[boutique bender] Input cap mod

[warioblast]

Hi,
I'm facing some trouble with modding the input cap. I have a boutique bender on the breadboard, with a few tweaks; I replaced the 500k trimmer  with a pot, and added 2 electro caps from Q2 emitter to ground (like the tone burner's tightness mod). Everything's fine and it sounds way nicer than others fuzzes I have breadboarded.
By modding the input cap 0.1 uF with lower values, I can get really nice ODs. So I decided to add a toggle switch...
While it's fully operational with a SPDT on-on switch, I can't get it to work with a SPDT on-off-on; that same toggle switch I used for the tightness mod    I don't get it.
Any suggestions ?

[chunks717]

test your switch for continuity.........(or use ohm meter)
on/off/on is the same thing as on/on, except it has a no connection position.
if on/on works, and other does not, (wired the same way) then your
solder/wiring/switch or SOME thing must be defective....

[Peter Snowberg]

If you use an on-off-on toggle, you can have three choices available. Lets call the input cap terminals A and B. Remove the cap and replace it with a smaller value for your treble booster setting. Connect point A to the center lug of one of the poles on the switch. Connect a 0.1uF from one pole to B and a larger cap from the other pole to B.

[warioblast]

If you use an on-off-on toggle, you can have three choices available. Lets call the input cap terminals A and B. Remove the cap and replace it with a smaller value for your treble booster setting. Connect point A to the center lug of one of the poles on the switch. Connect a 0.1uF from one pole to B and a larger cap from the other pole to B.

That's exactly what I did & I'm 100% sure that the toggle is not faulty because it works with the tightness mod.
That's why I don't understand why it doesn't work 
I'm going to bed it's 3.47 AM in France  I'll try again this afternoon.

[WGTP]

Not sure if this helps, but Joe Gagan uses an input blend pot that pans between a small and large cap.  That would get you out of using the switch and provide more variability.   Also the input impedance pot works well for de-woofing these type circuits.  Here is an example. 

http://www.ampage.org/sounds/files/newdinofuzzschem2.gif

[warioblast]

If you use an on-off-on toggle, you can have three choices available. Lets call the input cap terminals A and B. Remove the cap and replace it with a smaller value for your treble booster setting. Connect point A to the center lug of one of the poles on the switch. Connect a 0.1uF from one pole to B and a larger cap from the other pole to B.

  Obviously that was not what I did. (I should have kept my mouth closed  ).
I've just try your wiring Peter and it works like a charm  many thanks to you. Now I need to make a vero layout and drill some holes  .

[warioblast]

Oh man !! I've been tweaking the input cap for the last hour. I went through 8 caps from 470pf to 1 uFand each one sounded different 
I think I will go with a rotary switch, I have one 1 pole 12 positions (actually 11  ) that I intentionally buy for my wah.
Sounds go through treble booster, ods, and fuzz. On a treble booster setting (470pf, 1nF) it may be sounds better than my home made rangemaster. 
ODs are a reminescence  of a cleaned up fuzz face.
If I had more gain I could start a Led Zep tribute band and rely on only one pedal. no shit ! 

[Peter Snowberg]

Great!

I think cap switching is the most underused method of shaping the response of a circuit. Rotary switches are wonderful things.   

[warioblast]

I'm nearly done, just need to work on the decoration. I might move the LED...


I have to clean up the inside; it's a bit messy but it works fine. At first my build was cleaner, but I made mistakes, and I had to take out the guts a few times, so it didn't help...
On top, controls are volume, bias (in fact I replaced the 500k trimmer with a pot), toggle for tightness, dirt & tone.
Left bottom knob is the rotary switch for the input cap mod. I ended putting  10 caps from 470 pF to 1 uF. I have a slight click when I switch between caps but only when I'm not playing so that's cool.