Tube boost + overdrive running off a 9 volt battery

[clydeshere]

Sorry guy I got something in my eye and have been laid up not aloud to use computer for a couple days. But on the twin caster im running everything at 12 volts. I picked that buffer becuase on Danos sight he says it sound great at 12 volts and i think he was right.

And yes It's just running directly into the input of the twincaster.

[zambo]

@ Pauly, no i never built a quad...lol...although once i set up my voltron ( 3 caster? ) and put a single vc after it for a volume/lead boost. The single was running on 60 ish volts. I sounded so dang beefy i just started building the voltrons with a 45 volt voltage multiplier in them using lt1054 chip. It gets way to much gain if you want it. If you want a realy gainy pedal I built a trainwreck preamp in a stomp box. It uses 12ax7's and runs on 45 volts ish. You can use au7's and run it on 9 or 12 though and it still sounds pretty good. There is a thread on here somewhere i started. I been over on ax84 learning how to build amps latley. Sorry for the lag in response. Y'all can pm me if you want to ever. Cheers. Greg

[zambo]

here is the tw pedal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-sNT_xjJ9E

[paulyy]

@ Zambo. Yeah, I hooked up two more tubes to my twincaster, running at 9Volts and it sounded the same. Wasnt bad but it didnt add really any more gain but I was thinking about using a voltage multiplier and seeing if that helps. I really like my twincaster as is but Im always looking to try something new.

[zambo]

i have found that 40 to 60 volts really kicks the gain up to a nice usable hard rock distortion. I posted this so sorry if I am repeating...its a three tube running at 45 ish volts   .  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhyyYjY5CgA   I gigged with this and loved it. you have to tweak the highs with .001uf caps from plate to ground on the first 2 stages. All the coupling caps are around .002uf as well. Tweak to taste of course. The third tube really makes a difference i think. Its more of a master volume type of stage. lets you crank the first two and then control the volume with the third. for what its worth. Cheers, Greg

[kaalaraab]

I posted this so sorry if I am repeating...its a three tube running at 45 ish volts

Hi, Greg. Do you have de link to the original post?

you have to tweak the highs with .001uf caps from plate to ground on the first 2 stages. All the coupling caps are around .002uf as well. Tweak to taste of course. The third tube really makes a difference i think. Its more of a master volume type of stage. lets you crank the first two and then control the volume with the third. for what its worth. Cheers, Greg

What happened with the second switch? Does it integrate the second and third tubes? Do you use a volt multiplier inside the stompbox to get 45 volts?

I've been fooling around with Smash Drive and Omega pre amp before de Valvy, I think I'm getting close to the sound I'm looking for. Now I'm going to try the Voltron to see if I have more luck there.

[zambo]

I must have posted in this thread somewhere. I have built porbably 5 or 6 versiond of this pedal. This one is my fave. I used the voltage multiplier i found in frequency centrals thread for the murder one or the superfly amps. They work well but take some space. I use the lt1054 from small bear electronics and it works great. You really have to tweak the highs on this design but its sounds pretty good if you are stuck on tubes...you could use more voltage and do it with two tubes and or use 12ax7's instead. They are pretty harsh to my ears sometimes with lower voltage though. I use 12au7's all the time now for this design. The first switch is global bypass or on. the second switch is 1 tube or 3 tubes. It works pretty well although if i were looking for a pedal that did some distortion and more distortion I would make the second switch be 2 tubes or 3 tubes for a choice instead. Let me know if you need any help. I try to check in but if you dont get a response, private message me and i will see it in my email at home. if you have a twincaster and a valvecaster you can always just run them in series and see what it sounds like as well. I just stuck it all in one box and gave it convenient switch choices. Cheers, Greg

[Jule553648]

What mods should i make  on original valvecaster/dual valvecaster

to make the overdrive less distorted and more smooth.

Like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB0Cog7WIsg

[goatboy]

  I've just built the ValveCaster and love the sound However, instead of problems with hiss, I have problems with hum!! I have a regulated power supply and still get the same hum even with  a 9 volt battery! Is it an earthing issue?? What tricks could I employ to cut the hum??  Thankssss

[goatboy]

Sorry about that! Actually I've found that there's no noise with the battery now but a hum with one regulated power supply and an enormous hiss with another supposedly regulated supply!! Can't believe there's so much variation out there! Sorry for messing up the thread.........

[Jule553648]

I build twin valvecaster today. Sound is absolutely amazing with two 12at7.

But the sound is very muddy, with the tone knob to the may, there is still to muddy, dark.

How can I increase the brightness?


And one biggie:

If i don't play, there is hiss. When i play, there is absolutely no hiss, very nice sound, but when i stop playing hiss comes back like 2 seconds after i stop playing. It has nothing to do with touching the strings

What is happening?

Here is how it sounds: Tone is to the max and it is still too dark. Hiss comes delayed.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my_RZtMc9KE

Why?

[kaalaraab]

For dark sound, earlier in this tread the adviced was given to try smaller values for the output caps. Even include a switch between caps to have two different kind of sound.

For the hiss, I really can't tell whats happening, It sounds to me like some kind of external sign is being amplifyied, but I'm not sure of it. Sorry.

[clydeshere]

yah the hiss Is probably your power source I had to buy a regulated power supply to get rid of it.
As far as the darkness cut the 2 input caps in half and try the buffer I put up on page 100 i think works great.

[runmikeyrun]

The only way i could get my valvecaster and twincaster to be quiet with NO hiss or hum was to use old power supplies from laptops...

[merlinb]

If i don't play, there is hiss. When i play, there is absolutely no hiss, very nice sound, but when i stop playing hiss comes back like 2 seconds after i stop playing. It has nothing to do with touching the strings

Sounds like a large cap is being drained while you are playing, and then filling back up when you stop playing. Where's the schem for a twin valvecaster anyway?

[Jule553648]

If i don't play, there is hiss. When i play, there is absolutely no hiss, very nice sound, but when i stop playing hiss comes back like 2 seconds after i stop playing. It has nothing to do with touching the strings

Sounds like a large cap is being drained while you are playing, and then filling back up when you stop playing. Where's the schem for a twin valvecaster anyway?

[merlinb]

Are you quite sure about the connection between the 2nd and 3rd tube? Is that how you've built it or is that a drawing error ('cause it ain't right!)?

[Jule553648]

No. I build that connection correct - to the second pin.

[merlinb]

No. I build that connection correct - to the second pin.

That schem has an error. (Someone really should have removed it from wherever you found it!)
The 2nd and 3rd stages are not connected together properly, which is causing your delayed hiss problem. It should look more like this (you can ignore the switch and extra tone/vol pots if you want):

[Renegadrian]