Ross Comp Hammer Mod: Fast/Slow/Medium?

[Beo]

Can someone confirm for me that the "hammer Mod" as described on Fuzz Central actually provides a Fast/Slow/Medium order of recovery switch settings, not Fast/Medium/Slow?

Since the full 160K (slow recovery) is seen in the center position, that leaves 10K (fast recovery) and ~41K (medium recovery) on the outside switch positions. The only way I see to get a Fast/Medium/Slow order of recovery positions would to use a Dual Pole three position on-off-on switch.

Thanks!
Travis

[Mark Hammer]

If it involves adding parallel resistors to drop the resistance, it will be fast/slow/medium, since the middle position does not add a parallel resistance (highest resistance value) while the two outside posiitions add parallel resistors to drop the net resistance.

[MikeH]

If continuity is REALLY a concern you could replace the switching dealy-oh with a pot.  The minute differences are too subtle pot a pot to be truly useful, but you would have fast to medium to slow, in that order, as you turn the knob.  I bult one like this for my friend, and it's true; you pretty much either set it either way to one side or put it in the middle.  There's no, "Oh, just let me dial in a tad more recovery", it's just not that noticable.

[Beo]

Thanks for the quick reply Mark!
Yeah Mike, a Pot is not for me. I've been trying to figure out a good way to do the three position switching in order. This is what I came up with:

A dual pole on-off-on switch wired like this:

                   |
                 10K
                   |               
     x            x----40K----x
     |               \             |
     |                  150K    |
     |                         \   |
     x            x------------x
                   |

Switch to the left shorts the 40K and 150K giving just the 10K (fast). Switch in the center has the 150K and 40K in parallel (medium). Switch to the right shorts the 40K and gives you the full 160K (slow).
I'm not sure if this is overly complicated or actually smart...

Travis

[auden100]

Doesn't the switch in the right position short both the 40k and the 150k?

I don't think it's possible to have a short-mid-long order on a center-off switch, because the only way you're going to increase resistance is to detach one end of the resistor and attaching it another point. The center-off switch makes no 'detachment' as it changes from center to side.

I use the pot. It works great.  I was originally going to make a 150k pot with a 250k and a parallel resistor, but I didn't particularly mind the settings of the 250k, so problem solved.

[auden100]

btw, a 250k pot would require a 350k parallel resistor to come down to 152k. For reference sake.

[Mark Hammer]

1) It IS somewhat hard to detect the differences unless you know exactly what to listen for.

2) Pot or switch makes little difference in the functioning.  I like toggles because they're easy to machine for, get to the punch-line quickly and consistently, and take up little space (they don't require spending money on a knob and they leave lots of space for legending too).  Others may prefer to go with a pot because it can be shallower than many toggles (easier to fit a board in there, as a result), because they don't know exactly which recovery rate is "right" for them and their playing style, or simply because they find comfort in having the flexibility of a continuously variable parameter instead of presets.

3)  If it is a 3-position toggle, my own preference would be to opt for final resistance values that result in the same proportional change.  In other words, the change in resistance from fast to medium, should be around the same ratio as that between medium to slow.  Since the max is 150k and min is 10k, that's an overall ratio of 15:1 in desired resistance change, or roughly a little under 4:1 between fast-to-medium and again between medium-to-slow  If you start out with 150k and need to stick in something in parallel to drop it to a bit more than a 1/4 of that, you're aiming for somethng around the low 40's range.  If 150k and 68k are placed in parallel, you get just under 47k, 150k and 56k in parallel will get you just under 41k.  If you use 62k (a less commonly found, but still "common" 5% value), you end up with 43.9k.  To drop the 150k down to the intended 10k "fast" setting, you can use either a 15k parallel resistor (net resistance = 13.6k) or 12k parallel (net resistance = 11.1k).  I promise you that the differences between 10k, 11.1k, and 13.6k will be inaudible, so use what you have available.  These suggested values will get you an approximate 4:1 change in recovery rate when going from fast to medium, and a similar proportional change when going from medium to slow.

[petemoore]

  Perhaps wire and test the switching circuit shown independantly, then install it.

[Beo]

Doesn't the switch in the right position short both the 40k and the 150k?

Yeah, that switch configuration doesn't work after all. I can't see any way to use a standard on-off-on switch (single or dual) to do the parallel resistor switching in proper order. I think the only way may be to use an on-on-on switch, as is used to split humbucker pickups between split, series, and parallel.

Travis

[Mark Hammer]

The use of a 3-position toggle where the middle was some maximum or minimum value has never bothered me in the slightest.  My Zombie Chorus has a 3-way toggle where the middle is the shortest delay range and the two outside are longer.  My Bi-Filter Follower has a 3-way toggle where the middle is the highest filter range and the two outside positions are lower.

I suppose cosmetically, a person likes to see slow-medium-fast (or the reverse) or low-medium-high, but honestly it makes not a pinch of difference to your playing or use of the device.  If the cosmetic IS important, then I think the obligatory move is to go with a rotary switch (MUCH bigger) or a bat handle switch similar in function to (but smaller in size than) a 5-way on a Strat.

[MikeH]

You could also use a 3P rotary switch... Or one with more positions like a 4P, which would allow 4 positions, for instance.  If you felt so inclined.