toneblaster...a ge/silicon hybrid version of the tonebender...

[pinkjimiphoton]

thanks to all the guys who helped me debug this thing over the last few days...when all was said and done, had a couple probs, one obvious...a forgotten trace cut, added to the layout...and  a recycled 9v clip that seemed to be acting like a huge cap....anyways, here's some lame camera shots, and the layout, which i'll try to revise better when i get a chance. this is based off the npn silicon tonebender by andrew carrell and ricky vance, and i take no credit other than the vero layout.

anyways, two gut shots (sorry so bad, my phone blows)





and here's the layout....please read the notes, as there are a couple mistakes here and there...like the diode needs to be backwards from how pictured, and the vol and tone knobs need the wiring reversed on pins 1  & 3....i followed the schematic, and it was backwards on it....

anyways, i love the sound, hope someone can find this thing useful somehow!



thanks again to all who helped me figure this thing out!! peace!

[pinkjimiphoton]

here's a fixed layout, verified by me, would diggit if someone else could verify my verification! 

[pinkjimiphoton]

ya know, germanium sure sounds nice...when it works. lol.

i built this thing, it sounded great....total love, schwinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggg!!

took it out last nite, and suddenly all i had was a fairly clean booster. wtf.

my fuzzface does the opposite...if it's too cold, it's farty and ugly, around 70 degrees it sounds godlyke.

i know this is probably dumb, but is there anyway on this planet to make germanium stuff stable where it will work consistently,
or should i just say screw it and stick with silicon?

sometimes it's a drag to have to hold a lighter to the enclosure til it gets warmed up enough to function, lol...

and i seem to have the opposite problem i hear of...with my builds, it seems like they sound better hot than cold...

man... can anybody shine a little light for the newbe please?

thanks!!

[egasimus]

If operating temperature is really the problem, how about a temperature sensor + heater (from an old soldering iron, perhaps)

[digi2t]

Check here;

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=37944.0

Even in Ge fuzzes, it's usually Q1 that's responsible for going out of whack because of temperature. Maybe try the diode mod, and see what happens.

Personally, I swapped out my PNP Ge trannies in my Skyripper for PNP Si ones. I found it sounded better. I believe Q1 is a 2n2905, and Q2 is a 2n2907... something like that. I'd love to open it up and take a look, but it's packed away for the move.

Cheers,
Dino

[trjones1]

When I make silicon/germanium hybrids I usually put the germanium transistor in the position with the bypass cap on the emitter (Q2 in this case).  It's my understanding that this is the position that is most responsible for the fuzz (could be wrong on that though).  There's still some temperature instability, but it's never too bad.

[petemoore]

  I built the RDV Si Tonebender, worked great, a touch synthier sounding than the Ge version, but very stable, single-note leads..as suggested: try the slide intro to "I can't quit you babe"...
   Ge in Q1...finicky as it is, afforded a wider range of 'usable differences' to the guitar/rolloff effect, a little dirtier and a little cleaner in a different way.
  A good Fuzzface, then anyboost in front of it gets into TB territory.
   

[pinkjimiphoton]

Check here;

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=37944.0

Even in Ge fuzzes, it's usually Q1 that's responsible for going out of whack because of temperature. Maybe try the diode mod, and see what happens.

Personally, I swapped out my PNP Ge trannies in my Skyripper for PNP Si ones. I found it sounded better. I believe Q1 is a 2n2905, and Q2 is a 2n2907... something like that. I'd love to open it up and take a look, but it's packed away for the move.

Cheers,
Dino

thanks dino, i will check that out...much appreciated. i've thought about putting a 12ax7 in there just to keep it warm...lol..
i'm also thinking of removing the diode to see if a straight jumper improves it a little.
best of luck with the move bro!
peace, jimi

[pinkjimiphoton]

When I make silicon/germanium hybrids I usually put the germanium transistor in the position with the bypass cap on the emitter (Q2 in this case).  It's my understanding that this is the position that is most responsible for the fuzz (could be wrong on that though).  There's still some temperature instability, but it's never too bad.

i tried a bunch of different npn's, and tried the ge in all three positions (and in combinations) ...on the breadboard, this was the best sounding configuration, had more ballz and a smoother fuzztone to it. i'm assuming cuz it's still kinda chilly here (ct) at nite that the temp is the issue. i've opened the fuzzface and literally held a bic lighter near the circuit board and it makes the thing work better...go figure. lol...come summer, it'll probably do the opposite!!

thanks bro!
peace
jimi

[CodeMonk]

Think maybe a heatsink for the Ge may help?

[pinkjimiphoton]

seems to be the opposite so far...when it's COLD, it sounds like sh%%!!!!!

[petemoore]

   may be useless when cold.
    Punchout a 1'' raco lid center circle. Fashion a boiler plate to be placed ~1/8'' above the bottom plate. Use lighter to improve operating temperatures.
    didn't have too much trouble when using Ge's at 'normal guitar playing temperatures. Did have complete garble-gate-out before they warmed up from being in very cold.
   It was 93/baking sun, TB refused but to produce slight gargle.
    ..Bright colored pedal and a shade umbrella might help.
   Had to opt for more reliable unit for permanent mounting to PB chain.
   

[pinkjimiphoton]

boiler plate...niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice............


seriously thinking about trying one of these:

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/PJT-7/40MM-X-44MM-THERMOELECTRIC-COOLER//1.html

just flip it one way or the other depending on ambient temp...lol

it's weird...this thing and my fuzzface sound awesome around 70 degrees or so...

but they sure don't like the cold cement floor where we rehearse..

dumb question...but do ya think the diode i put in this may be what's killing the fuzz, too?
it's supposed to "smooth" the distortion from what i read...

well...who wants smooth distortion?

i want BAAAAALLLLZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL

[LucifersTrip]

i know this is probably dumb, but is there anyway on this planet to make germanium stuff stable where it will work consistently,
or should i just say screw it and stick with silicon?

1)  sub a trimpot or pot for a bias resistor (on Q2 collector)
2) choose a ge transistor that is less sensitive to temperature. when you are checking gain, you will notice that some transistors take much longer to settle. use the ones that settle quicker.
3) build a ge fuzz that is not nearly as sensitive to fluctuations in gain (an Orpheum, for one)


good luck

[pinkjimiphoton]

like, maybe a 1k trimpot in place of r8 (330r) ya mean? seems like it's worth a try...

question...when adding a trimpot, should one leg be tied to ground, or is it cool just to use it as a variable resistance? tied to ground it's a voltage divider, right?

i tried the few ge trannys i had, the one in there was leaky but seemed to sound the best...

i'll look into the orpheum, thanks for the tip!

[pinkjimiphoton]

did a little more research, thanks to you guys, and changed it just a little..

a couple mods...

first, there's just enough room to the left of q1 to add a component...

you want to put a 1n34a germanium diode between the emitter and the base of the transistor, with the band facing the emitter. that would be holes g6 and h6. that will help cure the temperature stability somewhat.

also, you don't need the 4.7k resistor across the attack pot. seems to work a little bit better without it.

anyways...onwards and upwards...thanks again to everyone for all the help!

i think i may need to replace q1 tho...i may have fried it a little too much, it's leaky as heck now.
ooops.

also may try a beavis trick, and use a dpdt switch and some sockets to switch between the ge tranny and a silicon one as a fail safe.

[LucifersTrip]

like, maybe a 1k trimpot in place of r8 (330r) ya mean? seems like it's worth a try...

sorry, I forgot you made the 3 tran version. I meant on the Q3 collector.

question...when adding a trimpot, should one leg be tied to ground, or is it cool just to use it as a variable resistance? tied to ground it's a voltage divider, right?

just use the middle lug and either one of the outside lugs hooked to the exact same points you had each end of the resistor

i'll look into the orpheum, thanks for the tip!

it's a variation of the ge Fuzz Rite...it's killer

good luck

[pinkjimiphoton]

thanks lu...

i used it yesterday on the gig, it's a unique sounding "clean" distortion with a bit of boost and compression. i'd have figured it would be even more distorted than the fuzzface, but it's a completely different sound...almost like a big muff, with the sustain and boost, but way less fuzz. kind of hard to describe. it works great with other fuzzes or into an overdrive or gainy amp...by itself, almost a mutant compressor.

i'll try tackling it soon to see if i can sort out what's what, wanna get my ff sorted out first.

peace!

[pinkjimiphoton]

ok, so i dicked around with this today for a while...

swapped out the 4.7mf input cap for a 0.22mf cap instead...made it a little less muddy. may go even smaller, tried 1mf, that was no help.

also added a diode clipper with a couple in914's to ground from the emitter of q2. gave it a bit more baalz than it had, which helped. now it's more of a medium gain overdrive, not quite so clean.
something weird is going on with the circuit still tho, i noticed if i squeeze the circuit board it seems to get louder.

checked for bad solder, resoldered again, checked with my glasses and a magnifying glass. seems to be ok.

next up i think will be adding a buffer stage, i tried a buffer before it and it was much livelier than before...so gonna take the tiny buffer board i added to dead astronaut's tiny tremoloooooooooo out of it (as it doesn't do much, the buffer kinda overpowers the trem) and be done with it.

will try to update the schem and layout when i get a chance.

thinking more and more tho about adding a rangemaster to the front end...that was actually the original idea anyways..

onwards and upwards!!

jimi

[pinkjimiphoton]

k...never needed the buffer in the long run.

added a 10k trim to q1...helped dial in a sweeter spot.

i changed the volume to 50 k by strapping a 47k resistor across the pot. i DID lose a little volume, but the tone improved 100%...it now is alot like a big muff almost, and cleans up beautifully with the guitar knob.

the ge diode temp mod worked wonders on this fuzz, too.

i will try and update the layout...thanks for all the help!!!

peace!!