Behringer - Vintage Phaser VP1 - True Bypass Mod

A forum devoted to mod, tips and suggestions for upgrading and rehousing your VERY CHEAP commercial stompbox to near boutique excellence.
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Binuts
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Post by Binuts »

Alright folks, I didn't do the Boost thing yet, I find expensive the circuit BUT I did the True Bypass mod and it works. Just a thing : the ground cable is not connected to the same leg of the jack output. http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main. ... d.jpg.html (the grey and red cable). When I understood there was a bug (by pluggin the guitar to the phaser to the amp), I just tried each leg and I found the good one : the lower on the picture.

I don't think I'll add a boost soon. it's around 16€ here…

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Scruffie
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Post by Scruffie »

Binuts wrote:Alright folks, I didn't do the Boost thing yet, I find expensive the circuit BUT I did the True Bypass mod and it works. Just a thing : the ground cable is not connected to the same leg of the jack output. http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main. ... d.jpg.html (the grey and red cable). When I understood there was a bug (by pluggin the guitar to the phaser to the amp), I just tried each leg and I found the good one : the lower on the picture.

I don't think I'll add a boost soon. it's around 16€ here…
You could build a boost on a scrap of vero or perf (even just point to point) for no more than a euro probably.

You're paying for all the stuff you don't need with that kit.

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RenanCyb
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Post by RenanCyb »

wildschwein wrote:
I followed all your wiring to the letter but I did find however I needed to connect the wire that goes to the input jack to a different lug than the one you have visible in your photo in order for the pedal to pass signal - I found mine need to go to the lug right at the bottom of the input jack when viewed from the same angle as in your photo - i.e., with the pedal face down, jacks facing away and board solder side up. Not sure why.
Thank you buddy! I wasn't able to get it to work until I did exactly the same wiring as you did. Nice job there.

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tkdrew
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Post by tkdrew »

Has anybody implemented a mix control on these? I like the phasing but would like it much more if I could tone it down a little. Hoping someone has the resistor number to tie into to add the mix pot(ala small stone mod). :D My tired old eyes would hate me if I have to trace it down. :roll: Thanks

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Renegadrian
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Post by Renegadrian »

Schem at first page has a small error, R23 is 100k. Some people tend to put half its value to get more signal put the pedal.

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tabbycat
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Post by tabbycat »

thanks to all previous contributors to this post/subject. espesh soulsonic for the bypass mod and JiM for the schematic.

am going to mod my vp1 this weekend. true-bypass mod, swap stock ‘rate’ pot for solid alpha pot, add depth pot mod, add IvIark’s vero EH LPB1 booster (trimmer version). and a makeover for kicks. could any more fun possibly be had for a fiver?

however, am stuck on a component detail and wonder if anyone can deduce something i’m missing from the info available.

as said, am swapping the stock ‘rate’ pot for an alpha.

the behringer vp1 schematic gives the value as 1m
located between IC1 and T7 here:
https://www.freestompboxes.org/download/ ... &mode=view
(top righthand corner as looking at it)

the pcb layout for the EH small stone (of which it’s a clone) gives the same value (top right again).
https://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8756/capture1ny.png

according to various reliable sources i’ve checked out the small stone ‘rate’ pot is a 1m reverse audio taper.

information on the behringer vp1 clone isn’t to be found.

is it reasonable of me to suppose that it would be reverse audio taper too?

thank you to anyone who can clarify. or even justify a good guess.

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Nocentelli
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Post by Nocentelli »

I would assume it is reverse log: Can you get at the pot inside your pedal to check? You will have to if you plan to replace it.
modman wrote: Let's hope it's not a hit, because soldering up the same pedal everyday, is a sad life. It's that same ole devilish double bind again...

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tabbycat
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Post by tabbycat »

Nocentelli wrote:I would assume it is reverse log: Can you get at the pot inside your pedal to check? You will have to if you plan to replace it.


thanks for the tip nocentelli. your assumption is worth enough to inspire the necessary confidence in me to order one. haven't got my pedals here atm but wll have by the time part arrives. as i'm ordering now i may as well chuck it on to make up the numbers.

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tabbycat
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Post by tabbycat »

dragsville, city limits.

not easy to substitute the behringer plastic shaft rate pot for a 1m alpha pot as there are two brassy fixing columns that rise parallel from the pcb to the enclosure that are too close together to fit an alpha pot between them.
DSCF0786 small.jpg
oh well, i'll use it as is unless it becomes a problem. works fine anyway, just being fussy.

thought i'd mention it though, to save anyone else the bother of pulling it all apart to find out that it can't easily be replaced.

tabbycat.

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tabbycat
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Post by tabbycat »

ok you bitches, have just done this one.

works well. clear-as-a-bell true bypass, lush effect. it's a beauty. proper eh small stone clone for no money.

as some of the links for the mod are down, and there seems to be quite a few members who (as i did) found the jack socket lug you need to connect to is the lowest (indicated in diagram below), i have drawn a new diagram according to what worked for me.
soulsonic's original mod indicated that you need to connect to the lug (on same jack socket) top left corner (looking at my diagram).
maybe save that join to last and use your intelligence to work out which one before soldering? i know you have it in you.
behringer vp-1 phaser true-bypass mod.JPG
by way of a cherry on top, i treated mine to a sexy moog knob.
DSCF0801.JPG
thanks to soulsonic for the original mod and to all contributing posters above for their feedback.

tabbycat
.

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maestun
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Post by maestun »

Hey everybody, first post on this site :)

Just bought one of these babies for a simple reason : I've got a EHX Superego pedal, and I always leave a EHX Small Stone in its effect's loop, it gives a great sound.
However, this takes a lot of room in my pedalboard : so I decided to "integrate" a VP1 pedal into the Superego's enclosure. It fits well and works like a charm !
The desoldering of all the "big" components (switch, pot, led, etc...) was a HUGE pain in the arse, but totally worth it :)
I'll post some pics and instructions if anybody is interested, or I'll create a new subject maybe, since it's more of a Superego's mod ?

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tabbycat
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Post by tabbycat »

maestun wrote:Hey everybody, first post on this site :)

Just bought one of these babies for a simple reason : I've got a EHX Superego pedal, and I always leave a EHX Small Stone in its effect's loop, it gives a great sound.
However, this takes a lot of room in my pedalboard : so I decided to "integrate" a VP1 pedal into the Superego's enclosure. It fits well and works like a charm !
The desoldering of all the "big" components (switch, pot, led, etc...) was a HUGE pain in the arse, but totally worth it :)
I'll post some pics and instructions if anybody is interested, or I'll create a new subject maybe, since it's more of a Superego's mod ?
hey maetsun, welcome to planet freestomp. i hope you find lots to do and interest yourself in here. it's a mine of inspiring info.

re your vp1 mods, i'd definitely like to know more about what you did and how you did it. and photos of interesting mods always good. there's a testing section in the 'member's area' if you haven't posted pics etc on phbb forums before and want to experiment.
i've done the truebypass mod (above) and am in the process of adding an eh lpb1 booster to give it a bit of a kick. but you are right about it being a huge enclosure for a very small board. enough room in there for half-time packed lunch.
have been wondering what else i could stick in the to justify the pedal board space. but if i plucked the board out and combined it with another effect i could use the old vp1 enclosure (a very decent and solid big box) for something altogether more extravagant and involved.

i'd like to hear more...

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maestun
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Post by maestun »

Hi, no problem, here are some instructions. I haven't taken many pics, I'll only post the few I've got, sorry about that.

What does the mod do ?
This Superego mod will add a Small Stone phaser effect (with a fixed rate and color setup) into the loop : so when the Superego "freezes" a chord, the synth sound will be always modulated. The loop remains useable, you can add external effects into it, the phasing effect will be in the end of the effect chain.

VP1
First thing to do is take apart the VP1, and separate the 3 PCBs. Note that the I/O PCB (the one with the jacks) should be a very useful keeper for all your future build projects ;)
Now the painful part. You have to "flatten" the main PCB as much as possible, so desolder the COLOR switch, the RATE pot, the LED. You will need a powerful soldering iron, the solder used in this pedal does not melt easily (with my 30W Antex soldering iron, this process took A LOT of time).
Optional : I also removed all the electrolytic caps and replaced them with new ones, so I could "bend" them along the PCB surface. I also replaced the LED with a tiny 3mm one, soldered as close as possible to the PCB, for testing purposes.
Now replace the pot and the switch with a resistor (I chose a 470K, it's the rate setting I like) and some strap wires, and solder two wires on the 5-wire SWITCH connector to have the phaser "always on" (you could also keep the switch PCB connected instead, to switch the phaser on/off when you open your Superego) :
6ztbKKu.jpg
Now, cut the 4 wire-connector far from the PCB surface. The wires are, in the order :
RED BLACK BLACK BLACK
IN VCC OUT GND

Superego
You have to remove the "FB4" SMD component from the PCB, next to the RETURN jack. This is a ferrite bead, it's not essential.
Solder the IN wire from VP1's PCB to the solder pad connected to RETURN jack's tip, and the OUT wire to the other pad :
db6BRfP.jpg
Next, solder the Vcc wire from VP1's PCB to a ferrite bead (next to C3) to grab +9v supply, and the GND to... somewhere on ground :)
pY3D6dJ.jpg
This post is a bit off-topic I think, I'll create a new topic in this section ;)

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maestun
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Post by maestun »

About the above post : I've created a whole new topic here : https://www.freestompboxes.org/viewtopic ... 10&t=25283
I can't edit my previous post, sorry about that :scratch:

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zoki
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Post by zoki »

Thought I'd bump this thread to see if anyone nailed down a post mod volume drop fix for this pedal. The bleed was driving me nuts pre mod and I'd love to get the volume thing sorted if anyone has worked out the fix for this - thanks!

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Scruffie
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Post by Scruffie »

Simple, build a LPB-1 on vero or perf with a trimmer for the volume knob, stick between the board output and the foot switch.

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modman
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Post by modman »

Restored the dead links in the first post and added the factory schematic.
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