Stuff you wanted to know but were afraid to ask

I've built a boost (Arrows clone). From zero to about 1:00 it CUTS signal. Is there a convenient way to put unity gain at zero and have a wider range of boost?

Breadboard it and/or socket the emitter resistor, which according to the schematic I have is 1k3.

Try the next size down, 1k2, then 1k, then 920Ω and keep going (ever-smaller resistors) until you get the amount of gain/boost you want.
 
Isn't that using the lock washer incorrectly? I thought the white washer is between the lock washer and enclosure. It can bite into the white washer pretty well.

Now, whether you want to put that inside your enclosure, or outside.. that depends on your levels of mischief and trollery..
If you use the white plastic washer on the inside the metal lock washer never grabs metal. Plastic against metal will move easier. For what we do if you tighten it enough it’ll probably be ok but there’s still a chance of it coming loose over time that way. During a gig wouldn't be optimal. When you tighten the nut nothing is supposed to be moving the against the ridges of the lock washer. It’s supposed to be flush against something to lock into metal. If you tighten a nut on top of it you’re smoothing out the locking ridges and it loses its function. I think the white one is meant for outside to not scratch the paint and provide cushion. I don’t even use them though. Think they look ugly but that’s just personal taste.
 
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Or, you could avoid the shame of white washers and lock washers and upgrade to a decent footswitch with metal washers and spring washers.
https://www.taydaelectronics.com/el...witch/alpha-3pdt-stomp-foot-pedal-switch.html
Some of the best footswitches come with lock washers. It’s just a choice of the manufacturer or possibly who’s selling it. Personally I’m not a fan of smooth spring washers on anything that has pressure always being applied to it. I’ve never had them work well for me and the switch always feels like it can still come loose. Too easy for it to go from feeling tight to loose quickly during a gig. Just personal preference really.

Way above our heads for what we do with pedals but thought this was kinda funny and interesting. Per NASA regarding smooth spring lock washers:
"The lockwasher serves as a spring while the bolt is being tightened. However, the washer is normally flat by the time the bolt is fully torqued. At this time it is equivalent to a solid flat washer, and its locking ability is nonexistent. In summary, a lockwasher of this type is useless for locking."

Not sure if it being a bolt and not nut matters any.

And the alpha footswitches feel like I’m turning on the bright lights in an old pickup truck. Too much pressure for me 😂 I understand why some like a heavy click though.
 
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I think the white one is meant for outside to not scratch the paint and provide cushion. I don’t even use them though. Think they look ugly out the outside but that’s personal taste.
A 0.3 or 0.5mm stainless flat washer will do the same and look way better. Cheap as chips from the big rock candy mountain.
 
A 0.3 or 0.5mm stainless flat washer will do the same and look way better. Cheap as chips from the big rock candy mountain.
I love just a regular stainless flat washer outside. Simple and classy 👍🏻 Supposedly the Belleville style washers are what NASA and the military likes to use for locking.
 
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Is there a practical/tonal reason that pedals like the OKKO overkillrussianmuffwithfirends thing they make is using h*ck-off high-voltage rated caps? the kind of ratings you'd see in an amp (at least they look that way). Or is it just mojo or a e s t h e t i c or some other reason?

4600789742-jpg.106400


Sorry if this has been addressed before, but I searched this thread for "voltage" and "rating" and came up with nothing.
 
Is there a practical/tonal reason that pedals like the OKKO overkillrussianmuffwithfirends thing they make is using h*ck-off high-voltage rated caps? the kind of ratings you'd see in an amp (at least they look that way). Or is it just mojo or a e s t h e t i c or some other reason?

4600789742-jpg.106400


Sorry if this has been addressed before, but I searched this thread for "voltage" and "rating" and came up with nothing.

It helps them charge more. Perceived value. More to look at, and brighter colors (compared with, say, SMD). Makes duck all difference soundwise, assuming the correct parts are used in both cases. Placebo with benefits (for the maker...).

There, I've said the quiet part out loud.
 
It helps them charge more. Perceived value. More to look at, and brighter colors (compared with, say, SMD). Makes duck all difference soundwise, assuming the correct parts are used in both cases. Placebo with benefits (for the maker...).

There, I've said the quiet part out loud.
I was also under the impression that the '±X%' parameter of electrolytics implied that the tighter the percentage, the quicker, but less fully charged as their threshold of voltage is approached.
 
Is there a practical/tonal reason that pedals like the OKKO overkillrussianmuffwithfirends thing they make is using h*ck-off high-voltage rated caps? the kind of ratings you'd see in an amp (at least they look that way). Or is it just mojo or a e s t h e t i c or some other reason?

4600789742-jpg.106400


Sorry if this has been addressed before, but I searched this thread for "voltage" and "rating" and came up with nothing.
because humans listen with their eyes far too often.

I said the other quiet part.

Sent from my Zenni Optical bifocals.
 
What's the deal with the 100k resistors to V+ at muamp output on the XTS Atomic (Nucleus Overdrive)? Referring to R12, R15, R37 on PPCB schem. From what I see, all they do is lower the gain a tad, due to load, and keep the drain of the lower jfet at a voltage ever so slightly higher than the bias network at gate of upper jfet - completely negligible. Why not load to GND? It should be less noisy...
 
It helps them charge more.

If you're using a 630V cap in a 9V circuit, it's never going to charge above 9V. The voltage rating pertains to the dielectric breakdown rating of the construction, it doesn't mean you're actually getting more electrons in there, just that it's possible to charge the cap to a higher voltage before the dielectric breaks down. There's no benefit to using 630V caps in a 9V circuit.

Disregard; written as a result of misunderstanding what was written above.
 
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Wut

If you're using a 630V cap in a 9V circuit, it's never going to charge above 9V. The voltage rating pertains to the dielectric breakdown rating of the construction, it doesn't mean you're actually getting more electrons in there, just that it's possible to charge the cap to a higher voltage before the dielectric breaks down. There's no benefit to using 630V caps in a 9V circuit.
It helps the manufacturers charge more for the pedal, is what I meant :rolleyes:
 
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