BOSS CE-2 rate not very usuable

[BradE]

Hi. I'm posting here because I found more info about my pedal while lurking here than on any other sites. So, thanks!

I have a MIT CE-2 with very little usuable range on the Rate knob. The pedal appears to be stock but it sounds nothing like videos on youtube. It is in tremolo pedal territory by 12:00 with the Rate knob and useless, leslie on speed wobbles beyond that. I saw changing C19 from 103 to a higher value will slow the Rate so I put a 220 in it but it didn't make enough of a difference. Should I maybe change the value of R32 instead of putting larger and larger capacitors in it?

All I want this pedal to do is operate like a stock BOSS CE-2. I wouldn't think I'd need to mod it to make it sound stock but for example if my knobs are at 12:00 like in this video at 1:10 it sounds more like his at 1:52 and gets worse from there. Any ideas?

[RandomGlitch]

I'm looking at the schematic here.

As you say C19 is "103" - but that is a CODE meaning 10 nano Farads (10nF)

Google "capacitor codes"

Anyway the schematic says this capacitor should be 0.1uF (which can also be written as 100nF), code = 104

Make sure that's what you have!!

[BradE]

My bad, it is a 104 aka .1ųf. I tried a .047ų then the 22ųf because I thought I'd need to make a sizeable jump to notice any difference.

[Canucker]

Did you mess around with the trim pot? Does it look like someone modified anything?

[pappasmurfsharem]

I built the Madbean porkbarrel, and it acts very much the same way. So I don't believe it's just you.

If i'm not mistaken all the trimpot does it basically enables the effect or disables it. Unless finer adjustments do end up making a difference in sound.

[Scruffie]

If it's chorusing without distorting, leave the trim alone.

Try 2 x 1uF Electrolytics back to back, positives connected, negatives to the pads on the board.

[Canucker]

I haven't messed around with my CE-2's insides in years but when I adjusted the trim pot it never stopped the effect from working and it never caused distortion. It just intensified the effect. Somewhere online I read people ranting how if you open the effect and adjust the trimmer you can never get it back to the original setting...like turn it any way you want and it won't sound like it use to...I gear review site I believe. I thought it was a load of BS and after messing with it myself I still feel I'm right.

[BradE]

Thanks to everybody for the replies and advice. I did not mess with the trim pot; I read about it and it didn't seem like it would do me any favors to adjust it.

Major thanks to Scruffie! I couldn't get polarized 1μf electrolytics locally but did score two non-polarized 1μf and figured I'd try them for giggles. They made an amazing difference, I love this pedal now, even the rate full up is OK but I'll probably never set it that fast. Thanks millions! I highly recommend this mod for anybody who is dissatisifed with the usuable Rate sweep on a CE-2 or similar pedal.

[Canucker]

I totally agree...with the settings up all the way its not insane. Kind of a good one for someone who is new to pedals cus they tend to overdo it with new toys...I was totally that way. I actually have 3 of this pedal. I'm happy with it as is but its nice to know theres stuff worth doing with it if I ever get bored!

p.s. what did you read about the trim pot?

[Scruffie]

I haven't messed around with my CE-2's insides in years but when I adjusted the trim pot it never stopped the effect from working and it never caused distortion. It just intensified the effect. Somewhere online I read people ranting how if you open the effect and adjust the trimmer you can never get it back to the original setting...like turn it any way you want and it won't sound like it use to...I gear review site I believe. I thought it was a load of BS and after messing with it myself I still feel I'm right.

The trimmer sets the bias voltage for the BBD and Opamps, both needing approximatley half voltage supply to work optimally (or at all at far extremes).

The turning it and not getting it back is to do with the fact that the pedal would have been set up properly in the factory and most home users wont have the equipment, but it can be done by ear, especially as over time that 'correct' bias setting may have drifted.

But it is not BS, that trimmer is not an intensity control, you may have tweaked it into a better bias range but that's it. Unless there's a second trimmer in there but i've not heard of one and design says it would not control anything to do with intensity as chorus generally doesn't have a clock range control.

Thanks to everybody for the replies and advice. I did not mess with the trim pot; I read about it and it didn't seem like it would do me any favors to adjust it.

Major thanks to Scruffie! I couldn't get polarized 1μf electrolytics locally but did score two non-polarized 1μf and figured I'd try them for giggles. They made an amazing difference, I love this pedal now, even the rate full up is OK but I'll probably never set it that fast. Thanks millions! I highly recommend this mod for anybody who is dissatisifed with the usuable Rate sweep on a CE-2 or similar pedal.

Glad you got it to your liking! Non Polarized is fine, I suggested electros as they're usually the easier to come by ones.