Introduction and a question

[timmus]

Greetings all. I'm a newly minted retiree that grew up and lived in NH until I retired last October after which I moved to southern Missouri. I have either worked full time or part time, depending on pressure from my wife to make more money, in the audio repair business. I've worked for many years as a tech in one of the the premier music store chains in New England until I saw the writing on the wall and moved on, after which they closed about 9 months later (but not because I left...LOL). I still repair stuff for local musicians and hope to go full time, more or less, once I can suss out the business tax laws here in Missouri.

Anyway, I am also a bass player and had a DemonFX Call76 given to me that didn't work which I fixed. The question I have about this pedal is this. It's very obviously a clone of the Origin Effects Cali76 with a few curious changes.

Those of you that are familiar with the OE pedal knows that there is a bi (tri?) colored LED on the top that lets you know what the compressor is doing. This is not on the D-FX pedal...but there is a dual row of 5 blue LEDs inside the box (a lot of good those do!) that seems to do what the jewel-lamp gain reduction metering does on the OE box. Does anyone have a schematic of either of these pedals that I can see what they're doing and how OE achieves the gain reduction metering with the LEDs under the jewel? I would like to replicate what they do.

The other alternative is to mount a 5 segment LED bar graph to the top of the pedal and wire each segment to each individual LED buried inside the D-FX pedal. I would probably need to remove the five LEDs on the PCB inside the pedal to do this.

I can post pictures of these LED's and where they are in the D-FX pedal if you need me to.

If you get a chance, let me know your thoughts on this.

Thanks,

Tim

 

[Feral Feline]

I don't have the schematic for the OE (nor DemonFX) Cali76, but you could look at other comp circuits with a similar indicator LED and possibly suss out what's going on, since you've already determined the 5-Blue LEDs are doing a similar job.

Also, you could test replacing the 5 internal LEDs with external standalone LEDs instead of a bar-graph (since you're going to have to remove the internal for the bar-graph LED anyway). So long as it's showing the manner of compression, I see no reason for going to a more expensive bar-graph that may be more difficult to drill for and mount (unless you want that aesthetic!).



We like pics here, by all means post some pics, please!

 

[Robert]

Post some pics of the DemonFX if you can.

I've partially traced a Cali76 and based on the one or two photos I've seen of the DemonFX, I do not believe it is actually based on the Cali76.

My suspicion is that the DemonFX is based on a DIY 1176 project that I've seen floating around, which although is based on the 1176, is significantly different from the Cali.

 

[timmus]

Post some pics of the DemonFX if you can.

I've partially traced a Cali76 and based on the one or two photos I've seen of the DemonFX, I do not believe it is actually based on the Cali76.

My suspicion is that the DemonFX is based on a DIY 1176 project that I've seen floating around, which although is based on the 1176, is significantly different from the Cali.

I'll do that as soon as I can Robert. The pedal board is at the practice space this weekend but I'll grab it Monday or Tuesday and shoot some internal pictures.

The problem I found after it was given to me is that several of the legs on the input gain pot were never soldered causing an intermittent dropping of signal. The owner said he used it a few weeks and then his sig kept popping and dropping out. There was solder on the pads but the legs never got it. Other than that one issue, they seem to be solidly built but the aluminum chassis seems a bit anemic.

I asked if he wanted it back and he had already bought the OE pedal. He's a pretty busy bassist and doesn't really like stuff crapping out in the middle a gig...can't say I blame him.

About whether the D-FX is a clone of the Cali76, I don't know. Heck I can't even remember seeing a Cali76 until about a year ago. I was looking for a compressor for my rig when I saw the Cali76...and then I saw it was $$$$ so didn't even bother to look at it any further. When the guy dropped his off with me, I took a quick look at it and thought it was the Cali76. It was then I noticed that it was made DemoFX. The silkscreen on both of them is almost identical and controls control the same stuff (as near as I can tell).

 

[MichaelW]

Sorry to hijack this thread but your comment about your bassist friend not wanting his gear to fail during a gig reminded me of this.....

Ultimate pedalboard fail and recovery.....uber guitar tech.......probably had to go change his pants after....

 

[Feral Feline]

That's professionalism right there. Musician(s) and techie alike. Crappenstance, but the show must go on, and so it did.

 

[MichaelW]

That's professionalism right there. Musician(s) and techie alike. Crappenstance, but the show must go on, and so it did.

For sure, looked like a power supply failure. And they looked like Strymon power supplies

 

[JoelSmith]

Can you post some pictures of the

I'll do that as soon as I can Robert. The pedal board is at the practice space this weekend but I'll grab it Monday or Tuesday and shoot some internal pictures.

Moto X3M​

The problem I found after it was given to me is that several of the legs on the input gain pot were never soldered causing an intermittent dropping of signal. The owner said he used it a few weeks and then his sig kept popping and dropping out. There was solder on the pads but the legs never got it. Other than that one issue, they seem to be solidly built but the aluminum chassis seems a bit anemic.

I asked if he wanted it back and he had already bought the OE pedal. He's a pretty busy bassist and doesn't really like stuff crapping out in the middle a gig...can't say I blame him.

About whether the D-FX is a clone of the Cali76, I don't know. Heck I can't even remember seeing a Cali76 until about a year ago. I was looking for a compressor for my rig when I saw the Cali76...and then I saw it was $$$$ so didn't even bother to look at it any further. When the guy dropped his off with me, I took a quick look at it and thought it was the Cali76. It was then I noticed that it was made DemoFX. The silkscreen on both of them is almost identical and controls control the same stuff (as near as I can tell).

Honestly, I'm looking forward to your DemonFX photo. When you post a picture of DemonFX, can you tag me?

 

[szukalski]

When you post a picture of DemonFX, can you tag me?

There's a cool option to watch a thread. Then you don't need to put ownership onto OP.

 

[Bricksnbeatles]

There's a cool option to watch a thread. Then you don't need to put ownership onto OP.

Yeah, plus once one person claims ownership of a new member, everyone wants a piece, and it’s a whole big pain trying to amicably negotiate custody between a few dozen people.

 

[timmus]

Can you post some pictures of the

Honestly, I'm looking forward to your DemonFX photo. When you post a picture of DemonFX, can you tag me?

If I can, I will post pictures here on this thread. I'll hopefully have these posted tonight or tomorrow. I need to bulldoze my repair bench off and recharge the batteries in my camera.

 

[timmus]

I guess better late than never....I apologize for not putting this picture up before this. Life got crazy. Dealing with elderly parents and their estate, such as it is. I'm the oldest and so it goes.

The metering LEDs (blue) are in the lower left corner of the main board. There are ten of them, L1-L5 and L7-L11. The LEDs appear to be wired in pairs...when L1 lights, so does L11, when L2 lights, so does L10, and on down the pairs.