ways to decrease Output Volume in a RAT

[richon]

i found my RAT has way to much OUTPUT VOLUME , although the volume pot is a normal 100K-Audio.

is it a good idea to use a 10K paralel from pin 1 to pin 3 on the volume pot to have a more controlable volume pot?

it just increase volumen to fast and too much

[Guitar_Ninja]

I replaced my volume pot entirely with a 10K audio pot. Works great.

[Processaurus]

Though doing either of those things will do something (parallel pot will change the volume pot's taper, subbing a 10K pot will lower output impedance), neither will decrease the max output of your rat.  To cut the max volume, you can put a resistor in series with the top of the volume pot (inline between the output cap and wire to the pot (lug #3)).  Say you put in a 100K resistor, this will make the max volume 1/2.  Since your 100K volume pot is a voltage divider, adding this 100K resistor simulates a 200K volume pot on the Rat's output that you can only turn up halfway.

100K might not be the ideal resistance, but that's the idea.  If you had a 500K trimpot you could make a variable resistor out of it and dial in the perfect max volume easily, or just try a couple resistors...

[richon]

thanks, but i'm trying to mod the RAT to have a more controlable Minimun volumen (i don't care about the max volume it can produce, just a more controlable way to set the volume to a GAIN/VOLUME/LEVEL the same with the pedal OFF and ON)

[Mark Hammer]

Just trying to find out if the problem is really something wrong with the pot, for example the taper.

So, how easy is it for you to get an equal volume for distortion and bypass?  And where is the volume pot set when you achieve equal volume?

[richon]

the 100K-Log pot works the same as others i've tested..... ALPHA POTS.

it seems that the pot at (at 7 o'clock is no volume) at 8 is the same volume as without the pedal ON.

I wish i could mod something to have the GAIN equal at 10 o 11 o'clock.  (any idea to have a more low curve than LOG)

[MikeH]

I wish i could mod something to have the GAIN equal at 10 o 11 o'clock. 

Well in that case just take off the knob, set the gain equal, and put the knob back on at 10 or 11 o'clock.  Hee hee, sorry, I'm be a wiseass today. 

It sounds as though you may have an incorrect taper on your pot, perhaps installed by accident, or mislabeled at the factory (is that possible).  To check this set the pot roughly in the center and measure the resistance of the 2 outer legs, if it's about 50k, you've got a linear taper in there.

Adding a resistor on the "top" of the pot as processasaurus suggested will help you out; by decreasing the overall output it will push the taper of the pot down across the lower half of the output.  So he taper that originally spanned the entire speen of the output volume is now shifted across the lower portion, ideally giving better control.

[grolschie]

i found my RAT has way to much OUTPUT VOLUME , although the volume pot is a normal 100K-Audio.

That's interesting. My Rat2 has to be at 2-3 o'clock for unity output. What kind of clipping is it using? 

[richon]

2n7000+GE diode // 2N7000

it has less output than LEDs or "no clippers"