Any DIY pedal builders on TB? Strut your stuff!

I like your attention to detail. All like-resistors are oriented in the same direction.

 

Question in your build...
It looks like you are using mostly metal film resistors, but theres a few carbon comp resistors in there. Is there a reason for mixing them? I didn't see any notes in the PedalPCB build sheet.
Not criticizing at all. I just want to make sure I'm not missing something when I order my parts.

The USPS tracker says they should be here today, but they're not. You're killing me, USPS!

 

Metal film tolerances are better and thermal noise is supposedly lower than carbon but really I buy what's available just with a preference for metal. Apparently even Lovetone pedals were a real mixture.

 

Cool. Just checking. I was planning on using the 1% metal film. People always used to crab about metal film affecting the sound if they were in the signal path. I could never hear the difference, but that guitar player I used to be friends with could pick them out in blind tests with the Fuzz Faces we used to build. He said it sounded tinny, less organic.

On the other hand, I'm building this up for a synth, so it wont matter.

1% MF it is.

 

Dang it, now I want the Meat Sphere from MusicPCB. I have the old DOD FX25 Envelope Filter, an Emma Discumbobulator, and two EHX BassBalls (which are a different animal) but none of them really do what I want. It sounds like the Meat Sphere is more flexible.

 

Not trying to sway you but the MusicPCB designer is Taylor Livingstone of Iron Ether pedals... a guy who really knows his stuff.

 

I was already sold on it. Not sure what shipping will be across the pond, and it looks like he has some Brexit issues.... so I have some time to get my other 600 projects situated.

 

I never made the connection before! GadZks!

I bought an Iron Ether pedal as a gift for somebody else, and Taylor was super-cool to deal with. I dig his circuits and sense of aesthetics, too.


I like all the circuits at MusicPCB, but I'm still looking for the right Meatball to bounce my way. I have yet to find a component layout I like for the Meatball; Like MusicPCB, seems the Meatball clones' rotaries are always arranged like the original Lovetone, ie in a way that surrounds the stomp switch.
I want to do the Moog Mod and have an FX loop, both with a stomper plus the bypass — that's getting pretty tight even for a 1590TRPC or 1590XX. the rotaries-surrounding-the-bypass is a no-go for me, I'd be stomping on rotary switches; I could have any layout if I go vero, or offboard wire, but I want a PCB with board-mounted components and I'm not at the Dissa-level of Eagle design just yet... so the search continues.

Besides, from what I can discern, it really only needs one rotary switch, the others are doable with regular toggles:
RANGE:_______ROTARY 4P3T
SWEEP:_______3PDT On-On
MODE:________DPDT On-ON-On
BANDWIDTH:__ SPDT On-OFF-On
MOOG:_______ DPDT stomper (one pole for LED indication, otherwise could be SPDT On-On)

Maybe the Moog-sw doesn't need to be a stomper, but definitely still want FX-loop stompable.


What do the rest of you think? Is the Moog-mod something that warrants a stomper, or just keep it a toggle?

 

I made my MeatyBalls build with the loop but my MeatSphere without... don't miss it but I do wish the MeatSphere had the Moog mod, might have to see about adding that but I'd just put it on a toggle.

 

Brexit shouldn't have any impact, shipping to/from the US is the same as before - just a customs declaration on the package. There's one on the way to me from PedalPCB so I guess if I'm wrong I'll soon find out

 

Im still learning. Maybe someone can help. I’m trying to bias the drain on a jfet. I need to bring the V down from 5.9 to 4.5. Which way do I go with the resistor value. Right now I have a 15k in there. To bring voltage down do I go up or down in resistor value. Surely there’s a general rule but I can’t find it.

 

Common sense tells me to go up in value. I will try 22k.

 

Damnation Audio Parallel Driver on pcb. All done and rockin the house. I really like this one. Used a Russian equivalent LM308 for one of the ICs and 1N914 & 3mm clear red diodes.

 

I've always used trim pots for jfet bias, haven't ever checked which way the resistance goes though...

 

yeh, unfortunately I had everything built. I pulled the 15k out and put a couple sockets in. I tried a 22k and bingo first try had 4.5 v. got lucky I guess.

 

I saw this comment earlier and had nothing to add, but then a bit ago I was looking at pcbs on Deadendfx and they have a pcb for a Meatball clone that has the effects loop and Moog mod built in. Don't know if it meets the rest of what you want, but I thought I would toss it out in case you hadn't seen it.

 

MEATBALL MANIA!


@Teryup Merci Beaucoup.

Yes, I'm a big fan of DeadEndFX (despite not having any yet), as they seem to bring back all the esoteric designs that interest me.

Once again, though, the "Meaty Balls" is vaguely like the original in that the rotary switches "surround" the bypass-stomper. I get that there's space constraints, but then all the more reason to ditch the rotaries and use toggles whenever/wherever possible.


It might be time to push myself and try to do my own layout that meets my druthers; which could coincide with getting more comfortable with Eagle — might do it in DIYLC, first, then Eagle.

Thanks for your feedback. I'm now tilting towards Moog toggle, leaving two stompers: FX-loop and bypass.

It's been fun re-reading all the Meatball threads across the various DIY communities, relearning some bits and making new discoveries.

 

Interesting update... my $20 PedalPCB order arrived today, it's gone via a Netherlands PO Box (which they might have been doing before) and there's an EU sticker on it saying "goods not fulfilling Article 28 and 29" of some EU Treaty. No extra charges though.

 

Nice. I'm still waiting on my order. It was supposed to be here Monday.

My comment about Brexit was based on the note at the top of the MusicPCB page saying hes not shipping to the UK at the moment. I misread that a few days ago and thought it said from the UK.

 

Nice! I really like that one too. A lot of great sounds. I also added clipping options on both sides on mine, just because.

And here's another one I really like: Fuzzdog's Recurring Nightmare, a modulated delay with some fuzz thrown in. I think it's their take on the DBA Echo Dream 2?
The PT2399 is pushed in a very lovely way, on longer delay times it sounds like a broken tape echo - or at least like what I think a broken tape echo might sound like.
Reminds me a bit of my beloved Echo Degrader.
And the modulation is just pure wobbly goodness, amazing. I spent some money on the XR2206P to assure that.
Has a charge pump inside to go to 18V.