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Thanks JC103 and Selfdestroyer.

I put the Wah after distortion because I think it sounds really good there, after years of putting the wah at to front. I'm still gonna try buffer at front (after rangemaster).

Vero boards work just the same as PCBs. They're a cheap alternative, especially when trying out new circuits.

Thanks for the reading material, I'll be sure to have a read.

I'm using a 'Voodoo Lab Pedal Power' so with 8 outlets I'm nowhere near maxing it out. Although I am daisy chaining the buffer with 3 other pedals. The current draw of all 4 is less easy less than about 40mA.

I did think of the electrolytics failing, especially considering the nature of the problem I'm having. They're not showing any signs of failing but I could still swap them out and see what happens. I used decent Nichicon FG electrolytics and like I said originally, the circuit is only 18 months old.

Great, I will try running it first, but it does sound good where it is at the minute.

When you say run fuzz face circuits before buffer, will that apply to the range master also, being that it's a germanium circuit.

Guitars BTW are a Strat 50s Classic player with vintage style pups, a DIY Tele with Bare Knuckles Blackguard '55 Staggered pups and a DIY Tele delux with Bare Knuckles Abraxas Humbuckers in.

Possible stupid question alert! Why would the type of guitar have an impact on the buffer?

[Polytune-->--Rangemaster Clone-->--Ross Compressor Clone-->--MB Sparkplug Overdrive-->--Whampler Pinnicle Clone-->--Barber Dirty Bomb Clone-->--Big Muff Triangle Clone-->--CORNISH BUFFER Clone-->--Cry Baby w/true bypass and volume knob mods-->--MXR Carbon Copy Delay-->--MB Cave dweller Delay-->--Mad Prof. Deep Blue Delay Clone-->--Box Of Hall Reverb]

Hi, I've built a Cornish buffer about 18 months ago using the vero layout on 'Guitar FX Layouts' and in the last 6 months it keeps dying, leaving me with a weak, quite guitar signal coming through the amp.

It never happens when I start using it. Sometimes it'll happen 30 mins in, sometimes an hour in. Sometimes I can get a full nights band practice in without it happening. Sometimes the problem will disappear if I unplug and plug back in, sometimes I just can't get it come back. WHAT'S GOING ON!!?

I have my buffer after distortions and before wah and modulation. My exact chain is below.

I've recently reboxed the buffer in a different enclosure, (for reasons I won't go it to), AND STILL THE PROBLEM OCCURS. It now has new jack sockets, power socket and LED. So I'm convinced the problem is on circuit board.

Can anyone give me some insight as to what the problem might be because it's driving me crazy. Especially when it happens 7 times during a gig and I'm getting evil eyes off our drummer.

Cheers
Ric

Pedal chain: Polytune-->--Rangemaster Clone-->--Ross Compressor Clone-->--MB Sparkplug Overdrive-->--Whampler Pinnicle Clone-->--Barber Dirty Bomb Clone-->--Big Muff Triangle Clone-->--CORNISH BUFFER Clone-->--Cry Baby w/true bypass and volume knob mods-->--MXR Carbon Copy Delay-->--MB Cave dweller Delay-->--Mad Prof. Deep Blue Delay Clone-->--Box Of Hall Reverb       Last 3 through a Paramix

I've got a CCD and have built the sea urchin and they definitely sound different to each other. The CCD has a harder edge to it while the SU swirls around nicely in the background. Both excellent pedals. I have both on my main pedal board, using the CCD as a slap back and the SU for longer more atmospheric delay.

Hi John, thanks for your reply. I've changed to this configuration now which is more of the regular layout. I've kept the 330k and 4k7 as the LED is perfectly bright enough.

When switched on (base not grounded) the collector voltage is 0.11V (from a 9v supply) and when switched off (base grounded) the voltage of the collector goes up to 8.14V

OK John, here is the circuit in question. When the boost switch sends ground to the base of Q7 the LED shuts off. Would this be a normal configuration?

Hi. This is a continuation of a query I had last week.

I have an LED setup with a 2n3904 transistor.  I send ground to the base of the transistor which in turn, turns off the led. Which is great. It's exactly what I wanted.

I've done a little research on 2n3904s this week but can't quite find what I'm looking for, which is to know if it's safe to send ground to Base in this fashion? I was hoping some here may be kind enough to enlighten me.

Perhaps, but I've already got my DPDTs and I've got my method thanks to the help of 'Solderfumes'

Thanks anyway

I've used a 2n3904 I found lurking in my stash, (which is a NPN transistor). I've wired it up in a millennium bypass fashion with the switched GND going to the base.

It works great. LED comes on when I want it to. None of the componets are burning out, sound doesn't alter, voltages stay the same throughout and there's no shorting of the circuit.

The reason I'm not using a 3PDT isn't because of lack of space on the PCB, but more because of the positioning of the switch. It's being placed right at the top of the PCB just above a pot. A bigger 3PDT would mean I'd have to move the pot down further and then the pot below that down further and the way it is at the moment, (with the DPDT) it just about fits the height of the PCB.

That sounds like a great idea. I did consider the millennium bypass for a time. But I think I may have over complicated it in my mind. The only thing that concerns me is will it short the circuit if I GND the base?

HI, I've been wrecking my brain all day and I can't seem to come up with a solution as to how to attach an LED indicator to a DPDT switch when there are no lugs available.

In the schematic, when switched to the 1k position (lugs 3&2), you get a boost in gain from the j201s. So I'd like to make it so that an LED comes on when switched to boost. Obviously to wire up an LED for lugs 1&2 position would be easy, but it seems counter intuitive to me to have the LED come on for UNBOOST.
I've given up thinking about it a few times today but just keep getting this niggling feeling it can be done.

I can't use a 3DPT because I simply don't have the room on the PCB.
I know a 3PDT can be substituted for a DPDT when used with an optocoupler for bypassing so maybe there's something down that road. I've tried putting both 1ks from the two j201s to the same lug, therefore only using one pole of the switch and freeing up the other, but I'm not sure what it's doing to the sound. I'm going to investigate that a little further tomorrow but until then I was hoping you guys might have an idea? Or at least put me out of my misery.

Cheers
Ric

OK. I'll have to stick a 100kA to see/hear what you mean!

Cool. That would certainly shift my position from 9-10 o'clock to about 12-1 o'clock but I'm not sure if it would necessarily give me more play, as the gradient on an audio pot gets quite steep after 50% turn.

Hi, I'm currently building a Ross Compressor. The 100kB pot I'm using for the volume has hardly any play. Basically I'm turning between 9-10 o'clock. Anything else is too low or too high in volume.

So far I tried substituting the 100kB for an 82k resistor and 25kB pot in series with each other. My reasoning was that with the original 100kB, the 9-10 o'clock position was roughly between 80-90k resistance over lugs 2 and 3, (lug 3 taking the signal from the circuit & lug 2 sending the signal to the output jack). Therefore the 82k would be provided at all times and the 25kB would vary the overall resistance between 82-107k and give me much more play in the volume knob, in theory. This is NOT what happen. I still can only turn between 9-10 o'clock and I don't understand why

My question is how can I get more play from my pot? And if anyone's feeling generous, what was wrong with my 82k/25kB attempt?

Cheers
Ric

Hi, this maybe a stupid question but after being unable to find a definative answer on the web I've decided to come here to be stupid.

If I want to make a power cable for a 9vdc center negative pedal, using single core sheilded cable, do I connect the core to the sleeve and the shield to tip?

If yes then is this how power cables from the likes of voodoo labs are soldered?

I only ask because this is the opposite way round to how audio cables are made, but then I cant imagine the 9 volts should be travelling though the sheild and gnd running through the core.

Do power cables need to be sheilded to stop interference like audio cables do?