Tonepad Callate Gate 2 - Question about layout

[Aussiepappy]

Hi everyone,

My PCB arrived today and its absolute first class!! Hmm the super macro setting on my camera seems to fisheye the pics!!



The layout is located here:-

http://tonepad.com/getFile.asp?id=77

My question is this:-

The layout has 3 parts marked in ORANGE. A 2.2M resistor, 47pF cap, and another part labeled Ra. I don't know what Ra means  . The 2.2M and 47pF are not listed in the parts list under the layout, however the Ra part is listed as a 150k resistor? It also has an asterix next to it, leading me to believe there is a footnote somewhere but I don't see it.

I cant tell from this document alone, if these orange parts, are part of the mod build or the stock build? I am building this gate as stock with no mods.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Many thanks!

Pappy

[Michael Allen]

The 2.2M is a pulldown resistor, which should eliminate switch popping. Pretty standard on all DIY builds. The 470pf cap is probably optional and it looks like it's there as a potential mod, perhaps some sort of filtering. The Ra can be adjusted for shorter (or longer) release times. If you want shorter than stock release times, decrease the Ra value. If you want longer than stock release times increase the value of Ra. 150k is probably what it was in the original.

[5thumbs]

FWIW, I recently build this pedal using Tonepad's board.  It wasn't a glitch-free build, but the tweaking/t-shooting wasn't horrible and the end result was quite good.

Michael is spot-on on the 2.2M resistor being for input pulldown.  The 47pF cap is optional, as I believe it was added to reduce high-frequency oscillations in the IC1a feedback loop.  Ra is part of the Attack/Release mods, so you don't need to install it if you're not doing any of the mods.  (In fact, if you install Ra without doing the Attack/Release mods, it will cause problems.  See my build report for the details on that misstep.)  Even if you're skipping the mods, I'd recommend using the 2.2M pulldown resistor and 47pF cap, as they are not part of the mods and can help solve some other potential issues with this design.

I had to make some changes to the 680-ohm resistor/1uF cap combo in the IC1a feedback loop to get it to work properly.  (Short version:  I changed the resistor to 4.7K and the cap to 2uF to get rid of oscillations and have the gate close within a usable range, respectively.)  Heeding the advice of others in their build reports, I also replaced 1M resistor between Q3 Gate and Attack with a 1.8K resistor (which helped with volume loss when the gate was open.)

You can read the full details of what I (and others) have done to get this project running in the build reports: http://www.tonepad.com/buildReports.asp?projectID=18.  Some folks seem to get this project to work without any changes from Francisco's stock parts list, but others have to tweak it to get it running to their satisfaction.  My build turned out great and I'm very glad I built this particular Tonepad project.

Good luck!

[Aussiepappy]

Michael and 5Thumbs.

Thanks very much for your replies. Ive read the other reports on here on replacing certain resistors to make the pedal work, but I appreciate you guys answering my questions. This will help my build tremendously! 

Thanks again,

Pappy

[rogeryu_ph]

Pls check the upper 10uf polarity near the 1uf NP against the schematic first. the PCB indicate the positive is on the right but reading the schem it should be on the left isn't.

Roger 

[DimebuGG]

Pls check the upper 10uf polarity near the 1uf NP against the schematic first. the PCB indicate the positive is on the right but reading the schem it should be on the left isn't.

Roger 

That's exactly what i'm going to say

[DimebuGG]

Rogeryu parang kilala kita pre ah..nasa philmusic ka rin dba?and sa midnight with rebote sa youtube?

[rogeryu_ph]

DimebuGG,
Hi pinoy ka pala Yes midnight with rebote. From where are you? Me Las Pinas. Sana malapit ka lang para may ka jam at ka share sa DIY hobby. No one same into this kind of hobby around my place.

Roger

[DimebuGG]

DimebuGG,
Hi pinoy ka pala Yes midnight with rebote. From where are you? Me Las Pinas. Sana malapit ka lang para may ka jam at ka share sa DIY hobby. No one same into this kind of hobby around my place.

Roger

Sayang sir..taga leyte po ako..hehehe..like you sir ako lang po ang nag-iisang DIYer sa lugar namin. Sa 'yo ko lang nalaman na may PT2399 na pala dito sa atin after kong mg.order sa Epektos. Sayang!!ang layo ng difference P150:P85!..Try mo i.build yung Echo Base. mas maganda pa sa Rebote. I have already mine. May site ba ang DEECO?

[rogeryu_ph]

Wala ata silang website.  Echo base parang nakita ko siya sa GGG pa yon? may link ka ng project pa share naman. Here my cell 09175241312. Thanks pare.

Roger

[DimebuGG]

Ra is part of the Attack/Release mods, so you don't need to install it if you're not doing any of the mods.  (In fact, if you install Ra without doing the Attack/Release mods, it will cause problems. 

In contrast, as I removed Ra, no NOISE GATING occurs!Hums is still present so I reinstall the Ra again and then that's it!!.1M resistor at the gate was replaced also by 1.8K. And also the the 680/1uF combo, I did change it just like yours.

[5thumbs]

That's good news, DimebuGG.  I'm glad to hear that you got it built successfully.  It's curious how Ra behaved differently for us when removed, but perhaps Francisco will read this and can offer some insight on that.

Hopefully you like your Callate Gate 2 as much as I do.  When tweaked properly, it's a great little pedal.

[DimebuGG]

Yeah I do like this pedal very much 5thumbs!!.150K for Ra is just the stock value increasing or decreasing it affects the release in my build hence I used a 250K linear pot for Ra.

Note:
The inverted 10uF cap is not an issue IMO. It works whether inverting or not, so better follow the component layout.

[rogeryu_ph]

Guys hows the decay? Is there an audible noise trail specially on the last note?

[5thumbs]

Guys hows the decay? Is there an audible noise trail specially on the last note?

Not on mine after I made the aforementioned changes to the 680-ohm resistor/1uF cap combo in the IC1a feedback loop.  The decay is smooth and the gate shuts cleanly without any stuttering.  That's one of the characteristics of this pedal that endears it me so strongly.  I can set the gate from anywhere between "let ring nearly to natural extinction and close on the end of the tail" to "close as soon as possible to head off high-gain-induced feedback" and the gate shuts smoothly.  Of course, you can hear when the gate shuts (not by audible artifacts/distortion...just by things getting quiet), but it sounds smooth to my ears.

[rogeryu_ph]

Congrats

Cheers,
Roger