tiny tremoloOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[MetalUpYerEye]

I want to build one of these but can't find parts! AAAaaaarGHH!! 

[Earthscum]

All the parts you need can actually be found at the 'Shack'.

[Perrow]

another stab in the dark!..

Or is that, in this case, a stab in the blinking lights?

And by the way, I have no problem with anyone modding this pcb design. To be honest, the "9V-" on my design should really say "Ground" or "Power ground", kinda looks like I'm asking people to use a bipolar power supply (I'm not).

[Barcode80]

Hmm, worked this up on Perrow's layout (didn't want to mail you the pcbs until it was verified Perrow! ) My 555 got REALLY hot, although i could get tremolo for a bit. I like it, but I need to get this sorted out so I don't catch my pedal on fire....

Could it be (and this is a stab in the dark) that the leds should have resistors and without them you're drawing slightly too much current from the 555?

well, the rate flashing LED does have a resistor already on it. I should also not that I used a pre-fab optocoupler that is very close to the silonex NSL32. maybe that is it, i'm not sure. I'll try with a roll your own.

At any rate Perrow, I know the layout works because I did get tremolo for a bit before I felt the heat and disconnected. I'll try to get around to drilling some of these up for you now.

[MetalUpYerEye]

Hmm, worked this up on Perrow's layout (didn't want to mail you the pcbs until it was verified Perrow! ) My 555 got REALLY hot, although i could get tremolo for a bit. I like it, but I need to get this sorted out so I don't catch my pedal on fire....

Could it be (and this is a stab in the dark) that the leds should have resistors and without them you're drawing slightly too much current from the 555?

well, the rate flashing LED does have a resistor already on it. I should also not that I used a pre-fab optocoupler that is very close to the silonex NSL32. maybe that is it, i'm not sure. I'll try with a roll your own.

At any rate Perrow, I know the layout works because I did get tremolo for a bit before I felt the heat and disconnected. I'll try to get around to drilling some of these up for you now.

You guys sellin' those boards? I wouldn't mind having one...

[Barcode80]

Hmm, worked this up on Perrow's layout (didn't want to mail you the pcbs until it was verified Perrow! ) My 555 got REALLY hot, although i could get tremolo for a bit. I like it, but I need to get this sorted out so I don't catch my pedal on fire....

Could it be (and this is a stab in the dark) that the leds should have resistors and without them you're drawing slightly too much current from the 555?

well, the rate flashing LED does have a resistor already on it. I should also not that I used a pre-fab optocoupler that is very close to the silonex NSL32. maybe that is it, i'm not sure. I'll try with a roll your own.

At any rate Perrow, I know the layout works because I did get tremolo for a bit before I felt the heat and disconnected. I'll try to get around to drilling some of these up for you now.

You guys sellin' those boards? I wouldn't mind having one...

are you in the continental us? if so i'll mail you one.

[pie-key]

is there any way we could put a wave shaper? like a tremulus lune with shape pot...

SQAURE/SAWTOOTH/TRIANGLE/or SINE

it would be nice i think....

[Barcode80]

is there any way we could put a wave shaper? like a tremulus lune with shape pot...

SQAURE/SAWTOOTH/TRIANGLE/or SINE

it would be nice i think....

That's the thing about circuits like this, people always want to add complicated features, which would turn it into another pedal. The point of this one is that it is a decent tremolo with small parts count. The more stuff you build into it, the more it turns into just another tremolo...

[Slade]

is there any way we could put a wave shaper? like a tremulus lune with shape pot...

SQAURE/SAWTOOTH/TRIANGLE/or SINE

it would be nice i think....

That's the thing about circuits like this, people always want to add complicated features, which would turn it into another pedal. The point of this one is that it is a decent tremolo with small parts count. The more stuff you build into it, the more it turns into just another tremolo...

Yeah, sometimes people looks for a "magic" and fast mod to get professional effects from really simple circuits like this.
In the case anybody wants that functions a Tremulus Lune is much more that an option to build.

[deadastronaut]

yep simplicity...

heres a video demo..still on breadboard...

http://www.youtube.com/user/100roberthenry#p/u/0/Hb0heYolcTc

[markeebee]

Good lord, that's wonderful Rob.

I could watch that clip for years.  The gently flickering leds, the beautiful chordal stuff......completely hypnotic.  Feels like I'm on mandrax.

[deadastronaut]

 
yeah top quality video production...ha ha...

[pie-key]

@deadastronaut

what is your preferred LED type based on:

COLOR?
SIZE?
TYPE?(super bright, water clear, etc.)

im planning to build my own...

thanks a lot...

[deadastronaut]

@deadastronaut

what is your preferred LED type based on:

COLOR?
SIZE?
TYPE?(super bright, water clear, etc.)

im planning to build my own...

thanks a lot...

funny you should ask, im messing around with a 5mm superbright blue and an ldr right now as i type..with a wah...
and it works fine..
i used red standard led (not super or clear)because thats what ive always seen used on other diy vactrols..
also on morley wahs, compressors etc...seems to be a standard way of doing it..i also read about it somewhere...

i used 5mm to best fit with the size of the ldr.

experiment with  the superbrights/clears, they seem to be a bit more on/offy than the diffused reds..
well it does to my eyes /ears...what harm can it do?.apart from drain a battery quicker, but i use psu only....experiment..

[Earthscum]

I was reading some datasheets on LDR's. Most (every one that I read) use the red range of light, around 650nm. I tried a green and got hardly any resistance change with one of my LDR's, but reds do the trick. UV didn't do a damned thing with the ones I have.

I did read in some other thread (not here) about using LDR's that are made to respond to different color ranges. The people were using them to respond to the stage lights for some reason or another, but I haven't come across any personally.

[Perrow]

I was reading some datasheets on LDR's. Most (every one that I read) use the red range of light, around 650nm. I tried a green and got hardly any resistance change with one of my LDR's, but reds do the trick. UV didn't do a damned thing with the ones I have.

I did read in some other thread (not here) about using LDR's that are made to respond to different color ranges. The people were using them to respond to the stage lights for some reason or another, but I haven't come across any personally.

I searched the subject earlier for my parts order, and found a thread saying green was the preffered choise 

[MetalUpYerEye]

Has anyone received a PCB for this yet? There was a guy making them and I PM'ed and asked for one but never got a response... 

[Barcode80]

Has anyone received a PCB for this yet? There was a guy making them and I PM'ed and asked for one but never got a response... 

That would be me, sorry. I've been swamped with work and have multiple PCBs (including yours) on my desk that I haven't been able to get to the post office. I'll get them all out this weekend, I promise.

[Earthscum]

I tried a green and got hardly any resistance change

I searched the subject earlier for my parts order, and found a thread saying green was the preffered choise 

Scratch that... it was yellow. I just tried it, but I have other LDR's I just tried that respond much more nicely to the yellow and way too aggressively to the red. Most worked sluggishly with the green, except for one that worked great. I marked it and put it back in the bag  I may use it someday for a special project.

Like I said, though... apparently, according to some others (I haven't looked it up myself yet) LDR's are made to respond to different wavelengths as part of their function. I kinda remember when I noticed the nm range in datasheets that I had seen others in different ranges. I just wasn't paying much attention to that and was looking for min and max resistances at the time, though.

[Ratbones]

Hey deadastronaut, could I bother you to repost that colorsound wah breadboard layout again? I tried building it from the schematic and must have done something goofy... Thanks!