Cybercow
Well-known member
And here I am thinking the Aion “IVP” & “L5” preamps are complex builds. Indeed they are and without question. But when I took on rehousing a Rockman X100, from bare PCBs on up, complexity took on a whole new meaning. Over 250 individual components and ~75 wires totaling about 33 feet in length.
The Rockman X100 never had a bypass of any sort. Nor did it have balanced CLN1/CLN2 vs DIST/EDGE volume levels. And the MODE and FX switching was always a "reach over/down and touch it" scenario. That has been addressed as well. Now, the rehoused Rockman X100 uses a custom designed logic sequential MODE & FX switching via momentary-on stomps to cycle thru the four Modes and added a "Dry" option to the original three FX modes. Even added a MODE "Reset" stomp to force the MODE back to CLN1 in an instant with no need to cycle thru the rest of the modes to get back. This basically allows the user to quickly go back and forth between CLN1 & DIST quickly with just one stomp. No Arduino or other MPU. Also created a custom power supply so it could be powered a standard +9v DC wall-wart or DC brick @ 500mA.
Another addressed issue with the Rockman X100 rehouse was discovering that when engaged, the signal is about 10 to 12 db below unity gain when compared to bypass. That has been corrected as well.
The only unaddressed caveat is when a TRS plug is inserted into the amp output “Out (TRS)” jack, and the pedal is put into bypass, one channel drops out of that output. Most players use mono rigs for live gigs and for recording, bypass is typically not used. Hope to address the single channel output in the next revision.
It also records well thru a DI box to a DAW using the HdPh out in stereo. And is even cleaner thru the Out (TRS) jack. (The Rockman HdPh out uses LM386 audio amps and they tend to be a bit noisy.) And the HdPh out is set to a far more comfortable level with modern 8Ω headphones.
This has been a real ride.
Going forward, there are two more versions in the works. While the unit in this post is one of six prototypes, next up will be another run of at least twenty Rockman X100 version 2.0 rehouses. Version 2.0 will be about 85% SMD but still use the TTH NOS MN3011 and MN3007 BBDs; along with the TTH JFETs. In the initial prototypes and for version 2.0, the enclosures are larger than a 1590DD - these are 8.3" x 5.5" x 1.9" and run about $45 each. Even in this huge enclosure, things are closer than anticipated.
And hopefully within a year, there exists the dream and simultaneously in the planning stages to do a Rockman FX100. “FX100? What’s that?” In the last few months I’ve been working with the FV-1 and its flexible programming capabilities to nail the Rockman X100’s “Chorus”, “Both” and “Echo” effects using SpinCAD and SpinASM - IN STEREO.
Considering the supply of NOS MN3011 BBDs is more than virtually exhausted, there remains a great desire to keep the X100 in pedal format alive. In the Rockman FX100 everything will be SMD - except the custom programmed 24LC32A EEPROM for storing and accessing the three primary original Rockman X100 “Chorus”, “Both” and “Echo” effects. (Anyone who knows the X100 is aware that the “Echo” effect is a very short, almost slap-back stereo reverb, generated thru a creative application of the MN3011 BBD’s 6 taps followed by a pseudo-7th tap in the form of an MN3007 added afterwards.) It was also decided to carefully create and select four additional FX patches for the Rockman FX100. So with the three original patches and one “Dry” patch, the remaining four FX patches remain to be determined. Hopefully, a “Both” (Echo & Chorus) patch can be achieve that includes a delay - with all three having their own control pot. There is much work yet to do for that patch as there is a limited amount of coding the FV-1 can cope with. If the stereo Echo, Chorus & Delay patch can be achieved, that leaves room for three more patches. There will likely be a nice, flexible stereo delay and much better sounding stereo reverb.
Did I mention ALL of these versions of the Rockman X100 are stereo capable? And even in mono they sound great. Ideally, there is great hope that the all SMD FX100 will fit into a 1590XX sized enclosure. But due to the number of stompswitches called for, it will likely be a 1590DD.
This progression of the Rockman X100 circuit is primarily to assuage a passion for reviving a cult-following of the Rockman X100 in a pedal format. Plus there’s the bonus of intimately getting to know the SR&D circuitry as it exists in the Rockman X100. Tom Scholz was extremely clever is his design and application of specific elements in his circuits.
I am not doing this by myself, and the only claims made on my own behalf are founded only in that which I have contributed. I stand on the shoulders of others who have come before me and lean into the huddle of a passionate pair of teammates who have invited me into their fold. Together we hold the secrets disclosed by pure dedication, scrutinizingly pain-staking reverse-engineering, analysis, re-analysis (including the occasional analysis-paralysis syndrome) and continued pursuit in improving upon a truly delightful guitar effects unit. So until such time as the whole team deems allowable, no further details will be made available. I’m guessing, similarly as Aion withheld the intricate details of their IVP and L5 designs until they were fully ready for release, the Rockman X100 Rehouse prototypes, V2 and FX100 details will be more readily available after each experiences a final release.
Attached are images showing one of the 6 prototype rehouses. And in the QUICK VIDEO DEMO (about 5 minutes), the X100 rehouse was recorded from the amp output - not the headphones output.
The Rockman X100 never had a bypass of any sort. Nor did it have balanced CLN1/CLN2 vs DIST/EDGE volume levels. And the MODE and FX switching was always a "reach over/down and touch it" scenario. That has been addressed as well. Now, the rehoused Rockman X100 uses a custom designed logic sequential MODE & FX switching via momentary-on stomps to cycle thru the four Modes and added a "Dry" option to the original three FX modes. Even added a MODE "Reset" stomp to force the MODE back to CLN1 in an instant with no need to cycle thru the rest of the modes to get back. This basically allows the user to quickly go back and forth between CLN1 & DIST quickly with just one stomp. No Arduino or other MPU. Also created a custom power supply so it could be powered a standard +9v DC wall-wart or DC brick @ 500mA.
Another addressed issue with the Rockman X100 rehouse was discovering that when engaged, the signal is about 10 to 12 db below unity gain when compared to bypass. That has been corrected as well.
The only unaddressed caveat is when a TRS plug is inserted into the amp output “Out (TRS)” jack, and the pedal is put into bypass, one channel drops out of that output. Most players use mono rigs for live gigs and for recording, bypass is typically not used. Hope to address the single channel output in the next revision.
It also records well thru a DI box to a DAW using the HdPh out in stereo. And is even cleaner thru the Out (TRS) jack. (The Rockman HdPh out uses LM386 audio amps and they tend to be a bit noisy.) And the HdPh out is set to a far more comfortable level with modern 8Ω headphones.
This has been a real ride.
Going forward, there are two more versions in the works. While the unit in this post is one of six prototypes, next up will be another run of at least twenty Rockman X100 version 2.0 rehouses. Version 2.0 will be about 85% SMD but still use the TTH NOS MN3011 and MN3007 BBDs; along with the TTH JFETs. In the initial prototypes and for version 2.0, the enclosures are larger than a 1590DD - these are 8.3" x 5.5" x 1.9" and run about $45 each. Even in this huge enclosure, things are closer than anticipated.
And hopefully within a year, there exists the dream and simultaneously in the planning stages to do a Rockman FX100. “FX100? What’s that?” In the last few months I’ve been working with the FV-1 and its flexible programming capabilities to nail the Rockman X100’s “Chorus”, “Both” and “Echo” effects using SpinCAD and SpinASM - IN STEREO.
Considering the supply of NOS MN3011 BBDs is more than virtually exhausted, there remains a great desire to keep the X100 in pedal format alive. In the Rockman FX100 everything will be SMD - except the custom programmed 24LC32A EEPROM for storing and accessing the three primary original Rockman X100 “Chorus”, “Both” and “Echo” effects. (Anyone who knows the X100 is aware that the “Echo” effect is a very short, almost slap-back stereo reverb, generated thru a creative application of the MN3011 BBD’s 6 taps followed by a pseudo-7th tap in the form of an MN3007 added afterwards.) It was also decided to carefully create and select four additional FX patches for the Rockman FX100. So with the three original patches and one “Dry” patch, the remaining four FX patches remain to be determined. Hopefully, a “Both” (Echo & Chorus) patch can be achieve that includes a delay - with all three having their own control pot. There is much work yet to do for that patch as there is a limited amount of coding the FV-1 can cope with. If the stereo Echo, Chorus & Delay patch can be achieved, that leaves room for three more patches. There will likely be a nice, flexible stereo delay and much better sounding stereo reverb.
Did I mention ALL of these versions of the Rockman X100 are stereo capable? And even in mono they sound great. Ideally, there is great hope that the all SMD FX100 will fit into a 1590XX sized enclosure. But due to the number of stompswitches called for, it will likely be a 1590DD.This progression of the Rockman X100 circuit is primarily to assuage a passion for reviving a cult-following of the Rockman X100 in a pedal format. Plus there’s the bonus of intimately getting to know the SR&D circuitry as it exists in the Rockman X100. Tom Scholz was extremely clever is his design and application of specific elements in his circuits.
I am not doing this by myself, and the only claims made on my own behalf are founded only in that which I have contributed. I stand on the shoulders of others who have come before me and lean into the huddle of a passionate pair of teammates who have invited me into their fold. Together we hold the secrets disclosed by pure dedication, scrutinizingly pain-staking reverse-engineering, analysis, re-analysis (including the occasional analysis-paralysis syndrome) and continued pursuit in improving upon a truly delightful guitar effects unit. So until such time as the whole team deems allowable, no further details will be made available. I’m guessing, similarly as Aion withheld the intricate details of their IVP and L5 designs until they were fully ready for release, the Rockman X100 Rehouse prototypes, V2 and FX100 details will be more readily available after each experiences a final release.
Attached are images showing one of the 6 prototype rehouses. And in the QUICK VIDEO DEMO (about 5 minutes), the X100 rehouse was recorded from the amp output - not the headphones output.
