Finished building the Aion Xenotron and have a question about hearing the flange effect. What are the connections/settings to hear the flange? I’m only running from guitar in and space out to the amp. I think I may have a successful build because I’ve finished biasing and I can hear the tremolo effect and the red led is blinking. I’m leaning towards not having the connections/settings correct because I’m hearing the tremolo and I’ve read that the tremolo and flange/chorus share the same LFO. Thanks for any advice from those who have successfully built this project.
SOLVED Aionfx Xenotron (Flange with No name) operation question
- Thread starter RICHB555
- Start date
eh là bas ma
Well-known member
You should hear the flanger by itself at the Time output, without the tremolo effect.
However, depending on the BBD led brightness, the modulation can disappear when Manual is set in the first half of the rotation.
The modulation is stronger in the second half of the rotation, going CW.
And your Action pot (Mix) is a bipolar control, it should be set either fully CCW or fully CW, it will be only clean signal at the middle of the rotation.
You can try to put a folded piece of paper between your BBD led and the photoresistor, to reduce the brightness, see if it helps.
In my first attempt, my BBD led was too bright and i had some modulation only inside a narrow range on the Manual pot.
However, depending on the BBD led brightness, the modulation can disappear when Manual is set in the first half of the rotation.
The modulation is stronger in the second half of the rotation, going CW.
And your Action pot (Mix) is a bipolar control, it should be set either fully CCW or fully CW, it will be only clean signal at the middle of the rotation.
You can try to put a folded piece of paper between your BBD led and the photoresistor, to reduce the brightness, see if it helps.
In my first attempt, my BBD led was too bright and i had some modulation only inside a narrow range on the Manual pot.
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eh là bas ma
Well-known member
The flanger is the middle switch, green led on your build, it should be pulsating when the flanger is activated.
At the Space OUT/Mono output, you should be able to hear both the tremolo and the flanger, if the effects are activated.
The feedback (Reaction pot) is very strong on this circuit, and it's a bipolar control too.
If the Time switch (flanger) is engaged and you turn the feedback fully CW or CCW, you should be able to hear some whistling noise at both Space and Time outputs.
Oh and it's also possible that your jacks are too close from each other and some lugs are in contact. You can try to put some plastic tape or some pieces of cardboard on the sides of the jacks, to avoid any unwanted contact, or bend the metal parts on the sides if they are protruding.
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Through either the Space output or time output, I’m not getting a flange effect when engaging the middle (Time) stomp switch and not getting a blinking green stomp switch LED when Time is selected. I did notice the green diffused LED at LDR 1 isn’t lit. I tried the paper between the BBD LED and the LDR and no change. Manual set to fully CW and no change. Attempted Action pot at both fully CCW and fully CW and no change. I do get whistling at both Fully CCW and fully CW on the Reaction pot.
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eh là bas ma
Well-known member
On my build LED2 is always on, when the tremolo is engaged LED2 and 1 are pulsating in asymetric timing.
And when the flanger is engaged, LED3 lights up without pulsating.
So you need that LED1 to light up. Check if it's getting some current with your multimeter, check the polarity orientation, check with your multimeter on diode mode if the led is still working, check all pads, reflow them and clean the tiny spaces between them, check component values in the aera if needed, do some continuity tests to check the connections, clean the pcb with an old dry toothbrush or some pcb-cleaning spray, etc.
I vaguely remember reading somewhere that LED3 is meant to shape the modulation by adding a little bit of light to the BBD photoresistor.
But im not sure about that.
Does the BBD Led pulsate, following the Rate and Depth controls ?
If the modulation doesnt work you can try to reflow all suspicious pads, maybe start over the BBD daughterboard's connector in the top-right corner, and double check everything including the wiring, hoping that you ll be very lucky and fix it this way, without really putting your nose in the guts of this device.
Maybe you can also try with the circuit out of the box, in case it was a jack shorting with something when everything is in the box.
If it still doesnt work, you can either use an audioprobe to follow the audio signal, looking at the schematics, check if the BBD is working by looking for a modulated signal at IC3 pin7 and 8, and find out where is the issue by following the signal path.
Or you can use a multimeter and post your voltage readings on all ICs and transistors, hoping that you or someone on this forum will spot a suspicious voltage reading and maybe find the issue.
Or you can do both to speed up the process.
And when the flanger is engaged, LED3 lights up without pulsating.
So you need that LED1 to light up. Check if it's getting some current with your multimeter, check the polarity orientation, check with your multimeter on diode mode if the led is still working, check all pads, reflow them and clean the tiny spaces between them, check component values in the aera if needed, do some continuity tests to check the connections, clean the pcb with an old dry toothbrush or some pcb-cleaning spray, etc.
I vaguely remember reading somewhere that LED3 is meant to shape the modulation by adding a little bit of light to the BBD photoresistor.
But im not sure about that.
With some luck, you just need to find the right range on the Bias trimmer. Have you looked for a sweet spot around mid rotation ?
Does the BBD Led pulsate, following the Rate and Depth controls ?
If the modulation doesnt work you can try to reflow all suspicious pads, maybe start over the BBD daughterboard's connector in the top-right corner, and double check everything including the wiring, hoping that you ll be very lucky and fix it this way, without really putting your nose in the guts of this device.
Maybe you can also try with the circuit out of the box, in case it was a jack shorting with something when everything is in the box.
If it still doesnt work, you can either use an audioprobe to follow the audio signal, looking at the schematics, check if the BBD is working by looking for a modulated signal at IC3 pin7 and 8, and find out where is the issue by following the signal path.
Misc > Audio Probe : DIY Fever – Building my own guitars, amps and pedals
[DIY Fever] Audio Probe - very simple contraption that helps with debugging audio circuits
diy-fever.com
Or you can use a multimeter and post your voltage readings on all ICs and transistors, hoping that you or someone on this forum will spot a suspicious voltage reading and maybe find the issue.
Or you can do both to speed up the process.
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Thank you - appreciate the suggestions!
Just a quick update on suggested checks that I’ve performed. One Correction - LED1 is actually lighting up when tremolo is engaged. No change when flanger engaged. Reflowed all pads on the BBD board and no change. Checked placement and orientation of IC3 and IC4 chips and they are correct. Tried turning bias trimmer very slightly and slowly with no result. Tried regen trimmer all around 12-2 and no result. BBD LED does not pulsate with manipulation of rate and depth controls. Here are IC pin readings. I’ll get transistor readings tonight and audio probe. I’m holding off disassembly to check jack shorts in hopes issue(s) might be something less invasive but happy to disassemble if less invasive checks don’t pan out.
IC1 TL022CP
1 4.5
2 4.3
3 4.3
4 0
5 8.6
6 6.3
7 4.3
8 3.89
IC2TL022CP
1 4.8 (jumping around)
2 4.0
3 4.0
4 0
5 8
6 4.0
7 4.0
8 3.99
IC3 V3207D
1 4.69
2. 2.48
3 2.47
4 1.44
5. 3.19
6 3.23
7 0.9
8 5.02
IC4 V3102D
1 5.02
2 0.66
3 0
4 0.9
5 4.69
6 2.48
7 2.47
8 1.44
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Success!! I separated the Time out and Trigger/Gate jacks and the Loop Send and Loop Return jacks and placed electrical tape between them. When I reassembled and tested, I have all effects now. You were spot on about the potential of a short in this area. I’ll mark this solved. Thanks!