jimilee
Well-known member
Double sided etched Baird ftw!
The Week on the Breadboard: The Emperor of Tone
- Thread starter Chuck D. Bones
- Start date
Chuck D. Bones
Circuit Wizard
You can always run it on 18V.I didn't have room for the charge pump
You're right, but I think that might have tipped me past my area allowance in Eagle, the free version is not overly generous! I’m trying to migrate over to KiCAD, so that should mean I can have as much space as I’d like, but I’m not finding the transition as easy as I though I would.
For this circuit I like it at 9V.
I’ve just ordered some bread boarding bits and pieces so hope to play around with some circuits over Christmas.
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aquataur
Member
I once made one of those in pursuit of the Marshall tone. I just looked, it was 15 years ago. I made a second one for my friend, and for a while we thought it was the bees knees, but then we got bored with it. Maybe this is some kind of listening fatigue.
Back then, I noticed that the reference voltage varies considerably with the amount of voltage dumped into it upon distortion peaks.
I made an attempt to alleviate this as good as I could. This was at a time when I did not know all the stomp box trickery yet.
I have noticed that the guys who design those circuits, particularly if it is just a re-hash of some predecessor, either do not know their business very well, or are entirely buck-driven on some decisions.
But later I was not so sure about that. Maybe they were genius...
So technically, I totally agree with a proper ground lane and symmetric supplies, such as Chuck has suggested it. But again, it may have some musical effect. The low time constant this filtering has until it recovers. This reminds me of the trick R.O.G. played with their Thunderbird unit.
These days, there are better Marshall emulators IMHO, such as the aforementioned unit. Yet somebody may sound great using this unit. It is like an ugly color that may look perfect in the hands of an artist. (Not saying the KoT is ugly...)
Back then, I noticed that the reference voltage varies considerably with the amount of voltage dumped into it upon distortion peaks.
I made an attempt to alleviate this as good as I could. This was at a time when I did not know all the stomp box trickery yet.
I have noticed that the guys who design those circuits, particularly if it is just a re-hash of some predecessor, either do not know their business very well, or are entirely buck-driven on some decisions.
But later I was not so sure about that. Maybe they were genius...
So technically, I totally agree with a proper ground lane and symmetric supplies, such as Chuck has suggested it. But again, it may have some musical effect. The low time constant this filtering has until it recovers. This reminds me of the trick R.O.G. played with their Thunderbird unit.
These days, there are better Marshall emulators IMHO, such as the aforementioned unit. Yet somebody may sound great using this unit. It is like an ugly color that may look perfect in the hands of an artist. (Not saying the KoT is ugly...)
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Chuck D. Bones
Circuit Wizard
With this circuit, I was not going for a Marshall tone, or any other amp for that matter. I was going for a pair of stacked low-medium gain ODs where the dynamics and distortion are easily tailored.
Or around the stomp switch. I use those glowing white washers on everything now. Warms my minimalist heart.
Chuck D. Bones
Circuit Wizard
Some pedal builders (I will not name names here) are either a whole lot dumber than me or a whole lot smarter. Sometimes I think it's one and it turns out to be the other. I don't criticize unless I see something that's really stupid. There is one builder in particular that patented a pedal design and the pedal circuit does not do what he claims in the patent.
aquataur
Member
That is not uncommon. Jack Orman has been going on about this at length. Many patents aren't worth the paper they are printed on.
I have encountered at least one patent to do with stomp boxes that was wrong on a small, but critical point. It is close at hand that this was deliberate, in order to not give away the whole story. Nobody would ever notice.
Re: dumber or smarter: I have just yesterday read a comment on FSB by Greg_G:
It is, in the above context, remarkable (to put it mildly) that people compared three units that later turned out to be exactly the same internally and swore, that the unit in question sounded by far superior.
But as you said sometimes, most of this pedal hype is about flashy optics.
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Chuck D. Bones
Circuit Wizard
Definitely OT.
cooder
Well-known member
Here's my single channel Queen of Tone, no charge pump, has nuff headroom as it is I think. I tried 18V versions before but didn't like it as much with this type of circuit, just my 2 dineros.
I made two, because why not. One with red LED clippers as hard clippers, the other BA282.
Thanks as always to Dave for the great circuit design work!
I made two, because why not. One with red LED clippers as hard clippers, the other BA282.
Thanks as always to Dave for the great circuit design work!
Probably even sounds good!
Chuck D. Bones
Circuit Wizard
Most excellent!
cooder
Well-known member
"That was tight good fun", she said.
Here's the Emperor to make the family shot complete.
Fitting it in was a royal PITA but I'm glad it worked. Includes Dave's excellent double switching relay board and order switch. The order switch was a particular fiddly ship to squeeze in the bottle. It's a 1590BB2 enclosure. A standard 1590BB would have been not tall enough to allow for the I/O board plus this is about the same height as the 125B that I usually roll with.
Red LED hardclippers on right side, left side has BA282 plus some tasty Mullard OA6 Germaniums diodes.
Painfully I had to fit the 9V jack on the side as there was no physical room left in the top side where I already drilled a hole. Sigh.
I wasted about 5 mm at the lower part, so if I make another one of those muffins I'll move the graphics 5mm lower to squeeze in extra room on top.
Here's the Emperor to make the family shot complete.
Fitting it in was a royal PITA but I'm glad it worked. Includes Dave's excellent double switching relay board and order switch. The order switch was a particular fiddly ship to squeeze in the bottle. It's a 1590BB2 enclosure. A standard 1590BB would have been not tall enough to allow for the I/O board plus this is about the same height as the 125B that I usually roll with.
Red LED hardclippers on right side, left side has BA282 plus some tasty Mullard OA6 Germaniums diodes.
Painfully I had to fit the 9V jack on the side as there was no physical room left in the top side where I already drilled a hole. Sigh.
I wasted about 5 mm at the lower part, so if I make another one of those muffins I'll move the graphics 5mm lower to squeeze in extra room on top.
Chuck D. Bones
Circuit Wizard
LOOKS GREAT!
I think this pedal requires an operator's manual and special training, what with all of those knobs & switches. The GRIT switches look perilously close to the stomp switches.
I think this pedal requires an operator's manual and special training, what with all of those knobs & switches. The GRIT switches look perilously close to the stomp switches.
cooder
Well-known member
Yes there's a ton of sound variations in there...
Regarding the Grit switches, they are close, at least short bat though. I can't see where else to place them on pcb though. That might be the reason why on original they use blimmin' internal DIP switches. Other otption would be bigger 1590XX enclosure. But really i think it'll be fine.
Regarding the Grit switches, they are close, at least short bat though. I can't see where else to place them on pcb though. That might be the reason why on original they use blimmin' internal DIP switches. Other otption would be bigger 1590XX enclosure. But really i think it'll be fine.