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Messages - blackhatboojum

#1
I recently revisited this build, and played around with different voltage regulators.  Here are the results in case anyone might be interested. 

Pedal at 12v with a 9v regulator:  Brian mentions in the build docs that this configuration can be used but, hasn't been tested.  I've now tested it and I can say... it doesn't work.  It ticks, more accurately, thumps like crazy.

Pedal at 12v with a 6v regulator:
Works, doesn't tick, but results are not desirable.  There is a significant increase in volume when engaged.  This is to be expected since the op amps are getting more voltage but, the bbd is not receiving a voltage benefit in terms of headroom.  It's still being regulated to only 6 volts.  The extra volt also changes the clock speed quite dramatically.  Stock voltages gives me speeds of 40kHz to 530kHz with a sweep of the manual knob.  The extra volt causes the speed to jump up to 830mHz with the manual knob maxed.  At that speed, it sounds really warbly and off putting to my ears.  It's no longer a flanger and more of a seasick chorus sound.

Pedal 9v with a 6v regulator:
Very similar to being run at 12v but, without the volume boost.  Again, not very desirable to me.  That boost in clock speed just doesn't work for this circuit.  There's probably a resistor in the clock network that could be changed out to bring the speed down to a more suitable range but, I don't see the point.  That extra volt doesn't really help the bbd in terms of headroom from what I can tell so why bother.  9v with a 5v regulator seems to be the sweet spot for this circuit.
#2
Open Discussion / Re: New multimeter day
March 05, 2024, 02:01:25 AM
Nice.  That  Klein should serve you well for years to come.  I use an older fluke 89 cat IV on the job and out in the field but, I'd trust my life to that Klein you purchased. 
#3
Build Reports / Re: Saguaro Wah
December 04, 2023, 09:15:06 PM
Quote from: jessenator on December 03, 2023, 02:38:25 AM
That is some splendid work, Clinton. Neat and clean layout and slick wiring. Nicely done!

It is super awesome that Bean shares the component libraries. Makes this kind of stuff a lot more friendly to work with.

Thanks.  Without the work Brian already put in, I probably wouldn't have been able to pull this off.

Quote from: jimilee on December 03, 2023, 02:40:09 AM
Oh man, I love it, and it's so compact.

Many thanks!

Quote from: blearyeyes on December 03, 2023, 08:17:02 AM
Clean build. You took the leap and it worked!

Thanks!  Honestly, I'm a little surprised it worked lol.

Quote from: Bret608 on December 04, 2023, 01:41:27 PM
Yeah, I love this! Congrats! I still haven't taken the plunge on layouts other than vero.

I did manage to grab a used wah on Reverb and have started modding it to learn what's what until the Weener Wah is back in stock. It's a 1990 revision E without the input buffer. It's already got the 390r Q1 emitter resistor and the 33k in parallel with the inductor. I upped that to 47k to see if it would bring out a bit more vocal quality. It does sound good! I'd be curious what values you like where.

Thanks.  I attached my schematic so you can take a look at the values of everything.

Quote from: Bio77 on December 04, 2023, 03:23:32 PM
That's super awesome!  Congrats.   8)

I've been itching to do a layout again.  I might recommend trying KiCad or another free software on your next one.  EAGLE is EOL and it will be a more of a bummer to switch the more skill you get with EAGLE.   

Thanks John!  I'm actually playing around with Diptrace as well. 
#4
Build Reports / Saguaro Wah
December 03, 2023, 02:07:19 AM
I've already talked at great length about the mighty saguaro cactus before so, I'll spare everyone that long winded story.  What I will talk about, is how this particular build came to be.  The truth is... I'm out of steam when it comes to this hobby.  I've built over 50 pedals and successfully built some of the most complicated circuits available in the diy effects community.  Having nothing left that I wanted to build or add to my collection, the only thing I could think of to push myself further was design and have a pcb made.  That's exactly what I've done with this build.  Not knowing a damn thing about this sort of thing, I decided to start small and chose a simple circuit that I would actually use to teach myself pcb design software.  A wah circuit is simple enough and because our fearless leader makes his EAGLE library available for download, that was the direction I went.  I gotta say, I'm pretty proud of myself for pulling off a working pcb having never messed with anything like this before.  I say that but also, all credit really goes to Brian.   I used his component library and essentially his Weener Wah layout in my pcb design.  Yes, there are some differences but, it's pretty obvious where I drew inspiration from.  I even messaged him about this project idea because I didn't feel right having the pcbs made without Brian's blessing.  Having received the go ahead, I had a handful of pcbs made and I'm quite pleased with the results.  It's nothing special or groundbreaking but, hot damn... I did a thing.  As far as what the saguaro wah actually is... well, it's just a hybrid of vox and Dunlop branded wah circuits.  It has certain values of resistor and capacitors in certain places, that sound best to me for my amp and pedal board setup. 


#5
For sure B.  Take care of you and the important things first and foremost.  We're still hanging out in these parts.
#6
Open Discussion / Re: Weener Wah restock status
November 11, 2023, 01:28:11 AM
Quote from: Bret608 on October 19, 2023, 12:26:26 PM
Oh man, I was just about to grab a Weener Wah having gotten ahold of an old Crybaby finally! When do you anticipate those being back in the shop?

I'm curious about this too.  I looking to build another one.
#7
Build Reports / Re: Aion Lumitron
September 26, 2023, 04:26:41 AM
 Hot damn Gordo!  That's good looking build.
#8
Question... How many BF-2 flangers does a person need?
Answer... All of them!

If you don't know me by now, I'll let you in on a little secret... I love me some Boss flanger.  In total, I've built 5 of them.  4 of them have been on the Fraudhacker PCB and 3 of those have been of the BF-2 variety.  What makes this one different than those other BF-2's you may be wondering?  Well, I used a NTE1641 BBD for this one.  I wanted to know if there is a sonic difference between a MN3207 and a MN3007 in the same style of circuit and if I'm going to be honest... I'll also use any excuse to add another BF-2 to my collection.  Have I mentioned that I love Boss flangers yet ;D?  In all seriousness though, I spent about 40 minutes contrasting and comparing this build with my OG Baron of Arizona flanger.  I can honestly say, there's little to no difference between the sound of my MN3207 BF-2 and this one.  This latest build has a slightly lower overall noise floor and flange wasn't quite as deep with the depth knob maxed but, that was the only difference I could hear.  Those two things could easily be chalked up to part tolerances so I'm not reading too much into it.  Both sound exactly like a Boss BF-2 and I can dial them in to sound exactly the same.  Outside of that, there's not much else I can say.  Same color enclosure, same artwork, and I used white knobs instead of black for this one.  That's pretty much it.



#9
Open Discussion / Re: Wah enclosure suggestions
July 22, 2023, 03:20:59 PM
Quote from: jwin615 on July 21, 2023, 12:53:13 AM
Quote from: blackhatboojum on July 20, 2023, 09:53:29 PM
I second the used crybaby idea.  The enclosure is of much better quality than what amplified parts/antique electronics offers.  I built a weener wah with one of those enclosures and I'm not that impressed with it.  It feels cheap.
Do you like the weener?

.
.
.
Wah?

The wah circuit itself, I like and think it sounds great.  I auditioned various components and voiced it to my liking.  The feel of the wah under my foot is what I'm not a fan of.  It's stiff, clunky, and gritty feeling because of the enclosure I used.  No amount of adjustments to the pot or treadle tension has really been able to correct it.  It doesn't have the smoothness that a Dunlop has.
#10
Open Discussion / Re: Wah enclosure suggestions
July 20, 2023, 09:53:29 PM
I second the used crybaby idea.  The enclosure is of much better quality than what amplified parts/antique electronics offers.  I built a weener wah with one of those enclosures and I'm not that impressed with it.  It feels cheap. 
#11
Quote from: Bio77 on June 21, 2023, 04:34:06 PM
Quote from: blackhatboojum on June 21, 2023, 03:46:35 PM
Awesome!  I'm glad you got this one sussed out and are enjoying it.  The BF-2 has been my go to modulation since the late 90's and like you, I went through every flanger possible when I started building.  Nothing could quite dethrone the mighty BF-2 until I built my HF-2.  While the HF-2 isn't quite king, it's definitely sharing the flanger crown on my pedalboard.
Thanks man  8)  Are you using the BF-2 on guitar or bass?  I really dig it on bass, it swirls mostly on the high end and lets me add more effect without loosing the groove of the song.  I feel like on guitar I'd go BF-2.

I'm using mine on guitar but yeah, it's killer on bass.  Back in my previous life, I always pointed to the HF-2 for my bass playing buddies that were looking for a good flanger.  On guitar, the HF-2 does a really great faux phaser sound.  Rate around 11:00, manual and depth at noon, and the res dumped all the way out.  That's my favorite setting.
#12
Awesome!  I'm glad you got this one sussed out and are enjoying it.  The BF-2 has been my go to modulation since the late 90's and like you, I went through every flanger possible when I started building.  Nothing could quite dethrone the mighty BF-2 until I built my HF-2.  While the HF-2 isn't quite king, it's definitely sharing the flanger crown on my pedalboard. 
#13
Quote from: Bio77 on June 18, 2023, 12:55:10 AM
A mixed update:  I identified the problem but am still confused  ;D

I hooked up a guitar and amp to the PCB to make sure that it was in the problem state while I took voltages.  In problem state I got a lot of weird varied voltages on IC3 (pins 2,3,6 and a little variance on 7 and 8 ) and IC4 (pins 2,4,5,6, &7).  While taking the voltages I noticed that I could switch it from the problem state to functioning by probing pins 2 and 3 of IC2, respectively.  Very repeatable behavior, if I probe pin 2 of IC2, I have a working pedal; If I probe pin 3, non-working. The switching between states is like a switch, meaning that after I probe the respective pin it is in that state after I remove the probe. 

Anyway, I had a JRC2068 in IC1 and IC2.  I switched IC2 back to a 4558 and now the pedal is working. Here are my questions:

1.  WTF? Please theorize on this weird bi-modal behavior  ;D
2.  Was the 2068 bad or did having one there in the first place cause this? Only difference I can see in the data sheet is that 2068 can run at higher voltages and has better S2N that 4558 (which is why I usually use them in chorus and flangers).
3.  Should I keep the 2068 in IC1 or also switch it to a 4558?

Oh wow.  Yeah, this is definitely weird.  My initial instincts where pointing to a clock issue based on what you described.  I thought is was odd that adjusting the resonance trimmer would cause the delay chip to dump out though.  I think mauman is onto something with the 2068 going into oscillation and causing the problem but, this is starting to get beyond my knowledge of electronic components so, Imma have to bow out at this point on theorizing.  Nice job on figuring it out though John  8)
#14
Global Annoucements / Re: Shipping delay
June 16, 2023, 02:30:12 AM
Damn B.  Sorry to hear that brother.  I'm glad you're still with us though man.  Take your time and heal up.  Much love and best wishes to you from me.
#15
Build Reports / Re: Emerald Phaser-Redux
June 05, 2023, 09:06:10 PM
Damn man!  I don't know what to say other than, thank you so much!  This build fornicates and fornicates hard.