Any DIY pedal builders on TB? Strut your stuff!

[Passinwind]

Oh, so were YOU responsible for those ribbon cable connectors?!
And those springy key contacts?!

Nah, I just put the Glyptal on the hex bolts.

Thats actually really cool!

Most of us had a pretty great time working there, it was quite the "we're all rock stars" vibe really.

 

[AudioTaper]

I just placed an order with Tayda and Lovemyswitches. I still have a Tayda order enroute, and I have a Small Bear and that large Mouser cart going.
I may have a problem.....

 

[Fuzzonaut]

Here's another Moonn PCB, based on something that's floating around as a Sunn 200S preamp, like here, although that's most likely not really the case.

The Moon PCB has a few minor changes at first glance and it also has a Boost (SHO) up front. I decided to have the Boost always on as I can't handle two foot switches on a 125B and didn't want to go bigger. The Boost has an internal Gain trimpot, very handy, I set it so that it stays clean on the first half of the rotation of the Boost knob and then it gets into doomy OD territory. Very nice.

Even if it's not a faithful recreation of the amazing 200S, I still put it onto the enclosure ... who cares? This pedal is for me and next time I'm at the practice space, I might even put it through my Sunn 200S amp.

 

[Feral Feline]

Some more great builds: G.Bisson's incendiary Fireaxe, and Fuzzonaut's joyously devised 200S (the black bezel looks fantastic here).

I've already got Aion's Boss FA-1 clone, but I may have the Fireaxe on the way as well. I opted to get Effects Layouts 200S as I wasn't aware of the Moonn version at the time of purchase.
When I say "I've got...", it doesn't correlate with "I've built..." — even if I built pedals full time, I couldn't keep up with the rest of you folk for sheer output.






One thing I've noticed is that when people post their builds, some mention the original circuit, some don't — whether this thread or altogether different forums.

A hypothetical example:
A PCB supplier calls their clone the "Viridian Circle", the DIYer will mention that name more often than not, and maybe it's mentioned that it's a clone of EQD's "Tentacle", but "Dan Armstrong's Green Ringer" may not get mentioned at all. The tentacle has one small 100p-cap addition to the Dan Armstrong circuit, basically a straight-up clone. I've seen other circuits ravaged by numerous mods, yet still mentioned as a "Muff" or "Tube-Screamer" or ... etc.


Personally, I'm always interested in the lineage of a circuit, even if it strays away quite broadly from the original.

 

[G.Bisson]

Keeping track of pedal pedigrees often requires historic familiarity with circuit building blocks. The Fireaxe has been modded into an overdrive so it doesn't serve the same function as the circuit it is derived from. A muff with modded tone section and clipping diodes will still sound like yet another muff.
Tentacle may have eclipsed it's forefather. There's even this video:
.

 

[Feral Feline]

Thanks, @G.Bisson, for your take on pedal pedigree. Well put! I agree that the Fireaxe steers well away from its origins. At what point does something straying become something apart? One of the reasons I build pedals is just out of sheer curiosity — it's one thing to have something described to you, and another to hear the differences. Like when my Amp Sifu tube-rolled some choice NOS vintage tubes compared to generic modern production tubes. Finally I could hear what all the fuss was about and understand what I'd read.
I'll be comparing my Aion Prism with my Madbean Fireaxe, will they really be that different as per my tube-auditions experience?

Cool vid. I liked both one tentacle and two tentacles the most, but can see 5 or 6 having their place in a given composition — 8 Tentacles, not so much.

I've seen a few great harp players, live, who used effects, and I used to get to play with a Kora player who had a fantastic pedalboard. I love it when various instruments employ pedals — from agogo to zither — always refreshing.


Hopefully others will join in the discussion about the name game, I'd like to get a broad sampling of thoughts on the topic.

 

[Passinwind]

Personally, I'm always interested in the lineage of a circuit, even if it strays away quite broadly from the original.

This one is straight from the IC Op-Amp Cookbook by Walt Jung :

Simple gain, and nothing but simple gain. On to the simple mixer next.

 

[Feral Feline]

Too many ingredients can spoil a recipe!

I like a lot of spice and condiments, but some of the best sandwiches I've had were very basic French baguette with cheese and herb-butter.
I also like a Dagwood, though.

 

[AudioTaper]

Too many ingredients can spoil a recipe!

I like a lot of spice and condiments, but some of the best sandwiches I've had were very basic French baguette with cheese and herb-butter.
I also like a Dagwood, though.

I would just about live off of Indian food if my stupid ginger stomach could handle it.

 

[AudioTaper]

I started laying out the Meat Sphere in that 1590DD. It's amazing how quickly it fills up up. I'm using Front Panel Express designer to make a drill template, I can drag the parts around then print it out to scale.

Not sure what all I want to switch just yet, but I could easily have 4 switches across the bottom. The controls are laid out for the right angle PC pin style pots. I can change that and use wire, especially if I'll be switching settings via stompswitch.

I'll have an idea of what I want to switch once I get it built up. Parts are on order.

Work in progress

 

[JoeDaddio]

I finished this one this morning. It's a PedalPCB Mercurial Boost. I've got to say that I have been able to pull tones out of my P bass that I've never heard before. I'd recommend checking this one out. It's based on the Catalinbread Varioboost if you want to learn more about it.

This was a pretty simple build and I had a lot of fun with it. I used no-film waterslide for the enclosure artwork. Freddie art was from a Google search.

joe

 

[AudioTaper]

I finished this one this morning. It's a PedalPCB Mercurial Boost. I've got to say that I have been able to pull tones out of my P bass that I've never heard before. I'd recommend checking this one out. It's based on the Catalinbread Varioboost if you want to learn more about it.

This was a pretty simple build and I had a lot of fun with it. I used no-film waterslide for the enclosure artwork. Freddie art was from a Google search.

View attachment 4262746 View attachment 4262747


joe

Very nice. The decal looks fantastic! How durable does it seem to be?

 

[JoeDaddio]

Very nice. The decal looks fantastic! How durable does it seem to be?

It's pretty bulletproof, actually. I have tried to remove it intentionally and haven't gotten it to budge.

 

[AudioTaper]

It's pretty bulletproof, actually. I have tried to remove it intentionally and haven't gotten it to budge.

Awesome. I need some. I was really disappointed in the Obsidius decals. I can peel them off and do the waterslide

 

[JoeDaddio]

Awesome. I need some. I was really disappointed in the Obsidius decals. I can peel them off and do the waterslide

Here's a good tutorial, it's the one I've been following.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Deleted member 165050]

This week's entertainment - isolation transformers for my desktop Thumb compressor build's XLR i/o... and if one Thumb task wasn't enough my PedalPCB version has arrived which will make my third build of the circuit. You can probably guess I like this compressor

 

[G.Bisson]

More weekly entertainment Stripboard builds!
I dont have the enclosures or hardware to box all of these. Time again to take inventory and order parts for future projects.

Top: Shoe Pixel
Middle: Colin Raffel Analog Bitcrusher
Bottom: Prunes & Custard

 

[Passinwind]

I started laying out the Meat Sphere in that 1590DD. It's amazing how quickly it fills up up. I'm using Front Panel Express designer to make a drill template, I can drag the parts around then print it out to scale.

Works great, and you can also export to DXF if you have access to a local CNC rig. But FPE do a stellar job in a very timely manner, love those guys.

 

[Feral Feline]

@AudioTaper Very cool to see a good visual reference of pots/stompers to board-size to 1590DD. Big thanks for posting that!

@JoeDaddio Your Mercurial Boost graphic is perfect! Freddy, raised hand... it all fits!
I've got the PCB, but... You've set the bar pretty freq'n high man!

@G.Bisson You seem to like a lot of the same circuits; I know the Pixel, and the P&C, but I'll have to check out Colin Raffel's Bit Crusher.




I've got a couple of little transformers *(salvaged) that look identical to those in Ficelles table-top comp, but mine are unmarked so I've no idea if they're even meant for audio.


Chap on another forum suggested pulling apart a Type 1 DPDT on-on-on to flip some bits and turn it into a Type 2 — took me a while of fiddling but I've got it to the point where I can trust it in a build. Sounds and feels like it should, even after practically butchering the poor little switch's guts.


Other than that, nothin' much to report. Fine tuning my buddy's Electric Mistress in my spare moments the past couple weeks.

You lot continue to push me forward. Thanks.

FF

 

[G.Bisson]

I'm easily lured into having another gated and crushed fuzz. Low parts count and using common transistors & opamps makes them good for stripboard builds. I can get started right away so they often cut the line of DIY projects.
Raffel's bitcrusher is also release by FuzzDog as the Fuzzpup Crusher. Madbean has a past project called Horndog based on the same circuit.

@JoeDaddio that Mercury boost looks amazing!