D*A*M - Sonic Titan ( DAM )

Skinpimp · Post by **Skinpimp** » 30 Oct 2008, 10:19

First post here , I have been trolling awhile and thought I would contribute. Here is the D*A*M Sonic Titan Schematic from a pedal that I have.. however it does differ from the gut shot In the peach fuzz Post. Mine does not have the resistor to Gate nor the Blue tant. in Parrallel with it . it is layed out close to the same and it is on vero board . Why There Different ??? ya got me .. i will post a layout when I get a chance.. also for the ones that dont know the single Black band resistors are ZERO ohm Jumpers . so they can be excluded and standard jumpers could be used... Thanks.... IC is LM386N-1.. have fun.. its a cool build. great pedal .. i would look at some changes to give a little more beef My actual D*A*M seems to be a little Mid rangey for my tastes.

Project name: D*A*M Sonic Titan

Group Name Value Part # Quantity
Capacitors C1, C2 4.7uf (2)
Capacitors C3, C5 .0047uf (2)
Capacitors C4, C6 10uf (2)
Capacitors C7 47u (1)
Diodes D1 1N4001 (1)
Integrated circuits IC1 LM386N-1 (1)
Resistors R1 4.7M (1)
Resistors R2 2.2K (1)
Pots R3*trimmer*, R4 24mm, R8 24mm 10K (3)
Resistors R5, R7 1K (2)
Resistors R6 9mm Bourns 100k (1)
Resistors R9, R10 0 Ohm *Jumpers* (2)
Transistors Q1 2N3819 FET N channel (1)

briggs · Post by **briggs** » 30 Oct 2008, 13:51

Great first post. There seems to be quite a few booteek boxes using the old 386 as their distortion device, it's not something I've looked into too much. I've got the Lovepedal purple plexi on my board so might as well try this as well. The sound clips sound *HUGE*! D*A*M pedals always have such a good build quality too, great pedals in my opinion

PurplePeopleEater · Post by **PurplePeopleEater** » 30 Oct 2008, 14:12

briggs wrote:Great first post.

Definitely

D*A*M pedals always have such a good build quality too, great pedals in my opinion

Dave is one of the best builders out there IMO. He goes the extra mile. People here in the US complain about his prices, but thats really just a function of the US dollar. In Europe, while not cheap, the DAM pedals are priced accordingly considering the quality. The prices on Ebay, however, are another matter entirely.

Fuzzer · Post by **Fuzzer** » 30 Oct 2008, 16:13

And they look really great; that hammerite finish on them is really elegant, to me.

Skinpimp · Post by **Skinpimp** » 30 Oct 2008, 17:58

Fuzzer wrote:And they look really great; that hammerite finish on them is really elegant, to me.

Mine is the white case version. Thats probably why they're a little Diff Gut wise. But yet still the same build Quality. probably one of the best handwired Pedals I have seen (in person ) in a while. Wampler would be about the same. Excellent attention to detail. To me makes it worth the extra coin, just to know he spends that much time makin it look good on the inside. This one wasn't too off tilt price wise. Now as far as the MKII prices (used) , I dont think I'll be touchin one , well ...ever.. LOL they sound great though.

RnFR · Post by **RnFR** » 31 Oct 2008, 07:12

Skinpimp wrote:
i would look at some changes to give a little more beef My actual D*A*M seems to be a little Mid rangey for my tastes.

I would try increasing C3. .0047uF is pretty small. you could probably bring some low end back there.

welcome!

RLBJR65 · Post by **RLBJR65** » 31 Oct 2008, 11:18

Thanks, skinpimp! Can you post a gut shot or 2?

Skinpimp · Post by **Skinpimp** » 31 Oct 2008, 20:39

Yeah I increased C3 to .0068 and it did the trick.. a little goes a long way there. I tried a .01 and was to flubby on the low end(again For me) but is a good mod point. I dont really like the Tone stack to well either . it gives more of a Boost effect then actually tapering a frequency. Ill mess around with that to come up with some more usefull tone controls. I will Gladly post some Guts this evening when i get home form Work... Thanks guys....

Also I didnt note in the first post.. Just in case it slips by ya... pin 5 of the 386 DOES NOT connect to pins 1 and 8 ... I couldnt figure out how to draw the trace jumper in this program..

Skinpimp · Post by **Skinpimp** » 31 Oct 2008, 21:13

The last phot is not of my pedal just one i found that has the same layout and circuit.... I can get more if you need.... Lemme know..

RnFR · Post by **RnFR** » 31 Oct 2008, 22:21

right on man! glad it worked for ya.

MoreCowbell · Post by **MoreCowbell** » 31 Oct 2008, 23:18

Dave and Linzi really build some nice stuff. High quality...and they're nice people too.

Skinpimp · Post by **Skinpimp** » 31 Oct 2008, 23:25

I have never heard a bad thing about them either. I just wished a MKII From Dave was a little more obtainable. I dont know why but, even though I build My own stuff, I still buy and trade alot of pedals. I guess I am just an Addict

. Plus I still enjoy what other people produce.. Unfortunately some pedals just command too high of a used price. and there wait lists are very long from what i have read...

analogguru · Post by **analogguru** » 01 Nov 2008, 13:06

I dont really like the Tone stack to well either . it gives more of a Boost effect then actually tapering a frequency.

No wonder in this configuration..... you have two possibilities:
1.) Replace the (10k) level pot by a 100k or 500k.
2.) Install a buffer between C6 and R8

analogguru

Desdog · Post by **Desdog** » 01 Nov 2008, 19:47

one jumper is a 0 Ohm resistor, the other a piece of wire

nice vintage elco's, why not score some more and avoid the ugly black ones

led resistor being soldered on the switch is a beginner's trademark

floating pcbs get criticized in other threads and applauded here?

where dirkhendrik with his "can I bang that pedal on the floor a number of times?" -- please lose the socket

and when even the fans says "however it sounds a bit..." then you know you are dealing with a bunch of crap.

MoreCowbell · Post by **MoreCowbell** » 01 Nov 2008, 21:47

Desdog wrote:one jumper is a 0 Ohm resistor, the other a piece of wire
nice vintage elco's, why not score some more and avoid the ugly black ones
led resistor being soldered on the switch is a beginner's trademark
floating pcbs get criticized in other threads and applauded here?
where dirkhendrik with his "can I bang that pedal on the floor a number of times?" -- please lose the socket

and when even the fans says "however it sounds a bit..." then you know you are dealing with a bunch of crap.

D*A*M PCBs typically arent "floating, so I would guess that this is secured to the pots. Dave usually uses standoffs though.

LED resistor on the switch - not a big deal at all. It can be on the switch or on the pcs/perf/vero board, it makes no difference, so long as it's stable.

Caps are most likely a function of layout space. Dave has no shortage of vintage parts.

0 ohm vs jumper - again, inconsequential. Jumper was used most likely since it was only a 3 hole distance - 0 ohm would have had to been left standing up.

I agree about the sockets - I'm not a fan - though I've used them before - I don't see anything securing the IC, though typically good quality / milspec IC sockets don't need it.

As for the "bang on the floor" test - D*A*M Stompboxes are used on stages every night by pro touring bands - I doubt you'd see any issues.

Honestly, theres nothing wrong with this build - it's a quality handmade pedal, and for that matter its a far better build quality than most vintage pedals (fuzz face, Tonebender, etc)...pedals that have been gracing stages for decades.

Skinpimp · Post by **Skinpimp** » 02 Nov 2008, 07:44

The veroboard is not Floating, it is attached very securely to the Pots with some badass velcro . I actually had to pry the board from the Pots and then, pulling the Velcro from each side was something of a task.. so it isn't going anywhere. For the Record I didnt buy this pedal (intentionaly) a Buddy of mine was kind enough to send it to me before he sold it, so I can check it out to see if I wanted it.. well when I went to tear it down for a reverse,

I scratched the shit out of it Taking the Nut off one of the pots.

So I break I buy .. Luckily I only had to pay what he paid.. so really I am not just a D*A*M Fanboy I dig what I have seen and heard. But in General I just love effects and will give Kudos to the ones who do well with them , and Do it Honest. Even if it's an exact Clone.. Whatever, I'm cool with that just dont blow smoke up my ass

actually I would be more shocked to see something that is NOT Based on something else (good luck). Which My opinion on "cloning" is an Entire new thread in itself... I'm not getting defensive about previous posts ! Reading this (myself) sounds like i am, but I am not .. Everything stated above is Valid.. .. I am just here to BS...

I dig the Forum.. Good job..

I think IMO he uses the 0 ohm jumpers just to Screw with people, make it look like more parts, Either that or they are the "mojo" we have all been chasin... HA

Post by **modman** » 02 Nov 2008, 19:11

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3448

there is no difference between DIY and boutique until the unit the unit gets sold. It is however a smart game of marketing that will establish the brand. Dave says in the Fuzz DVD "This is a boxed Mullard OC44D, that's what everyone likes to see." -- it's not about sound at all. Maybe if you keep on saying OC44D to yourself for a long time, you believe the myth...

But another intersting new way of establishing a brand - specializing in something so scarce that you will never be able to fully cash in when it becomes a success. And it did...

So whoever get the next big batch is the next DAM? Or the next, or the last...

ok, they TI, but who can among the corksniffers can see that?

Fuzzer · Post by **Fuzzer** » 03 Nov 2008, 05:33

I don't see whats he problem with sockets for IC's. They stay tight as spandex pants.

Sockets for transistors and other parts, that's another story.

And, ¿what's the problem with the LED resistor soldered to the Switch?

Skinpimp · Post by **Skinpimp** » 07 Nov 2008, 06:15

UPDATE
Alright I finished some mods to the circuit getting what I like to hear out of it with my les paul . this is the first circuit I messed with in Eagle so Excuse any sloppy layout. or LMK what needs to be different . I was mostly playing around with it trying to learn the program and Ground planes.. I have not verified the PCB so etch at your own risk... But I did go over it a ton before posting it here.. here it is the "SONIC SAMURAI"

Mods I used were fixed 10K (increase for mo gain) at the Drain of a J201(change JFET to taste) . Bumped up C5 from a 472 to 682 . I also took another look at the output getting rid of the original tonesatck adding one that is actually a lowpass filter and rids of some highend. changed the output pot from 10kB to 100KA as suggested and Viola.....another is born..

Whoismarykelly · Post by **Whoismarykelly** » 07 Nov 2008, 06:54

If there is a way to make that PCB a reality I want to build one of these. Doesn't exactly seem to be a DIY-able PCB layout though.

D*A*M - Sonic Titan ( DAM ) [traced]

DAM - Sonic Titan ( DAM ) [traced]