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DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: jneely on June 23, 2004, 12:18:05 PM

Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: jneely on June 23, 2004, 12:18:05 PM
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v255/JNEELY/twangbangerrev1.jpg

This was based off of the 360 degree phase circuit from the same national app notes that the mini booster app note was taken.

It sounds like a vari-tone in a box but.... when driven after another pedal like say over drive it sounds as if it gets loaded down.

If I put a resistor in series with the input it loses ALOT of the intended effect.

Any ideas?
:roll:
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: Jay Doyle on June 23, 2004, 12:38:39 PM
Man I don't know. It shouldn't load anything down, the input imped. is high.

The only thing that I can think of is because you are taking the output from both the source and the drain, each "side" has only 1/2 V+ worth of headroom.

Could it be parasitic capacitances?

Wish I could help more, sorry mr. neely.

Jay
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: smoguzbenjamin on June 23, 2004, 12:41:31 PM
Have you tried adding a FET buffer or something similar in front of it? That might sort some things out.
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: puretube on June 23, 2004, 12:43:51 PM
dunno the intended effect, nor vari-tone, but that Cs (1µF) hurts my feelings...  :cry:
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: puretube on June 23, 2004, 12:48:43 PM
Quote from: smoguzbenjaminHave you tried adding a FET buffer or something similar in front of it? That might sort some things out.

or tried a cap at the input?
any pedal with resistor-to-ground (or pot...) will ruin the 1st. Q`s bias...
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: smoguzbenjamin on June 23, 2004, 12:49:45 PM
Good point!  :P
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: gez on June 23, 2004, 12:51:02 PM
Jay may be onto something, perhaps it's being pushed into saturation with a larger input signal (probably wouldn't notice this if the signal is a distortion).  

Could you post voltages for sources and drains?  It's easy to fix if this is the problem.

Doesn't need a buffer Ben as the input impedance is pretty decent.
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: gez on June 23, 2004, 12:52:21 PM
Ignore me, PT strikes again!  :D
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: smoguzbenjamin on June 23, 2004, 12:54:03 PM
Sorry gez, my first solution is 'add a buffer to see if it helps' since I have one or two lying around with nothing to do so it's easy to stick in front :mrgreen:
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: gez on June 23, 2004, 12:55:30 PM
No problem Ben, didn't mean to be impolite or anything!  :)

Output cap is missing too...
Title: Perfect sense and effect
Post by: jneely on June 23, 2004, 01:01:11 PM
It sort of cuts and adds bass so to speak. It gets trebley on one side and fuller on the other. It doesn't get the noise(hiss) of your std treble boost. But it's not really boosting I guess.

I'll have to try a cap in front it slipped my mind to try it.

Think of the old gibson varitone guitar circuit but picture it without the loss of vol in some settings.

It could also be like setting a wah in posistion and using that. However it's not as colored as a wah.

Imagine if the wah put your signal out of phase .

I'll try the cap thing and I'll post some voltages shortly.

Jeff
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: R.G. on June 23, 2004, 01:31:13 PM
It's a fixed position single notch phaser minus any LFO or dry blend.

Suggestions:
(1) as mentioned, use an input cap of 0.1uF or so and another 3.3M to ground outside the input cap.
(2) arrange for a switchable blend of the dry signal at the output of that source follower to make it into a real notch when you want.
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: puretube on June 23, 2004, 01:41:42 PM
that big cap at the source of Q2 shorts all signal* to ground, so Q2 doesn`t "shift" too much, it just inverts...

*except deep bass
Title: rev 2
Post by: jneely on June 23, 2004, 03:04:39 PM
Well after reading the replies since I went to experiment I think I may be off base.

I added the .1 caps on the in and out but this caused a great loss of volume.

So I changed the source resistors to pots adjusted measured and inserted fix resistors in place.

http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v255/JNEELY/twangbanger2.jpg

These values allowed the 1M to be almost equal from "bass" to "treble" end.

It distorts a little. I'm wondering if I should reduce the overall gain of the circuit and add a booster after to bring it back up.

RG , should I still place another 3.3m in front of the in cap?

Thanks Guys
Jeff
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: gez on June 23, 2004, 03:12:55 PM
Source and drain resistors need to be equal, this is a phase-splitter.  Personally, I'd replace the 3.3M and 1M bias reistors with a 10k pot across the rails and attach the wiper to the gate via a 1M resistor (signal couples via cap directly to gate).  This will allow you to get bias right.

As PT mentioned, the 1u cap in the second stage prevents it from acting as it should.  Again, make source and drain resistors equal and use a dual-gang pot to replace the 10k resistor (second half of pot to do the honors for the 1M pot in first stage).

As RG metioned, you need to blend in the dry signal to get a notch and for it to act as a 'varitone' type circuit.
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: puretube on June 23, 2004, 03:19:33 PM
gez: this time I wanted you to be first  :)
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: gez on June 23, 2004, 03:22:04 PM
PT, no please, after you!  :D
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: gez on June 23, 2004, 03:25:36 PM
Jeff, might be an idea to take a look at RG's article on phasers and flangers over at GEO.  That should give you a better understanding of what's going on.

edit.  click on the 'Technology of' link at his site (top left, I think).
Title: cap
Post by: jneely on June 23, 2004, 04:07:22 PM
If I remove the 1uf it loses gain.

I realize the circuit should have equal source and drain but it doesn't do anything much when they are.


The 10k resistor was intentional also. I wanted that fixed to where i liked it.

Jeff
Title: Re: cap
Post by: gez on June 23, 2004, 04:25:28 PM
QuoteIf I remove the 1uf it loses gain.

Try doing the gain with the third stage instead (add drain resistor and bypass source - source resistor is a tad large by the way).

QuoteI realize the circuit should have equal source and drain but it doesn't do anything much when they are.

It won't unless you blend in the dry signal at the output to get cancellation (read the Geo article I mentioned).

QuoteThe 10k resistor was intentional also. I wanted that fixed to where i liked it.

Better to use a dual-gang pot.  Once you mix in the dry signal, you'll hear the benefit.
Title: I call it Twang Banger but I need some help
Post by: puretube on June 23, 2004, 04:31:09 PM
when all is balanced out, you should hear vibrato, when twisting the pot fast....
Title: tried things
Post by: jneely on June 23, 2004, 04:48:21 PM
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v255/JNEELY/twangbanger3.jpg

Hi guys .

I removed the 1uf and it stopped working all together. I already had the balanced s/d and that really didn't sound any different.

How do I blend dry signal. I fed input to ouput with a small resistor and it squealed like a pig.

I should mention that since I placed the .1uf caps on it no longer drops or loads when it's driven by my other pedals.

Jeff
Title: q point
Post by: jneely on June 23, 2004, 04:51:44 PM
I do hear the point where the circuit rolls over from bass to treble currently.
Title: Re: tried things
Post by: gez on June 23, 2004, 05:49:16 PM
Quote from: jneelyHow do I blend dry signal. I fed input to ouput with a small resistor and it squealed like a pig

With most phasers it's usually done by mixing the output of an input buffer with the output of the phase-shift stages.  Usually done passively, a resistor from each output (usually equal value) combine and the junction is fed to an output cap (pulldown resistor on output).

Personally, I prefer an active mixer (op-amp, though you could use a discrete version).

Look at some phaser schematics and you'll get the idea.

The squealing pig effect was probably due to you adding gain in the second stage (and perhaps how you did the mixing?)