Tap Tempo Cardinal (new version) and Sugar Blues Wah (Weener +)

[midwayfair]

This is my tap tempo build of the new Cardinal -- and it's mine, ALL MINE. I still need to build another analog one (just got more photocells from Smallbear) for the demo, but I'll get a demo of this one recorded sooner rather than later.

As much as I improved on the analog version of the Cardinal, this got the biggest improvements to my previous tap tempo harmonic tremolo layout. Despite the small size (made for a 125B with any orientation or jack location), I managed to fit the optical bypass on-board. It uses a simple NPN/PNP complementary pair provide out of phase PWM signals. Also, some fellow forumites (especially Rob) helped establish that tying the PWM buffers to +9V works, which allowed a much higher depth range compared with the standard setup from Taylor's Tap Tempo Tremolo, so just like the analog version, the square wave is REALLY square (even without distorting the waveform). I'll get deeper into the technical bits in the build thread for the new version of the Cardinal.

When I made the first tap tempo version of the Cardinal (which this will replace on my main board), I used the concentric pots because they helped save room on the enclosure. The neat thing with using them this time is that it makes the tap tempo version look like the analog version.

Smart cookies will notice that I forgot to paint a 16th note. Oh well.

The art references the Sakura amp. Instead of cherry blossoms this weekend, we got snow, though. Oh well.

There were some small issues boxing it up. The main one is that I designed the PCB to allow a dual LED with a common anode (which is a rare part) and getting that into a bezel was really really problematic ... I ended up snipping/filing down the legs until I could put some heat shrink on the whole LED and fit it through the bezel. Also, since there's no board mounted pots (I wouldn't have been able to fit them on the PCB), the PCB is held in place with a combination of some solid wire, double sided foam tape, and the tap switch itself.




Here's my weener! Finally! Joe Gagan was super incredibly nice and sent me one of his Smooth pots and a replacement rack to use after I had some technical difficulties (manufacturing error combined with some weirdness in this wah enclosure), and I'm happy to report that it's hands-down the best sweep I've gotten to play with in a wah. It has more aspects of the Vox (which I prefer to a crybaby) without being way too spread out like an ICAR, and the sweep is HUGE. I got to about 2 gear teeth away from the entire sweep of the wah pot, whereas most wahs only get about 2/3 (if that).

I used one of the small 4-position rotaries to add a "super double chubby" mode (it's the small + large caps from the Weener's 3-position). I used a 2N5485 for the boost to get less distortion; I only wanted the boost to add a tiny bump, without being entirely clean.

I also really like the sound of the Yellow Fasel, though I didn't try another inductor in this specific build. I wanted to build it to original Vox specs (with the extras), so I didn't socket it or anything like that.

I added optical bypass so I could have an LED with the good Carling switch. It's held against the enclosure with double sided foam tape and clipped leads. Doesn't move at all.

The art has a trumpet, in honor of Mr. McCoy.

I'm really pleased with it overall.

[jubal81]

 



Out. Of. Sight!

[selfdestroyer]

Great job Jon, The artwork of the Cardinal looks great also. I see you decided to go with the PIC16F684, did you end up finding a smaller IC option? I remember reading a post over at DIYSB that you were trying a few options.

Tremolo in a 125B with top mounted jacks and a tap tempo? count me in!

Cody

[midwayfair]

I see you decided to go with the PIC16F684, did you end up finding a smaller IC option? I remember reading a post over at DIYSB that you were trying a few options.

It's the TAPLFO. I would have had to get someone to program in the tap tempo for the smaller chip, and there's no common source for them. Really the only major benefit to the smaller chip would have been that there were fewer knobs, but I actually find them all useful.

[selfdestroyer]

I see you decided to go with the PIC16F684, did you end up finding a smaller IC option? I remember reading a post over at DIYSB that you were trying a few options.

It's the TAPLFO. I would have had to get someone to program in the tap tempo for the smaller chip, and there's no common source for them. Really the only major benefit to the smaller chip would have been that there were fewer knobs, but I actually find them all useful.

I think I worded my question kinda stupid sorry. I seen that you were using a normal PIC16F684 TAPLFO2 chip from Electric Druid. I was trying to ask about what the outcome was with the smaller IC option you were looking into. But all in all you answered my question. lol My bad.

Cody

[jubal81]

Real milestone, Jon. Was in a hurry earlier, but a TT harmonic tremolo in a 125B is very next level. Love the concentric pots, too. Brilliant.

[billstein]

Artwork check. Design check. Can't wait to hear the demo.

[rullywowr]

Wow.  This is totally bad-ass.  Looking forward to checking the Cardinal out.   Nicely done on the wah as well. 

Regarding the common anode LED...perhaps a RGB led would suffice here as they aren't too rare and would fit better?  Just a thought.  I have a bunch of these if you want, just let me know.

[Luke51411]

Wow... Very cool builds! Top notch work!

[Leevibe]

Sweet! And +1 on the yellow Fasel.

[GrindCustoms]

That Trem is much inspiring Jon, great job all around! 

I'll also vouch for Joe's inductor and pots, since i start using those, never my wahs have sounded that good, dude knows is stuff like no other! lml

[m-Kresol]

Classy builds, both of them. and the design work on the harmonic tremolo is awesome! onboard optical bypass for the win.

[Vallhagen]

Very interesting. I saw your last "updated-cardinal-thread" too. It's going to be pcb-s for sale?

I gigged yesterday with my "good old" Cardinal, still one of my favourite boxes. One of the 3-4 that i really use:) .. this looks indeed as a nice update.

Cheers

[midwayfair]

Regarding the common anode LED...perhaps a RGB led would suffice here as they aren't too rare and would fit better?  Just a thought.  I have a bunch of these if you want, just let me know.

Those are still common cathode.

Since I haven't posted the schematic for this yet: If you look in the Tap Tempo Tremolo schematic, the LED is connected through a 10K to an NPN transistor, to the +5V rail. I've done something similar here, except the transistor is actually flipped upside down (it works better that way), there are two transistors (the other is PNP), and they're connected to +9V instead of +5V, which gives the bigger range for the LED brightness.

So you're probably thinking at this point why didn't I just connect the LEDs to ground instead of the +9V rail, because it ought to be the same -- it's not quite, though. There's something weird about the way the LED reacts, and there's also a smaller total range of voltage (it's only 0-5v instead of 0-9V), and there's also a difference in brightness at lower depth settings.

I designed the PCB to allow a lot of different ways to handle the LED. It's always possible to simply use two LEDs and make only one of them external (pretty sure you can fit two leads through the anode pad), and there's also an extra PWM pad to allow an alternate external LED setup. The only thing I couldn't quite fit on the PCB was actually making the dual LED two LED pads. I was worried about it fitting properly, but now that I've built it and made a couple final changes, there's enough extra room in the that I might just go ahead and add the extra LED pad.

But having a rate LED pan from green to red looks really cool I bought a ton of them in case I do a group buy for the PCBs.

Very interesting. I saw your last "updated-cardinal-thread" too. It's going to be pcb-s for sale?

I am planning on a short run of the Tap Tempo board, probably at the same time I do the Rust Bunny group buy, but there won't be a lot of them. The tap tempo version in particular is pretty expensive to build (TAPLFO chip, two VTL5C1s, H11F1, and a matched pair of FETs) ... and it was basically made for my preferences and needs, so if anything more than a short run were done with this (by Josh for instance), it would almost certainly be sized for a 1590BB with board-mounted 9mm pots. Dave Rolo did PCB runs of his Twin Peaks around the time I was finishing the redesign on this, so I figure there's been a lot of tap tempo tremolo projects around, and Brian's also got a tap tempo tremolo on his upcoming list, so I really don't want to interfere with the other projects. I also have given a couple other boards to other people, so I want to see if they have any notes on the project.

I've given the V2 schematic to Josh and it's his choice if he wants to run with the new version (and that will happen on his own schedule).

[rullywowr]

Regarding the common anode LED...perhaps a RGB led would suffice here as they aren't too rare and would fit better?  Just a thought.  I have a bunch of these if you want, just let me know.

Those are still common cathode.

I have RGB in both common cathode and common anode. I assure you, they exist.