Kay tremolo adding LED and dc??

[brother numsi]

Hey all
I'm new to the forum and really liking it. 

My new build is a Kay tremolo and it sounds really great!
I followed the instructions on GGG:
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/kaytrpl.gif
so it doesnt have a LED and a dc connector which I'd love it to have.
I've already added a 3pdt, but where do I put the wires for LED and dc on this particular KAY build? I think I have followed every guide on doing such, but they don't work here...
Also, is there a way to make the trem go slower? And a way to get rid of its fuzz??

Any help is highly appreciated!

Thanks

[GibsonGM]

You'd have to disregard the offboard wiring stuff in that image (jacks, switch).  Look up "offboard wiring" or some such thing.  Typically, you use a stereo input jack and the "-" battery connection goes to one lug and the "-" to the board goes to the other...inserting a  jack turns on the effect.  The DC adaptor is wired into the path and acts like its own switch when the plug is inserted, bypassing the battery.  The switch wiring just puts it in or out of the signal path. 

There is more info on that by searching for switch options on here, including adding an on/off LED.  There is a Tonepad Offboard Wiring PDF floating around, too.
As for changing the rate of the trem, I'd have to see the actual schematic...some resistor changes would be required.

[brother numsi]

Thanks a lot for your reply!
I had a suspicion it would have to be rethunk. I'm still not sure how, so I'll try to dig deeper yet.
The schematic is here:
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/kaytrsc_original.gif

Thanks again

[brother numsi]

Ok, LED and and dc are now working. But the pot now acts as both a rate and a volume control with rather steep roll-off/roll-on.  

Thanks for any advise!

[GibsonGM]

Hey Brother,

You should go to the "Debugging" thread, and follow the directions to get us information.  I don't know how you connected the switch/DC adaptor, so I can't do too much! 
Maybe the DC adaptor isn't connected right, and you're throwing 18V into it??
Check that it disconnects the battery when you plug in the adaptor jack (unplugged from the wall at the time, of course).
Post more details, and we will try to help you...

[brother numsi]

Thanks! It works now, pot and all...only I just noticed that all my rewiring produce a huge volume drop when effect is engaged!
(Just to be sure, could you point out the + and - on the diagram please? I'm about to start over. Sorry for the noobishness)

I added another led to show the tremolo rate even when bypassed. It works, but it flickers more than it blinks. Any way to improve the "range" of the blinking itself? Hope you know what I mean.

Btw, this effect is so hypnotizing I often find myself wandering off to tremo-land when I should be debugging instead...hehe

[brother numsi]

Blinking LED works now...I found the right place for it   
Volume drop is still there and I'm considering adding a sparkle boost. Do any of you know of a better way to get rid of the volume drop?

[GibsonGM]

Hi Brother,

The "+" of the circuit is the long bar on the 9V battery, its left side on the gif.  Notice how the other side "-" is going to the input jack to ground the effect.   The volume shouldn't have dropped.  I'm not clear where you're adding the LED...is this for a rate indicator that will flash with the speed of the trem, or just and "on/off" light??

If you tapped into the circuit for a rate indicator, you may be "sucking current" out of the circuit, causing the volume drop (?)
If you are simply adding the LED for on/off, it would go on the 3PDT bypass switch and be totally separate from the circuit workings, and have no effect on it.  Many drawings around on how to do that. 

For a rate indicator, I would ground one end of the LED and find different spots around the 'hot' end of the transistors to touch the "+" end of the LED to, until I found one that doesn't affect circuit operation (be careful not to short anything and use a limiting resistor with the LED!)...another way is to tap off the output and build a buffer from there, which will drive the LED.   Maybe a little advanced for this little trem, but a place to start anyway!! 
Hope this is getting you close...
~Mike

[brother numsi]

Sorry, I meant the in and out on the diagram instead of "+ / -".
I added a pot in place of the 68k resistor to control depth and placed the blinking LED on one lug and grounded it on the outputjack. On/off LED goes from 3pdt to dc jack.  I think I wired the dc jack wrong. Btw. when i run a jamman through the trem it sounds ok, but when I play guitar signal is almost inaudible.