OK... I think the Ludwig will have to move over...

[digi2t]

As most of you might know by now, I've always been attracted (read "obsessed") by rare effects. First came the Ludwig, then the PLL, and Two Face. Now... my brain is "squirming like a toad" again. This sucker is keeping me up at night...



Yeah... I'm a dang fool... I know. But Goddangit!!, how can I pass this up?

Now... need to get my hands on one. Me and the penguins are working on it.

[armdnrdy]

I'm not sure if this guy found all of the bad, unmusical settings on this thing but....

[theehman]

I have one of those.   Not sure if it's working correctly.   The ICs are all sanded.

[digi2t]

I have some hi-rez pics, but I'm looking for one to dissect. As for the IC's, one hurdle at a time. I'm thinking that one of those chips (the biggest) looks like it might be some sort of eprom. If it is, it can be read. If it can be read, it can be burned. I think we have more than enough brain power here to figure this sucker out.

Like the Ludwig, would be nice if we could burn this witch. 

[italianguy63]

The Rand?!

LOL we have one of those here:

http://www.hotelmotelstpetersburg.com/

"Adult" themed hotel..  LOL   

MC

[digi2t]

The Rand?!

LOL we have one of those here:

http://www.hotelmotelstpetersburg.com/

"Adult" themed hotel..  LOL   

MC

Looks like Niagara Falls moved south. 

[Mark Hammer]

Well, at least some of the chip numbers are to be found here: http://www.effectsdatabase.com/model/pefftronics/sb101

While it was certainly forward-thinking and intriguing, for its time, a number of other products have come out in the interval between now and when the Super R-o-M was in production, that either provided something similar at a more competitive price, or else eclipsed it.  For example, the Line 6 Liqui-Flange gives s&h based stepped flanging, while the MXR Phase 99 lets one juggle the speeds of two LFOs to produce various degrees of aperiodicity.  And that's just the analog stuff in pedal form.  Lord only knows what's out there in VST or other plug-in form.

I most assuredly tip my hat to the developer, Jeff Vallier ( http://www.effectsdatabase.com/interviews/brands/pefftronics ), for a ground-breaking product.  But quite honestly, the samples I've heard have not set me thinking "Boy oh boy, if only I had one of those".

[digi2t]

I hear ya Mark, but it's sort of like the Colorsound Vocalizer. It wasn't THAT special, but with some modification, we made it better. Same goes with the Ludwig. I think once we get our heads around it, I'm sure the amelioration ideas would start to flow.

BTW... thanks for the picture link. It seems that I've look at the ED before, but for some reason the picture with the unsanded chips just didn't jump out at me. 

[glops]

As most of you might know by now, I've always been attracted (read "obsessed") by rare effects. First came the Ludwig, then the PLL, and Two Face. Now... my brain is "squirming like a toad" again. This sucker is keeping me up at night...



Yeah... I'm a dang fool... I know. But Goddangit!!, how can I pass this up?

Now... need to get my hands on one. Me and the penguins are working on it.

Uncle Grandfather at iliovefuzz may have one!

[R.G.]

I believe that it might be a discrete logic implementation off a long linear feedback shift register to generate an indistinguishable-from-truly-random bit series for the random-icity. the HM6116 is a CMOS static ram and the other chips are reasonable in size and shape for doing a circuit like that.

If that's true, the logic chips could be replaced with an 8-pin PIC or other microcontroller.  

[digi2t]

@glops - Yeah, probably. He seems to have everything cool. Doubt he would let me dissect it though.

@R.G. - Tracing, and maybe reading a chip for code is as far as I can go. Like I said, once I can trace the landscape, you folks will have something to run with. Right now, I'm staring at a bucket of steam.

I found out the inventors name, and where he works (I presume still), so I've sent a "fishing trip" email to him.

Like a dog on a bone people. Dog. Bone.

[R.G.]

@R.G. - Tracing, and maybe reading a chip for code is as far as I can go. Like I said, once I can trace the landscape, you folks will have something to run with. Right now, I'm staring at a bucket of steam.

That's OK. Chip numbers pretty much tell the story. Unless one of those chips is  a microcontroller, it's almost certain to be a pseudo random shift register random sequence generator. In looking at the chips, I identified a CD4040 many-stage binary counter and a 555, and these would make a GREAT address counter for the memory chip. There are some 20-pin DIPs that would make great latches for data in and data out.

From there, the sanded chips are probably the modulators. Does this thing do tremolo, chorus, phase, or some combination?

[R.G.]

I did go look. I programmed a 2²³-1 state PRSR for an 8-pin $0.58 10F200 PIC. As I remember it generates a signal indistinguishable from noise by spectrum analysis in the audio range and doesn't repeat for several millenia. I'd have to look up the actual numbers, but it might work OK for a pedal LFO.    

[digi2t]

Here's a pretty good picture that Mark put me on to;



There's another 8 pin IC hidden up in the upper right corner. I see a shielded wire connecting up there (in other pictures), going to the MIX pot, so it might be simply a dual opamp chip doing the output work.

[R.G.]

That's the one I got the 6116 chip out of. But the chip above it has 24 pins and is not the stock logic chip I thought it might be. I can't quite make out what it is from the picture.

Still some mystery there.

[digi2t]

I've been staring at it hard, and I make out "9548" in the middle of that chip. I get PCA9548 in Google, which happens to be a 24 pin chip. Don't know if that would work here though. Above my pay grade.

Just above the 9548, it looks to me like it says "*Y75283N" (* being characters that I can't make out). There's seems to be a manufacturers symbol that looks like a capital "A", though it's a bit more stylized, like a Greek lambda, with a dot in the middle.

Still working on it.

[Mark Hammer]

What's under the Effects Database logo?

[digi2t]

What's under the Effects Database logo?

Unknown. That one was sanded, along with the two others that are visible. The DIP8 chip that hidden by the wiring is unknown as well.

Strange... the picture I initially posted didn't have the ED logo, and now it does. I'll upload the logo-free picture tonight.

[italianguy63]

That Max1044 needs to be subbed to a TC1044SEPA.  But, I know you know that.  MC

[italianguy63]

OK.  I'm gonna be funny again.  I can't help it.

The PCB has the component values printed on it.  Maybe you can get lucky LOL.

MC