TRS Stereo Splitter Box

[CudBucket]

Hey all.

I'm new here and had a question.  Has anyone built a stereo to mono splitter?  I have a Piezo equipped guitar that produces two mono signals, one piezo and one magnetic, out of a single jack. I'd like to make a box that takes the "stereo" signal as input and routes it to to single mono jacks.  I know this was asked some time ago but there was no real response.  Ernie Ball makes a splitter box like this for $25 but I thought it might be fun to build myself.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Dave

[RickL]

One stereo jack, two mono jacks. Wire all the sleeves together. Wire the tip of the stereo jack to the tip of one mono jack and the ring of the stereo jack to the tip of the other mono jack.

[CudBucket]

Thanks!  I can't believe it costs $25 to buy one.

[Pushtone]

Thanks!  I can't believe it costs $25 to buy one.

That not a bad price believe it or not.

Enclosure - $10.00
TRS Jack - $2.50
2 x TS jacks - $3.00

Total - $14.00 and with no paint.
add a footswitch to select one and your at $20.00

And thats just parts, now you have to spend not money but time to put it together.
Ask a pro tech to assemble it for five dollars and see what they say.

[CudBucket]

Yeah, I can see that.  I figured that if I made one though, I wouldn't use a footswitch, and maybe I'd make my own enclosure.  I'm into the DIY aspect of it.  I've built my own guitar and speaker cabs.  Stomps and stuff are the next frontier I guess.  Even if I spend more to make a pedal than I would to buy it, the learning experience is worth so much more. 

BTW

Here's the guitar and cabs I made.  You can see more at my site: www.dafguitars.com

[sfr]

Would there be a problem with hum using that setup?  I did the same thing using an SG with the normal p'ups wired in stereo, and got some awful hum depending on what combination of amps I used and where they were plugged in.  I can't remember now if I ever got around to using audio isolation transformers or not, that was a while ago and I only really used the stereo jack in the studio.

BTW, Cud - nice work there with that guitar.  You posted that over at the PG forums, didn't you?

[CudBucket]

Thanks sfr.  Yes, I posted it while I was building it.  I'd love to build more guitars and maybe even mod this one but there's always another new project to start.  As for hum, I don't know.  I'm definitely going to buy the jacks and give it a shot.  I'll probably make my own enclosure from wood or something.  I don't play out so a wood box should be fine.  Last night, I was looking at my books and found a Craig Anderton book and it has a stereo mono break out box project in there that seems to be exactly what was laid out here so I think I'm set.

Thanks!

Dave

[ashcat_lt]

sfr, I think the buzz problem is a ground loop between the two amps.  You said something about "depending on where they're plugged in."  That's the issue.  This can not only be noisy, but it could potentially be dangerous.  The way to get away from this is to make sure each amp is properly grounded itself, and then make them share a ground connection.  The easiest way to do this is to actually plug them into the same power source.  Use a power strip and extension cords.

There is a chance you'll pick up a little interference in the splitter itself.  Shouldn't be all that much compared to the noise of the guitar itself unless that guitar is very well shielded itself (most aren't).  I would suggest a shielded box for this, just to be sure.

[Gilles C]

sfr, I think the buzz problem is a ground loop between the two amps.  You said something about "depending on where they're plugged in."  That's the issue.  This can not only be noisy, but it could potentially be dangerous.  The way to get away from this is to make sure each amp is properly grounded itself, and then make them share a ground connection.  The easiest way to do this is to actually plug them into the same power source.  Use a power strip and extension cords.

There is a chance you'll pick up a little interference in the splitter itself.  Shouldn't be all that much compared to the noise of the guitar itself unless that guitar is very well shielded itself (most aren't).  I would suggest a shielded box for this, just to be sure.

I just wanted to confirm you about the danger of using power source in places you don't know.

My brother-in-law got almost electrocuted just by holding 2 mic or guitar wires (don't remember the details) in his hands to plug them because or an ungrounded reversed plug. He had something like 220V between his hands. He had to go to the hospital because his heart wasn't beating correctly after the shock. He now uses a polarity checker before plugging his stuf in new places and bars where some people don't always know what they are doing. Or everybody can make mistakes.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-do-home-electrical-repairs3.htm

That was the worst case, and sometimes the voltage between ungrounded equipment can be only 30-50V, but if you ever took a shock while touching the mike with your lips, you know what I mean.

Take care,

Gilles

[Paul Marossy]

Here's the splitter box I made for my Parker Mojo Nitefly:



And then my improved version of it:

[CudBucket]

Sweet.  Are either of those the Hammond 1590B box?

[Paul Marossy]

Are either of those the Hammond 1590B box?

The second one is. The first one is a RadioShack enclosure.

[CudBucket]

Very nice.