TurboFlange (Dead End FX Flange-A-Rama)

[Invertiguy]

Over the past year or so, I've developed a bit of an obsession with flangers, the more unusual the better. So when I discovered the Ibanez FL99 Classic Flange with it's unusual BBD switching setup, I knew I wanted one! Unfortunately, they're rather rare and can be a bit pricey when they turn up, and besides, why buy something when you can build it yourself? Luckily, the good folks over at Dead End FX had recently released a set of boards for it, so I snatched one up and got it populated in short order! At this point life kinda got in the way, and it sat around for a few months as I dedicated my time to other concerns and other projects, but I finally found time recently to get it all boxed up. So behold, at long last, the TurboFlange!



I originally planned on going for a sanded aluminum finish all the way around, but this plan got scrapped after my original jack location ended up interfering with components on the board which necessitated filling in the holes with JB Weld and moving them slightly downward and closer to the center. I painted the sides with gloss black enamel to cover up my mistake and I rather like the way it turned out, so perhaps it was a happy accident after all! I made up the graphics in GIMP, printed them onto a waterslide decal, and sealed the whole thing up with Envirotex. The decal ended up developing a few wrinkles where it touched the edge of the paint that no amount of MicroSol could fix, and I ended up with a few more bubbles in the Envirotex than I'd like (really need to get a pen torch instead of just using a hair dryer to work them out), but overall I think it turned out fairly well.





Assembly and wiring went fairly smooth, aside from a few mishaps. The drill template I made up for the enclosure ended up not being perfectly centered when I went to mark the holes, so I had to fit the 3pdt for the Intensity switch at a wonky angle to get it to fit. I also ended up melting one of the switch lugs, but since the Intensity switch only uses 2 of the 3 poles on the 3pdt I just flipped it around and used the originally unused row of terminals instead.

So in spite of the long time it took me to actually get around to putting this thing together and the handful of mishaps that occurred along the way, I'm very happy with the end result. The FL99 is often regarded by those who have used it as being among the best flangers ever made, and I can definitely say I agree with that sentiment. It's very rich, warm, and lush, with none of the metallic harshness that plagues a lot of other flangers. The Intensity and Filter switches also give it a huge amount of versatility. This pedal can do everything from lovely chorus tones to extreme jet plane flanging to crazy, whacked-out kettle drum sounds, and everything in between! So all in all I'm very satisfied with this project, I made a great sounding pedal, learned a few things, and had a lot of fun doing it! And after all, isn't that what this hobby is all about?

[cooder]

Epic build! Very swish and swooooosh!

I have to check out that board at deadend fx...

[PMowdes]

Over the past year or so, I've developed a bit of an obsession with flangers, the more unusual the better. So when I discovered the Ibanez FL99 Classic Flange with it's unusual BBD switching setup, I knew I wanted one! Unfortunately, they're rather rare and can be a bit pricey when they turn up, and besides, why buy something when you can build it yourself? Luckily, the good folks over at Dead End FX had recently released a set of boards for it, so I snatched one up and got it populated in short order! At this point life kinda got in the way, and it sat around for a few months as I dedicated my time to other concerns and other projects, but I finally found time recently to get it all boxed up. So behold, at long last, the TurboFlange!



I originally planned on going for a sanded aluminum finish all the way around, but this plan got scrapped after my original jack location ended up interfering with components on the board which necessitated filling in the holes with JB Weld and moving them slightly downward and closer to the center. I painted the sides with gloss black enamel to cover up my mistake and I rather like the way it turned out, so perhaps it was a happy accident after all! I made up the graphics in GIMP, printed them onto a waterslide decal, and sealed the whole thing up with Envirotex. The decal ended up developing a few wrinkles where it touched the edge of the paint that no amount of MicroSol could fix, and I ended up with a few more bubbles in the Envirotex than I'd like (really need to get a pen torch instead of just using a hair dryer to work them out), but overall I think it turned out fairly well.





Assembly and wiring went fairly smooth, aside from a few mishaps. The drill template I made up for the enclosure ended up not being perfectly centered when I went to mark the holes, so I had to fit the 3pdt for the Intensity switch at a wonky angle to get it to fit. I also ended up melting one of the switch lugs, but since the Intensity switch only uses 2 of the 3 poles on the 3pdt I just flipped it around and used the originally unused row of terminals instead.

So in spite of the long time it took me to actually get around to putting this thing together and the handful of mishaps that occurred along the way, I'm very happy with the end result. The FL99 is often regarded by those who have used it as being among the best flangers ever made, and I can definitely say I agree with that sentiment. It's very rich, warm, and lush, with none of the metallic harshness that plagues a lot of other flangers. The Intensity and Filter switches also give it a huge amount of versatility. This pedal can do everything from lovely chorus tones to extreme jet plane flanging to crazy, whacked-out kettle drum sounds, and everything in between! So all in all I'm very satisfied with this project, I made a great sounding pedal, learned a few things, and had a lot of fun doing it! And after all, isn't that what this hobby is all about?

Awesome build man, and I'm glad you liked the project, we were dead happy that stackable boards turned out so well

[jjjimi84]

That is amazing! Nice work going to put this on the to build list.

[DLW]

Looks great, inside and out! I've been wanting to build one of these. Now I might have to pull the trigger

What size box did you use?

[PMowdes]

Looks great, inside and out! I've been wanting to build one of these. Now I might have to pull the trigger

What size box did you use?

It fits in a 1590J

[Bret608]

Looks great! I've been curious about this one is well and it's cool to see a build report. Did you have any trouble sourcing the MN3204s?

[lars]

Excellent work, looks great! JB weld is a lifesaver for fixing pedal enclosures. It's also nice to see MN3204's in a recent flanger project, where it actually specifies them in the build doc.

Did you have any trouble sourcing the MN3204s?

It looks like MN3204's are just about impossible to find anymore, even the fake ones. A possible option would be to use MN3209's (still "available", but with high fake risk) and adjust the clock a little by changing C12 to 47p.

[Bio77]

Awesome build!  I have this one in my de-bug pile, your report is inspiring me to get it working.

[RDL68]

I built one of these last year. It's a great sounding circuit.

I found the MN3204's to be very scarce at the time. I ended up taking a gamble here:

https://www.utsource.net/sch/mn3204

Needing 2, I ordered 4 hoping to get a decent pair.
2 of the 4 I received looked like they'd been de-soldered from something.
The other 2 had no solder traces but I didn't need to bend the pins to push them into sockets.
Obviously all 4 were used, so just keep it in mind if you consider buying any there.
I used the 2 that hadn't been soldered & they worked fine, so that's the main thing.
Luck may vary, although they did provide a tracking number, so there's no problem with that aspect of buying from there, but it should be clear why I bought extra at the time. If I built another one, I'd probably buy more than 4 because the de-soldered ones make me nervous.

[Invertiguy]

Thanks for all the kind words! I was a little nervous posting this after seeing all the incredible builds that get posted here on a regular basis, maybe now I'll have to share more of my other projects as they come off the bench!

What size box did you use?

I used a 1590J, as per the build documents. It fits perfectly, although if there's no room for a battery if that bothers you. I use a OneSpot for all my pedals, so I don't even bother trying to fit batteries in most of my builds.

Looks great! I've been curious about this one is well and it's cool to see a build report. Did you have any trouble sourcing the MN3204s?

I wouldn't call it trouble, per se, but they're definitely getting scarce (although not as scarce as the MN3210 that came in the originals). I lucked out and found a few on Ebay that I snatched up. I typically don't like buying chips off Ebay due to the large number of fakes, but the markings look right, the pins were clean, and they work like they should, so it worked out. Looks like the seller I got them from sold out though, which is unfortunate. Hopefully someone decides to reissue these soon!

[Leevibe]

Really sweet build. I think it looks fantastic with the black sides and brushed top. Total happy accident! I know what you mean about bubbles in the ET. I've had those show up in some of mine too. The frustrating ones are the ones you don't see until the resin has cured. It looks great though and I like your wiring. Nice work! It would be fun to hear a clip of this one.

[chongmagic]

Looks good, I am thinking of trying the No Name Flanger from their site.

What did you use for shielded wiring?

[Govmnt_Lacky]

What did you use for shielded wiring?

Looks like RG-174

[chongmagic]

I think so too, I just ordered some from Small Bear.