BAJA Real Tube Drive pedal project

bajaman · Post by **bajaman** » 15 Oct 2014, 00:12

PCB mount or not does not matter - the board will accept both types.

smackoj · Post by **smackoj** » 15 Oct 2014, 13:22

One more ? should it be 3P2T or 2/2 type?

gracias amigo

bajaman · Post by **bajaman** » 15 Oct 2014, 19:11

the PCB is designed to accept the 3pdt

smackoj · Post by **smackoj** » 19 Oct 2014, 13:36

thanks Baja; what other effects have you developed that an older guy (no hair, no metal inclinations) might want to try? I play mostly clean and loud with a church worship team. I like compressors, mild drivers and maybe a cab simulator (never tried one) maybe also some type of 5 or 6 band eq with mild boost.

thanks for you geniosity.

smackoj · Post by **smackoj** » 24 Nov 2014, 15:49

ok; just about ready to do a 'start up' on this tube driver. The plug pack power source I have needs to have the correct cylinder type plug installed. How does it need to be wired, with the barrel as the PLUS + or the pin as the + ?? thanks

bajaman · Post by **bajaman** » 24 Nov 2014, 19:52

ok; just about ready to do a 'start up' on this tube driver. The plug pack power source I have needs to have the correct cylinder type plug installed. How does it need to be wired, with the barrel as the PLUS + or the pin as the + ?? thanks

it does not matter - you MUST use an AC NOT DC plug pack

smackoj · Post by **smackoj** » 24 Nov 2014, 21:43

OK, thanks baha. I have an AC pack.

jack

DrNomis · Post by **DrNomis** » 25 Nov 2014, 01:53

smackoj wrote:OK, thanks baha. I have an AC pack.

jack

I used a 16V AC/1.25 Amp plugpack to power my Baja Real Tube Drive build, worked fine for me......

robinbowes · Post by **robinbowes** » 02 Dec 2014, 01:38

Today, I found myself idly debating whether or not to buy a BK Butler Tube Driver. I was googling around for schematics to see which model the Tube Driver was when I found Baja's schematics for bith the Tube Driver and the BRTD. I hadn't actually realised how similar they were.

So, I rummaged around in my electronics boxes and found the BRTD board, and the case I messed up (holes in slightly the wrong place, <sigh>) and put it back together.

I've since also got an iPad and have the Bias amp/FX modelling app, plus JamUp Pro XT. I loaded and tweaked a DR103-type amp model and played the BRTD into it. Well, wow, how good does that sound??! Like falling in love all over again!

R.

DrNomis · Post by **DrNomis** » 09 Dec 2014, 10:30

Just thought I would post a new clip of my Baja Real Tube Drive stompbox, built using a kit of PCBs I bought from bajaman, so you can hear what the pedal sounds like recorded into a Digital Audio Workstation, I'm using my new Gibson USA Les Paul Studio guitar this time, I would highly recommend buying a kit of PCB from bajaman as they work great and sound good too.....

Here's the link:

bdevogel · Post by **bdevogel** » 17 Jan 2015, 13:05

Some build pictures, this is my first stompbox project ever. I didnt know 1W resistors are this big, they were about the same price so i guesed "1W can handle more so why not?" Haha. I had to file down the top of the two little pcb's or else it wouldbt fit in the Hammond case, i will put a little bit of plastic on top of the tube pcb so the exposed tin line will not short circuit with the case.

bdevogel · Post by **bdevogel** » 17 Jan 2015, 15:35

First, thanks Bajaman for these awesome pcb's!

So i tested it, my home made ac adapter with emi filter gives 15.4 volt when the tube drive is connected. The 5W 33Ohm resistor gets so hot that i can barely touch it for 1 or 2 seconds, is that normal? I measured the ac going between pin 4 & 5 it only measures 10.4 volt, so do i have to get a different ohm 5w resistor?

I hope i didn't mess up this build, haha :p

bdevogel · Post by **bdevogel** » 17 Jan 2015, 16:18

I did some more measuring, i didnt know where ac or dc is used so i measured both, i grounded my voltmeter to the footswitch:

Pin 9: not used
Pin 8: 4.6dc 8.9ac
Pin 7: 4.5dc 8.6ac
Pin 6: 13.9dc 28.6ac
Pin 5: 10.4 ac
Pin 4: 0
Pin 3: 4.5dc 8.9ac
Pin 2: 4.2dc 7.8ac
Pin 1: 13.4dc 27.4ac

bajaman · Post by **bajaman** » 17 Jan 2015, 21:47

bdevogel try a 27ohm 5w resistor - ideally you want to read as close to 12.6v AC on the tube between pins 4 and 5

bajaman · Post by **bajaman** » 17 Jan 2015, 21:50

incidentally as bdevogel has found out, the pcb is designed for NSC 1590NS NOT Hammond 1590BB enclosures - The NSC enclosure is a lot cheaper - try http://www.pedalpartsplus.com if you cannot find it anywhere else. The NSC has a slightly thinner wall thickness for the top of the enclosure.

bdevogel · Post by **bdevogel** » 17 Jan 2015, 22:06

Thanks Bajaman!

Cheers, Bastiaan

bdevogel · Post by **bdevogel** » 19 Jan 2015, 14:29

I tested it yesterday still with the 33Ohm resistor, it worked and sounded really nice.

But i can't shake the feeling the other voltages are not correct on the tube, as i look at a post of DrNomis at page 27 of this topic is shows that he gets very different voltages on the tube pins. I don't get any negative voltages, only positive.

Pin 1: 13.4dc
Pin 2: 4.2dc
Pin 3: 4.5dc
Pin 4: 0
Pin 5: 10.4 ac
Pin 6: 13.9dc
Pin 7: 4.5dc
Pin 8: 4.6dc
Pin 9: not used

The 7915 does work and gives -14.8 output.

Please help, i checked everything, i cant find anything that i might have connected the wrong way around.

DrNomis · Post by **DrNomis** » 20 Jan 2015, 07:44

bdevogel wrote:I tested it yesterday still with the 33Ohm resistor, it worked and sounded really nice.

But i can't shake the feeling the other voltages are not correct on the tube, as i look at a post of DrNomis at page 27 of this topic is shows that he gets very different voltages on the tube pins. I don't get any negative voltages, only positive.

Pin 1: 13.4dc
Pin 2: 4.2dc
Pin 3: 4.5dc
Pin 4: 0
Pin 5: 10.4 ac
Pin 6: 13.9dc
Pin 7: 4.5dc
Pin 8: 4.6dc
Pin 9: not used

The 7915 does work and gives -14.8 output.

Please help, i checked everything, i cant find anything that i might have connected the wrong way around.

It's possible that the 7915 Regulator could have blown, check and double-check that you have used an LM7815 for the positive (+V) supply and an LM7915 (-V) for the Negative supply, also make sure you are using an AC plugpack, not a DC plugpack, to power your Baja Real Tube Overdrive pedal, the reason why you need to use an AC plugpack is because the Baja Real Tube Overdrive circuit rectifies the incoming AC into DC in order to generate both the + and - supplies, if you use a DC plugpack the power supply section of the Baja Real Tube Overdrive circuit will not be able to generate the - (negative) supply.

bdevogel · Post by **bdevogel** » 21 Jan 2015, 15:47

I started measuring every connection on the way between the 7915 and the tube and i found that a capacitor wasn't soldered correctly, you could barely see it. So now i have something like this: Pin 1 and 6 have about 9 volts, pins 2-3-7-8 have roughly -13 v average.

Also now with the 27Ohm Resistor i still get only 11v on the heater. With an emi filtered ac power of 15.4v~

Also when i touched the l7815cv i burned my finger, so i guess i'll have to replace that one haha. Must have been because that one time when i accidentally short circuited it while measureing voltage haha

DrNomis · Post by **DrNomis** » 21 Jan 2015, 21:20

bdevogel wrote:I started measuring every connection on the way between the 7915 and the tube and i found that a capacitor wasn't soldered correctly, you could barely see it. So now i have something like this: Pin 1 and 6 have about 9 volts, pins 2-3-7-8 have roughly -13 v average.

Also now with the 27Ohm Resistor i still get only 11v on the heater. With an emi filtered ac power of 15.4v~

Also when i touched the l7815cv i burned my finger, so i guess i'll have to replace that one haha. Must have been because that one time when i accidentally short circuited it while measureing voltage haha

When the Baja Real Tube Overdrive circuit is operating normally, the LM7815,and LM7915 three terminal regulators should not get very hot, you should be able to put your finger on either of them for at least a minute without burning yourself, they should only be warm to the touch, if either of them are getting very hot that would indicate that they are faulty, or there may be a short-circuit on the +/- V supply rails somewhere, a shorted power supply filter cap on the output of the regulators would also cause that.

BAJA Real Tube Drive pedal project [documentation]