I would like to get more grit from my RL/TSF build. So far have -
1) Changed the imput resistor from 100k to 10k per Matt Harmon's suggestion to increase saturation. I like the end result but with the gain all the way down, the build seems to lose its ability to be a "almost clean" booster. The lower gain settings seem to become a little muddy.
2) I tried using the Lead/Rhythm setup as in the original TSF switching between a 100k and 1M resistor. Again I like the end results but I lose the ability to control the gain with the 1M switched in.
Hvae I overlooked anything obvious in the simple approach to increasing the drive? I know there's lots of room to move with the 4049, I was hoping for a quick and easy fix. Thanks.
Supply voltage drop or preboost ot that, I haven't looked at the schematic :icon_wink: lately.
there are a ton of threads about that circuit here. i remember reading one account of adding an LED and a diode across the outside of the volume knob to increase dirt. this may be worth trying!
the lead switch does exactly what you say, it simply maxes the gain. it is entirely uneccessaary in my view. when i built this as my first stompbox a hundred years ago with the original PAIA boards (do they still make those) i left it off. i thought that pedal was the bomb, until i discovered how to mod a dod 250. i still have the complete TSF around here somewhere, and am wondering if converting it to red llama would be worth it...i'll let you figure that one out for me...
Anderton recently said on a forum that the original design was intended to be preceded by a buffer. I appreciate that the Llama is a tweaked version, and so compensates for the missing buffer by increasing gain and decreasing headroom, but the inclusion on said buffer would probably introduce a little more sparkle and wring a little more gain out of these circuits.
As Pete said, dropping the voltage (within reason) will reduce headroom and get you a little more distortion. It's already been done with this design by the inclusion of the resistor between V+ and the Vdd pin of the 4049, but perhaps experimenting with slightly larger values might yield results.
There is a simple little trick you could probably do, but I'd need to see the schematic. Link?
I saw a simple voltage adjust trick years ago, and I tried it and it worked. One 4049 chip was powered from a center lug of a 10k lin pot, dividing 9 volt battery voltage. Perhaps there was a 10 uF parallel from divider to ground.