Ibanez - LA Metal (LM7) to Fat Cat conversion

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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DJGlukBH
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Post by DJGlukBH »

Just a little update on LM7 to FC10 modification.

I own both of them (8128408 for LM serial, FC10 serial is missing). They share the same board, that's correct.

I went thought the modification to get my LM7 working as FC10 since it sounded unwell and I've spotted some differences in the capacitor values.

Here's my modlist for the LM7 to FC10 modification:

Buy a 1k resistor, a 3n3, 1n and 2n3 film-capacitors , 3µ3 and 4µ7 elkoes, two 1N4148 diodes.
2.) Open the unit.
3.) Locate C6 (1n8), C11(3n9), C12 (10µ), C16 (10) and C20 (6n8) on the main pcb.
4.) Desolder C6, C11, C12, C16 and C20 (carefully, we need C12)
5.) Solder the 1k resistor in position R20, the 3n3 film-capacitor in C20, the 3µ3 elko in C12, the 4µ7 elko in C14 and the 10µ Elko in C16, 1n in C6
6.) Locate the green cap on botton of secondary pcb and D5 resistor on the top of secondary pcb
7.) Desolder the 1M Resistor in position D5 and the green cap
8.) solder the two diodes in D5 and D6 (antiparallel)
9.) control everything, especially your solder points.
10.) close the unit
11.) Now you are the lucky winner of an Ibanez FC-10 Fat Cat !!!

So mine LM7 had the C6 as 1n and C16 as 10µ, not 4.7µ.

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DJGlukBH
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Post by DJGlukBH »

Just a little update - it should be 3n for C20

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DJGlukBH
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Post by DJGlukBH »

Got another one LM7 converted to FC10 (serial 8128345). Followed the instructions - worked like a charm.

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DJGlukBH
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Post by DJGlukBH »

Another LM7 converted - serial 8344285 - had 1n8 in tone

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reddog22
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Post by reddog22 »

Hi all,i'm wanting to modify the Fat Cat that i've had for a lot of years and doesn't get used.
Does anyone have some mods i could do to this pedal so as to make it useful. I bought it new in 1990 and it has no use these days so i thought i'd play around with it.
Any ideas??
Cheers

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tube-exorcist
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Post by tube-exorcist »

reddog22 wrote:Hi all,i'm wanting to modify the Fat Cat that i've had for a lot of years and doesn't get used.
Does anyone have some mods i could do to this pedal so as to make it useful. I bought it new in 1990 and it has no use these days so i thought i'd play around with it.
Any ideas??
Cheers
Yes, this idea comes to my mind:
learn how to use the search function
"I've noticed there's an inverse relationship between cost of gear and talent. If you need the most expensive gear to get decent tones, then you suck as a player."

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Dirk_Hendrik
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Post by Dirk_Hendrik »

Let me second that.
Sorry. Plain out of planes.

http://www.dirk-hendrik.com

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reddog22
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Post by reddog22 »

tube-exorcist wrote:
reddog22 wrote:Hi all,i'm wanting to modify the Fat Cat that i've had for a lot of years and doesn't get used.
Does anyone have some mods i could do to this pedal so as to make it useful. I bought it new in 1990 and it has no use these days so i thought i'd play around with it.
Any ideas??
Cheers
Yes, this idea comes to my mind:
learn how to use the search function
I don't know how my question ended up on your post. Sorry about that. Fucked if i know how the search function works. I tried doing a search and couldn't find anything,hence the question.

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slackshampoo
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Post by slackshampoo »

DJGlukBH wrote: 15 May 2012, 07:22
4.) Desolder C6, C11, C12, C16 and C20 .
It’s possible I missed a step here in haste, but I didn’t see any mention of what to do with c11. In case anyone else is following these mod instructions, your pedal won’t work if you don’t repopulate c11. Per Dirks schematic c11 in a fat cat is a 22n. I can verify everything else. Loving the LA Fat Cat

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