Millenium Bypass

[tatems]

I'm building the millenium bypass1 - Original version from Geofex

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/Millenium/millen.htm

I have one question. When supplying the +9v do i still need to supply it to the circuit? Or do i supply it to both?

[zachary vex]

you'll be needing to supply the power to the circuit as well as the millenium bypass, which incidentally works magnificently if you carefully follow RG's instructions.

[tatems]

Thanks allot, I thought that was the case.

[TheBigMan]

Check out my folder in  the layouts gallery, there's veroboard layouts for the MB1 and 2 as well as a switch wiring diagram.

[tatems]

I've hooked it all up with the switch and the circuit and it works but the led light stays on the whole time. Shouldn't it only stay on when the circuit is on?
Can anyone help?

[Doug_H]

The circuit you use with it must have a DC path to ground on the output for the mil. to work. On a lot of the pedal circuits, the output volume control serves this purpose. Some however,  may have a coupling cap to the output with no resitance from output to ground. In that case you can fix it with a 1M resistor across the output.

Doug

[tatems]

hmmm still not working. what do you mean by the dc to ground? I've grounded the milenium circuit. Any Ideas?

[R.G.]

Do this:

Disconnect the millenium from your circuit. You should have the millenium with three wires: +V, ground, and the control line. Apply voltage to the power lines. The LED should come on. Touch the control line to ground. The LED should turn off. Now use a 1M resistor in series with the control line. You should get the same result; not grounded, LED on. Grounded, LED off.

The Millenium is a very, very sensitive detector of connections to ground. If it is truly an open circuit, the LED lights. If a resistance of something less than a few megohms connects it to ground, the LED goes off.

If your Millenium does not work this way, the circuit is incorrect, and you will only confuse yourself connecting it to an effect. Get it working by itself first.

[mojotron]

I had that same problem before - it ended up that I had wired the bypass to the board's output not the pedal's output. Now, I just wire them to the output jack - instead of somewhere on the board.

[tatems]

I had that same problem before - it ended up that I had wired the bypass to the board's output not the pedal's output. Now, I just wire them to the output jack - instead of somewhere on the board.

Don't you normally wire the bypass to the switch? Thats what the diagram i have shows.

[mojotron]

I had that same problem before - it ended up that I had wired the bypass to the board's output not the pedal's output. Now, I just wire them to the output jack - instead of somewhere on the board.

Don't you normally wire the bypass to the switch? Thats what the diagram i have shows.

That is interesting... I look at the article (http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/Millenium/millen.htm) and it does look like you are supposed to wire it up to the switch. But, I have always wired it to the output jack and gotten it to work. But, I have only used the Millenium1 switch, which does not work on a lot of circuits because of the output impeadence.. So I don't use this on every circuit, but I have had to rely on removing the DC path. Disregard the way I said to wire this..... I think there might be more going on there...

[tatems]

Theres a photo of what my circuit looks like. The thing is i've tried everything  you said by i just can't get it to work!!!!! Its really annoying lol. Any Help?

http://groups.msn.com/Stompaholics/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=1

[R.G.]

The wiring looks OK. If that is correct, then your millenium board does not work.

-- unsolder the control line from the switch
-- do the touch-ground/open ground with the control line
-- use your voltmeter to verify that +9 and ground actually get to
  the millenium board

If you have voltage on the millenium board and it does not light/unlight when you touch/release the control line to ground, the millenium circuit on the millenium board is not working.

If that is the case,
1) post the type number of your JFET back here
2) verify the pinout of your JFET by looking up the datasheet on line

[tatems]

WHOOOOOT!!!!! IT Works.

I decided to cut a fresh piece of strip board and start over and to my suprise it WORKED.

The LED does still stay on, but when it is bypassed it grows really dim but when the effect is on it is very bright.

Thanks for the help (and your patience) lol

[R.G.]

No problem - we all were beginners at one time or another.

Enjoy.

You can make the LED go completely off by using a resistor in parallel with it or a diode in series. Many JFETs leak a little current when supposedly off in this configuration. The resistor in parallel with the LED pulls the current below the "on" threshold of the LED, and alternatively the series diode raises the threshold  voltage for the LED above the JFET's leakage. Either works. Also, a low-Vgsoff LED like the 2N5485 should work without either fix.