Orange Squeezer Dropout

[dpresley58]

This unit was built about 5 years ago (using Tonepad's layout with the trimpot onboard) and has been as steady as a Swiss watch until lately. Now it wants to fade in and out. At first I thought I had a cable problem, but when I switched it over to bypass the problem was gone. Played a couple of minutes to see if the signal would fade again, but it didn't until I switched the OS back on.

Anyone experienced this, or have any ideas?

[Mark Hammer]

Had the exact same issue.  It would seem that the unit needs to have an input signal to keep the envelope follower portion of the circuit at "cruising speed".  This means the use of a non-true-bypass switchover scheme where the circuit input remains tied to the input jack and you simply select between the output of the circuit or the direct connection of input and output jacks.

Keep in mind that the original circuit stems from a period when true bypass, where input and output connections to the circuit were both lifted, did not exist.  Here is a gutshot of an original, which shows a simple SPDT toggle for bypass:


Use of such a switchover "cured" the issue on mine.

[MartyMart]

I did the same thing with a handbuilt version in the original enclosure :




I didn't suffer the dropout issue however.

Marty.

[davent]

Mark, On the one i built, when you switch it in the signal fades momentarily then comes back up to normal, a mere blip in time really. Is the cure as simple as rewiring the true bypass switch to the arrangement you described? Any sonic issues with such an arrangement?

Thanks
dave

[Mark Hammer]

Mark, On the one i built, when you switch it in the signal fades momentarily then comes back up to normal, a mere blip in time really. Is the cure as simple as rewiring the true bypass switch to the arrangement you described? Any sonic issues with such an arrangement?

Thanks
dave

That's what I experienced also, although the blip was uncomfortably long I felt.  It would seem that the circuit severely attenuates the input unless there is something going on in the rectifier circuit.  When wired up in true bypass, there's nothing going to the rectifier, so engaging it seems to require a bit of time to charge up one or the other (or both) 4u7 caps.  If the switching is not true bypass, then the input jack will continue feeding the rectifier circuit, so that if your stompswitch now selects the output of the circuit, it's good and ready.

The sonic issue is not so much with the OS itself, as with the tone in bypass mode.  There may or may not be any sort of tone-sucking as a result of non-TB.

[davent]

Thanks Mark!  We've got to get you that second 20k!