ok this seems an obvious little tool...but essential in my opinion...
i was jamming at the weekend, and that old bug bear of mine
going from hi gain/vol to 'backed off'' e.g. cleaned up for quieter parts hit me yet again.... :icon_rolleyes:
here it is... uber simple...
its always pissed me off rolling back the guitars vol in a live situation as it :
A: takes your hand off playing to adjust your guitar vol,
B: guitar vol never ends up in the sweet spot perfectly...each time.
C: is a pain in the ass when going back to high gain again as you have to turn vol up coming back to hi gain again..
(of course this can be done with a vol pedal, but only if it has a a min/max control...)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7464107/BACKOFF.jpg)
LED VERSION:
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7464107/BACKOFF2.jpg)
put it in front of your dirt...sorted. 8)
might be my first ever 1590a.. ;)
Looks interesting. Let us know how it works out.
Rob - it's not true bypass, which may cause problems when you are stumbling about in your spacesuit and managed to kick the volume all the way down - it will mute you signal regardless of switch state.
IMAGES UPDATED...
look ok?.... i need more coffee... ;D
I like it :)
Can't see the images but the description sounds like the EH signal pad.
Sells for $45 if you can believe that.
ok..heres a clip...
try doing this with a pot... :icon_rolleyes:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7464107/BACKOFF.wav
guitar up full...on both.. 8)
cool. how about just building it right into your favorite dirt box with two footswitches... and a 3rd footswitch for a compressor after to even out the sounds, you know boost the cleans and level the dirties
yep, good idea... 8)
i just fancied a standalone quickie..for any dirt.
makes for a nice passive clean boost/cut too... 8)
induction...yep it is..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC3twvskKEw
Very good idea. Not fancy, but useful.
Kind of the same idea behind the Paul Gilbert Detox EQ. Main dif I believe is they use a buffer and feed the signal through an EQ so the reduced volume signal can be EQed differently.
Nice work Rob!
If you were fancy you could put 2 or more in the box and have presets :icon_mrgreen:
(with additional switches obviously)
Quote from: Groovenut on May 25, 2016, 12:25:39 PM
Kind of the same idea behind the Paul Gilbert Detox EQ. Main dif I believe is they use a buffer and feed the signal through an EQ so the reduced volume signal can be EQed differently.
Nice work Rob!
If you were fancy you could put 2 or more in the box and have presets :icon_mrgreen:
(with additional switches obviously)
I wonder if you could use an vactrol and PIC to save presets and keep the circuit tiny.
Quote from: suncrush on May 25, 2016, 01:18:09 PM
Quote from: Groovenut on May 25, 2016, 12:25:39 PM
Kind of the same idea behind the Paul Gilbert Detox EQ. Main dif I believe is they use a buffer and feed the signal through an EQ so the reduced volume signal can be EQed differently.
Nice work Rob!
If you were fancy you could put 2 or more in the box and have presets :icon_mrgreen:
(with additional switches obviously)
I wonder if you could use an vactrol and PIC to save presets and keep the circuit tiny.
Maybe, but now it's no longer passive and you've opened a whole new can of worms....
Quote from: deadastronaut on May 25, 2016, 08:10:51 AM
(of course this can be done with a vol pedal, but only if it has a a min/max control...)
Or some kind of reliable indicator. Maybe something like a string of LEDs that light up as the pedal rocks from full off to full on.
@rg...
oi!....none of that powered stuff... ;D
Good idea, but wouldn't it kill some highs? What about adding a treble bleed? And why 100K? Wouldn't 1Meg be better?
>Maybe something like a string of LEDs that light up as the pedal rocks from full off to full on.
That'll never catch on, but it would look at home in Rob's space shuttle cockpit.
(http://truetone.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Visual-Volume-Pedal-150-300x295.jpg)
Quote from: Asymmetric on May 25, 2016, 03:13:10 PM
Good idea, but wouldn't it kill some highs? What about adding a treble bleed? And why 100K? Wouldn't 1Meg be better?
Agreed. If there was no V pot in the guitar itself, this 100K would still be a bit low for most guitars. Since this will be in parallel with existing pots in most guitars, I'd want it to be bigger - preferably bigger than whatever is in the guitar...
...except then the series resistance is greater when turned down, which causes its own issues...
Well, if you don't mind adding some pots I wonder if Leo Fender's PTB control might achieve the effect, not only by attenuating level but also lifting some lows out. Schematic attrib. to Leo Fender from tonefiend and premie guitar,
(http://www.premierguitar.com/ext/resources/images/content/2014_07/FEAT/3-Must-Try-Pickup-Wirings/Diagram1a_WEB.jpg)
Built into a box, of course...
Aren't guitar players supposed to be louder than everyone else in the band? ;)
Kidding aside, this could be a useful tool for keeping your level down between soloing.
i put a 1M log on there....all cool.. 8)
i was thinking about an led.. and powering it in a 1590a...obviously a pp3 cant be used
so wondered if a 1.5v/3v CR2032 no toriod 'joule thief' type setup would be ok...
i have some pcb 'coin' battery holders coming (as i have to put one in an old synth)
seems like it might be ideal put behind the pot....... :icon_idea:
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=94317.msg813552#msg813552 (http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=94317.msg813552#msg813552)
You could also have two volume controls that are switched with a buffer before both.
^ interesting... 8)
so a cap across the vol pot then...what value?..
i did consider a buffer too....hmmm..
Haven't you done a treble bleed mod on any of your guitars?
nope....
:o ::) :o
That's where can result in an idea starting from a single humble pot..
be prepared for another 40 pages.. ;D
My preference for a treble bleed is a resistor of about half the total pot resistance in series with a 1n cap.
You could use a 1M trimmer for the series resistor and then twiddle for 40 pages if so desired.
ok....got cap/resistor sub boxes out...i'll try that...
see you on page 40.. ;D
Quote from: deadastronaut on May 26, 2016, 04:02:36 AM
i put a 1M log on there....all cool.. 8)
i was thinking about an led.. and powering it in a 1590a...obviously a pp3 cant be used
Why not?
(http://i1362.photobucket.com/albums/r688/russrutledge/Obsidian-T/DSCN2737_zpsfv2kxtsh.jpg)
because you have to nibble the lid... ;)
how many pages if he adds a battery?
well i thought i had this sorted.... :icon_rolleyes:
but i was surprised that a uber simple mere passive vol
pops on the 3pdt switch like a mutha....wtf. :icon_evil: :icon_evil: :icon_evil:
i tried it without the battery, and a pulldown resistor, to no avail...
but pop pop pop....
cant believe something this simple pops...$#$%$#$# . :( thoughts?
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7464107/POPBASTARD.jpg)
Late, feeling dumb but...I thought that it was sudden voltage change as a cap charges/ discharges which causes the pop. No cap here so a pulldown resistor won't work. What you're effectively doing with the switch is to connect signal to earth suddenly as opposed to a gradual dial in via a pot so is there DC elsewhere in the chain that had not been an issue when only using the guitar pot? Is this the only pedal between guitar and amp? Does it still pop when the pot is at full volume? Possible noisy switch? Feel like I'm telling you how to suck eggs here ;)
hi kev, i like poached eggs.. :)
i have this vol pedal going into a multi effects unit...then to mixer..
tried recording, which is ok clean...
but with dirt its very clicky....full on or down....hmmm...
there's a brief moment during switching when the input and output are not connected to anything... try a 1M tip to ground...
yep tried that on in and out.....no joy.
There is ground for the input jack?
yep....
Bloody good puzzle.
As long as there was a pull down + working DC blocking cap on whatever it's feeding, it shouldn't click/ pop/crackle - well, no more than your guitars pickup selector does - 'cause all switches bounce.
Colour me :icon_question:
If you consider that blocking cap in the next thing, with your circuit bypassed, then the in side of that cap charges to ground either via the guitar, or it's own pull down. When you bring in your extra pot, that also shows the input cap ground, in addition to the previous mentioned sources. Only in the brief changeover of the 3PDT will the next input be dependant on it's own pull down, and even if that's missing, it won't have time for the caps input side to drift far from ground - unless there is a DC fault because the in cap is leaky.
Check for some DC volts on across your out jack.
its a puzzle indeed :-\...for such a simple passive bugger...
no DC on in /out..at all...
tried it with just the spitfire after , same thing....test recording ...click click click....
only noticable with gain...hmmm.........
Unlikely I know, but could it be a bad 3PDT?
yeah ive considered that too.....hmmmm
i'll pop it out and change it...it has to be that.
i tried it in my lil roland cube too...same thing....very weird..
I'm curious to know what might happen if the pot were wired as a variable resistor rather than a voltage divider?
^as VR there is no vol off
i just breadboarded it exactly as diagram,
nightmare with 8 croc leads on a 3pdt..(even used a black 3pdt instead of blue..)
test recorded... still clicks ..with distortion..
cant believe this simple lil bugger is kicking my ass
shame as its great to play with...hmmmm...
i really want this passive, rather than 9v power/ buffer etc...
bummer..
It's pretty common over at GN2 where some dude comes through complaining that he has added a kill switch (because Tom Morelo) and the darn thing clicks every time he flips it, but only when he's pounding it into some pile of distortion (because Tom Morelo)...
I'm afraid there's just not anything you can do except teach yourself to flip the switch on the zero crossings. ;)
yeah i get ya...@#$% tom morello cherry @#$%er...i just want/need an instant clean up box :icon_mrgreen:
yep, tested, tested....tested...
click..click...click...
no joy, bummer...grrrrrrr..... :icon_evil:
Quote from: deadastronaut on June 24, 2016, 04:43:16 PM
yeah i get ya...@#$% tom morello cherry @#$%er...i just want/need an instant clean up box :icon_mrgreen:
yep, tested, tested....tested...
click..click...click...
no joy, bummer...grrrrrrr..... :icon_evil:
Yeah, I'm sorry, but you are causing an instantaneous change in level - a stair step - whenever you flip that switch unless it is actually (accidentally) happening right when the signal is at 0 crossing. And that's even if your switch wasn't physically bouncing. It almost has to click. The fact that you don't hear it when it's clean means that it's a really low level to begin with, and it's only the gain-and-smash of whatever is distorting it after that makes it audible.
The only chance of fixing that is if you can slow down the switching so that it acts as a ramp up or down rather than a stair step. You could do that by putting a cap across the switch, but if you slow it down enough not to click, you'll also be filtering out all of the high frequencies from your actual signal, and I think that would be worse. :)
If you really want the best chance to avoid clicking, you need to go active. Transistor switching similar to the flip-flop bypass schemes in commercial pedals can be tweaked to switch more slowly. Not sure if you want to go that far.
Rob
Have you tried putting a small value resistance in series with the input and output? Like before and after the switch so they are in circuit full time. My logic is that possible limiting the signal current will help the situation. My guess would be start with 100R and work up, see if it improves.
I think you are experiencing what a majority of all mechanical switches do when put upstream of high gain circuits. The high impedance of the circuit being fed allows the switching transient to couple to the input.
My 2 cents
Hmm... This is okay, but I prefer a 7-Band EQ to achieve this 'Backing Off' ;)
I have read that switch contacts can generate a small voltage when they hit each other, if true perhaps it is a piezo electric effect from an oxide layer on the contacts ?
cheers lawrence, i,ll give that a whirl later ....
if not i,ll HAVE to resort to active....boo hoo.... :-X
Tried it a different way. No popping unless I held the switch (must have been my electric personality) ;D
I only had a momentary footswitch so that may have a bearing on things but running into my spitfire, I ended up with a kind of variable clean/dirty/clean killswitch. Cool! May just box this one up :)
(http://www.stallibrass.com/images/kas/volswitch.png)
EDIT: Just added a treble bleed cap. Keeps this much clearer at lower volume. I used 1nf but adjust to taste Please ignore this bit. That's not where I put it. It shouldn't work but does - investigating
clean, dirty variable, kill.....yep exactly what im after...
it works really cool for instant gain gontrol.....soft , full....lovely to play...
adds nice dynamics....
i think your momentary might be negating the click though....
a pedal guy with no switches?....are you mad ha ha... ;D
Lightvol?
Bring it on! :)
OK, I've now tried it with a 3PDT switch and it's still pop free.
Have to leave it now - meant to be mowing the lawn while my wife does the shopping ;D
An untested idea
Wire the input to "top" of the volume control
"bottom" to ground
Connect a >=10meg resistor between the wiper and "top"
Connect the wiper to the output
Short the >=10meg for full volume
You always have a connection do not know if the 10meg step will be heard
Not ideal
Will mess with the taper and loading, however it should reduce the pop.
Maybe if you use the control where it does not have the wiper near ground it might work well enough.
Could use a resistor between the "bottom" and ground as a limit
Quote from: stallik on June 25, 2016, 05:28:52 AM
Tried it a different way. No popping unless I held the switch (must have been my electric personality) ;D
I only had a momentary footswitch so that may have a bearing on things but running into my spitfire, I ended up with a kind of variable clean/dirty/clean killswitch. Cool! May just box this one up :)
(http://www.stallibrass.com/images/kas/volswitch.png)
EDIT: Just added a treble bleed cap. Keeps this much clearer at lower volume. i used 1nf but adjust to taste
That's not a volume pot, it's a variable resistance to ground. It will work more or less like a tone control if connected directly to passive pickups, and probably some kind of HPF connected to the capacitive output of a pedal. Any broadband reduction will be the resistive part of the source over this pot. With relatively low-Z pedal outputs, you should have to turn it way down to get much attenuation.
If by treble bleed you mean that cap between the jacks, it ain't actually doing anything because its shorted by the blue wire.
If it works for you, though..
Yup, that's exactly what it is, hence my comment about a different way. You're right about the pot, I've got a 2M2 (linear is all I had) and I do have to turn it down, + everything happens in a small part of the sweep. Nevertheless, once set, it works without popping. It doesn't work as a tone control as there's no cap but a tone control is where I got the idea.
Regarding the bleed cap. Again, thinking about it,I agree. It should do nothing yet it does in my setup. Got to figure that one out. Will put a switch on it as it may just be a placebo effect
this just gets more passively-puzzling....
Quote from: stallik on June 25, 2016, 01:04:43 PM
Yup, that's exactly what it is, hence my comment about a different way. You're right about the pot, I've got a 2M2 (linear is all I had) and I do have to turn it down, + everything happens in a small part of the sweep. Nevertheless, once set, it works without popping.
I gues what I was trying to say is that what this does is completely dependent on what's driving it. The source whatever is the top half of this divider. Putting it after different things will make it behave completely differently.
QuoteIt doesn't work as a tone control as there's no cap
Most of the action of the T pot in a passive guitar comes from the inductance of the pickup. It doesn't need a cap to kill treble. In fact, the cap is kind of there to stop the cutoff frequency from getting too as the resistance gets smaller. This is exactly why input impedance matters - it's the R-to-ground in an LR low-pass.
So put a pedal between the guitar and this box (thought you were doing that) and instead of a series L we have a series C, and this is the R in an RC high-pass.
Quote from: deadastronaut on June 25, 2016, 01:27:37 PM
this just gets more passively-puzzling....
Passive Aggression. The worst kind to have to deal with. Maybe that's a name for the box?
Got a wild idea, that may not fix it, but might be a clue - ground your pot via a cap instead of wire, big enough to all pass - maybe 100nF.
I get what's being said about step change in impedance, but a JFET bypass is a great big step change, doesn't click if done right.
(http://www.premierguitar.com/education/images/pic_200706_techviews_1.gif)
Because the bias via 1M in and out sides means there is negligible change in voltage when switching. That said, even 1mV before high gain could be an audible click.
Seems Ashkat was right (thanks)- my circuit was loosing treble. so...
Replicated deadastro's circuit without the LED. No Popping with distortion- at least I think there isn't. As I now have the full treble content, there is a slight raise in background noise which, combined with the click of the switch, could sound like a bit like a pop. However, if it was a real pop, I would have thought that it would have repeated if I used a delay pedal after it. It doesn't and I can't hear it at all while playing at a volume level high enough to drown out the switch click.
I'm using it straight after the guitar (strat with JB junior & a tele) into Spitfire with the wick turned up, PT80 delay then chasm reverb. Tried it with 2 different valve amps and both at the same time. Will try to rig something up with the recording out of the amp. May be enough to prove it one way or the other
I had a play with the original DA idea on BB. It do click - but only when there's signal or hum present. Doesn't have to be much if there's a lot of gain after it. If it's absolutely silent, everything is ground and stays that way no matter what the switching does.
Can't help thinking, if it must be passive, then a volume pedal with an extra minimum volume control is the answer - rock between drive and backed-off.
I've recorded from the direct out of my amp and the switching is pop free.
i just found the EHX SIGNAL PAD schemo...
it has a 220p to ground before going to the 1MA pot...
the led has a 9v>>> 100uf to ground, 3.3k. >>>led...
Well, caught in the act. Didn't have a foot switch handy, so tested with a snap action push button. There is just the scope, and a 1 M resistor across the contacts:
(http://i.imgur.com/P9EvNHI.jpg?1)
(http://i.imgur.com/eutsfq8.jpg?1)
next I tried a microswitch:
(http://i.imgur.com/HQ3hzAa.jpg?1)
(http://i.imgur.com/C6ioceX.jpg?1)
..and yes, these pop when connected to an amp..
tried a momentary rocker (no 1M in this case, but switched the scope and probe over to x 1, so that's 1 M anyway:
Some observations during testing:
1- Switches which don't 'snap' don't seem to exhibit this behavior.
2- These spikes also occur on switch contacts that are not actually being switched, so it is not the make and break of the connection.
3- Noise is also generated if the body of the switch is hit with a screwdriver.
I'm going to stick my neck out and suggest that some (most ?) switch bodies have a dose of piezo electric effect in their plastic. I certainly have plenty of coax that is microphonic due to the type of insulation used, so why not switch bodies ?
interesting, cool tests....
can you try a 220p to ground at input, as the ehx signal pad does..?
don't forget the spring holding something somewhere internal, metal on metal. if that jiggers w/ motion, it could rub disimmilarr metals together, like. maybe.
Rixen - what is the range on your scope / how big are those spikes?
@DA - 220pF across the contacts with 1 M (scope input) load kills the spikes.
@samhay - the range is 200mV per division. Duration is short, scope is set to 100us per division
Wow - thanks.
What happens if you AC couple the switch? - I don't think it would take much leakage current to give you a spike like that across 1M.
cheers rixen.
what about a 220pf not across the lugs, but..at the in to ground...
in>>>>>>220p>>>>>>>>pot lug 3......
/
/
sorry for the crappy ACSII.... :)
@samhay - yep, tried that with a polyester cap, same result
@DA- because a scope is used, one of the switch lugs by default is ground.. I'll have a think about how to make it more like a typical guitar set up.
BTW, connecting switch lugs to an audio amp - I could hear screwdriver handle taps on the switch case through the speaker...
bit of further research (http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20020044745.pdf (http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20020044745.pdf)) shows (some ?) polyamides (ie nylon) are piezoelectric.
..I guess guitar pickup selectors don't show this because they don't snap..
I was never able to completely clean up my TS808 clone, eliminating DC to the best of my ability.. guess I have an answer now. I see if I can fix it when I get it back from the guy I loaned it to... ::)
OK - cool. Thanks for checking.
Because of the changing over of the contacts, the popping doesn't surprise me. The reason a volume pedal works is that there is always that resistive path to ground that doesn't get interrupted. Instead of switching the pot in/out with the true bypass, what if you always had a high resistance voltage divider (much like a pot always on) and you then switch in the pot as a variable resistor on the ground leg, thus instantaneously changing the resistance to ground, but not the entire signal path. The small series resistance in the signal path might help keep pops from happening and it always has a signal path that doesn't get temporarily lifted while the contacts switch. No idea if it would work, but seems like it would agree with a volume pedal concept more completely...
i'm surprised no-one's mentioned using an optocoupler yet, with an RC on the LED line for delayed turn-on. i'm late to the party so it's probably an unhelpful suggestion, but it's there! take it or leave it! lol
Edit:
Quote from: MrStab on June 28, 2016, 06:38:26 PM
delayed
that's probably why no-one suggested it.
Also, he's trying to do make it work passive.
Quote from: Jdansti on June 28, 2016, 10:03:05 PM
Also, he's trying to do make it work passive.
ah, just saw the schem with a FET and assumed the wrong thing
still on it... :icon_rolleyes:
tried the 220p to ground (as per signal pad, apparently, ) nope...still clicky...
i will try 100r's on in/out....
but i think i'm on a hiding to nothing with this....hmmm....
mutha @#$%ing switch.. :icon_evil:
tried 100r's in/out ...
nope...
god knows how EHX signal pad gets around this....'IF' it actually does..
anyone got one?...
Stupid question Rob, is it boxed up?
yup...thats whats annoying...
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7464107/vol6.jpg)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7464107/vol2.jpg)
i found this on the EHX forum....wtf????...its passive :icon_eek:
''I bought the Signal Pad specifically to hit a sweet spot on a fuzz that I can get by using the guitar's volume control. I figured a pedal-based "set and forget" volume control should be able to do this job.
And it almost does - unfortunately as some previous posters noted, the signal pad seems to reduce treble at the same time as it reduces the volume. So while I can get the right amount of fuzz, I also get a muddier tone, which isn't ideal for what I'm trying to accomplish.
There are 2 more things I noticed about the Signal Pad:
1 - When engaged, I also got additional noise in the chain - which really shouldn't happen considering I'm reducing my total output.
2 - I opened up the pedal and expected to find a pot, a switch, an LED, and a battery - but there are some caps and transistors in there as well. I'm wondering if they've over complicated what should be a simple circuit and lost something in the process...
On the upside - as other have noted, the true-bypass works fine and the pedal is transparent when it's off, and it sure is built solid enough.
another post....
''The other thing that irritated me about the signal pad was a loud POP when you turned it on or off. I got mine new and didnt abuse it, and it popped loudly when using it.''
bummer...
so a passive vol footswitch is a no go then......grrrrrr... :icon_evil:
looks like i'll have to go buffer/9v then...ffs..grrrrrrrrrrrr :icon_evil:
back to the drawing breadboard then... :icon_rolleyes:
and another.....
It sucks tone very much when engaged, transparent when off. The weird thing is that you'll find a complex circuit inside, not a simple pot, but it makes me scratch my head.....''
hmmmm...
AMZ has some low voltage stuff here
http://www.muzique.com/lab/lowvolt.htm
I wish I could offer more help with the passive idea but my knowledge is still limited.
^ ooh that looks interesting... 8)
Still can't understand why mine doesn't pop. Perhaps it's the spaghetti wiring and Goliath welding
yeah strange....ive tried 2 switches...
its not as loud as the usual ungrounded input 3pdt 'pop'
but i'm just being a fussy bugger...just noticable with dirt/delay...hmmm
If you don't mind this not being true bypass you could try this:
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/11996927/passive_volume_control.png)
cheers sam....
i did wonder about switching from the wiper instead.....
ive soldered 1M's across both jacks...seems to be a little better
more usable anyway...
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7464107/bloodyswitchlol.wav
I don't have the energy to solder up a switch right now so I can't try it out. I like Sam Hay's idea, it keeps a constant ground, right? Maybe that's the answer. Here's my variable r idea, might be the worst yet, I dunno.
(http://a67.tinypic.com/o6fj7p.jpg)
cheers guys, i'll give these both a go....
8)
I built up one of these with a Dpdt and no click but I don't have the led is that the source of the click? I'll post a pic of how I wired if it helps
My no click is also without the led but I'm sure DA tried it without
Right I lost track of what clicked and what didn't
same here..... ;D
i bet if i wanted a click pedal it wouldn,t :icon_biggrin:
Something I posted earlier in this thread
Quote from: Gus on June 25, 2016, 09:36:12 AM
An untested idea
Wire the input to "top" of the volume control
"bottom" to ground
Connect a >=10meg resistor between the wiper and "top"
Connect the wiper to the output
Short the >=10meg for full volume
You always have a connection do not know if the 10meg step will be heard
Not ideal
Will mess with the taper and loading, however it should reduce the pop.
Maybe if you use the control where it does not have the wiper near ground it might work well enough.
Could use a resistor between the "bottom" and ground as a limit
Interesting. Added an LED. Much noise and really big pop. BUT. the led was not connected to either signal or earth. Just battery +, 120k (3rd pole of switch) and battery -
So, I disconnected the battery and led. Still popping. Went downstairs and turned off the fluorescent tube located under the ceiling directly below my pedals. No popping.
I'd already noticed that my box was noisy without the bottom plate but hey!
Also noticed that some of my other pedals had started popping even with the flourescent off - valvetone, compressor and noise gate but not the spitfire, chasm or PT-80. They are normally all quiet but now?
So, question. Is popping contagious? :o
AH! Ground had come loose on one of my patch leads. All quiet now with LED and my other pedals are behaving as well.
I've wired the LED to come on when the pedal is on. Seems a bit weird - I'm used to a pedal adding something but this one takes it away. Maybe I'll wire it the other way round :-\
I know it doesn't help with the click but I finished a no click no led one today works and does the job perfect simple things :)
https://flic.kr/p/HMCvje
neato... 8) good little tool eh... 8)
yay its sunday....i,ll get time to sort this booger....
Yes, great little tool. Simple but adjustable both in volume and tone. By adding a treble bleed cap, you can really change the whole effect. I'm switching 1nf/none/4.7nf at the moment. Before a spitfire, I end up with the following(my guitar has a 1nf treble bleed)
Guitar full volume
1nf - same as the guitar volume roll off, gets cleaner at lower volumes
None- treble lowers as volume reduces
4.7nf - treble & higher mids by pass the pot. Sound is lower volume than bypass but still distorted.
Going to add a momentary stutter button via a pot to ground
I remember when J. Everman proposed a passive attenuator box like this a decade or so back, and he got razzed for it. People dissed him because it was "just" a pot in a box, but from Everman's perspective, he was just responding to customer requests. I gather those requests were what prompted the EHX Signal Pad as well. Sometimes you don't want to fiddle around with a volume pedal; you want to just be able to hit a switch and go to a known level.
Craig Anderton once had a project in Guitar Player that was a similar sort of passive thing. Only in his case it was simply a rotary switch with a bunch of fixed resistors that went between hot and ground to produce different loadings of the guitar, such that one could have the benefits of both 1meg volume pots on the guitar AND lower value pots.
I built one of his LCR "passive tone control" projects into a pedal, along with a Stratoblaster. The tone control is essentially a midscoop with selectable scoop-point. Since it is a passive circuit that loses a fair amount of signal level, I added the Stratoblaster as a front end to be able to compensate. Bypassing the caps and leaving the inductor in yields a bass cut tool, while bypassing the inductor and using the caps provides variable treble-cut; all useful tone-shaping tools, and a nicething to have available at the touch of a toe.
mark, yep thats it exactly, going to a "known" level...every time.
and no fumbling with a guitar vol....
kev, are you going with a toggle for the bleeds?...
Yes, on/off/on toggle to short 1nf or 4.7nf ceramic (wired in the switch) between lugs 1 & 2 of the pot. I'm using a 220k log pot as that was all I had.
This is what I've ended up with at the moment. I'm sure it will change again. I've omitted the parallel resistor for the treble bleed caps which has likely messed with the pot taper but I'm happy with the result. The stutter looses some treble but you'd never know. I've also avoided switching the LED power via the footswitch
(http://www.stallibrass.com/images/kas/volswitch2.png)
hi guys, been busy of late but i revisited this...the hi/lo gain/vol saga continues.. ::)
ive knocked up a buffer on a true bypass breadboard..which works fine
as a test, and no pop or click AFTER a distortion...nice and quiet..
but still pops BEFORE it....(which is what i need/want) :icon_evil:
now considering the (seemingly unavoidable) mechanical click that's causing the issue
i'm thinking about Fet switching for this..e.g buffered bypass instead.
do you think its worth a try...e.g, my chasm reverb is totally silent when switched..
or will the going into a high gain still be a problem?
if you remember i just wanted a guitar volume on the floor to have 'preset' passive gain control..
it works, but clicks like a mutha....so thought i'd go down the buffer/vol route instead..
cheers guys.
FET switching can be de-clicked much more easily than a physical switch because you can lowpass the control signal so that it doesn't change states fast enough to hear. It will basically fade in and out, but it can usually do that fast enough to not really be audible as a fade while still being slow enough to not sound like a click.
there's an interesting discussion here on a muting circuit for relay true bypass applications. Probably not quite where you are coming from, but I'm sure it'll help someone..
http://stompville.co.uk/?p=423 (http://stompville.co.uk/?p=423)