DIY Effects

[Sibob]

Would love to hear the Bass Rangie and see the schem too if you have it available?

Cheers
Si

[paul_5]

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1411472685' post='2559803']
Would love to hear the Bass Rangie and see the schem too if you have it available?

Cheers
Si
[/quote]

This.

[pfretrock]

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1406027163' post='2507569']
Instead of a signal generator to create you test tones, could you record a series of notes or tones on phone/walkman/small recording device and use that as a test signal ? Just a thought. You'd still need some kind of probe to inject them into the circuit though.
[/quote]


For sig gen, I use one of these, rather than build one, then spend more time on effects buildiing (and practice.....):

[url="http://www.tolvan.com/index.php?page=/tone/tone.php"]http://www.tolvan.co...=/tone/tone.php[/url]

[paul_5]

Finished a 'Timmy' clone tonight and did some demo recordings on Soundcloud.

https://soundcloud.com/paul_5/sets/jazz-bass-through-germanium

Jazz bass into the Timmy into my MBox 2

Really useful little box: the Bass control is pre - gain stage, so reducing the low end cleans the pedal up a little bit, and the Treble control is post gain stage, so it'll do really thumping low-end dirt with a treble roll-off for lovely vintage tones.

[KingBollock]

I got a bit distracted half way through building a double bypass looper/blender/booster pedal, and haven't done anything since, but I intend starting again this coming week. My next pedal was going to be a chorus but I can't find one that I really want to build, one where it's not a hassle to get some of the parts (whether rare or unreliable or needs matching), but the looper will allow me to use the guitar chorus pedal that I already have, so I'm going to leave it for a while.

Something I have decided I do need is a compressor. Anyone know of a good one to build? It would need to be buildable on veroboard. I am looking at the Keeley four knob at the moment.

I would also like to build a hpf like the Thumpinator but I can't find a layout. And I'd quite like a noise gate, too, but they look rather more complicated than I was expecting.

I am having a problem with my Big Muff pedal at the moment. Each side, the Muff and the Musket, are fine when on alone, but if both are on together they are incredibly noisy. But I get the same problem if only one of them is on (either or both and placed both before and after) with a separate dirt pedal (the Hyperdrive or the Digitech Bass Driver). It is fine with other, non dirt, pedals. The current power supply situation is far from ideal but the last of the parts for the PSU I am going to build came in last week, so I will sort that out soon, but I'm not sure it could be the cause of [i]all[/i] that noise. I know there is a simple noise gate mod for the Big Muff so I might try that. It is so noisy that a noise gate after the pedal wouldn't work, and because the noise seems to be generated in the pedal a noise gate before wouldn't work, either.
Such a shame because, otherwise, using mixes of the four pedal options makes some amazing sounds.

[bartelby]

Hi guys,

I have 2 questions to ask builders/designers.

1) my soldering iron died yesterday. I'm fed up of buying £10 - £15 soldering irons that die after about 6 months. Can anyone recommend me a good, reasonably priced temperature controllable one please.

2) does anyone use schematic software? I'm looking for some that runs on Mac OS X. Any recommendations?

Cheers

[paul_5]

1) There's a Blue one at Maplins for about £20 maplins http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-50w-solder-station-n78ar are good if you're using lead solder, but the lead free stuff melts at hotter temps, and these aren't really up to the job.

2) LTSpice is what I use on my Mac. It's a pretty steep learning curve at the start, but it's more than useable - even the free version.

[dannybuoy]

The schematic is available for the FDeck HPF, but you might have to convert that to a vero layout yourself!

[kyboo]

[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1413713645' post='2581036']
I have 2 questions to ask builders/designers.
1) my soldering iron died yesterday. I'm fed up of buying £10 - £15 soldering irons that die after about 6 months. Can anyone recommend me a good, reasonably priced temperature controllable one please.
[/quote]

I find cheap soldering irons / stations completely useless for me, but than again I solder those tiny components (surface mount components). This station is simply sublime: [url="http://uk.farnell.com/ersa/i-con-nano-uk/soldering-station-80w-uk-plug/dp/1740474"]http://uk.farnell.co...plug/dp/1740474[/url] I think that it can be had cheaper if you contact the main UK distributor. But it is an overkill for an occasional hobbyist.

[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1413713645' post='2581036']
2) does anyone use schematic software? I'm looking for some that runs on Mac OS X. Any recommendations?
[/quote]

You can use Diptrace: [url="http://diptrace.com/"]http://diptrace.com/[/url] It is relatively simple to use comparing to others (like Eagle) and it still has advanced features if you need them.

Edited October 20, 2014 by kyboo

[UglyDog]

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1413668989' post='2580842']
I would also like to build a hpf like the Thumpinator but I can't find a layout.
[/quote]
I have a circuit and vero layout somewhere for a variable 20-200Hz HPF. I'll have a root around and see if I can find it.

[tauzero]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1413716527' post='2581069']
1) There's a Blue one at Maplins for about £20 maplins [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-50w-solder-station-n78ar"]http://www.maplin.co...r-station-n78ar[/url] are good if you're using lead solder, but the lead free stuff melts at hotter temps, and these aren't really up to the job.
[/quote]

Mine recently fell to bits - the element fell out and burnt the carpet. Grrr. It had done a couple of years of service.

[KingBollock]

[quote name='UglyDog' timestamp='1414012454' post='2584925']

I have a circuit and vero layout somewhere for a variable 20-200Hz HPF. I'll have a root around and see if I can find it.
[/quote]
That would be ace, thanks.

The only one I have been able to find is also a preamp, which I don't need.

[Sibob]

I've never seen the difficulty in using Eagle, and I came from zero experience with using any CAD type programs.
There's some great tutorials and its very powerful.
The free version allows PCBs big enough for most pedals.

Si

[bartelby]

cheers for the recommendations.
I shall download some stuff and see what I get on with...

[TG Flatline]

Eagle is a winner, there is a decent library on madbean for most of the things you'll need to start, and making components is much easier than it first looks :-)

[Bottle]

I've no experience of using Eagle for PCB routing but I've used Express Schematic/PCB for making boards. It can also price up a bare board for you (if you want to buy them from the US). Fine if you want a two-or four-layer board with power and ground planes.

At work we use CADStar which is much more complicated and designed for making large multi-layer PCBs. It has a better workflow if the aim is make boards in high volume.

As always YMMV

[paul_5]

All Hail Timmy!

Been playing about with my Timmy clone recently and it's still my favourite grit box. Superb on guitar and bass with no loss of low end on either. Fricking awesome!

[jetofuj]

Buzzaround!

[ratman]

[quote name='jetofuj' timestamp='1416482488' post='2610607']
Buzzaround![/quote]

I don't have a clue what noise it makes, but inside and out that is a tidy job you did there

[jetofuj]

Ha, it's a clone of extremely rare british fuzz box made between 1966-1968. Its history isn't clear, but what we know for sure is that Robert Fripp used one on early King Crimson records.

[pfretrock]

That's a neat piece of work. Are they OC71s ?

[jetofuj]

Thanks! It's a OC75/OC43/OC75 combo. This circuit is pretty elastic. I usually pick Q1 and Q2 for low noise and Q3 for the tone. I'll be soon building few with different transistors.

I've got some CV5712's, which are supposed to be OC71's, and I'll be using them in Q1 for Tone Bender MkI builds.

[Sibob]

Two new Poultone Trooper Boosts, painted by Laura Bennett from Minneapolis:

[IMG]http://i57.tinypic.com/9fvcyx.jpg[/IMG]

Si

[jetofuj]

GGG Brassmaster. Love these things!

[mr_mojo_risin]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I was frustrated with sloppy IC socket installs.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Did some thinking and came up with this idea...[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color]