Univibe

[lightningfingers]

how experienced must one be to attempt building a Univibe? :?  :?

[Travis]

Read the two links below.  You should know after you finish whether or not you're ready.  There are plenty of places to make mistakes.  I usually read the archives for trouble-shooting on effects that might prove difficult; getting a handle on that sort of thing before you start can be very useful.


http://geofex.com/Article_Folders/univibe/uvfrindx.htm and http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/v2/diagrams/neovibe.pdf

[Benny]

Have you considered building an Easyvibe instead?

http://www.hollis.co.uk/john/circuits.html

It sounds great, and it's much less complicated than a Univibe or Neovibe.  There are several PCB layouts available, and it's not too hard to build on perf if you're careful.

[lightningfingers]

thanks!!

im gonna build an easyvibe and see hoo that goes
then possibly attempt the univibe

[Chico]

I have not built the easyvibe, but I just completed a vibe circuit.  It wasn't too terribly hard, it just took a lot of patience and time (and an occassional wrinkle).   Two essential resourses are JC Maillet's web page and of course, RG Keens site.

It may be easier to build a stock univibe per RGs neovibe as RG has already done a layout that is pretty well tested and documented on this site.

RGs The Technology of the Univibe, available at his site is a must read if you want to build one of these.

I designed my own layout that incorporates some minor tweaks to the design, and actually just stuffed my vibe last night.  I can say this about it, the work pays off in dividends.  Thanks particularly to JC and RG, this is by far, my coolest build to date.

[Mark Hammer]

There are a few components to the role that "experience" plays here.

One is how skilled you are in dealing with wall current.  The bulb in a "normal" Univibe requires the sorts of current that a battery will not deliver so you have to work with a wall-wart.  If you aren't ready to go beyond batteries yet, then the smart thing to do is avoid it.

A second is component selection.  There are a lot of parts here that are maybe not so easy for you to get so some substitution may be required, which is a whole other set of skills and questions.

A third is board complexity.  If you are new to PCB-making, then your first few etches may be a little problematic.  Some very commonly-occurring problems in etching can often result in poor solder joints, and on a board of this complexity you don't need the headaches of trying to troubleshoot where in the world the fatal flaw could possibly be, especially with live current from the wall.

Perfboarding the circuit is not recommended.  There is just too much to keep track of.

Finally, the board is big enough that you'll need to track down a suitable case.

I've said it before and will say it again, the Ross Phaser (available as the "Ropez" over a Tonepad) makes a very nice Univibe when you change the cap values and eliminate the feedback control and associated components.  Cheap, clean, small footprint, dependable design, and nice layout

OR, if you live in the US you can just but a new Arion Phaser from Musician's Friend for $15, change the caps, and have a gentle inexpensive entry into pedal-modding with instant results.

[jrc4558]

EZ Vibe is really easy. I perfed it and after some minor changes I was "...riding over the bridge of sighs..."
If you decide to go EZ vibe - make shure (IT IS VERY IMPORTANT) that you use same kind of LEDs for your bias voltage source and for your DIY optoisolators! Other than that it is a very simple build.