Old School Tremo-Glow (Vero Content)

p_wats

Well-known member
This might be the most complex circuit I've done on vero in a while. It barely fit in a 125B!

VFE Old School tremolo in a glow-in-the-dark enclosure from Tayda (more on that later, argh).

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Bit of spaghetti inside, but this one is for me and I was excited to get it boxed up (took the photos before I used zip-ties to clean up the wire runs a bit).

I've been searching for a dynamic tremolo to build for a while and tried the JMK Blue Warbler 2 first, but it's a bit too quirky and inconsistent (Jon Patton himself said it's sort of a novelty circuit).

I love that it responds to picking dynamics to lower the depth (or increase the speed, depending on the setting). This will likely be an "always on" pedal for me, as I've been rehearsing with it in my test rig and it just fits so well.

For the art, I was going to draw a school house, but that looked lame, so I took inspiration from one of the iterations of the actual VFE pedal and taped off a sort of brick wall. I had just bought a new can of purple spray and decided to use that, which made it look a bit too much like an Easter castle, so I went with brown knobs to dull it down a bit. I wanted to write on the brick wall as a sort of graffiti that incorporated the LEDs, but it was too bumpy, so I chickened-out.

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Unfortunately, Tayda's quality control strikes again, as it seems only 2 of the 4 screw holes are threaded properly, so I can't use 2 of the screws (one will go in about half-way, the other less than that). I've reached out to them to see what they want to say. I don't know how to fix it, so for now it's on my board as-is, but I'm open to suggestions!

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You should be able to get those screws going by running a tap into the holes to clean up the threads. I just checked a random enclosure - 6-32 was the thread size. They’re standard as far as I know.

This. Or keep a 6-32 self tapping screw on hand. When I had the same issue, I remembered that the feet on my Dunlop wah enclosure are held on by 6-32 self tapping screws so whenever I have this issue with a Tayda enclosure, I just unscrew one of the feet on my wah, screw it into the screw hole on the Tayda to tap it properly, then put it back on my wah.

Mike
 
You should be able to get those screws going by running a tap into the holes to clean up the threads. I just checked a random enclosure - 6-32 was the thread size. They’re standard as far as I know.


Oh great. Thanks! I'll grab one of these.

This. Or keep a 6-32 self tapping screw on hand. When I had the same issue, I remembered that the feet on my Dunlop wah enclosure are held on by 6-32 self tapping screws so whenever I have this issue with a Tayda enclosure, I just unscrew one of the feet on my wah, screw it into the screw hole on the Tayda to tap it properly, then put it back on my wah.

Mike

Hot tip! Off to unscrew all my non DIY gear to see if any of the screws are self-tapping (after I Google what a self-tapping screw looks like. Ha)!
 
Any hardware store or auto parts store will, more than likely, have a 6-32 tap. I’ve had the issue with Taydas questionable hole tapping abilities, also. I just screw the screw in past where it gets tight a turn or two, then back it out a turn or so, then keep doing that until it gets all the way seated. Idk which supplier I got them from, but some place sent self tappers with the enclosures. I just throw all the screws into one bag or container and grab 4 when I need them. I think I’ve used the regular, non self-tapping screws to seat the rough ones too.
 
Thanks for the tips, everyone! Long story short, I was able to get the screws in with a combination of trying a self-tapping screw first, then working a different screw back and forth a bunch.

Unfortunately, the more stubborn hole took more work, as my test screw snapped off inside of it, so I had to drill that out, but was eventually able to get a screw to bite in there and the case is shut now!
 
How strange! I've never had a problem with screws in Tayda powder coated enclosures. Of course now that I've said that I probably will.

I have an inexpensive set of taps and dies for working on motorcycles. I discovered that I have a die which is perfect for Strat trem arm threads. I really dislike it when Strat whammy bars sit too high so generally add thread to them so they sit nice and low. Add some plumber's tape and you can get a lovely non-wobbling (except for the wobblage you want) Strat trem bridge.
 
How strange! I've never had a problem with screws in Tayda powder coated enclosures. Of course now that I've said that I probably will.

I have an inexpensive set of taps and dies for working on motorcycles. I discovered that I have a die which is perfect for Strat trem arm threads. I really dislike it when Strat whammy bars sit too high so generally add thread to them so they sit nice and low. Add some plumber's tape and you can get a lovely non-wobbling (except for the wobblage you want) Strat trem bridge.

My Tayda issues are usually with their powder coat, as I find some enclosures very delicate. This is one of the first times I've been unable to screw an enclosure shut (I've had to give some elbow grease to a few before, but not usually this bad).
 
For what it's worth, Tayda gave me a $10 credit in my account when I reached out to let them know about the issue. Thanks for all the suggestions!
 
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