PEPPER SHREDDER

[Renegadrian]

Finished my take on the PEPPER SHREDDER using my layout here
I made this using the original schem and Jimmy-H PCB as guides.
It works, altough I forgot to add C10 (220uF electrolytic) between 12v and ground. (I'll update the layout soon)
(C10 is added in the PCB but it's not in the original schem)
Put it in, and added a 7812 at the DC jack.
I am using a couple of 12AU7 and not the 12U7 per the schem. I read that you can use both in that same site (Tube-Town)

I got a really good overdrive, but a countinuous hiss is coming as soon as I put the wall wart into the DC jack...
both before and after that C10 insertion.
Any hiss hint??

[frequencycentral]

Well done Adriano - this is on my to do list. How does it compare with the Valvy? Did yuo build it without tone control? Lets see some photos!

[Renegadrian]

Well Rick, it has more gain compared to our trusty Valvecasters, nice and thick sound!!! I built the standard toneless version, you know I'm not so fond about tone controls...Pics you say...well, it's just the vero board with a mess of wires...
I'd like to have it boxed, but first I am gonna solve that f***ing hiss problem...
I'm getting mad at it...

[frequencycentral]

Maybe if you box it up the hiss will go away (?).

[Renegadrian]

mmm, I doubt it...

[Jimmy-H]

Finished my take on the PEPPER SHREDDER using my layout here
I made this using the original schem and Jimmy-H PCB as guides.
It works, altough I forgot to add C10 (220uF electrolytic) between 12v and ground. (I'll update the layout soon)
(C10 is added in the PCB but it's not in the original schem)
Put it in, and added a 7812 at the DC jack.
I am using a couple of 12AU7 and not the 12U7 per the schem. I read that you can use both in that same site (Tube-Town)

I got a really good overdrive, but a countinuous hiss is coming as soon as I put the wall wart into the DC jack...
both before and after that C10 insertion.
Any hiss hint??

Hi Renegardian,

Sorry for the late reaction!
But I have been away for a vacation.
That's also the reason I didn't reply on Rick's Personal mail).

I don't know if you have solved your problem.
But it's all in the power supply.
Maybe you have to filter your power supply.
There have been reports on the tube-town site having problems with hiss and hum.
Always having to do with a bad power supply.
I used an old switching power supply of a printer.
That works very well!!

It's not a problem of the 12AU7-tube (or there has to be a bad one).
There is another dutch build using 12AU7 tubes, and it works all fine (but he also uses a switching power supply).

[Renegadrian]

Jimmy, thx for your reply - even diyers need vacation, right? Hope you had a nice time...
anyway, I have to cannibalize an old printer, should I find there the solution of my PS (pepper shredder and power supply) trouble?
I'll try that one...
One last thing...I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU MISPELL AGAIN MY NICKNAME!!!  <---JOKIN' 
It's RENEGADRIAN - I have it inked on my arm too...

[frequencycentral]

Here's mine:

[Jimmy-H]

Here's mine:

Wooow, that's real small Rick!
Now I'm really curious how it will sound with the tiny tubes!

Jimmy, thx for your reply - even diyers need vacation, right? Hope you had a nice time...
anyway, I have to cannibalize an old printer, should I find there the solution of my PS (pepper shredder and power supply) trouble?
I'll try that one...
One last thing...I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU MISPELL AGAIN MY NICKNAME!!!  <---JOKIN' 
It's RENEGADRIAN - I have it inked on my arm too...

Sorry Renagardian uuhh......Rranagadrien....uhhh now I'm all mixed up! (just kiddin!  )

[frequencycentral]

Here's mine:

Wooow, that's real small Rick!
Now I'm really curious how it will sound with the tiny tubes!

Yeah, tiny huh? I've been breadboarding some ideas using these 6111 submini tubes. 'Bipolar Disorder' was one of them, the others are still in development (vibrato and phaser - not so easy!)

When I did the 'Bipolar Disorder' I breadboarded it first using a 6111, then built it using a 12AU7 - there really was no difference between them.

[frequencycentral]

Finished:

[Renegadrian]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 
That's damn beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!! Rick, you're the man...

[comfortably_numb]

Any luck with the hiss renegadrian?  Frequencycentral - any comments on the tone of this circuit?

[Ice-9]

 I just love those tiny valves, nice build, and so small. 

[Jimmy-H]

Finished:

[

Nice job Rick!!  
And how does it sound with those tubes.
And it really looks like a Doctor Analogue pedal again!

[Renegadrian]

The hiss still stays - I believe I'll be trying something again next month, it's in the closet right now...

[frequencycentral]

Thank you for your kind comments. My first impression is that it's a much more 'refined' pedal than the Valvecaster. I would guess it's better engineered, the gain being built up stage by stage, rather than the Valvecaster's sledgehammer approach. Also, the Valvecaster's second triode cathode is connected directly to earth, which I don't think is good practice having poured over dozens on tube circuits recently - the 'right' was seems to be:

- a 1K resistor in series with a cap (say 10uf)

or

- an LED (or diode) with the LED's cathode connected to ground and it's anode connected to the triode cathode.

I really only just finished it, tested it and posted the pictures, the tone is good! First thing I noticed was that I usually have my Valvecaster volume at about 10 o'clock - hardly anything, on the Pepper Shredder unity is round about 2 o'clock. Tomorrow I have band practice, so I will be testing and comparing it more fully with the Valvecaster and the other distortions I use - DIY MXR D+ and Boss (original) Blues Driver.

I have no hiss or hum issues; I put a 10uf cap across the power rails. The only other change I made was for the 6111 heaters, they require 6.3 volts. I'm running on 12 volts, so I just put the two tube heaters in series.

[Drake120]

Hi,

what kind of tonestack did you use?

(JD)^S

[comfortably_numb]

Looking forward to a more complete report.

[frequencycentral]

Hi,

what kind of tonestack did you use?

(JD)^S

The tone stack is really simple. I just used the Vavlecaster's cap/pot approach.