Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Hi everyone.

While waiting for some 4PDT foot switches to arrive I've set aside my double li'l beaver project for the moment and have begun working on my Scrambled Octave.

I don't think I'm going to go mod crazy on this one. Though, there is one I have been considering. But, I think I need some help understanding what's going on exactly.

I am comparing the BYOC schematic: http://byocelectronics.com/scrambledoctaveschematic.pdf

and the JD Sleep schematic: http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/pdf ... mb3_sc.pdf

The main difference being the knob names and that JD has an extra "volume" knob (the mod I am considering).

BYOC calls the knobs BLEND and TEXTURE.
GGG calls the knobs BALANCE, TEXTURE, and VOLUME.

Now I'd assume BLEND and BALANCE are the same thing, but looking at the schematics, to my poorly trained eye, looks like the BYOC's BLEND is actually GGG's VOLUME.

The texture knobs appear to be the same.

Am I reading these correctly? And, if so, what then is GGG's BALANCE knob doing? Can I mod one onto my BYOC unit, and should I?

Thanks all.

PS I'm also still hoping to hear of other Scrambled Octave mods if anyone knows of any or has any ideas. Thanks again.

EDIT: I'm changing this post to be my Scrambled Octave Build Journal.

They add an output buffer for the volume. Ours is a straight clone.

_________________
The tone is in my hands?!
Email: nick@buildyourownclone.com

Thanks. Does that just mean a volume pot? (Even though they call it BALANCE?)
Any idea between what components I'd put said pot on the BYOC board?

you'd have to add the whole output section, and then add the volume pot at the end of the circuit. You would add c8 and c9, as well as r18-r23 and q5.

You can also try adding an A100k to the end of the circuit between the existing circuit output and the out jack. Same config as is in the ggg schematic, signal to lug 3, lug 1 to ground, and lug 2 to the out jack. It would just be a volume cut, no boost over the current output. With the additional output section, it will probably allow you to get a higher output. Is it necessary? YMMV, Personally, I think the circuit is fantastic stock, but it's your oyster, you know?

_________________
The tone is in my hands?!
Email: nick@buildyourownclone.com

Whew. That's kinda the answer I wanted to hear. Stock build it is.......or maybe throw a feedback pot and switch on there. NO BAD JHC! BAD! Just f'ing build it! hehe.

Thanks for your thoughtful replies.

One last question before I start....

I've never had a decent soldering iron. Never had any adjustable heat setting.

But, now, I have the Economy Solder Station that BYOC sells. What "temperature" should I set it to for optimum pedal building results?

Thanks.

375 C (~700 f) works great for me.

_________________
“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

My Website * My Musical Gear * My DIY Pedals: Pg.1 - Pg.2

+1 for anything above 700F. I tend to hang out around 850F myself.

_________________
The tone is in my hands?!
Email: nick@buildyourownclone.com

Thanks guys!

So, I've got the Scrambled Octave PCB all filled and soldered.

I couldn't help myself (I had previously purchased a bunch of kinda neat looking NO switches) and added a normal open feedback switch hole in the enclosure. It's not wired yet, so any suggestions or thoughts on where to pick up and return the feedback is appreciated.


As you can see in that picture, I screwed up the first time I did the graphics. So I sanded all the resin I use off the enclosure and started over.

The background is a long exposure I did with my astrophotography camera next to the Colorado River about an hour or so east of Moab in 2015. I covered this with clear resin to make a subtle 3D effect between this background and the upper layers.


The final graphics aren't quite done yet, but here is the middle layer composed with a glue stick, and then on the background and covered with resin. Aside from the background all pictures on this pedal I took in 2019.

OMG! I found an (to me) awesome mod!

So, I am waiting on the final resin layer on the enclosure, but I hooked up the hardware to the PCB.

I have to say, I was kind of disappointed with both the fuzz and the octave. Could I have fried my transistors?

With both knobs all the way down I get a clean tone. The blend knob applies an overdrive sound, not quite fuzz, even when turned up all the way. The texture knob applies a very subtle upper octave, but not a very strong signal.

I just watched Bryce Mathson's youtube demo of the Scrambled Octave and it does sound like he is getting a much more fuzz / thick sound (I play a Rickenbacker with hi-gain pickups).

Any thoughts on how to address these issues?

Now the fun, the mod I found was the simplest and quickest. I just applied a loop from the output back to the input.

IT GIVES AN OCTAVE DOWN AND THE THICKEST BEAUTIFUL FUZZ!!!

I didn't try it with the knobs all the way off, I doubt it would do anything, but I will try it.

With just the blend knob up you get that amazing fuzzed out octave down.

With the blend knob and texture knob turned up you get fuzzed out octave down that skips around on different Ringer sounding harmonics of the note you are playing. (Meaning not necessarily in any key you're actually playing in).

I was thinking I wanted to ask you all how I could get this feedback loop to skip the texture circuit...but now that I think about it, it might be cool to have, I can just turn the texture knob down to get true octave down pitches.

Thanks!

PS Any help on figuring out how to get the pedal giving me its best (ie transistors, or caps, or whatever I might have blown) would be really, greatly appreciated.

Well here she is in all her glory.

Does the "normal" effect sound right to you guys? It's not super fuzzy, just overdriven, and I only really hear the octave up very well when I'm already playing super high notes.

Other than that, and that my power jack isn't working I've got it all finished. (Could the power problem be that I ran the mod LEDs from the power jack and maybe used the wrong positive terminal?



I ended up putting the feedback loop on a 3PDT footswitch because I like how death it is and I didnt want to keep holding down the switch with my foot. This gave me the inspiration to put the LEDs for the mod in the sides of the pedal in the excess resin.