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Projects => Tech Help - Projects Page => Topic started by: blearyeyes on May 07, 2014, 02:10:29 AM

Title: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: blearyeyes on May 07, 2014, 02:10:29 AM
Can I swap 15uF @C13 and C14 with another value, Like 22uF?

They're electro caps, looks like they might be there to stop ocillation ? Both negative sides connected together, in series, positives to parts of the LFO control circuit. A8 on schematic.

Title: Re: Quick collosalus cap question
Post by: blearyeyes on May 07, 2014, 04:53:17 AM
http://www.madbeanpedals.com/projects/Collosalus/docs/Collosalus.pdf (http://www.madbeanpedals.com/projects/Collosalus/docs/Collosalus.pdf)

Link to docs
Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: blearyeyes on May 08, 2014, 03:14:34 AM
Well I put them in and will see!
Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: Scruffie on May 08, 2014, 03:34:56 AM
They together form a poor mans NP cap, as 2 caps in series divide, close enough would be 33uF & 10uF.
Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: blearyeyes on May 08, 2014, 03:38:09 AM
So it's not about a polarized cap but just a cap with a certain Micro Farad rating?


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Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: Scruffie on May 08, 2014, 03:45:17 AM
Quote from: blearyeyes on May 08, 2014, 03:38:09 AM
So it's not about a polarized cap but just a cap with a certain Micro Farad rating?


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Yup, think of it as your LFO 'range' cap, setting how long a swing the LFO can have, if you used a 1uF NP, you'd only get very fast rate settings.
Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: blearyeyes on May 08, 2014, 07:14:45 AM
Thanks Scruffie...
Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: blearyeyes on May 31, 2014, 06:00:37 PM
Ok bi-polar cap or NP cap @1uF is what is called for when it's 15uF/15uF in series. So 22uF/22uF would be the same...1uF
The way it is now I only get oscillation over 1/4 of the range of the pot...


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Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: Scruffie on May 31, 2014, 06:04:32 PM
No... 15uF & 15uF in series is 7.5uF.

33uF & 10uF like I suggested would be 7.674uF, so you'll actually get a tiny bit more range.

I don't know how you got 1uF (in fact I mentioned what would happen up there, you're only getting the very fastest of the range) but that's why you have no range practically.
Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: blearyeyes on May 31, 2014, 06:10:21 PM
At the moment it is as you suggested. 33uF & 10uF.. I'm lacking basic math information regarding electronics. I guess I'll have to look this up and get it straight..duh!


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Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: Scruffie on May 31, 2014, 06:45:10 PM
Are you using the correct value and taper pot?

I'm a bit confused, where did the 1uF bit come from if you're using 33 & 10uF?
Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: blearyeyes on June 01, 2014, 12:06:54 AM
My bad. Got my Electronics Assistant program going and figured it out. The 1uF came out of my addled brain..sorry.

Yes I have the proper pot and am only getting oscillation speed control over 1/4 of a turn of the pot.. then the LFO stops. but I'm using the wrong opamp. Is the C rated pot audio taper or linear?
Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: Scruffie on June 01, 2014, 12:20:49 AM
Quote from: blearyeyes on June 01, 2014, 12:06:54 AM
My bad. Got my Electronics Assistant program going and figured it out. The 1uF came out of my addled brain..sorry.

Yes I have the proper pot and am only getting oscillation speed control over 1/4 of a turn of the pot.. then the LFO stops. but I'm using the wrong opamp. Is the C rated pot audio taper or linear?
A C pot is reverse audio, so you can use an audio taper wired backwards but the pot will work backwards... if it's stalling though sounds like you still have issues though i'm afraid, but you're using an NE5532 correct? As I stated in the other thread, usually a terrible LFO OpAmp, the original 1458 or a 358 may solve the stalling issue.
Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: blearyeyes on June 01, 2014, 12:39:37 AM
Yes NE5523..I should wait until I get a few 358s.
If you wire an audio taper pot backwards then it would work the right way wouldn't it? Or do you mean the taper will be backwards?


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Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: Scruffie on June 01, 2014, 01:13:50 AM
Quote from: blearyeyes on June 01, 2014, 12:39:37 AM
Yes NE5523..I should wait until I get a few 358s.
If you wire an audio taper pot backwards then it would work the right way wouldn't it? Or do you mean the taper will be backwards?


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If you switch lugs 1 & 3 of an audio taper pot, the pot will work as a reverse audio pot but full clockwise will be the slowest sweep and full counterclockwise will be the fastest.
Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: blearyeyes on June 01, 2014, 01:22:07 AM
Since this pot is wired as a variable resistor in this circuit with pin 1 floating, isn't there a way to wire it to work in reverse?


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Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: blearyeyes on June 01, 2014, 01:24:56 AM
I'm hoping some day this perpetual state of electronic confusion lifts and I have an Ah Ha! moment.


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Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: Scruffie on June 01, 2014, 01:52:28 AM
Wired backwards, the pot will be the right taper, but it will work backwards, that's how the pot works.

You can use parallel resistors to manipulate a pot but you can never completely change how it works.

Think of a volume pot, you have pin 1 to ground and 3 to the signal, 2 is the output, you turn that round, the volume is now going to decrease as you turn it up/clockwise as the signal is still being shunted to ground, just in the opposite direction.

If you have a linear taper, it will be equal across its taper wired either direction if you have an audio taper it will work in a logarithmic fashion, wired backwords, that taper will be reversed but the action of the pot is also reversed.
Title: Re: Dumb Collosalus cap question
Post by: blearyeyes on June 01, 2014, 03:42:16 AM
OK thanks, that makes sense...