Build Shit - DIY - What's On Your Bench?

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Re: Build Shit - DIY - What's On Your Bench?

Post by ¾ dead »

I set up shop in an unused room of the house to start working on assembly projects. I still feel unprepared to so much as open the packages I received from PAiA, but I did order a couple of Synthrotek kits, mostly for practice. I finally finished the first, easiest one tonight (NAND Chaos-whatever dual oscillator).

I haven't installed it in a case yet, and I dare not post photographic evidence of the sloppy work, but it was a really helpful warm-up exercise, and I'm just happy it works.

Next up is the Synthrotek Astro Noise kit.

I also ordered a couple of secondhand Blacet Scanner module kits off of Shitverb.
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Re: Build Shit - DIY - What's On Your Bench?

Post by FAP »

FAP wrote: Wed Sep 23, 2020 3:10 pm Image

Cut to nearly three years later:

brown-phone-2023-nw_1.jpg
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Yes, it's the new and improved stutter phone!
This one's been sitting in my repair pile for some time now after the original handset jack broke: this iteration does away with the previous 4-conductor phone line entirely in favor of an interchangeable ethernet system (though ironically, I only ended up needing 4 conductors out of the 8 ethernet provides anyways: more on that later).

brown-phone-2023-nw_2.jpg
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But first, a quick rundown of what's new:

:mrgreen: As stated, can now use any standard ethernet cable to link handset with base unit
:mrgreen: A switch on the front toggles between earpiece (passive) and mouthpiece (active) microphones; the LED above turns ON when the latter is engaged
:mrgreen: A switch on the back (not pictured) can be toggled to bypass the hook/hang-up switch i.e. don't need to keep pressure on the hook/hang-up switch to pass a signal through the 1/4" input
:mrgreen: Slightly updated circuitry that reduces "popping" noise between momentary switch openings on the rotary dial
:mrgreen: Switched 9v center-negative power jack w/ battery snap; base unit can also be used without power if mouthpiece microphone is not required.
:mrgreen: Entirely new visual elements (though at the time of writing I've yet to add labels)

And what stayed the same:

:D Operation remains essentially the same as before: pick up the handset to use it, or hang it up to use the 1/4" input (either signal source passes through 1/4" output)
:D Can use the rotary dial function for either handset or 1/4" input; the rotary dial acts as ten consecutive momentary kill switches, creating a brief tremolo-like effect


* * *

Notes:


1. While this revision uses 8-conductor ethernet cable to connect the handset to the base unit, the final circuit only uses 4 conductors.
I initially wanted the ear/mouthpiece switch to go in the handset for better user experience, however there wasn't any room to mount it.
If I did have the room, I had a schematic drawn out that would basically route the mouthpiece leads to the base unit, through a transformer, then back up to the handset to return to the switch.
But now that I have it laid out like this, I actually prefer having the switch mounted in the base unit instead: going forward, this will be how I approach further rotary phone builds.
The difference in loudness between ear and mouthpiece mics is quite drastic, so changing between the two with the flick of a finger--either intentionally or, heaven forbid, by accident--is more of a design flaw than a convenience in retrospect.
Moreover, limiting all modifications and controls to the base unit theoretically leaves the handset relatively unmolested; again, I could've technically kept the standard 4-conductor cable system intact with how the final circuit is laid out, which certainly would've improved cosmetic appearance overall (those ethernet jacks are huge and the side of the main unit where I had to drill a >3/4" hole to fit one still looks quite gnarly in person).


2. I previously addressed the "popping" issue by placing 100Ω resistors between the + and - terminals of both the input and output jacks: this time I upped the values to 47kΩ each. There's no theory I can point to that explains why this is: 47kΩ just gave the best results during testing. There's surely better ways to do this; Simon The Magpie's most recent rotary dial pedal eliminates the issue entirely via the use of microcontrollers, but I didn't want to invest that kind of time and money into a solution that'd be in service to something I paid $10 for at a flea market. I think there's a line to be drawn between ingenuity and overkill.


3. I finally figured out how to open up the "cover" part of the rotary dial the easy way: this allowed me to slide in the little smiley face pictured above. In an unrelated build, I nearly tore the damn thing apart from the bottom up trying to remove the cover: how I didn't come across the intended method until just now is beyond me, because a ton of people obviously have known how to do it for decades at this point. This video is just one of countless others demonstrating the exact same method.


4. The last pain in the ass for this build was a quick fix that cuts both the ear and mouthpiece circuits whenever the hook/hang-up switch is engaged (i.e. handset not in use). If you don't do this, the handset will still be active in some cases when you don't want it to be. I plotted-out the hook switch's logic well before then and thankfully there was enough there I could work with to accomplish this.
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Re: Build Shit - DIY - What's On Your Bench?

Post by FAP »

01-dual_booster_finished_build-(small).jpg
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I'll keep it brief: this is essentially two LPB-1 clones in one box. Each iteration includes an EQ toggle (itself a clone/mod of the Big Muff tonestack) as well as more granular component options set by internal DIP switches.

For those who caught it, I initially made a separate thread trying to troubleshoot an issue I was having with this build: as it turns out, the solution was to simply re-flow the solder on a particular column. No idea how or why I didn't catch that earlier... take it as a lesson learned.

I've attached the schematic and perf layout for those who want to try it at home. The LPB-1 is a ludicrously simple circuit; it and its variants have been documented extensively, so a google search is all that's needed if you want to see how I came to my own conclusions. I'd recommend not using my perf layout, though, as it's too big to fit in most enclosures. I used a Hammond 1590BB for mine and even then I was only able to fit it in by omitting any sort of screws or standoffs to keep it in place: it's kept in place purely by the wires and back plate pushing against it from two different directions. Again, lessons learned: if you let feature creep take an inch, it'll take a mile.
02-dual_booster_schematic-revB.jpg
03-dual-booster_perf-revC.jpg
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Re: Build Shit - DIY - What's On Your Bench?

Post by FAP »

Feeling kind of bummed out since my most recent project unexpectedly imploded in on itself, so as a pick-me-up, I made a dedicated power starve!
060423 power starve (voltage sag) dedicated build.jpg
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Results may vary––seems to work best with older fuzzes--but it feels good to finally get it crossed off my list.
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Re: Build Shit - DIY - What's On Your Bench?

Post by FAP »

FAP wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:44 pm Image
TL;DR I figured out a way to make a sine wave-like LFO with a 555 and a vactrol (and some other parts).

Yeah that circuit sucks: this one by Kassutronics is much more stable and far more versatile:

kassu-LFO-complete-circuit-with-notes.gif
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Note that I used 4 x TL072s instead of 2 x TL074s here just because that's what I had on hand.

Anyways, this is essentially the better (though perhaps not as good-looking) version of the Candlebox LFO I built last year.
Unlike the Candlebox, the Kassutronics LFO has true sine wave functionality, with an adjustable duty cycle and waveform depth to boot.

kassu_1.jpg
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kassu_2.jpg
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Learned a lot with this build, chiefly splitting rails and virtual grounds. I'm glad this concept finally got through my thick head (or at least through enough) because this understanding opens the doors to so many other possibilities.
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Re: Build Shit - DIY - What's On Your Bench?

Post by FAP »

feedback_looper_0.jpg
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As one could probably glean from the face graphics, this is a feedback looper and momentary kill switch in one box.

For the feedback side: turning the knob clockwise increases the amount of return signal that is fed back into send.
The toggle switch has three modes: mode 1 shunts the signal to ground the further counter-clockwise the knob is turned (kind of like a volume knob), mode 2 doesn't shunt to ground and acts like a 'traditional' feedback looper (capped at ~500kΩ max), and "mode 0" aka center-off turns the feedback function off entirely (in case you just want to use this as a regular fx looper/switch)

For the kill switch side: turning the knob clockwise determines how much of the input signal is shunted to ground; turning the knob counter-clockwise mitigates the "abruptness" of the momentary mute.
The toggle switch has two modes: mode 1 treats the knob as a simple variable resistor between input and ground (capped at ~500kΩ max), while mode 2 passes more input signal to the output the further the knob is turned counter-clockwise (which itself can act like a feedback loop in some circumstances).

Lastly, I added an optional 3.5mm inout for external LFO use; the LFO controls the feedback amount and it rules. In hindsight I could've maybe added one for the kill switch as well, but whatever.
The toggle switch essentially chooses wether the user can control feedback amount with the knob AND the LFO, or just the knob OR the LFO.
feedback_looper_1.jpg
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Comments:

• The shafts on these pots were super loose; I've encountered this numerous times before and it's annoying because there doesn't seem to be any real consistency or standardization as to how "fast" or "slow" a shaft should be. It makes me worried, too, since tightening the nut too much can actually break the shaft entirely, rendering the pot useless (though in this case I know it's broken when I can spin the shaft 360°).
I read that felt washers can slow down shaft rotation: it's primitive but by god it works. Will definitely be getting more of them later.

• Building a working model/prototype BEFORE the final product was a great idea. I used a recycled lunch meat container to mount hardware & glued tin foil on the inside to emulate a shielded enclosure. It also allowed me to save the rattier components I had on hand for the prototype & save the new/good ones for the final build.'

• Those fancy-lookin' 3mm bevels are a pain in the ass to work with: I'll be keeping an eye out for alternatives.

I posted a crude wiring guide below; schematics for these concepts are readily available online so I don't feel the need to [re]post them here. Also please note I could've used a momentary DPST for the kill switch, but chose a 3PDT because the only other momentary switch I had that could do the job was too big.
feedback-looper-wiring-guide.jpg
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Re: Build Shit - DIY - What's On Your Bench?

Post by FLORIDA MAN »

is that for sale? ^
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Re: Build Shit - DIY - What's On Your Bench?

Post by FAP »

FLORIDA MAN wrote: Sun Jul 16, 2023 2:46 pm is that for sale? ^
No but I appreciate the support :oops:
Eventually I'd love to make $ on these things but it's not stable enough income for me right now.
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Re: Build Shit - DIY - What's On Your Bench?

Post by Indeterminacy »

FAP wrote: Sun Jul 16, 2023 3:09 pm
FLORIDA MAN wrote: Sun Jul 16, 2023 2:46 pm is that for sale? ^
No but I appreciate the support :oops:
Eventually I'd love to make $ on these things but it's not stable enough income for me right now.
So how much to build another one for sale?
Volume is a fantastic thing,
Power and volume - Pete Townshend
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Re: Build Shit - DIY - What's On Your Bench?

Post by crochambeau »

That is a very attractive build, well done!
When in doubt, add resistance.

http://www.rochambeau.net/
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