose to not consider it. Would one way around it be to disconnect the post break lugs of the front socket from the circuit board, then wire them to the pre-break lugs on the rear socket. Then go from the post break, rear lugs, back to the front, into the holes left vacant by the front socket? Does that make sense?

[quote name='RustInPeace90' timestamp='1424658716' post='2698893'] edit: on closer inspection and comparison, it's a 4 pin mono socket so i've just ordered some 4 core shielded cable (£1 per metre) and a 4 pin chassis jack socket (£1.25) from Audio Spares. £2 postage. Should be here Wednesday. In the mean time though, i still need to know how to do this haha [/quote] You only need single core shielded cable, the same stuff that you would use for a guitar lead. You would run the core from the tip pin, and the shield from the other, both from the two pins after where the contacts spread. Then you would connect them to the pins before the spreading contacts on the rear socket, again core to tip and the shield to the other. This would make it so that the rear socket is disabled if something is plugged into the front socket, but it won't disable the front socket of something is plugged into the rear.

It looks like the socket is the kind with switched contacts. So if you wire the rear socket after the switched contacts the rear socket will be disconnected if there is anything plugged into the front. I am trying to think how you can do it the other way around, too, but can't get my head around it right now, too bloomin' tired. I need to figure it out, though, because I intend to do the same with my Peavey T-Max.

My first proper amp was a Laney Klipp. From what I can gather, they were more popular among bass players than guitarists. I did eventually destroy it but I suspect that has more to do with me not knowing anything about valve amps at the time and not being very careful with what I plugged it into.

Probably not considered that weird anymore. Took me twenty years to finally get mine and I love it.

My very first bass was one of those in the silver/grey. I adored that thing and miss it like crazy.

[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1424449242' post='2696466'] I'd love that!!! [/quote] This was a disco gig back in the early 90s. While setting up mid afternoon in a very, very posh hotel, for the night's do, a waiter turned up to ask if we would like some tea. I had never seen anything like him before, outside of the telly. He was immaculately dressed, he almost looked unreal. When he came back with the tea, it was a proper, full silver service, I dread to think how much it must have been worth. It was surreal. What was even more odd was that the do was the annual "Travellers" Christmas party. That evening over 300 men, women and children, descended on the place from all over the country, wherever their caravans happened to be parked. It would probably have gone OK if it wasn't for the damned kids. They destroyed everything they got their hands on and I was constantly being threatened with physical violence if the DJ didn't play the song they wanted NOW! My job was normally to do the lights, but the boss decided he wanted to do it that night, so he could hide behind the console, and he made me sit up front to take requests. Gawd he was a tosser. The adults weren't so bad, there were only a few full on fist fights.

[quote name='ColinB' timestamp='1424419409' post='2696042'] I found this: [i][color=#000000]A neon indicator lamp (and its series resistor) are wired in parallel with the appliance and indicate that the power is on. Once lit, it has an extremely high resistance and the current flowing through it is tiny. If you wire it in series with the appliance, the current flowing through both will be very small and nearly all of the voltage drop will be across the neon lamp.[/color][/i] [color=#000000]....and found [url="http://www.intl-lighttech.com/applications/light-sources/neon-lamps"]this[/url] about series resistors for them.[/color] [color=#000000]Hope this helps.[/color] [/quote] This is what I ended up thinking, but it didn't work when I tried it in parallel. The unit already has a series resistor built into it. Thanks for the link, it was interesting.