Question Regarding Millennium Bypass Resistor - RG...?

[studiostud]

Hello,

I just had a couple quick questions about the MB.  In the image on the GEO site that illustrates the offboard wiring, it shows a 100k resistor connecting the output jack to ground.  What is the purpose of this resistor?  Is it necessary?

I'm also wondering how it would be wired in a project I'm working on.  I have a distortion/overdrive pedal with 3 gain stages. (distortion, overdrive, and clean boost)  Each gain stage is a separate circuit with a separate DPDT stomp switch and MB for LED, but the switches are wired in series so there is only one input and output jack.  So how would I wire the 100k resistors?  Would I connect a resistor from the 2nd and 3rd switch's IN JACK lugs to GND and then the 3rd one on the actual OUT JACK to GND.... or do I only need one resistor on the OUT JACK?

Any advice would be much appreciated.  Thanks!


-- Jeff

[R.G.]

The Millenium Bypass is a very sensitive detector of resistance to ground as opposed to open circuit to ground.

The light turns on when the control line is attached to ground by a resistance somewhere between perhaps 10M and a few inches of air - that is, almost completely an open circuit. The light turns off when the control line is connected to ground by a resistance less than 1M. It's dead certain to detect the difference between 1M to ground and an open circuit. That's all it does.

It's used with a true bypass switching scheme that allows the output of an effect to be disconnected from the output jack when bypassed, and also to be connected to the control line when the switch bypasses the effect. So the light comes on when the effect output is used, and goes out when the output is switched to the MB control line. It can therefore indicate the switch state (bypassed or not) while at the same time not interfering with the true bypass connection.

The MB does not connect to the output jack. It connects to the effect output, which is pulled to ground with a 1M or smaller pulldown resistor. You have three effects, three effects outputs, and three DPDT switches. The MB will work fine for that setup as long as each effect input and output (1) has a capacitor to block the effect's internal DC from getting in or out and (2) a 1M or smaller pulldown resistor, which you'd need to keep switch popping from happening anyway.

The jacks don't enter into it.

[studiostud]

Ok.  That actually makes sense.  Usually your postings are full of info that often flies over me.     You mentioned a DC blocking capacitor though and I never saw one shown on your layout.  Where would I connect those?  Or are we talking about the DC blocking caps that I already have in my circuits?

[R.G.]

... are we talking about the DC blocking caps that I already have in my circuits?

Yep, those are the ones. They keep the internal DC both from being disturbed by the outside and from disturbing the outside world beyond the effect circuit. The pulldown resistors outside the input and output caps keep the caps from causing clicks and pops when you true-bypass-switch. The output pulldown resistor by a happy accident it in the exact right place to pull down the Millenium Bypass control for making it turn the LED on and off.

[studiostud]

Sweet.  ok so here's one more question... say I have everything wired up.  The circuits work fine, but the LED doesn't turn on.  Other than solder bridges, what should I be looking for in my troubleshooting? What voltages should I be getting across the diodes and trannys?

[R.G.]

Does your Millenium Bypass ciruit work all by itself when powered by 9Vdc and touching the control line with a 1M resistor to ground?

It probably won't work in the circuit until it works all by itself.

If it works by itself and not in the circuit, the circuit's connected to it wrong.