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So I breadboarded one based off of the original schematic I found over at DIYSB
https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?PHPSESSID=0v448fu3gilak3iocmca8ddam1&topic=83300.msg1212719#msg1212719
It worked! It's crazy unruly, but I like it. I read up how since it does split-rail power, and grounds to your instrument/amp sleeve connections.

So I found FuzzDog's version updated to work along the same lines, but will take more normalized 9V power and play nicer with pedal boards.

I've tried to breadboard this bloody thing about 10 times, and I'm going mad. I can't get it to work at all. No signal. I have a screenshot of that schematic with some highlights and such. I've marked what I think the outlined nets are providing, but I'm still not getting anything.


http://pedalparts.co.uk/docs/GraphicFuzz.pdf


Can this thing run on brick power at all (fuzz, or does it only work with a 9V cell? (I tried both, but nothing) I mean, I'm sure the fault is on my end, but I'm hot and bothered by this thing.

Is this somewhat of a tilting at windmills and I should spend precious hours of life on other projects?  : P

So I had never thought to ask a neighbor (who worked many years in appliance/electronics repair) if he had any stuff he'd be willing to part with until now.

Picked up an old tackle box off stuff, which while not large, was a very welcome addition. I looked up most of the IC and component P/Ns and picked out the one's I think would be the most useful in our sphere of DIY (left-hand side). In addition were some BJTs, and a smattering of carbon resistors, ceramic and film caps.

If any of the other P/Ns seem useful or could otherwise be utilized, I'd appreciate the insight. I'm happy to PiF any of the chips I don't know a use for (right-hand side) if you have one. No way to verify any of their working condition, but if the transistors are anything to go by, they should still be good.



url for the full-size image https://i.imgur.com/DndWEfL.jpg

The fates were shining on me, too, since I ordered the smallest frame they sell, but got a bump, either accidentally or intentionally because they were sold out of that particular SKU I wanted. Bonus!



The test piece of ancient deco ply from the garage was warped pretty badly, and the mag-safe-like laser shroud popped off durign the burn. Betcha can't tell where   the single thumbscrew for height adjustment (focus) is tricky, too. Thought it was tight, but the popping off of the shroud (probably due to the thumbscrew slightly drooping the laser) went out of focus after a point.

Might've also mucked up where it's outlines and where it's fills. I've only had it for a day

Excited to start testing this on some donations from a fellow pedal builder to work out settings for paint and powder coating. Definitely waiting for my fume extraction solution to get here before I do anything other than wood. Even that irritates my eyes without the doors open.

Here's pt II of the favorite game series pedal ...series.

Originally I had only planned on these two. I was thinking about how similar Joshua Graham and Driver Nephi are from an upbringing perspective. Both New Canaanites, both (probably) sent out to serve and preach, and both caught up in the worst of the Wasteland in the process. Both walked a path to ruin and darkness and, sadly, only one returned to the light (mostly...).







Inspired by Thewintersoldier, I went for an Effects Layouts Horde Howler, built in the fashion of the SD-1. Opted for that circuit first with possibly doing another build down the road. I had heard shootouts between TS variants and the SD-1 sounded a touch more versatile. I really have to shout out Storyboardist here for this board: making it in a way that it's easy to build-to-order, so to speak.

I wanted to have it distressed to a degree, but felt if I was paying for a nice UV print, I'll let the art do the talking there. Unlike the ZION pedal with its full top coverage of varnish, the FIEND has its varnish gloss layer following the color layer with its jagged edges.



The knobs, though, is where I could have a lot of fun. Haven't gotten out the paint in a while, so it was fun to get dirty. The knobs in the photos are all full CCW, but the intentionally skewed ones could be frustrating, so I may put them back to normal. The black knob took a chisel, a hammer, yella spray paint, a jar full of screws and sand paper. It was fun    The top-left knob came from some bit of vintage electronics I had hoarded a long time ago, thinking I would use, but they were knurled/splined. Thankfully(?) Tayda was out of smooth shaft pots in one value I needed, so I just made them all splined, and snugged down the set screws on the other two.

Thank you for visiting...

(and for looking)

Whenever I'm looking at a pedal in the queue, I leave my mind open for almost any possibility for the name. Some are instant duds, some have to simmer a bit, but this one came very quickly.

Those who know me know I have an affinity for a particular game series, and one title holds a special place in my heart.



The character Joshua Graham is an interesting one. He's someone that, on a few levels, I can identify with. Others, like being the legate of Caesar's Legion and the bloody baggage that goes with that title, I emphatically do not. His story is an interesting one, which I won't deep dive into here. Suffice it to say that after his fall from grace, prodigal return to family and then loss of many of that family and home—all because of his past deeds—he welcomed the space of Zion National Park. A place away from the brutality of the post-nuclear wasteland.



I was actually able to go to Zion National Park years before it became the sadly overcrowded destination. It's still amazingly beautiful, and I'd recommend a visit; just be prepared for crowds. Matter of fact, we have like FIVE national parks in my state... Bryce is a wonderful view, but it's by far the smallest. Anyhow, these days I prefer to get away to Goblin Valley State Park, but I don't know how calming "goblin" really is in this context Alternatively, I could have called it Hoodoo, after the earth formations there. Beautiful spot...



I digress...

I chose Effects Layouts Sonorus reverb board for this one. I like it a lot since my Pretender amp head doesn't have a 'verb tank in it, and most digital reverbs don't sit right with me. I've actually had this one build for a while now, and waited until I had enough working builds to put in an order of enclosures.

https://imgur.com/a/fFxUac5

As always, thanks for looking.

Google is being dumb so I'll ask here—however, so am I sometimes, so hopefully it's not a question with an obvious answer:

Without opening up the pedal and seeing either a thru hole or smd populated PCB, how does one know if a GE-7 can be worked on? I know serial numbers can be looked at to see a date, so that may be one sure fire way, but if the SN is gone?

I should say, I'm not getting one for the sole purpose of modding it, but if I can find one, it's a nice to have avenue.

Thanks

[125B]

So a friend and I were commiserating over a project they'll have to tweak, sand down to make it fit into an enclosure (IMO this was because of too-tight tolerances on the part of the designer of his particular board, but that's another topic). Forgive me, I know this isn't like the cure for cancer or anything, but it's got my brain in a frenzy and I have to translate it out of my brain space and into text.

So back to the problem with this board not fitting in the enclosure: got me thinking about what the true size of the enclosure is vs what it's supposed to be: manufacturing tolerances vary from maker to maker, and further differ based on what mold they copied, or CAD they replicated and even how proficient the cloning process/person was/is.

The case in point: the 125B

>>>tl;dr at the bottom<<<

Was it Mammoth who made this what it is? why it's still with us? I can be pretty pedantic about naming things, so I've been on one with this since getting back into the DIY world.

In the earliest wayback machine capture of the enclosure's product page, "4S125B" is what's written out. https://web.archive.org/web/20101223105031/http://www.mammothelectronics.com:80/4S125B-p/500-1002.htm   In fact, even when I first started getting into this way back then, I have a file of several old enclosure designs (for said friend, incidentally) with a filename "4S125B enclosure designs" —even back then I was a stubborn pedant, even if I didn't notice every detail about its origin.

I originally thought that 125B/4S125B was some much older designation by Hammond or even just series of enclosures, but nope. What really gets me is that one the Description tab on that page above, it states     

4S125B Die Cast Aluminum Enclosure (Similar to Hammond 1590N1)

But then on the technical specs tab it states:

Same dimensions as the Hammond Manufacturing 1590N1

It's all right there. Plain as day. And my model designation name/nomenclature history theory rabbit hole from this morning needn't've been explored. I need a drink.

What's super bizarre is that while Mammoth calls the 125B "similar" to the 1590N1, but then just brazenly call its other enclosure offerings "Hammond 1590x clone" https://web.archive.org/web/20101206091408/http://www.mammothelectronics.com/category-s/22.htm  WHY change the one but not the others…? Yeah, they all have that "4S" prefix, but why? WHY change just that single enclosure's name?

Everyone else who sells clone enclosures still call it the 125B to this day—the name STUCK! Yeah, everyone sells the 1590-series. You see someone selling a 1590B and it is still, factoring in the cloning process tolerances, a 1590B. But no one but Hammond seems to want to call this particular enclosure a 1590N1; it's always a 125B

So if it is Mammoth's fault, why do we still call it that? just because it's been encoded in the DIY world's subconscious? And if it isn't their doing, who did it before them?

Okay, after writing all of the above text out, come to find out it's not even Mammoth!!! A capture from Smallbear's 2003 stock list https://web.archive.org/web/20031211114941/http://www.smallbearelec.com/Ordering/Stocklist.htm has 125B on it! Though it's a ribbed version exclusively here. (however, looking back further the 1590N (no "1") was also ribbed) https://web.archive.org/web/19970626193341/http://www.hammondmfg.com/1590n.pdf  [edit] ALSO, that 2003 Stock List states that their "125B" has corresponding P/Ns at Jameco as well as Circuit Specialists.

And others reference this exact Small Bear stock item: https://disastermfg.com/125-b/

The popular Taiwanese 125-B, licensed from Small Bear Electronics.

They also have a separate product listing for a "Mammoth 125-B" https://disastermfg.com/mammoth-125-b/

Furthest back I can see is "Circuit Specialists" which links to "web-tronics" from 1999 mentioning a cast aluminum enclosure "03-125B" with similar specs to the 125B we commonly see https://web.archive.org/web/19990922025054/http://www.web-tronics.com/webtronics/general-supplies-for-electronics-enclosures-die-cast-aluminum-enclosures.html 


tl;dr
So at some point in the late 1990s, Web-Tronics/CircuitSpecialists started stocking MiT enclosures which were a clone of the preexisting Hammond Mfg 1590N, called the "03-125B" and the name has just sort of stuck in one way or another since… Y THO?!

Finally got the enclosure to pop the test unit's guts into!

This is an evolution of my Sardine Tin (Super-Fuzz) project, incorporating a number of mods, including a dual calibration setup to allow one to have both the gnarly, octave* tones and a more traditional fuzz sound** depending on how you like to play. The mods required an upsize in enclosure to a 1590N1/125B from my originally intended 1590B build. I do have some boards which will do all but the fuzz toggle for that size, but I'll keep my self-shilling to a minimum  : P










Reading through a number of docs out there, it seems that some prefer the "factory" setting of having an "octave" like effect when adjusting the 10k trimpot in the circuit. *To me, it sounds and behaves a bit closer to a ring modulator in that anything beyond a perfect fifth power chord starts to sound like something's broken. Other guides say you should tune it to **be as "noisy" as you can, indicating that it's a more useful fuzz tone. I said, "por que a no los dos"  —or at least I would have if the taco meme girl hadn't said it first in a commercial hocking Americanized Mexicana to people who think maize is something you get lost in during autumn fun times.

I'm not pretending it's anything groundbreaking, but I like having the option.

The guts are a bit of a dip in form from the Fraudhacker I recently did, but they were parts I needed to use. The wonky rotation of the input jack was intentional since there was a large "IN" etched into it with a soldering iron  -___-

Also, someone needs to make a Fuzzrong now.

Thanks for looking.

Probably one of those questions that would be easily answered were I an engineer / bothered to learn my basics...

So I'm intrigued the prospect of something like a Bontempo being married with an existing dual-PT2399 delay (or even a single one, tbh). Looking it over, on paper, it seems that really all that needs to happen is to connect (net labeled) VCO to pin 6 of both PT2399s, but I assume there might be more to it than that.

The Bontempo documentation ( https://electric-canary.com/bontempo.html ) really only notes that the "double-time" switch will instead act like a half-time toggle with a dual setup, but I didn't know if this was all there was when combining these into a single schematic.



For example, if you take a dual chip circuit like the ZeroPoint, where would you "splice" the Bontempo portion's connection to the PT2399s' VCO pin? I marked three different points: RED: omits everything behind it; BLUE: keeps the buffers(?) portions of the nets going to pin 6; and GREEN: omitting basically the original delay pot?



Sorry if that question was worded oddly.

[is March 31st the new April Fools Day?]

Someone shared with me this Emily Hopkins video about a new JHS pedal, and I really can't tell I hate that I'm questioning if this is real or not…

coming off of Josh's own history of making videos mocking the terribleness of solid state amps, the true water holding of certain mysterious pedals like (a la the Bad Monkey), and so on.

This is incredibly elaborate piss taking, it just has to be!

https://www.jhspedals.info/ <— the current front page material's CTA leads to the merch store https://shop.merchcentral.com/collections/jhs-pedals/products/jhs-pedals-bat-sim-t-shirt    and we're March 31st… is March 31st the new April Fools Day? Am I finally getting old and not getting jokes right off the bat (ha) anymore? (don't answer that)


I think I'm more angry about having to question it (publicly or otherwise) than I am actually not knowing. -____________-

Behold, The Fraught Fraud Hacker!

I absolutely loved Brian's tribute to RLM with this pedal, as well as the original etched face plate for the launch/debut. I felt like I needed to go in a different direction, even though putting any combination of caricature of Mike, Jay, Rich, or any of the other regulars would have also been wonderful.

When I think of fraud, I think of crime, and by extension fat cat businessmen > The bestest of deals can grease the palms of many a broker and businessman who wants his filthy lucre badly enough.









This was originally going to be on a bright magenta enclosure. A friend suggested gold, and I waffled a bit, before going to see that Tayda was sold out of the brightest magenta/pink enclosure powder coat, so you won out again, paulie  : P

The design is inspired by a large sign I would see on the way to work with a man in a suit, wearing a big smile, arms stretched heavenward with the bold text "BANKRUPTCY!" Such a bizarre juxtaposition, I had to riff on it. "I'M SO ELATED TO BE DOING AN CRIME!"

I half-seriously called this the Fraughthacker, because in my haste this nearly was botched. I forgot a number of components in the order it came with, and then I had ticking issues, and then I discovered my interpretation of the voltage reg datasheet was backwards, and therefore the regulator was backwards! (shout out to blackhatboojum, Govmnt_Lacky, jimilee, and Bio77 for helping me troubleshoot)

Thankfully, the MN3007 wasn't toasted, and even more thankfully Cabintech had one [1] 3207 in stock and I jumped on it. I originally was going to use the 3007 only because I had one out of a Pork Barrel I'm still trying to suss out a gain drop issue with, and the 3207 was unobtanium.

There was also a scare today when I was finishing it up... I had put green frog tape over the top to protect the UV print while I was transplanting and assembling, and then more than a few weeks went by waiting for parts, mucking it up. Then I go to peel it off, and there's a  f i l m  on the art where the tape made contact. Thankfully (more than) a bit of 90% isopropanol sorted that out.

I didn't know if the anodized gold knobs and the sparkle gold powder coat finish would clash, but I think it's just fine now it's all assembled.

Thanks for looking.

Maybe not a big deal, but when I was shopping for name-brand bipolar caps on Mouser I noticed that Nichicon's 10uF (several SKUs) are marked EOL.



Price isn't too bad, considering. QoS:


IDK, in the vintage computer world, recapping power supplies and such, Nichicon was the recommended brand. Anyhow, there it is  : P

There are a few projects I'm thinking about (much later) and a Cherry Bomb a friend lent me to take a look at, so thought I'd ask. I've seen the recommendations in the Cherry Bomb build doc, as well as the meatqlaw, include a number of alternatives and hints at favorites.

The current one has two BC109s in Q1-Q2, and a 2n2222 can at Q3.

In the realm of silicon fuzzes, overdrives, etc. where does BC reign end and 2N/PN dominion begin? I suppose the easy answer is "whatever the original / new build doc prescribes"

Alright, let's see what I did RoNg this time. Just a few things to get out of the way:

I routed all wire off to the left, to avoid the LFO/clock as much as possible.

The reg looks backwards, but the part I have (ST L78L05CZ) has reversed pins.

The 33uF caps (C26, C27, C35) are tantalum (supposedly bipolar??), but are oriented off lead length (no pole indicators) just in case.

Those friggin Xvive labels are terrible to see in any light, but is a 3007. It and the 3101 were both working when I pulled them from my Pork Barrel.


During calibration I get next to no signal from TP2 (unless I really crank up the gain on my desktop amp), and even when I adjust it to be the clearest, there's still LFO tick.

The 22k trimpots are 20k

When I try to calibrate the clock with my Fluke, I'm barely getting 3 kHz (at least I think I'm using it correctly).

Actually now I'm listening again, it's not self-oscillating, though I'm sure how that would sound on this particular circuit to tell, so at any rate, T1 for feedback doesn't really have a dramatic effect


Apologies if I've forgotten something basic 

When I saw Brian debuting new PT2399 offerings, my interest was piqued. I have a Zero Point SDX my friend Neil built for me ages ago. I love it, but it loves to break loose even without a SLAM I'm sort of getting the hang of the "dwell" function, though whenever I get a demo of it recorded, I'm curious if my LM386L is doing what it should. I mean, on paper it has the same specs as the -3 version...

Regardless, I like this delay a lot! I love that I can really get that endless texture and dial it in with both mix and tone controls to right where I want it. I feel like homebrewtj and I were on the same page as far as concepts go, so hope they don't mind if I share the whole deconstruction / pixelation theme.





I overshot the switch wire lengths, so they're a bit smooshed on this one  : /  Also, can you say "reused switch?"  : P ...rosin residue...ugh





I was struggling to find a single-source for the knurled (built-in-knob-kinda) 9mm pots, so though it doesn't show, the tone knob is actually has a 90˚ stop, which is serendipitously fitting for a tone knob, imo. They're also the taller versions than the ones spec'd in the build documentation, but I don't mind them.

I finally got to use the 1/4W, shorter package resistors from a long-ago Mouser order. I had no idea they came in that package, and when they first arrived I was very confused, since, like with many part descriptions, there wasn't an accurate photo  : P  but they were 1/4W and was glad to have them here ...just in case. IDK, one of those things...

When I had it in the PLA enclosure for build and testing, I was getting this weird thing where the repeat would sort of reset itself, or just stop repeating altogether, and I wondered if I had yet another failed PT2399 (had one in a Magdelay Bay for a friend go wrong). Turns out I had a cold joint on one of the legs. Don't remember the last time that happened, but got it sorted.

Fun fact: the typeface is the same one used on the classic Macintosh FPS series Marathon

I struggled with balancing the control naming and the graphic, but here were are. maybe it would've been better to omit the extra text.

Thanks for looking.

Here it is! THE GRODIEST Odor



From my rather sophomoric ODR-1-like board, The Noblest Odor, I had a not-original idea to pair it with pre-OD boost stage, in the shape of It Just Boosts, my take on the LPB-1. This is a Tayda matte black 1590BB enclosure with a custom design, calling to mind (and borrowing from) Big Daddy Roth's style! Painting out the standard control markings with a punkinsh, flair.

What does it sound like? GRODY! The ODR-1 was heralded as an elegant overdrive, and while it is nice and silky, I wanted the ability to make it dirty on command!

I'm a sloppy guitarist... playing for other players makes me super self-conscious, so focus on the tone, not my meh playing.

I opted for a 4011 in the "standard" range of an OG Fairchild 5088 over the latter. My mystery box 5088s are well over 500 hFE. I mean, maybe it's louder with a 5088, so I socketed it just in case. Usually these boosts are good enough as-is With mauman's addition suggestion to mitigate some heterodyning, powered by a brick I don't get any of that squeal. The wiring is... well you can't see how wacky it is. Since I opted for boost on the left, OD on the right, the jack-to-switch signal path is reversed, looping back on itself, but thankfully there's enough room to hide it all at the bottom between the chassis and the switches.

More on the wiring: my bypass LED would not turn off... and like an amateur, I did everything short of the one thing that would've solved it. Since it came from a standalone build, I had desoldered and transplanted it here...here be tomfoolery. After pulling my hair out, and the LED from the main board to the switch, there was an infinitesimal bit of conductive schmutz across L and GND  Oh well! Here we are and it works!

Thanks for looking

Has anyone found a rhyme or reason for a component tester identifying a device as something it isn't?

I was going through some new NPNs and occasionally it will ID it as a thyristor. No matter what pin config I use in the test, it comes back as a thyristor. Does that suggest that the part in question is in some ways faulty, and would not be good to use in a circuit?

edit:
e.g. I have both 3904 and MPS6512 NPNs showing as Thyristors. Small number, but curious about it all the same.

I might be jumping the gun, but when matmosphere put out a feeler for a second PFUKR fundraiser, I wanted to be a part of it this time. And please don't mistake this as disingenuous or a grab for fake internet points. I just need to get it out, and then I can go back to making silly pedal artwork again.

Having lived among Lithuanians 20 years ago, I grew to love those people; marvel at their successes and rebuilding, and be saddened by their history—parallel to Ukraine, and nearly every other former Soviet "Republic." I've read, heard, and seen what happens to those on the path to and from conflicts, skirmishes, wars, and petty power grabs. Hell, even heard some of their firsthand accounts—harrowing. Now we're seeing it more clearly than we've ever done.

It can happen again. It will keep happening. If war doesn't change, men must change, and so must their symbols.

Even though the quote's source/medium might seem trivial or flippant to some, when I heard that for the first time I felt it hard thinking about the Baltic people—what would happen to them if a raging @#$!wit went on the rampage. And last year I felt it again, wondering what is next, how long...


So here is a symbol: a sunflower.

To the jaded, simply an oxygen-emitting, self-replicating manifestation of chlorophyll and other compounds to make them yellow.

To others, a source of commerce in the form of agriculture.

To Ukrainians— our fellow humans—still fighting, a symbol of defiance and un-killable spirit.


It is not a banner of conquest, of megalomanic zeal, or any other lust of power and influence over fellow humans. It is an embodiment of freedom, however insignificant the casual cynic might see it, try to justify and categorize it. And then I think: what is my symbol? Does it need to change? I can't force the minds of others, but here's hoping and praying that the people's defiant stand will forever shine against the stained blades of the oppressor.

It's said war - war never changes. Men do, through the roads they walk.

Let us wish Godspeed to (and do what we can to help) these souls as they press on their road to win their freedom.


https://imgur.com/a/4UaeZIy

Couple questions about a couple caps on the Fraudhacker

CAPS
1. the 5pF cap (C29) —I swear I ordered some, but didn't—I have some RadioShack grab bag 7pF caps; will those work or should I get marked-5pF caps?

2. the 33uF (C26, C27, C35) caps —I thought I was buying electrolytic caps, but apparently I have tantalums, and apparently those aren't polar? should I go back to the order place and get electros?


REG
the regulator, the 78L05— I have a bunch of the L78L05CZ regs from STM. It looks like just the I and O pins are swapped, so could I just rotate it and use it? I'm not sure if there were any other specs to look at on the original intended part (don't know what specific reg is reference). https://www.st.com/resource/en/datasheet/l78l.pdf


Thanks

[The Sardine Tin]

Here it is: The Sardine Tin

For those who haven't seen the development thread, this is a Univox Super-Fuzz based on a true story adaptation into a 1590B enclosure. The first rev board was ...it had no thought put into it other than "this goes here, that goes there." This revision board is much tighter and much nicer to build.

I was given the name by the bloke to whom this exact pedal will go; named in honor of the late MCA of the Beastie Boys. He rocked his single-pickup J Bass with frequent use of the Super-Fuzz, and the sound is spot on! Mixed with a bit of Glass Hole, it's right there with the studio recording of Gratitude. I'm very pleased with how this one came out, both with the board and the chassis.

Like the name, the design is an homage to MCA's lyric in Hello Nasty's Body Movin' "packed like sardines in a tin." This album was an instant classic, and has had regular rotation in the music collection since I bought it in 1999.

This is the orange sand enclosure with double-white, and a matte finish.









I can't find my flash diffusers so forgive the hard shadows on the photos.