Ludwig Phase II

[boyersdad]

So, has anyone actually built one? I see a few forum members talked about doing it, but the search doesn't turn up any results. I'm very interested in building one of these suckers, but the schem at GEO doesn't really give enough to go by (missing values, lack of layout etc).

Anyone have any success stories, and or layouts or complete schems at least? I wouldn't mind taking a crack at a layout.

Man those things look and sounds scary. I want to frighten my children with it! hehe

[Rodgre]

If I had the time, a Phase II work-alike would be near the top of my wish list (along with a Synthi Hi-Fli). After seeing how involved the original's circuitry was (thanks, R.G.) I think that it's going to take someone with way more knowledge than I have to look at the schematic and figure out how to do it with modern components. My guess is that it would take Mr. Puretube about 14 off the shelf parts to do what took our ancestors four 12" X 12" phenolic circuit boards with 1200 bipolar transistors, 7 wax cylinders, 48 tropical fishes, and 29 electric eels to do in 1973. Don't forget the Bakelite knobs and the real simulated Naugahyde covering.

So who's gonna take on this beast?

...I can see the press release now. "Flip your 'wig with the new Behringer Synthophase trajectorial formant animator." Price for your country: $79.99 list, $12.50 street. Availability TBA

Roger

[boyersdad]

Ha! Yeah really!

Well I don't want anything more modern than the original. I want to get questionable looks when I use this thing on stage. I hope I will be able to find all the vales.

[Sir H C]

I started making PCB layouts for this beast but then other things took over.

One day...

[R.G.]

I'm a pretty die-hard kind of guy, but I gave up on making PCB layouts for it. Not because it's too difficult, but just because of the sheer size of the project, plus the fact that maybe one in 20 people on the forum here could build and debug it.

It's big, it's complicated, there's lots of wiring to get wrong, lots of transistors to get put in backwards, and lots of solder joints to get cold.

[Sir H C]

And it is not the 'bees knees'.  I played with one fixing it for a friend and was not overly impressed. 

[boyersdad]

That's a shame... I suppose I should start looking for similar projects. I'm especially interested in the "synthesiser" parts.

[Ry]

There is also some offboard wiring that isn't represented in the schematics that RG posted.  I need to figure out what box those drawings are in.  Unfortunately, I can't promise finding them anytime soon.  I will come across them some day, however...

[R.G.]

I'm especially interested in the "synthesiser" parts.

There really aren't any of those. It's got some distortion and two filters that move around. I think that they decided that since the synthesizers of the day had moving filters, that anything with moving filters was a synthesizer.

There is also some offboard wiring that isn't represented in the schematics that RG posted.

Yeah, there is a clot of that. I don't think I ever had a complete set of drawings.

[Ry]

I couldn't find the offboard stuff when I sent you the schematics...I'm sure they'll turn up...

[R.G.]

Kewl. Let me know when they do!

[Sir H C]

Schematics from one:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/c-martin/fuzzes/Ludwig%20Phase%20II/phase-II-bottom-schematic.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/c-martin/fuzzes/Ludwig%20Phase%20II/phase-II-top-schematic.jpg

And the main board:

[Ry]

Cool!  That's the first gut shot of one that I've seen!

now I'm motivated...I will search for the wiring diagram this weekend!

[puretube]

more motivation...

[Ry]

I've been watching them on ebay for years...they usually go for $1500-$2500, with occasional spikes in the price.  This one is waaaaaaaaay overpriced.

[ulysses]

hahah looks cool.

i'll build one if you finish it rg

cheers
ulysses

[QSQCaito]

Wow, It could be a nice challenge to build one of those . Hey, am I the only one who likes wiring? I love building too, but wiring is almost the end, that's why I like it. Hopefully I'm also very patient and check everything more than once(maybe that's why up to now all my builds ran at once).

Still I don't know exactly what it sounds like, gotta check some sound samples on the web.

EDIT: Haven't found any, any idea were I could get some sound samples of this?

[SeanCostello]

What does this thing do? Can the modulation part be simulated by simpler circuits? Or, how about using the Spin Semi FV-1 for a simulation - at least of the modulation?

Sean Costello

[R.G.]

It had been a long time since I looked at that.

I wonder if with with the board schemos and some eagle-eye-ing the gut shot if one could clean up where those last few wires go. There aren't many. I found the files I started with, and there aren't many I couldn't follow, but there are a few. For instance, there was just no reference to where some of the numbered wire connectors went.

From some of the files, there is a reference to "vowel selector". I think they tried to make the filter movement simulate human vocal tract resonances.

Frankly, if we knew where the off board wires went, it's pretty trivial to just place parts where they are on the board layout and just run traces from part to part. Placement and board sizing is much harder than running traces. The boards are pretty trivial.

[ulysses]

hey RG

i'll take a look at it if you are interested. those pics posted by SirHC look fairly easy to trace.

let me know.

cheers
ulysses