2nd build : Tremolo : tremulus lune

[DocBrown]

Hello !

My first build, fuzz face clone,  is finished and sounds great, thanks to your support.

I'm looking towards my second build : a tremolo. I've read a lot of good things aboute the tremulus lune.

Do you know where I could find a pcb for making this pedal ?

Thanks a lot !

[glops]

I happened to be looking at this person's store and look what they have:

https://www.carchariaseffects.com/store

[vigilante397]

Tonepad stocks them as well. http://tonepad.com/project.asp?id=42

[DocBrown]

Thanks ! I hope this is not too hard for a second build.

[vigilante397]

I think it's a pretty good one, especially if you're buying a PCB. It's a very useful pedal, one of my favorite tremolos, but fairly low parts count and honestly hard to mess up

Good luck!

[DocBrown]

Well I must say that I've read a lot of good Things about it and the videos I watched sounds good !

But I didn't know it was "hard to mess up". Good new ! I'll do my best and keep you updated.

Thanks again!

[DocBrown]

Ok I'm looking for parts so start the building. I went for the carcharias pcb. There is a documentation available and a partlist. The op amp in the list are TL4558 and TL072. On the commonsound site is only specified 4558 and 072.

My usual supplyer only got TS4558 and TL072CP or TL072IP availables. Are those chips could do the trick ?

Thanks !

[Kipper4]

I'm sure they'll be fine.
Often the prefix
TS xxxx
LM xxxx
TL xxxx
is just more to do with the makers than the difference in chips.

[antonis]

Some people find TL072CP "noisier"(*) than TL072IP (and of course, TS4558 noisier than both of them..) but for quite different kind of applications..
(so they proceed to OPA2134 or similar..)

IMHO, for your concept, any general purpose dual op-amp (even LM1458) should be fine..

P.S.
(*) Stephen, another term for DIY_vocabulary..

[DocBrown]

Quick and pricise, as always. Thanks guys!

[duck_arse]

P.S.
(*) Stephen, another term for DIY_vocabulary..

what? I'm still getting over smoothens, antonis, was even going to .sig it.

Doc Brown - you want to keep an eye on the part number suffixes as well, because manufacturors often use them to indicate the components package. you/we want/use mainly through hole parts, so Dual In Line IC packages. [check your datasheets, as antonis always intones.] otherwise, you might end-up with SOIC or gullwings, for surface mounts.

[DocBrown]

Good to know, thanks !

[strungout]

I love my Tremulus Lune, it's a great tremolo!

I rolled my own vactrol for my first build of it. But I sold it to pay for more parts 

So, recently I built a second one. This time I used the MI1210CLF-R (from Small Bear). It's  "10 to 20K On, 10 Meg Off. Fast On/Medium-Fast Off, Similar to VTL5C3" and it works great. I don't know if this was overkill, but, heh, it's great so...: http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/photocouplers-macron-mi1210clx-series/
I figured the fastest reacting one would give me a stronger choppy setting. It gets choppy alright. "Get into the choppah!"

There's also a 'Ramp Up/Down', or 'symmetry' mod, either with a switch or a pot. It's a great addition!

Switch: https://fuzzcentral.ssguitar.com/tremulus.php
Pot: https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=65107.0

Have fun!

[DocBrown]

I'll probably also go for photocoupler (VTL5C3 or VTL5C2). I've read so many infos about LDR + LED that I don't know what to choose : color of the led, size of the led, high brightness or not, specs of LDR etc... Photocoupler is expensive, but seems to be a sure way to go.

I know that this pedal is tweakable to infinite. I'll try to get it in working condition first 

Thanks !

[strungout]

Rolling your own vactrol depends on what you want the effect to sound like: strong or subtle. That's where breadboarding and experimentation comes in!

For the LED (usually 5mm) the less light it emits, the more subtle the effect. I wanted it strong. A green 5mm LED will be more subtle than a clear white, for example. In my first build, I used a clear white 5mm LED (15000 mcd). Very bright. Leaves a spot in your eyes if you look straight at it. All LED, diffuse or bright, will work, to varying degrees of intensity.

For the LDR, a lower resistance when illuminated means more signal gets through. A high Dark resistance means less signal gets through. You have to find the range of Light/Dark that you like, that feels right to you. Just don't go too high with the LDR Light resistance, otherwise your signal is attenuated from the onset. Ideally, the Light resistance would be zero, so the signal wouldn't be attenuated at all, but this isn't the kind of world we live in

Just a little info for you, if/when you decide to experiment. That's where most of the fun is in building pedals. And sometimes you try something, just for the sake of it, and you get interesting results. You don't have to use the exact transistors or diodes called for, on the schematic, in an overdrive, for example. Others will work (just have to find out which) and behave differently, giving you a different 'feel' or 'texture' in the sound of the overdrive. Trust your ears, more than anything else.

[Kipper4]

I don't blame you Doc.
Building from kits is a great way to start.
By the time of my first lune build I was breadboarding and hacking stuff so roll your own (RYO) vactrols was easy with a sample selection of RYO at the side of the bread board.
Actually it was a Shoot the Moon tremolo.
Very versatile tremolos.
Good luck with your 2nd build.

[DocBrown]

Thanks for all those infos. I'll consider them will I'll order the parts.

I agree that experimenting is fun. But for instance I'm not confident enough for that   . But when the Tremolo will work I'll probably treak it a bit.

I've experimented a little on my first build (Fuzz face) and it was fun!

[jmasciswannabe]

Aion also has a 125b pcb with mounted pots for this project and a couple mods. Just ordered a couple last week.