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Messages - Louie B.

#1
Build Reports / Re: not exactly a pedalboard per se...
October 18, 2019, 03:58:39 AM
more...
#2
Build Reports / Re: not exactly a pedalboard per se...
October 18, 2019, 03:57:39 AM
some pics of the enclosures in proccess...
#3
Build Reports / not exactly a pedalboard per se...
October 18, 2019, 03:55:32 AM
I guess it's time to unveil my big project. Well, big for me anyway.

I don't like the idea of having to bend over to tweak the settings on my Bass effects, so I decided to make all of them rack-mountable.
Since my day job is that of a Crestron Programmer, I managed to collect several Old discontinued devices from various jobs, each with matching 1/2 U wide x 1U tall enclosures as well as brackets to mount 2 Enclosures per rack space. my current collection includes:
1. Power Conditioner made with parts gutted out of a high end surge suppressor power strip.
2. 9v Power supply pulled from another piece of A/V equipment, currently single supply running daisy-chained to all effects.
3. MBP Nom Nom
4. VFE BumbleBee
5. MBP SnarkDoodle
6. MBP Lowrider
7. Someone else's MutronIII copy
8. Someone else's Chorus
9. Someone else's Bass Preamp

On it's way is a Korg Pitchblack tuner.

Which leaves me with room for one more item. (what else should a Bass rack have?)

I'm really hoping that the "comming soon" Softie is what I think it is, because my next desire is to convert most of the effects into relay control w/ momentary SPST triggers, then set up some sort of cable (midi) to a remote set of footswitches so I can still activate/deactivate on the fly.

And yes, I need to re-do my graphics, and get more creative with names.
#4
General Questions / Op-Amp substitutions?
September 22, 2019, 03:10:16 AM
Hey all!
Just took advantage of the deal of the day and picked up a VFE Bumblebee PCB. Now I'm going through the Shopping list and seeing what I can use that I already have.
The List calls for an OPA2134a for IC1 and 4558 for IC2, Looking up spec sheets it looks like they both have the same pinout as most of the Dual OpAmps I currently have in my arsenal, so figured I'd check with the masters if any of the following would be a viable substitution for one or both of these.

I currently have (1) LMC662, (1) TL072, and (3) LF353N
I'm thinking the TL072 would be fine in place of the 4558, but I'm not familiar with the OPA2134a. and I'm too much of a noob to know which specs I should be checking for a close match.

I'll be playing Bass through this if that has any bearing on the decision.

TIA
#5
Thanks again, yes I think it is working. Sorry for my ignorance.

#6
Update: Running my boss' strat through the circuit: playing open string or lower fret still sounds like a clean signal run through a HPF, when I get up passed the 12th fret I am getting some of what I would call ringing that is an octave up mixed with the dry. I'm thinking my expectations were wrong on what an Analog octave up pedal can do. I was expecting just the octave up without the dry mixed in, now that I'm reading your explanation I guess it's supposed to be a mix and maybe this has been working all along.
#7
Thank you so much for the informative response.

GE diodes are 1n270 purchased from Small bear.
Yes i did have another TL074 so I just swapped that in. no change.
IC2 Pins 1 and 8 are both reading 4.86v on my meter (this is what I get on all the points that are spec'd to have 5v)
D3 and D4 I am seeing 4.86v on both sides of each Diode
R18 and R19 are reading a good 100k across them.

Attached is a sample of the soldering (the section of the board in question) There's a couple of joints that may be considered a bit solder starved but nothing looks cold or shorted to me.

The last time I had issues with (someone else's) Pedal, their forum just kept coming back with "reflow your solder joints" "reflow your solder joints again". I ended up overheating and lifting pads to the point the PCB was ruined and the problem turned out to be a faulty stompswitch. That's why I'm reluctant to reflow these now.

I'll take it over to a friends tomorrow and try his strat through it and see how it sounds.
#8
Lowrider board, only substitutions are standard POTs in the Fuzz and tone.

low and sub outputs sound fine.
Dry output is fine.
High output just sounds like the Dry out run through a HPF. Fuzz works fine. Tone doesn't seem to have much effect. A/B switch doesn't seem to have much effect.

Reading through the schematic, with as little experience as I have, it looks like the octave up is created around IC 2A & IC 2C? I ran through a voltage check and IC 1, 2, 3, 4 all look good. The numbers get crazy around 5,6,7. I can't figure out what these 3 actually do, but it looks to me like they're part of the Low and Sub circuits.

Also Q2 and Q3 are wierd, but again, these appear to be in the low and sub portions of the circuit.

I am  a bass player, and do not have any guitars to test this with. Both of my basses are Passive P-Basses.

Photos here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/i3o4fiUNwLJzv96G9
#9
General Questions / Re: using Lowrider on Bass
August 28, 2019, 05:33:11 PM
OK thanks, I just tried running through a preamp first then to the Lowrider and still only plays at standard octave. also 2 different basses, although both are Passive P-bass.

I ran through all of the Voltages and there are some crazy discrepancies so I will start a new thread in the Tech section.

Mods please feel free to delete this thread,
#10
General Questions / using Lowrider on Bass
August 28, 2019, 03:22:28 AM
Hello.

I Just completed my first MBP project (My 4th overall project), the Lowrider.

Before I decide if it was a success or not, and before I start taking a million measurements and pics for the tech help forum, I wanted to get some feedback on Expectations for this pedal when running a Bass through it.
Namely the Octave up circuit. The build instructions mention how the guitar needs to be a certain way for it to have the best effect so I'm wondering if it normally has much effect on bass at all? My dry, low, and sub are all working fine. and fuzz works on the high, just when the fuzz is rolled off it sounds like the dry ran through a hp filter. no higher, just minus the lows if that makes sense. This is being fed directly from a Passive P-Bass then out into a Fender Rumble 200 w/ all EQ set flat and tweeter turned on.