I want to bypass or ground the LFO of this trem circuit. Is this the way to do it?

[KR Sound]

I want to update the way my Fuzz/Tremolo pedal works. When activating the trem, it naturally ads several dB which is cool. By turning the Depth knob all the way CCW, it sends the LFO to ground, and I'm wondering if I put a switch there instead of at the beginning of the entire circuit, will it keep the boost and eliminate the trem. The same switch would also turn off the LED that's showing the speed rate.

Would this work?

What I'd really like to do would be to use a momentary footswitch so i could hold it for temporary trem as an option. That would be cool maybe.

 

[Cybercow]

I'll venture a stab at this and suggest that only a SPST switch is needed. I also certainly NOT switch the power on/off in any section of the circuit. Instead of the two switches you have there in the schematic, I'd abandon the "SW1B" part and just leave it powered. And as for "SW1A", I'd run a test to determine which position of the Depth control to latch onto. How does the circuit respond when the Gate of Q5 is grounded compared to when the Gate of Q5 is locked at the value of lug #3 of the Depth control.

But as you also suggest, just use a momentary-on stomp for the bypass switch.

There are also switching circuits around that allow the user to alternate between a momentary-on and latching configuration by simply executing a quick dbl-tap of the stomp to change operation mode. (MadBean's VFE v3 Switching Board for one.) So, optimally, this may be a more comprehensive solution by providing a mean s of achieving both latching and momentary-on bypass options.

 

[KR Sound]

@Cybercow In my first iteration I had the entire circuit bypassed with a throw switch, and I want to toggle it with a foot switch. I understand what you’re saying about not removing the power and I’ll rethink this.

I’ll try grounding Q5 which should do the trick if it keeps the volume. I also need to disable the rate indicator LED, hence why I just thought about removing it all from the signal. I can bypass that somehow instead I guess.

Appreciate the input!

 

[Cybercow]

@KR Sound - The rate LED appears to be integral to powering the LFO section. So, disabling that would entail powering the LFO section off.

I'd socket all the stuff you want to test and do some experimenting.

 

[coltonius]

There are also switching circuits around that allow the user to alternate between a momentary-on and latching configuration by simply executing a quick dbl-tap of the stomp to change operation mode. (MadBean's VFE v3 Switching Board for one.) So, optimally, this may be a more comprehensive solution by providing a mean s of achieving both latching and momentary-on bypass options.

The PedalPCB Intelligent Relay does this as well:

• If it's bypassed, you can hold to temporarily engage.
• If it's engaged, you can hold to temporarily bypass.

https://docs.pedalpcb.com/project/PedalPCB-IntelligentRelayBypass.pdf

It would be useful for someone who wanted both latching and momentary engagement/disengagement!

 

[Cybercow]

The PedalPCB Intelligent Relay does this as well:

• If it's bypassed, you can hold to temporarily engage.
• If it's engaged, you can hold to temporarily bypass.

https://docs.pedalpcb.com/project/PedalPCB-IntelligentRelayBypass.pdf

It would be useful for someone who wanted both latching and momentary engagement/disengagement!

Cool! I was unaware PedalPCB had such a beast. It appears tho that the "momentary" aspect of the features it provides works backwards from the MadBean version. The PedalPCB version provides a 'momentary' action only while the effect is active - more like a "momentary-off". The MadBean provides a standard 'momentary-on' behavior.

 

[coltonius]

Cool! I was unaware PedalPCB had such a beast. It appears tho that the "momentary" aspect of the features it provides works backwards from the MadBean version. The PedalPCB version provides a 'momentary' action only while the effect is active - more like a "momentary-off". The MadBean provides a standard 'momentary-on' behavior.

It does both- unless I'm not understanding you correctly?

 

[KR Sound]

The PedalPCB Intelligent Relay does this as well:

• If it's bypassed, you can hold to temporarily engage.
• If it's engaged, you can hold to temporarily bypass.

https://docs.pedalpcb.com/project/PedalPCB-IntelligentRelayBypass.pdf

It would be useful for someone who wanted both latching and momentary engagement/disengagement!

This is exactly what I plan on using!

 

[coltonius]

This is exactly what I plan on using!

I forgot to mention for anyone who may come upon this thread later: The way to hook up the Intelligent Relay according to the schematic above is like this:

SW1a:
• 2 = IR Output
• 1 = IR Return (LFO bypassed / LED illuminated)
• 3 = IR Input (LFO active / LED off)

Obviously, one could switch the Return and Input connections if they want the LED to illuminate when the LFO is active.

Just remember that using the In / Send / Out won’t necessarily work for all SPDT applications because Send is grounded in bypass. It would work in this case, since one position is shorting to ground; it’s just not a guarantee in every case.

Hopefully everyone is thoroughly confused.