Cleaver boost updated version

[ChrsGuit]

So I'm building the Cleaver boost. I bought the mini Katana some time ago, and didn't really care for it (Robert Keeley himself has stated that it is "different" than previousversionsin the sense of obtaining a perfectly clear, clean boost)... I get it... it's a clean boost, but I understood that some players really preferred the old v1... Something about how it accentuated some frequencies and the charge pump interacted in the circuit making it great for pushing other drive pedals and "sweetening" some frequencies...
Anyway, I built the Aion FX Murmasa and it was great... build docs featured v1 and v2 part specs... I went with the V1... compared to the Keeley mini I have it does seem to add a bit of compression... maybe rolls the slightest bit off the highs... You can hear the eq slightly tighten up... I honestly ran mine just a touch above unity and left it on all the time... but it was one of my first builds... workmanship could have been better on my part... it started developing a weird "woooooohhhh" feedback noise when used to push my other drives, led keeps burning out despite being replaced... I was ready to just start over fresh and KNOW it's 100% now that I've got a dozen or more builds under my belt...

I just picked up the Cleaver PCB the other day, and was comparing the parts list to the Aion to try and match what I already have and it is different in some areas.
Just curious what version of the Katana the Cleaver is supposed to be. Updated build docs are pending, so I can't do a circuit comparison til then... and what's the extra toggle do?

 

[MichaelW]

So I'm building the Cleaver boost. I bought the mini Katana some time ago, and didn't really care for it (Robert Keeley himself has stated that it is "different" than previousversionsin the sense of obtaining a perfectly clear, clean boost)... I get it... it's a clean boost, but I understood that some players really preferred the old v1... Something about how it accentuated some frequencies and the charge pump interacted in the circuit making it great for pushing other drive pedals and "sweetening" some frequencies...
Anyway, I built the Aion FX Murmasa and it was great... build docs featured v1 and v2 part specs... I went with the V1... compared to the Keeley mini I have it does seem to add a bit of compression... maybe rolls the slightest bit off the highs... You can hear the eq slightly tighten up... I honestly ran mine just a touch above unity and left it on all the time... but it was one of my first builds... workmanship could have been better on my part... it started developing a weird "woooooohhhh" feedback noise when used to push my other drives, led keeps burning out despite being replaced... I was ready to just start over fresh and KNOW it's 100% now that I've got a dozen or more builds under my belt...

I just picked up the Cleaver PCB the other day, and was comparing the parts list to the Aion to try and match what I already have and it is different in some areas.
Just curious what version of the Katana the Cleaver is supposed to be. Updated build docs are pending, so I can't do a circuit comparison til then... and what's the extra toggle do?

The new Cleaver board is the basically the mini-Katana with the internal dip switches exposed as toggles. To me it sounds pretty much like the V1 Cleaver except with more EQ options.

 

[ChrsGuit]

The new Cleaver board is the basically the mini-Katana with the internal dip switches exposed as toggles. To me it sounds pretty much like the V1 Cleaver except with more EQ options.

Interesting. I have the mini already but hate you have to take the back off to toggle the different options...
I really liked the AionFx one but I can NOT get the led to stop burning out... the resistor is correct, nothing is shorting or anything... it just keeps going through leds

 

[music6000]

Interesting. I have the mini already but hate you have to take the back off to toggle the different options...
I really liked the AionFx one but I can NOT get the led to stop burning out... the resistor is correct, nothing is shorting or anything... it just keeps going through leds

What value resistor are you using?

 

[ChrsGuit]

Pretty sure it's a 4.7k ... that's on the parts list from what I remember... I'll double check when I get home from work. That's usually what I use

 

[music6000]

Pretty sure it's a 4.7k ... that's on the parts list from what I remember... I'll double check when I get home from work. That's usually what I use

4K7 = Yellow, Purple, Black, Brown, Brown, if the 4th ring is is Black, it's 470 ohm?

 

[ChrsGuit]

4K7 = Yellow, Purple, Black, Brown, Brown, if the 4th ring is is Black, it's 470

 

[ChrsGuit]

Resistor value was correct, however it must have been faulty. Replaced it (since it's the only thing it could possibly be) and led works fine now. I'd replaced the led multiple times and it would immediately flash or dim, or just die altogether... which is really odd because I always thought LED's work simply off of engaging/lifting ground...
in any case, SO FAR it's fine...

 

[ChrsGuit]

The new Cleaver board is the basically the mini-Katana with the internal dip switches exposed as toggles. To me it sounds pretty much like the V1 Cleaver except with more EQ options.

Just finishing mine up now. I noticed you mentioned you biased to 9.6v. Any particular reason vs the standard 9v (half voltage), or dies it matter?
I built the Blue Shoe/Paul Gilbert pedal a while back and it sounded "bleh" to me but I saw a suggestion to up the bias to 11v vs 9... it still wasn't an AWESOME pedal, but it was a notable improvement...

 

[MichaelW]

Just finishing mine up now. I noticed you mentioned you biased to 9.6v. Any particular reason vs the standard 9v (half voltage), or dies it matter?
I built the Blue Shoe/Paul Gilbert pedal a while back and it sounded "bleh" to me but I saw a suggestion to up the bias to 11v vs 9... it still wasn't an AWESOME pedal, but it was a notable improvement...

Because it runs at 18v (charge pump). So 9.6 IS 1/2 vcc.

 

[ChrsGuit]

Because it runs at 18v (charge pump). So 9.6 IS 1/2 vcc.

I probably should have worded that better... It runs the 18v Charge pump, this I know... I was curious why you went 9.6v instead of just 9v... I took that to mean perhaps you felt 9.6 sounded better vs 9 flat...

Side note, I didn't have to even touch my bias pots to get 9. one was dead on 9 and the other 8.9