super cheap vactrol?

[dropanchor812]

http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G15396

Is this what I think it is?  And has anyone tried them before?

[midwayfair]

The specs are really bad -- most things we build require dark resistance in the megaohms range. Reports are that they're also inconsistent. There's a reason they're cheap.

[dropanchor812]

Bummer.  I thought I was finally going to be able to build your cardinal trem affordably!  Thanks for the intel.

[LaceSensor]

buy some LDRs
about $0.50 each from futurlec, maybe $0.90 from smallbear for various usable specifications
then couple with various LEDs til you find a good mix of reponse and depth

[midwayfair]

buy some LDRs
about $0.50 each from futurlec, maybe $0.90 from smallbear for various usable specifications
then couple with various LEDs til you find a good mix of reponse and depth

Bummer.  I thought I was finally going to be able to build your cardinal trem affordably!  Thanks for the intel.

You might be able to get away with a diffused red LED and Smallbear's 9203 or Silonex 7532. It won't be as good as using the VTL5C1 (not as much depth and slower turn on/turn off), but it will at least get a working effect. I'd be most concerned about the on/off time. That's the reason the VTL5C1 is specified.

[dropanchor812]

Right, and that's always been my concern with the "roll your own" method, thus my excitement about 69 cent vactrols.  I've only been building a little over a year and I've yet to attempt any opto circuits because quality vactrols are pricey and I've seen lots of folks less than enthused about their results with the DIY ones.  Oh well, the cost of a couple of vactrols is still signifcantly less than a built optical trem from a boutique builder.  The things we whine about....

[culturejam]

I bought the big bag of couplers from Goldmine. They all look like the one linked above, but they are different part numbers. At least half of them work just fine in optical LFOs. I haven't tested them all yet, but it seems that a majority of what was in the lot are good (generally speaking) for pedal building.

[Blues Healer]

I like the Silonex NSL-32SR3 for an inexpensive vactrol @ $2.77 each:
http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=70136790#tab=overview

I like the idea of rolling my own though, so I got a bunch of LEDs and LDRs for that .... one thing I noticed is that, besides the on/ off specs, different LDRs are more responsive to different wavelengths of light -- so , theoretically it would seem best to match the LDR to LEDs within that light spectrum, although I haven't tested that enough yet