Danelectro Cool Cat Vibe Pedal!!!

[Muziekschuur]

Mine does too.

I wonder where I can see what revision I own.

[mr_sooty]

Hey guys, just looking at getting one of these, trying one out at the moment. A couple of questions (I have read this entire 7 page thread):

- Is the volume boost less noticeable after you fix the delay? Effects like this really need a slight boost to sound like unity gain, and I think the big problem is that the boost sounds really obvious until the effect kicks in. Have people found that fixing the delay lessens their distaste of the boost?

- Is there an easy way to make the LED indicate not only the speed (yep seen the instructions on doing that), but also the intensity? I was looking on the inside of this pedal and noticed that the throbbing light inside the pedal changes with the intensity knob - could one connect another LED in parralel to that one to make an 'always on' pulse indicator?

- Has anybody else taken the switch cover off? I noticed that if you take off the cover that goes over the switch, you end up with a slightly more conventional looking footswitch and two convenient sized holes on either side of the switch (where the screws for the switch cover went). I was thinking about using one of these holes for mounting a pulse indicator - if I  can find a way of rigging one up - and the other as a screwdriver access hole for a volume trimpot. Thoughts?

[mr_sooty]

Oh yeah, one other thing, on the one I have at home, I notice a slight crackle as the note dies. I actually work at a shop that sells these, so I'll find out tomorrow whether this crackle is common to the other Danovibe's we have in stock, but just thought I'd ask if anyone else has noticed a crackle? Could be an issue with my power supply, but I don't get it with my Phase 90.

[mr_sooty]

OK, never mind about the crackle, doesn't seem to be the pedals fault. But still interested on peoples thoughts from my first post.

[mr_sooty]

OK, well I seem to be talking to myself here, but anyway, I answered my own questions today by modding the pedal. I fixed the delay and rigged up the pulsing LED as per the instructions on page 2 of this thread, but with one slight difference. I found that by connecting the LED to the middle terminal of the intensity knob instead of pin three on the speed knob, I could get the LED to pulse not only as a speed indicator, but also as an intensity indicator (LED throbs less strongly with less intensity). There was a slight trade off though - the LED is slightly less intense overall (not really a negative in my view) and it also has the effect of turning down the intensity control slightly. It's easy enough to bring the intensity to where it was by turning the control up more, and if you're like me, you found that there was a sweet spot with the intensity control and mix control that gave you that perfect Pink Floyd 'Breathe' warble anyway. I just find now that sweet spot is higher up on the intensity dial. I'm wondering if with further experimentation I might be able to find a balance with my new intensity control and the internal trim pot to restore the original range of the control.

I also found that fixing the delay greatly reduced the annoyance of the volume boost, which is most noticeable before the effect kicks in on the stock version. With the delay gone, the volume boost seems almost welcome, as the ear perceives it closer to unity gain, like you find on a tremolo effect, so at this stage I'll probably leave the volume alone.

These mods make the DanoVibe a complete no brainer. Best bang for the buck Vibe pedal anywhere.

[tubelectron]

Hi mr_sooty,

I also have a CoolCatVibe brand new in a box and I didn't already find the time to improve it against the problems mentioned here - that I have noticed, moreover... Nonetheless, I read your explanations and find it interesting to try - so you were not talking alone : someone (at least me) was listening ! I record it for the day when I will re-open the box of my CCV !

Thanks & A+!

[mr_sooty]

Thanks Tubelectron!

I've found that there's a trade off wherever you connect the LED - if you connect it to the spped pot only, you loose a little speed, if you connect it to the intensity pot, you lose a little intensity. For me personally, I got the sound I wanted on the stock pedal with the intesity at about 1 oclock. With the LED connected to the intensity control, I can still get that sound, but I need to have the intensity control nearly all the way up.

If you're somebody who uses the Vibe more for a Leslie type sound, with the intensity control right up in stock mode, you might want to leave the LED as is. As I say, even if you just connect it to the speed control as per the original instructions, you do seem to lose a little of the top speed range.

[gratefulmule]

Guys i'm new here just picked up a Danolectro CCV wondering what the little trim pot does and how to adjust it.
any help much appreciated.

thanks
Brendan.

[mr_sooty]

Adjust it with a small screw driver. It basically seems to alter the intensity of the photocell inside the pedal. I like to play a chord and adjust the trim pot until I hear the deep bassy low end throb, which seems to be at about 3 quarters of the way around. This is the best way to get that really nice swirly univibe sound.

[gratefulmule]

Thanks Mr Sooty, i'll give that ago 

[mr_sooty]

Bump -

Does anybody know if there's a way to have the LED connected to the intrensity pot without it messing with the intensity? (same question for the speed knob I guess). I'm thinking a diode or a resistor or something?

[blkmagik98]

I just picked one of these up in a bunch of pedals and opened it to do the mods, but somebody beat me to it....and put it back together with electrical tape. Nice...


Michael

[fretzburner]

My vibe modded like this.

png image hosting

Information from the net and some personal experiment with the volume problem.I did not try the trimmer method from the output because of impedance.
Correction make the resistor from 47k to 27k(not 22k)

[guitarist]

I actually successfully added the from pot and made a video that I hope explains it well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSJ8TReL5tU
Thanks to this thread for inspiring me do complete the mod, it works great! I'll keep the pedal now. A speed out control jack would rock. I also run all my pedals at 12V but thats another thread...

[SpudMurphy]

I know that this is an old thread but a good one at that.

I did the delay mod this afternoon using a 27k resistor soldered to the switch PCB as per Aperio guitars instructions - a really easy way to do it.
The instructions are at http://aperioguitar.com/2011/06/13/a-better-mod-for-cool-cat-vibe/
The LCD is dim when the pedal is in true bypass but there again I didn't want to be blinded by it.

The mod is quite simple


But I really have to get rid of the volume bump. Trouble is I am sooooo electrical incompetent, but good at soldering and I can follow a picture like the mod above. Unfortunately I cannot understand entirely the video link posted above in the thread.

Can anybody help me wire my 100k trimpot into the Danny - providing pictures on how to do it please?

Aperio guitars also give great instructions on how to wire a 100k trimpot but my Danny Cool Cat Vibe's PCB is nothing like the picture on their site so I'm loathe to start scraping away at the track on the PCB. My PCB looks like this

[SpudMurphy]

Re the above - I think it could be that the footswitch is mounted 180 degrees differently to that one shown on aperio guitars website /
MMMM now what can I do to be sure???

[SpudMurphy]

nope that was no joy!!

I really want to get rid of that volume kick and have looked at the link on you tube in Guitarist's link above on how to install a trim pot.

Now I am an electronics novice but I can solder and I can follow instructions - I 've done the delay mod on the pedal and that works just fine.

So I was hoping someone can clear up Guitarist's commentary for me - he loses me a bit!!

At 0:28 of his video the narrative goes some thing like this

....."Going to that jack where it goes to the 3PDT switch the inside part (which confuses me) is the wire that you unplug from the connector underneath and that got soldered to the outside leg of a 50K pot"

So that I can fully understand what wire to remove from underneath the 3PDT switch, is it the grey wire that runs from the true bypass connector on the biscuit coloured PCB to the far left of the connector plugged onto the green switch pcb? - I would then solder that wire to the trim pot?
Just so that there's no confusion the sequence of the colours on the connector still plugged into the 3PDT switch PCB  prior to the mod is
grey left/ grey middle/red - presume it's the grey left wire I remove?

I've also attached a photo should it help.



I'd really appreciate anybody's  help on this and thank you for your time.

[SpudMurphy]

No reply? - oh well I took the plunge and jobs a good un.

Here's a picture of the finished install. Just so that it's clear to other newbs -

To cure the delay I soldered a 27k resistor to the ...  ... lugs on the 3PDT PCB
To cure the volume boost I used a 100K trimpot - on the trimpot there are two legs together. One of the legs I soldered a fly lead connected to the middle lug left hand side of the
switch pcb ...   ...

The lead that gets soldered onto the second leg is the grey wire underneath the switch PCB that goes into the molex connector. Remove this lead
Grey left   grey middle   red. It is the grey middle wire - the one that goes to the middle pin = middle lug on top of the switch pcb.

The third leg of the trimpot I have grounded to the screw that goes into the switch lug.

[VK7HSE]

Realising that this thread is rather old, but curious for those who have done the delay fix, how long ago and are there any noticeable degradation of the vibe (incandescent photo cell life span shortened?)

I'm not a amateur/professional player, but I'm not wanting to shorten the life of the CV-1 prematurely!

[sharp11]

Hi! im thinking about gtting one of these and re-housing it, would there be a way of adding a expression pedal jack so i could control it via my expression pedal? cheers!