Random Number Generator

[mr.adambeck]

So I decided to rebuild this and put sockets where the transistors go to try and figure out why mine came out so trebley and weird.  When I opened my old one up, I realized that I had misread the values marked on the caps and used all .001 caps instead of .01uF! 

Anyways, I'm guessing that was the problem, but I'm going to solder the new board in tomorrow and try some other transistors out anyways.  Argh!  I feel like such an idiot!

[Taylor]

Happens to the best of them, man. And also bums like me. So don't sweat it. 

You will do much stupider things as you get more confident, like debugging for an hour until you realize the guitar cable's unplugged. As with all things that annoy you, the more annoyed you get, the less able you are to look at it clearly. Good to cool off a little before looking at it more.

[oldrocker]

That's why before I bread board any project I double check component values as I find them. I will test every resistor in case I couldn't see the color clearly.  I built a capacitance meter to do the same with any questionable caps.  Unless I memerize them I double and tripple check pinouts of IC's a transistors.  This has decreased the probability of those types of errors to almost zero.  For me debugging will be looking for a bad solder bridge or connection.  That saves time in the long run.  Of coarse again that's just the way I do it.  Evenually everyone finds what works best for them.  I'm glad you got it going.  That is one crazy noise maker. 

[mr.adambeck]

Anyways, it's sounding great, I have all the transistors socketed.  I'm still trying to decide on a final combination - it seems like the last transistor is really the most important in terms of the crazy effect.  I'm trying to decide between 2N5088 and a 2N3904 for the final transistor...  I think I'm going to leave that socket open and try both out through my full rig at band practice tonight.   

[grolschie]

That is really good. :-)

[doubleg]

i just finished wiring this baby up last nite. i had a brainstorm and wondering if one of you fine folks could help me out 
I want  to be able to have a blend pot to mix the dry signal with the effect which would be controled by a foot pedal (ala crybaby wah). 
how would i go about doing this without replacing too many components already sodered?

Thanks in advance,

Greg

[rousejeremy]

How about adding this? http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/Toneys-Album/Buff_n_Blend.png.html

i just finished wiring this baby up last nite. i had a brainstorm and wondering if one of you fine folks could help me out 
I want  to be able to have a blend pot to mix the dry signal with the effect which would be controled by a foot pedal (ala crybaby wah). 
how would i go about doing this without replacing too many components already sodered?

Thanks in advance,

Greg

[doubleg]

How about adding this? http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/Toneys-Album/Buff_n_Blend.png.html

Thanks, I think that might work, but just so that i understand...

Guitar Input- that would be coming off my DPDT
Blend 3- I am assuming thats my 100k blend pot lug 3
Effect Input- that is where i wire this circuit out and into the RNG
Blend 1- lug 1 of blend pot
Effect Output- coming back from the RNG circuit
(9v and Ground are self explanatory)
and then blend 2 (not shown) is the wiper of the blend pot and goes back to the output side of my DPDT.

I am also assuming i wire the 9v in parallel with the RNG 9v in (meaning i dont need a 2nd 9v battery)?

Please let me know if i am wrong in my understanding (this is only my 4th build and i'm still catching my bearings on this electronics stuff).
-Greg

[rousejeremy]

Sounds about right.
Make sure you ground the input of the RNG while bypassed. It might still be audible while bypassed if you don't (mine was anyway)

[doubleg]

Sounds about right.
Make sure you ground the input of the RNG while bypassed. It might still be audible while bypassed if you don't (mine was anyway)

cool, thanks for your help!

I plan on wiring this up this afternoon as i am working only half a day today, will update on how this turns out

-Greg

[runmikeyrun]

anyone tried one of these on bass??  I was thinking of building one but i won't if it doesn't play well with bass.

[rousejeremy]

This pedal doesn't play well with anything.

[Taylor]

anyone tried one of these on bass??  I was thinking of building one but i won't if it doesn't play well with bass.

I've used it on bass. It's a little thin-sounding, so if you want to retain low-end, I'd add a clean blend.

[mr.adambeck]

For the low notes on bass it seems to have less of the jumping octave effect as ou get lower, but playing with transistor combos seems to help.  I'm sure if you spent some time you could figure out the right combo for bass.

[runmikeyrun]

right on... thanks guys for the feedback.  I was assuming it would thin things out a bit.  It's a simple build, might just build it anyways and play with some of the cap values.

[doubleg]

Well, i got this wired up into my wah pedal (obviously I removed the wah circuit). Still not sure how useful this will be for live shows, will have to play around with it more this weekend.  With the pedal rocked back heel-down, there is still some effect bleeding thru very faintly, although it would probable get cleaned up by my noise reduction pedal.  This is definately a novelty pedal, I find if i pluck a note and hold it, i get an arpeggio chord as the rng does it's thing.  unfortunately, the arpeggiated chord isnt always in the right key.

One thing i found kinda useful, if i rock the pedal slightly forward, hit a power chord and hold it, i get some cool oscillations going on, and the thing will sustain forever. My other idea for using this thing; i had wired up a simple optical theramin type unit, when i combined the two, i can get a really cool
sonic blitzkrieg thing going on (if not a little bit obnixious). 

-Greg