Orange Squeezer debug help.

[pappasmurfsharem]

Using the layout at tagboard

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gj_ZB2JvtsM/TzvoHmSq0II/AAAAAAAAAsM/XijJI8sWRjY/s1600/Orange+Squeezer+with+trimmer.png


It seems to be acting more like a boost than a comp

IC1
1-4.96v
2-4.95v
3-4.10v
8-9.05v

Q1
D-9.05
S-4.34
G-3.16

Q2
D-1.38
S-4.98
G-0 or possibly .1mv

Pulling the diode out doesn't seem to make any noticeable difference in sound.

From what I can tell the layout seems spot on.

I used 330k+56k in series for the 390k. They measured 385k

And used 2.2k instead of 2.4k

I tried swapping trannys to j201 as a test
No real noticeable difference.

[midwayfair]

Have you adjusted the bias? Does it cut out at one side on the bias knob? If it does, then it's working and you just need to carefully adjust the bias. If it doesn't, there might be something else wrong.

Orange Squeezers are very dependent on the strength of the input signal for their level of squish. Humbuckers will squish more than single coils, because they have higher output. Once we've determined that it's working properly, I can suggest some mods to help with this.

[pappasmurfsharem]

At about 1/3 maybe a bit less the sound drops.

After the 1/3 there is about 1/15 of a turn before the sound stops changing

I'm using my Ibanez JS1000 loaded with DiMarzio PAF Pro and PAF Fred HBers

Is it normal to not notice much difference with the diode pulled?

[midwayfair]

At about 1/3 maybe a bit less the sound drops.

After the 1/3 there is about 1/15 of a turn before the sound stops changing

I'm using my Ibanez JS1000 loaded with DiMarzio PAF Pro and PAF Fred HBers

Is it normal to not notice much difference with the diode pulled?

Your orange squeezer is working correctly.

There is a VERY small range where it does actual compression. When I bias mine, I put the volume at halfway and adjust the trimpot so that it is at unity volume when bypassed. That's pretty much ideal. If you search my posts for orange squeezer mods, I put a bunch of them in one place that will make it a little less fussy about these things.

In any case, the compression is typically quite subtle. You're only going to notice it during fast runs and volume peaks -- it's a limiter. There are many, many, many posts here from users experiencing the exact same thing you are.

[R O Tiree]

Could you re-check the voltages for Q1 and Q2? Q1G should be directly connected to Q2S, so they should be exactly the same.

[pappasmurfsharem]

At about 1/3 maybe a bit less the sound drops.

After the 1/3 there is about 1/15 of a turn before the sound stops changing

I'm using my Ibanez JS1000 loaded with DiMarzio PAF Pro and PAF Fred HBers

Is it normal to not notice much difference with the diode pulled?

Your orange squeezer is working correctly.

There is a VERY small range where it does actual compression. When I bias mine, I put the volume at halfway and adjust the trimpot so that it is at unity volume when bypassed. That's pretty much ideal. If you search my posts for orange squeezer mods, I put a bunch of them in one place that will make it a little less fussy about these things.

In any case, the compression is typically quite subtle. You're only going to notice it during fast runs and volume peaks -- it's a limiter. There are many, many, many posts here from users experiencing the exact same thing you are.

I'll try that when biasing.

I'm just not seeing what I hear from videos. I generally hear a pretty obvious squish in the videos I've seen of the clones. Bypassed vs engaged.


Edit seeing the trim at around 1.6 V send better perhaps, although I'm getting a hint of distortion with anything above soft playing. Could be because I'm running alligator clips I suppose