Interest in Professionaly Fabbed Bad Stone Phaser PCBs?

[Scruffie]

I'll probably be in for one or 2. I am interested in some mods, as I am a "maximum knobs possible" kind of person. Will there be documentation on mod suggestions?

You know, I don't really know what sorta mods there are for this as it hasn't been built much (I haven't even finished my own prototype board yet, still waiting on some parts) It's a very straight out phaser as far as I know and known to not like changes in general too much... I suppose adding more stages might be fairly easily doable.

There'll definitley be build documentation and options for the board but how excessive these mods will be I don't know, so far knob wise you're looking at (Stop it before you even think about inuendo  ) Rate, Feedback, Level & Manual and the Phase/Vibrato Switch.

Saying this if the boards lead to more people building it, it leads to more experimentation and the chance for more mods and maybe more boards (although I have a second project planned, so someone else might have to arrange that)

What sorta knobs would you like to see on a phaser of this type? One of the main ones I see is Uni-Vibeing but seeing as this already has a really nice vibrato, don't see that happening. It also has more stages than alot of popular phases so will adding more be worthwhile?

[Taylor]

I'd probably play around with:

-Taking the feedback from various stages. So instead of taking feedback from the last stage and going to the first stage, take it from somewhere in the middle. A rotary switch to swap between a couple of interesting spots would be cool. (This is probably an easy hack even if your board doesn't specifically address it, but it's nice to have the pads available, and it looks like you probably have room.)

-A "Width" knob to choose where in the frequency spectrum the LFO sweeps through, as in RG's Phase 180+

-The ability to take the output from other stages than the last. 6 stages is cool, but 2 and 4 are also useful sounds and they're built in already. Again, a rotary for 2/4/6 would be cool if you could setup the pads for this.

I haven't played too much with phasers so that's all I can think. Looks like a cool project, interested to build it.

[Scruffie]

Show me where to add the pads on the schematic and if there's no major changes needed, i'll put them on 

[Taylor]

I think you basically just take pads from the outputs of the shift stage opamps. Rick has implemented this in his Sonic Death Ray:



So if you just put pads for the outputs of a few different stages (ideally 2 pads for each, so you can use them for feedback or take the output from there to get fewer than 6 stages).

[Scruffie]

Hmm... not sure I follow it on the Bad Stone Schematic itself (I wont claim to know alot about pedal design and this confuses me a tad when it's not using FETs and Op-Amps in the same fashion)

I do also wonder if it might confuse people to have alot of unused, unlabelled pads (no silkscreen room left) on a tightish layout, the build does want to be kept simple for alot of builders I imagine (although I have added a little pad for you manual pot people at the other resistor junction   )

[Taylor]

As far as I can tell the opamps are used in the same way, even though the control mechanism is different in the 2. But I totally understand you not wanting to confuse people since I'm probably in the minority of people who'd mess with that anyway. Having done PCB projects before I know it's impossible to please everybody, so go with your gut regarding what to implement and what not to. I can always just solder onto the opamp output pads.

[Scruffie]

I'll have a look and discuss with the other boarders to see if we could implement it clearly without increasing the board size... although, the more you add to the bottom of the board tacked on, the more authentic it will be to vintage EHX Pedals  

The Width Knob is interesting, although I think it would require another Prototype run once another onboard pot is added which would be nice to avoid but i'll definitley think about that if I can work out adding it (perhaps for a future run) as I think I might quite like that too.

A 3 Way Toggle for 2, 4 or 6 Stages definitley interests me (not so much of a fan of rotaries, toggles for me) although... I don't know how it would cope with volumes or just in general with having fewer stages, that'd require breadboarding I recon.

I'll have a think about them though... i'm all for an extra option or two but on a picky build, I worry about craping the layout up (Duckman of Free Stomp Boxes is actually responsible for the layouts, I mean craping it up on my part by not prototyping changes and then realising, crap. Abfackeln is also to thank for the Run itself and verifying the prototype for us, so lets all thank him too, i'm just the idea man who had the prototypes made thanks to Ryan of Dr.Scientist being the nicest guy on the planet) and also I think it takes away from the people that like the original effect just stock (even though the extras could be avoided with jumpers, I always found leaving them out while still having to solder the jumpers for them a bit of a waste... but that's probably just me)

[Taylor]

I'll have a look and discuss with the other boarders to see if we could implement it clearly without increasing the board size... although, the more you add to the bottom of the board tacked on, the more authentic it will be to vintage EHX Pedals  

True that.

As I said, I was just making some suggestions, so I can totally get why you wouldn't want to mess with your board at this stage.

[Scruffie]

I'll have a look and discuss with the other boarders to see if we could implement it clearly without increasing the board size... although, the more you add to the bottom of the board tacked on, the more authentic it will be to vintage EHX Pedals  

True that.

As I said, I was just making some suggestions, so I can totally get why you wouldn't want to mess with your board at this stage.

Oh yeah, totally understand, i'm just pondering out loud... 'man I could do with another beer...' things may or may not happen at this stage, but, it will have the LPB-1 Boost, fit a 1590BB with onboard pots and build nicely, i'll definitley consider mods, if they'll slip in nicely, they're in, it's a little way off the final stage anyway so there's still time.

(Now I see what it was like with the TZF Electric Mistress Board for you though  )

[dmc777]

I'd buy one!

[bobster]

interesting thread guys..
sorry to hijack slightly but i have a version 2 small stone with the three knobs and it has a hell of a volume drop but otherwise is gorgeous...
when you mention the LPB-1 being implemented in your design, would you be able to describe where i would tack this into my own pedal?
id love to do this as i hardly ever use it due to the frustrating bass loss and vol drop..
thanks
bob

[theehman]

Just take the output wire of the Bad Stone, run it into the input of the LPB1, and run the output of the LPB1 to the footswitch.

[Scruffie]

Here we go, here's what the current revision of the finished silkscreen looks like for anyone interested -

81.28mm x 60.33mm

Any Comments on it?

Oh and found a few more clips - http://www.pedalarea.com/phasers.htm

[wavley]

interesting thread guys..
sorry to hijack slightly but i have a version 2 small stone with the three knobs and it has a hell of a volume drop but otherwise is gorgeous...
when you mention the LPB-1 being implemented in your design, would you be able to describe where i would tack this into my own pedal?
id love to do this as i hardly ever use it due to the frustrating bass loss and vol drop..
thanks
bob

The first thing I ever built was the beginner project on the return of a loop bypass box to address this same issue with both my old green russian small stone and Morley pro flange.

[bobster]

great stuff guys  thanks for the tip!!

[soggybag]

Here we go, here's what the current revision of the finished silkscreen looks like for anyone interested -

81.28mm x 60.33mm

Any Comments on it?

Oh and found a few more clips - http://www.pedalarea.com/phasers.htm

That looks great I like the board mounted pots. It would be very cool if you could get the switch mounted on the board also.

[Scruffie]

That looks great I like the board mounted pots. It would be very cool if you could get the switch mounted on the board also.

Nice idea, I pondered it myself but first of all, it really would require a second board proto with the modifications and second of all, i'm not sure how many people are actually going to get hold of Board Mounted Switches for such a purpose, alot of people I imagine go through smallbear which don't stock them. Also the fact that the switch may be a SPST on the silk screen but if you read in the thread earlier I suggested you wire that switch to switch the LPB-1 out at the same time as going to vibrato so that would require a board mounted 3PDT if you want it true bypass and still DPDT in not which even less people probably have and would probably add a fair amount of board space, shame though as I do love board mounted stuff (although a board mounted toggle might get weakened a fair bit over time if it had a good 'action')

[oldschoolanalog]

Any progress with this ...

[Scruffie]

Any progress with this ...

Yup, just waiting for Final Quotes and the order page to get up... should be sorted in the next few days, layouts all revised and everything now.

[LonePhantom]

Looks pretty cool. I'd be interested if it isn't too much coin.

Will you definitely have the LPB-1 circuit on board?