(http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh506/aionelec/lab-series-l5-preamp-pedal.jpg)
(http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh506/aionelec/lab-series-l5-preamp-nameplate-detail.jpg)
(http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh506/aionelec/l5pre_inside.jpg)
This is the preamp section of a Lab Series L5 amp in pedal form. I've been chasing this sucker for years, having owned one of the amps since 2008 and wanting to do some sort of clone or adaptation long before I knew a thing about electronics. Finally got inspired this past fall to tackle it, and six months later, this is how it turned out. It feels good to have it done! :)
The last pic is the best I have for a gut shot - right before I did the wiring. I'll try to get a finalized wiring photo up in the next couple of days.
PCBs available here (https://aionelectronics.com/project/lab-series-l5-preamp/) ($20 each for the next 2 weeks, use coupon "beanplate" - normally $24). Warning - not for the faint of heart... 12 pots, 4 switches, 80 resistors, 50 caps and 12 ICs!
WOW! Very nice! 8) 8) 8)
If I wasn't so deep in soooo many other projects I'd be tempted....
Actually I am tempted anyway.... just could not get to building it for quite a while....
That's beautiful, sounds like a serious, commitment, does it come with a prenup?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: jimilee on May 02, 2016, 01:47:22 AM
That's beautiful, sounds like a serious, commitment, does it come with a prenup?
Got the attorney working on one right now... :)
Fuuuuuuuuuuck :o
Quote from: culturejam on May 02, 2016, 03:48:55 AM
Fuuuuuuuuuuck :o
Ya, that's what I said too, just wasn't brave enough to post it.
What the hell, I ordered one. ::)
Quote from: galaxiex on May 02, 2016, 03:56:29 AM
Quote from: culturejam on May 02, 2016, 03:48:55 AM
Fuuuuuuuuuuck :o
Ya, that's what I said too, just wasn't brave enough to post it.
What the hell, I ordered one. ::)
Exactly!!! I ordered one, as well.
damn this looks awesome. Really tempting indeed.
Wow! Really interesting build. Is there an demo available?
Not yet. I think Johnny from Alchemy Audio will be doing a run of them, and he was planning to do a video demo as part of it, but that'd still be a few months out at least.
Awesome !
I would really love to hear it as well, as I am not very familiar with this preamp....
Aesthetic question: how did you made these clean writings for each setting?
With so many pots, it is kind of necessary to know what does what ;D
Man, I wasn't going to. I have enough on my plate, but the PCB is just so pretty!
Wow! Beautiful PCB and build. Right down to the different colored screws for the nameplate.
That is amazing. I'll have to research what it does, but it looks professionally done. How did you get the white lettering? What is your process for that? Looks great!
It's screenprinted from Pedal Parts Plus. The artwork file is available for download on the project page partway down. It's not cheap to order a one-off (enclosure + powdercoat + printing was close to $40 for mine, not including shipping) but if there's enough interest we could potentially order extras and Johnny could sell them for whatever price would make it worth his while. We're going to be getting at least 50 for the Alchemy run, so we could just add more enclosures to the order if we had people who were interested. These ones will be from Mammoth and will also be drilled as well.
Quote from: aion on May 02, 2016, 01:46:20 PM
It's screenprinted from Pedal Parts Plus. The artwork file is available for download on the project page partway down. It's not cheap to order a one-off (enclosure + powdercoat + printing was close to $40 for mine, not including shipping) but if there's enough interest we could potentially order extras and Johnny could sell them for whatever price would make it worth his while. We're going to be getting at least 50 for the Alchemy run, so we could just add more enclosures to the order if we had people who were interested. These ones will be from Mammoth and will also be drilled as well.
Yeah, I'd be interested if it meant getting that awesome enclosure for less than $40.
Wow! how's it sound?!? What's the comp circuit like?
Pretty basic CA3080 implementation, a bit simpler than a Ross/Dyna. It's essentially just a one-knob limiter to pull the volume back down post-distortion. It lets you crank the volume controls to set the distortion level but keep it to reasonable output levels - emulating tube sag a bit.
Aion. I have built a few of your boards and have one or two left to complete and the engineering/layout is excellent. I cant wait to get this board. Is the screen print file editable in inkcape?
It's a PDF file so I'm not sure. I used Illustrator. But I could probably get it into an SVG file for Inkscape compatibility if Inkscape doesn't handle PDFs well.
I'm in. Bought one ;)
Dang! I'm in for an enclosure if/when it happens.
Double dang! I forgot to order the emblem!
Just do another order and I'll refund the shipping when it goes out!
I got mine when they were posted to Facebook. I'll be going fully dressed on this one with the enclosure and name plate. I was also thinking about putting together a balanced line driver to have in case I wanted to run direct to the board. Mainly because I have a couple of the THAT1646 chips in the stash and it would give me a reason to use them.
Great job on this beast! The PCB is freakin' huge!!
Andy
Wow, I'd love to hear it too! Great great build.
(and working with Aion pcbs is just great, can't say enough good things about them!!)
I snagged one a week or so ago when they were announced. The board is definitely not small but it is a beauty. I'd def be interested in an enclosure if there is a 'group buy' kind of thing. The ~$40 as a solo unit is pretty steep. Any kind of reduction on that would be killer.
Quote from: aion on May 02, 2016, 06:53:40 PM
Just do another order and I'll refund the shipping when it goes out!
Thanks very much! 8)
Order done.
I'm really looking forward to this one. My old beater L5 is my main live rig so it will be cool to be able to A/B. This is an insane amount of work to lay this thing out, but thanks for the time and effort!
Wow! That thing looks fantastic and you can tell it was a labor of love for you man. Are you just doing a limited run or are you planning on keeping it stocked at your store? I promised myself I was going to stop buying boards for a bit until I catch up with the backlog first. Of course I've bought four boards since I made that promise..
Anybody know of a good simple power amp to go with it? Low wattage is definitely good
Perhaps the 10w power amp from TH Custom?
Quote from: slacker775 on May 03, 2016, 01:28:41 AM
Perhaps the 10w power amp from TH Custom?
Great suggestion! I forgot, but I already ordered it, lol
I'm in for an enclosure. Awesome project.
Very impressive build!
I would be in for an enclosure too.
The little giant amp from musicpcb.com would be another power amp option.
Man! that's a beautiful piece! Congrats!
That looks really really nice! Pretty awesome that you caught up to what you were chasing :)
Nice build. Any chance of a demo?
Looks waaaaay too cool to pass up.
Order placed, the pile of boards grows........
Quote from: nmbb on May 03, 2016, 04:47:39 PM
Nice build. Any chance of a demo?
Not from me, but should be something sometime this summer. Alchemy Audio will probably be doing a run of 50 and he might have one made as part of it.
Quote from: Matmosphere on May 03, 2016, 12:12:56 AM
Wow! That thing looks fantastic and you can tell it was a labor of love for you man. Are you just doing a limited run or are you planning on keeping it stocked at your store? I promised myself I was going to stop buying boards for a bit until I catch up with the backlog first. Of course I've bought four boards since I made that promise..
It'll be permanent for sure. Waaay too much time sunk into it for a limited run! :)
I was worried it would disappear too, but I have a pile of boards to get out of the way too and my tube preamp design, so I am glad it is permanently available. Hmmmm....maybe I could wrap a tube stage around it!
Quote from: Jules on May 03, 2016, 06:14:35 AM
I would be in for an enclosure too.
The little giant amp from musicpcb.com would be another power amp option.
I was looking at that one too. I might have to order it too. Beside, I've been wanting to get the Meatsphere. May as well get both, lol
WOW!
i guess the build journey like Road Games
amazing
Interested in an enclosure if a group buy happens.
Having lugged an L5 all over creation for years in the late 70's into the 80's, and then buying a Pearce preamp when they came out, I figured I pretty much had to get one of these! I've got it popped except pots and switches—just waiting on an enclosure. I can't wait to fire this thing up cuz I love the midrange/frequency control, especially when dealing with random amps.
I would take one enclosure in a group buy, too (if it is possible for Europeans to join).
Wow, what a major achievement, and impeccably clean to boot!
Quote from: jimilee on May 02, 2016, 01:47:22 AM
...sounds like a serious commitment, does it come with a prenup?
:D
Okay, THAT'S the best laugh I've had today!
Quote from: sauerkraut on May 04, 2016, 04:23:52 PM
I would take one enclosure in a group buy, too (if it is possible for Europeans to join).
the same here ! :)
I saw this post the other day, but I'm only posting now as it took a while to recover from the shock; that board is something else. Truly amazing work. I'll certainly pick one up later, when I can dedicate the time to such a daunting task. That means you can count me in for an enclosure as well.
Also, congratulations, you've made a very short list of pedals I want that have side mounted jacks. So far none of them have been DIY since I've been able to squeeze the jacks up top in everything I build, but for this one I'll listen to the build doc's advise and follow your layout exactly.
Thanks for your patience everyone - all orders are packed and will go out in today's mail!
I will have news soon about the enclosures...
Some people run triathlons, some climb Everest, some build this! What a stunning piece of perfection. This is so beautifully designed and executed. Now don't screw up the wiring!! Hehe.
I think I will take advantage of your current discount on the PCBs, but how long before you think a group buy on the finished enclosures would be ready? Thanks!
I'm interested in a silk-screened, pre-drilled enclosure or two if there is a group buy, please!
I had originally thought I'd pick up a PCB in a few months after I finish some other projects and knowing that drilling enclosures is a ballache, but now...
I just placed the order for 10 enclosures with Mammoth. They have a 3 week lead time, and I requested a physical proof, so I bet we're looking at 6 weeks before I have them in-hand. They will probably be $38 + shipping, and will be drilled as well as having "9VAC ONLY" printed on the front-facing panel near the DC jack (you can never be too careful).
I may increase the qty to 25 after I get the proof, as there are definitely more than 10 people who want an enclosure - but I didn't want to give them too much of my money without knowing they could pull it off :) I will also make the drill & artwork files available on the site if anyone else wants to organize a group buy in the future.
Thank you for getting that group buy together. 38 plus shipping is more than fair knowing how my project has 17 drills and accuracy is an issue as well as powdercoating and labeling! Not bad at all!
Thats fantastic to hear, I didn't think it would be so soon! I might end up ordering the board while on sale, but if its not much longer to wait and it would save on shipping, would I be able to delay the order until the enclosures arrive? I know I'll end up buying the pcb when you ship out the enclosures, and this way I can offset most of the cost of the nameplate.
Quote from: dbp512 on May 06, 2016, 06:35:01 PM
Thats fantastic to hear, I didn't think it would be so soon! I might end up ordering the board while on sale, but if its not much longer to wait and it would save on shipping, would I be able to delay the order until the enclosures arrive? I know I'll end up buying the pcb when you ship out the enclosures, and this way I can offset most of the cost of the nameplate.
I'll give you a rain check on the discounted price if you want to order them together. Just leave a note along with the order and I'll refund the $4 when I ship everything!
...do you have an estimation for the shipping cost to Europe...?
Quote from: aion on May 06, 2016, 06:50:33 PM
I'll give you a rain check on the discounted price if you want to order them together. Just leave a note along with the order and I'll refund the $4 when I ship everything!
Oh sweet, thank you. Normally I'd skip the finishing touches like nice knobs and labels, but this deserves all the little touches, especially the nameplate.
Cool, I'm definitely up for an enclosure if you will ship to Aus.
I already have the PCB that I ordered as soon as you released it.
Cheers
received my board today!! ;D
Just ordered my board and nameplate. I am definitely on the list for an enclosure. Can't wait, and then, the Boss Chorus, I think I am addicted....
I am having trouble finding 2k audio taper pot in solid shaft for this project.
Could you tell me where you sourced yours or if I can put a resistor across the outer lugs to mimic the 2.5k A pots needed?
Thanks
:o
Speechless!
8)
If you end up with a extra enclosure, I'd buy it!
-Donleo
Quote from: Jules on May 08, 2016, 05:48:01 AM
I am having trouble finding 2k audio taper pot in solid shaft for this project.
Could you tell me where you sourced yours or if I can put a resistor across the outer lugs to mimic the 2.5k A pots needed?
Thanks
Here's one that's the exact value in Europe... only place I've found that has the 2.5k value: (not PCB mount though)
http://uk-electronic.de/onlineshop/product_info.php?products_id=1080
On mine, I think I ended up using the 2k from Tayda, splined shaft, and just using a standard set-screw knob. If you break off the little rotational tab and put that in the slot of the splined shaft, it stabilizes it and makes it work great with set screws.
Or, based on this...
http://www.diystompboxes.com/analogalchemy/emh/emh.html
...you could use a 5k linear pot and then put a 22.5k resistor across two lugs and 270R across the other two, and that should get you pretty close to 2.5k log. Haven't tested this though!
Got my boards yesterday, they look absolutely awesome, can't wait to get one of these finished up!
So, international shipping is going to be really tricky for this one.
The enclosures (Mammoth 4S6500) will be 8 or 9 oz. each, at least based on my rough estimates weighing an unpainted Hammond 1590XX enclosure, which is very slightly bigger than the 4S6500.
8 oz. total package weight is the point at which international package shipping jumps from $12.50 to $25. Allow 2-3 oz for the box and packing materials and we're at 11 to 12 oz. for the whole package.
Does anyone know of any cheaper shipping methods that I could look into? $25 is kind of a deal breaker.
Can't help with a cheaper shipping option.
Just wanted to say that I'll pay the 25.00 for international shipping.
It would still be cheaper than me ordering one from Pedal Parts Plus printed, painted and having it shipped to Aus I think. I might stock up on some other Aion boards too.
Yes, at that price I could certainly stuff the package full of other boards as well. I think it stays at $25 until you hit around 16 oz.
If you put together a kit with boards + enclosure + label I would be all over it. I'd also pick up an enclosure alone if there's a group buy for it.
25USD shipping to the UK is expensive but doesn't put me off.
I'll be ordering my PCB and logo plate at the same time as the enclosure anyway.
Just got my boards (there are three) and the nameplate and screws. Man, they look great and can't wait to get this populated and then when the enclosure is available it'll be great! Kevin is a master at laying out these boards, of course I see PCBs populated or not as art! Packaged very precisely/organized for shipping too! Thanks man, you set a hard example to follow for DIY PCB makers!
Really nice project. It's very hard to resist ! ( lack of current funds )
L5 is up and running. I need to chase down an intermittent solder joint and I totally missed the fact that the voltage regs mount face down instead of face up (so the tabs fit over the diodes...duh...) but other than that it was a long drawn out build that fired up nicely. I haven't messed around setting the trimmers yet, I was too busy screwing around with it. It feels like the real thing and I can't wait to get my real L5 home to compare them.
I'll order an enclosure this week so I can get it boxed up. I haven't been this excited about a pedal in a very long time. It is a very serious commitment in terms of build time and money but no more so than building 3 or 4 of the boards we normally deal with. If you've successfully done a Laserwolf or any of the Bean big boards this is on par. Just BIG.
Just an insane amount of work had to go into laying this thing out and major kudos to Aion for all the effort.
I finished to build this beauty (even my wife likes it - just from the looks ), but I have a small problem: the IC 5 (Mid2) is clipping the input signal. Can someone please compare the voltages to a working one?
I got:
1: 0.29
2: 0.01
3: -0.195
4: -15
5: 0.175
6: 0
7: 0.9
8: 15
The clipping starts, when the pot Mid2 is half open.
CH 1 is working fine and I had too the problem with the direction of LM 7815 and 7915.
The voltages look OK, theoretically anyway (I don't have mine in front of me to check at the moment). But, without hearing it, I would say that there is a chance this is normal - channel 2 distorts really early and there will pretty much always be a crunch to it unless the channel volume is way, way down and the master is way, way up. In my experience the clipping circuit is particularly sensitive to the midrange, and the EQ circuit gives you a ton of control over the midrange, so depending on where the mid frequency knob is set, this can sound really good or really bad. Channel 1 is much easier to get a clean sound from.
At the least, though, I would double-check the distortion trimmer against the setup procedure and make sure everything checks out with that, since that affects how soon the OTA goes into clipping. If it sounds like something is wrong (un-musical) then it may be that the trimmer needs to be raised.
Actually, my observation was wrong. The part does not distort the original signal, but creates an own 4Khz signal 'triangle wave), which is distorted/clipped to a rectangle signal. The frequency varies a little with the setting of the Mid2 pot.
Musically not really useful.
I eventually found the problem: Because I couldn't get a proper dual gang pot C100K for PCB mount, I had to build one from a lug pot. During the tedious inserting of the PCB in to the case, one of the middle joint was broken. After resolder the joint, everything is fine.
Some advises: using MTA .1 connectors for all PCB connections helped debugging. No need for unsolder, resolder etc. Just unplug and replug. Luckily Kevin had the inspiration to use the .1 spacing for the terminals.
As I couldn't get the pot protectors, I used plastic coated tape to protect the PCB from the pots. This was not good enough, so I added some heavy sheets of plastic between pots and PCB. This was effective.
Sounds a bit off but, I cut little circles from engine gasket material to use as insulators on the back of pots. Pretty cheap, I just glue to the back of the pots.
Anther strange behavior (which happens only with the internal power supply): when the limiter kicks in, the V- shows ripples of 25Hz as if overloaded. This is audible at the output.I.e. when the limiter kicks in, the comp LED gets on on only the mains hum (half the frequency) can be heard. The voltage over R95 gets to 12V at this point. This would be around 20mA. According to my measurements, the normal load is around 75mA on the V- rail. With limiter, it's 95mA.
That's way below the limit of LM7915 (1A) and my AC adapter (1A). As above stated: external +15V, -15VB: no problem at all. Positive current is constant at 75mA. Any ideas?
What electrolytic caps did you use for the PSU?
The same ones, which were on your Mouser BOM. I replaced C60 with a 220u and then with original value, different voltage to no avail.
It's unbelievable, but eventually I found a solution: I replaced the 9VAC PS with a 12VAC and the noise is gone.
Explanation: I think the output voltage was on the border line. We have 100V here in Japan, but the PS was for 120V. That means, that the 9V was really 8V, which is sufficient for a certain current. If the current is higher, then the input voltage is not enough for the 7915 to be regulated to -15V, so it was dropped. Maybe this is far fetched, but sounds plausible to me. Please correct me, if I'm wrong.
Just had a look at the schematic... :o
15VAC would be better. Going from 9VAC to +/- 15VDC is probably pushing your luck. I'm guessing that C51 and C52 are playing a massive part in why the PSU actually works to begin with. If you were feeding 9VAC through a diode without the caps, getting... less than 9VDC into the regulator... normally, a 7815 would go weird, and certainly not put out 15VDC.
I'd love to hear comments from one of our forum guru's on the power supply section of this pedal. I'm genuinely interested, now. Most of the linear PSU's I've seen, you need a few volts higher going in than what you want post-regulator, not less than the regulated voltage!
It's actually a voltage multiplier supply - that's what the extra diodes and caps are doing there in the first section before the regulators.
9vAC source supply, multiplied by 2 from the doubler, multiplied by 1.4 to convert to DC, so the regulators see about 25V DC. Then it's pulled down to 15v DC from there.
More info here:
http://www.play-hookey.com/ac_theory/power_supply/ps_v_multipliers.html
Just got my enclosure in from PPP yesterday. Looks fantastic and the color is just obscene. I'll get some pics up when I get it drilled and the guts are loaded. I'm also currently without phone and internet at the house so feeling a bit like Fred Flintstone these days.
And most importantly...got Jolly Ranchers with the order.
I found the best place for the pre-amp in the effect loop of my KPA.
Rats, just hit a snag. In the process of boxing it I noticed that if I installed the compressor LED and it lit, the L5 would sag to half volume and get an almost ring mod sound. If I switched the comp off it was fine. Or if I took out the LED the whole pedal was fine (comp works). Well now I've installed the LED's on the bypass and channel indicators. LED's work fine but the whole pedal gets the same ring mod sound. Any idea what's going on?
Voltages look good at -15.04 and +14.98. I'm using a Line6 adapter. Is that just not enough to get this thing out of the water, and if so why would it just be the LED's dragging it down?
Is the LED driver transistor working/installed correctly? The LED definitely should not draw enough current to cause any PSU issues and the Darlington transistor is there to keep it that way. So, I would suspect the transistor before anything else.
Also, what kind of LED did you use, and what did you use for the CLR?
I'll take a look when I get home. The LED's were generic 5mm and the build notes listed 100k as the clr's but in the footnotes said to delete them so I didn't use anything. The LED's are definitely bright. My first instinct was the transistor (MPSA13 if memory serves) but of course I soldered it in. I tried replacing both CA3080's are they're good.
The CLRs are the big 1/2Ws on the main board, 680R if I remember right. But it does help knowing you left off the 100k resistors - those are highly experimental and it means we can rule those out anyway :)
Quote from: gordo on June 27, 2016, 03:00:19 PM
Rats, just hit a snag. In the process of boxing it I noticed that if I installed the compressor LED and it lit, the L5 would sag to half volume and get an almost ring mod sound. If I switched the comp off it was fine. Or if I took out the LED the whole pedal was fine (comp works). Well now I've installed the LED's on the bypass and channel indicators. LED's work fine but the whole pedal gets the same ring mod sound. Any idea what's going on?
Voltages look good at -15.04 and +14.98. I'm using a Line6 adapter. Is that just not enough to get this thing out of the water, and if so why would it just be the LED's dragging it down?
Have you checked the waveform of the -15V line when comp LED kicks in? The oscilloscope showed kind of saw-tooth wave.I had similar problems with the comp LED and and found 9VAC was not enough to drive the LED. I switched to 12VAC and everything's fine now.
I've been following your posts so will keep that in mind. I want to start with clr's because I did notice the LEDs were crazy bright, but that is what it sounds like...half the power supply crapping out.
I do have a voodoo labs AC supply too so might throw it on that to see if it makes a difference. No bench time to nite, which is maddening 😑
How much current does this draw? I use a one spot daisy chain and don't want to risk tossing an AC wire in the mess as well, so I was thinking this could be a good excuse to finally get an isolated power supply. The Cioks AC Rider/Ciokolate have 800mA, which I assume is more than enough, but I figured I'd ask.
Quote from: dbp512 on June 28, 2016, 06:46:50 AM
How much current does this draw? I use a one spot daisy chain and don't want to risk tossing an AC wire in the mess as well, so I was thinking this could be a good excuse to finally get an isolated power supply. The Cioks AC Rider/Ciokolate have 800mA, which I assume is more than enough, but I figured I'd ask.
Shouldn't be more than 200mA including the LEDs - probably closer to 120mA even.
Yes, I am definitely not experiencing that issue with mine! I bet it would go away if you increased the CLR, especially if you thought the LED was too bright. I dug up the specs on the exact LED that was used in the original Lab Series amps and found a modern counterpart that was very close, but the modern waterclear type would probably take a heck of a lot more current with the same CLR - as might some diffused types even, if they didn't have the same specs as the one I'm using.
Another potential solution would be to use a low-dropout (LDO) regulator instead of the traditional 7815/7915s. I'm not sure what "the good ones" are (maybe do a search on DIYSB for LDO regulators and see if there is a favorite), but if the problem is that the regulator is dropping out when the LED turns on, the lower dropout point (~15.5V instead of ~17V) might make the difference.
I am a bit nervous about using 12v AC to power it - this means each regulator is seeing 34 volts DC (12 * 2 * 1.414) and dropping it down to 15, which is a lot to handle without a heat sink (and there isn't enough room for a heat sink). I'd feel much better about a 10V adapter and I think that would provide plenty.
So, I would try the solutions in that order... raise the CLRs first (start at 1.5k or 2.2k), then try LDO regulators, then try a 10V adapter.
Hoping to get a bit of time on the bench tonite. The channel indicators are waterclear but the bypass and compressor are diffuse. Hodge-podge but looks cool. Don't know what the spec is on the Line6 supply but I was driving 3 of the big modelers and a variax with the Voodoo and it didn't break a sweat.
I wondered if maybe I have cheezy regulators. To be honest I don't know the source for them.
Finally got a few minutes with it. Voodoo supply isn't here right now so on a whim plugged in a Yamaha 12vac supply and everything works as it should. You're right though, the regs get hot. Damn this thing sounds good!
So over the weekend I'll double back and fiddle with clr's and since I'll likely get knobs from small bear I may as well grab a pair of regs as well.
It sounds very much like the real deal. The compressor has a tiny bit of flutter as it fades out which can be minimized with the trim, as does my amp. My real L5 doesn't have the aggressive boost on ch2 Mid, but I think that's one of the pots I had to substitute and I think it's just bunching up at the end. Like the original the ch1 bright switch is more subtle than ch2, and the multi-filter is fairly subtle.
FYI everyone - I'm now taking names to get a head count for the enclosures. Please go HERE (https://aionelectronics.com/blog/lab-series-preamp-project-enclosures-available-for-a-limited-time/) and fill out the form even if you have emailed me or posted in this thread about wanting one. It'll help me to have everything in one place so no one gets missed.
The only difference with these enclosures is that they are matte black instead of the gloss wrinkle, and they have "9VAC ONLY" printed on the back by the power jack.
I've got it back on the bench to sort out the power problems. I'll let you know what the fix is at this end. In the meantime it's waiting for SB knobs (aluminum). It's really hard to get the metalflake to pop for the camera. It's really more of a blue/green/aqua.
(http://www.gordomusic.com/Madbean/L501.jpg)
(http://www.gordomusic.com/Madbean/L502.jpg)
(http://www.gordomusic.com/Madbean/L503.jpg)
OK, last post, you've heard enough from me. I put the Voodoo AC supply on the pedal and at 9v still problems but at 12v it's dead quiet and completely amazing. I'm going to order another set of boards and the case as well and will spend time on that one tweaking 9v issues. In the meantime this thing sounds so good I don't want to mess with it. Toss a few low profile heat sinks on the regs and call it a day.
This is going to sound like a used car commercial but you really can't post a true sound sample of this beast, just like the real amplifier. After spending the day with my real L5 on Sunday and then going home to this beast it's really dead on. I tweaked out the ripple on the compressor with the trim pot to match the real amp. You can't really think of the comp as a "compressor" as much as a volume leveler. It's not squishy, it just puts reins on the output this thing is capable of. In practical use that means that switching from CH1 to CH2 might mean a massive change in gain structure but with a lot of Comp it attempts to level the two settings. In the real world it meant that the L5 amp could be used in a small club, or dial back the Comp and open it up to WAY louder levels.
At the tail end of the Mid pot rotation it gets real "boosty" at whatever freq you've chosen. It's not as dramatic on the real amp and I'm assuming that my choice of pots on the pedal is the difference.
If you want to describe how the amp sounds...think of it this way: What do Ty Tabor (King's X), Elliot Easton (Cars), and BB King have in common. Nothing. That's the magic of a Lab Series. Clean slate. In the real world I don't know what Tabor does to get his drive and sustain but the amp is very pedal friendly and this pedal responds in kind.
For my use (progressive Praise band) I use an overdrive for most of my drive sounds and toss in a Klon/Clean booster for my leads and let the Comp take care of levels.
This looks amazing
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This looks amazing
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sorry to hijack/necro the thread, but had a similar experience with a waterclear in the compLED slot with my second build of this guy. Very gated and unusable with the comp dial counterclockwise. I took out the LED and all is good—sounds exactly like the first build (no comp LED in that one). I'll probably try a diffuse just to see if I can get it going. Great sounding pre!!
Sooooo, where is everyone sourcing the (hard to find) pots for this project?
Specifically the two 2.5KA and the dual gang 100KC both in PC mount.
I finally got around to building mine and I'm having trouble finding these. :(
TIA
Quote from: galaxiex on October 17, 2016, 02:49:31 PM
Sooooo, where is everyone sourcing the (hard to find) pots for this project?
Specifically the two 2.5KA and the dual gang 100KC both in PC mount.
I finally got around to building mine and I'm having trouble finding these. :(
TIA
I'm having the same issue. My guess is that people are using A2K with lugs and just soldering on legs. I'd like to avoid that if at all possible.
I've got the 2.5kA pots from here:
http://uk-electronic.de/onlineshop/product_info.php?products_id=1080 (http://uk-electronic.de/onlineshop/product_info.php?products_id=1080)
...and the dual 100kC from here :
http://buildyourownclone.com/collections/parts-1/products/c-taper-16mm-dual-gang-pc-mount-potentiometer (http://buildyourownclone.com/collections/parts-1/products/c-taper-16mm-dual-gang-pc-mount-potentiometer)
...Thankx to Kevin for the advice 8)
Quote from: pierre67 on October 17, 2016, 03:11:53 PM
I've got the 2.5kA pots from here:
http://uk-electronic.de/onlineshop/product_info.php?products_id=1080 (http://uk-electronic.de/onlineshop/product_info.php?products_id=1080)
...and the dual 100kC from here :
http://buildyourownclone.com/collections/parts-1/products/c-taper-16mm-dual-gang-pc-mount-potentiometer (http://buildyourownclone.com/collections/parts-1/products/c-taper-16mm-dual-gang-pc-mount-potentiometer)
...Thankx to Kevin for the advice 8)
Thanks for that. :)
I did see the dual gang C100K at BYOC but they don't ship to Canada. :(
I've sent them an email about that. Waiting to hear back....
Looks like the uk-electronic A2.5K are solder lug.
I'd of course prefer PC mount, but if that's all I can get.... oh well, so be it.
Well BYOC got back to me and they will ship the part to Canada. Yay! :)
Hello guys, i've just ordered the PCB yesterday. Anyone else would be interested in grouped orderding enclosures from PPP? I guess tayda doesn't have the powder coat/printing service up yet?
I'm in europe btw but i thought i could be interesting for a few other guys from around here?
let me know if you're interested
I do have 6-8 of them left actually from the group buy a couple months ago. They are set up as a hidden product on the site:
https://aionelectronics.com/project/lab-series-enclosure/
Quote from: aion on November 29, 2016, 02:36:07 PM
I do have 6-8 of them left actually from the group buy a couple months ago. They are set up as a hidden product on the site:
https://aionelectronics.com/project/lab-series-enclosure/
You already sent me a free shipping code today so i could add the faceplate tomy order, will the coupon also work for the enclosure? :D
thanks (again) !
Haha, those things are pricy to ship and I wouldn't make a dime if shipping was free! But, if you wanted them to all go out together, I can refund the $4 shipping on the first order as well so you would only pay shipping on the enclosure.
i sent you an email asking you the same question and i came to the same conclusion :)
Sorry for bothering you by email AND here ..
Thanks for helping me out!
hey gang - first time poster here.
do you guys think i can power this guy from an existing +/- 15v power supply and just eliminate the power supply components on the PCB?
thanks!
Nothing wrong with the idea in theory - volts are volts - but I don't recommend straying from the instructions in any way. Not worth the ~$12 in parts ($10 9VAC adapter + $2 in components for the power section) to have to forge your own path!
I agree. The couple bucks in power section bits is minuscule compared to all of the other parts and the PCB.
I agree. The couple bucks in power section bits is minuscule compared to all of the other parts and the PCB.
thanks gents. i was thinking more in line with putting this in an enclosure with another +/-15v pedal and powering them both from a separate power supply - which, in theory should work if they are connected in parallel i believe.
If you heatsinked the regulators on the Lab Series board (you'll need a tall enough enclosure), you might be able to run the other board off it. Depends on current draw.
interesting, thank you kindly. have you done something like this before?
do you have any resources or links you can share on that topic so i can do some research?
cheers
Amazing build. If somebody wants to sell his pedal, I'm interested!