I'm creating a development platform for DIYers and more.

culturejam · Post by **culturejam** » 28 Jun 2012, 03:41

Thanks, juanro! That's kind of what I was hinting at with my "cap to ground" comment previously. But you explained it all smart-like.

But I do wonder why designers would use different pot values if they could simply just use one for everything. A few do, of course, but it seems like that is not the norm. Why bother with a 500K gain pot when you could use 100K and a resistor? I don't get it.

juanro · Post by **juanro** » 28 Jun 2012, 03:53

They neither.

culturejam · Post by **culturejam** » 28 Jun 2012, 04:20

juanro wrote:They neither.

DrNomis · Post by **DrNomis** » 28 Jun 2012, 04:56

culturejam wrote:
Devi Ever wrote:and we're not just talking "muffs and rats" here.
I was trying to be funny.

DrNomis wrote:You could quite easily mod some Op Amp circuits to work with the 100K pots, if one 100k pot (connected to say pins 1 and 2 of a TLO72) is being used to set the gain of the op-amp you just need to tweak the value of a fixed resistor that's connected to pin 2 to get the amount of gain needed.
Sure, that's used all the time to set the minimum gain of an amplifier (and it also tweaks the max gain as well). The "problem" is that the range that can be manipulated is set to 100K.

So if you want a low to low-medium gain amplifier, you're good. Or if you want a medium to medium-high gain amp, you're good. Or super-metal to ultra-metal amp, you're good. But if you want a range from low-medium to super-metal, you're fucked. I'm thinking something like a range of 200K to maybe 800K in the feedback loop. How do you do that with a 100K pot and a resistor?

I'm not saying it can't be done. I'm just saying I'm too ignorant to figure it out. And I really want to see an example circuit that can do highly variable resistance ranges with a 100K pot and a resistor (or two). Maybe the pot could be used with a cap for AC path to ground? Seriously, I'm jazzed to see how this is going to work. If I could find a way to do *anything* with just 100K linear pots, I'd jump all over it. The simplicity of that would rock.

True, I'm sure there's a way around it, one possible idea is to make the fixed resistors switchable so that if you want a certain gain-range you just switch in a resistor that gives that range, the switch itself could be mounted in the cartridge, the actual switch could be dip-switches as used in the original Tech21 Sansamp....

The dip-switch idea could also be used to select different input caps, maybe even in tonestacks, lots of scope there....

Now here's an idea that's been on my mind, if different cartridges can be plugged into the console, it therefore follows that because of that, each pot is going to have a different function as determined by whatever cartridge happens to be plugged in, because of that it would be hard to label each pot, what if each cartridge came with a removable label template?, say you've got a high-gain fuzz cartridge plugged into the console, you then put the label template in place, these label templates could be held in place with velcro, if you decide to replace the cartridge with a different one, you simply remove the cartridge and it's label template and replace them with the new ones...

jimosity · Post by **jimosity** » 28 Jun 2012, 05:52

Yeah - labeling the cartridge itself would be best.

Like this.
Excuse my lame photoshopping.

HEY!
Now I can finally use up the boxes of this stuff I have that I had thought extinct.

Devi Ever · Post by **Devi Ever** » 28 Jun 2012, 06:00

jimosity wrote:Yeah - labeling the cartridge itself would be best.

Like this.
Excuse my lame photoshopping.

That's been the idea from the get go.

Steven_M · Post by **Steven_M** » 28 Jun 2012, 06:18

The pot issue could be a really simple fix. A break out board with the pots attached, and users can BUY other breakout boards with different values of pots, or even make their own. The pots could attach with a row of header pins.

I know this takes away from the simplicity of the design, but it would be a way to solve the issue potential designers are having, and make a few extra shekels.

Dr Tony Balls · Post by **Dr Tony Balls** » 28 Jun 2012, 13:49

RnFR wrote: if this is going to be done and truly become something of a new standard in effects design

I cant see how this could ever be a new standard in effects design. Its a fun concept and neat but there's no way this is how the pros (or even the masses) will be designing their effects. Its just not a design platform. Maybe you mean a new standard in production format?? I.e. there are pedal effects, rack effects, and now cartridge effects.

phibes · Post by **phibes** » 28 Jun 2012, 16:48

I hope someone will do a power glove!

Devi Ever · Post by **Devi Ever** » 28 Jun 2012, 17:46

Steven_M wrote:The pot issue could be a really simple fix. A break out board with the pots attached, and users can BUY other breakout boards with different values of pots, or even make their own. The pots could attach with a row of header pins.

I know this takes away from the simplicity of the design, but it would be a way to solve the issue potential designers are having, and make a few extra shekels.

It would also ruin the ability for people to easily use carts from one console to another because you'd always have to worry about whether you are plugging in the right cart to the right setup.

Once again, the 100k linear standard isn't going to be a problem for people willing to think inside the box.

- - -

Okay.... we only have 24 hours to go on the kickstarter :

This'll be my last post here. If you want to follow this further, check out : http://www.consolefx.com/

... and if you are interested in developing cartridges, come visit the forum : http://www.deviever.com/forum/

coldcraft · Post by **coldcraft** » 03 Jul 2012, 12:45

Once again, the 100k linear standard isn't going to be a problem for people willing to think inside the box.

RC Filter Calculators are your friend.

guycapuano · Post by **guycapuano** » 13 Jul 2012, 04:42

This is a very cool, creative idea. So crazy it just might be huge, or completely fail!

Either way, Way to think outside the box, forward thinking on

I dont fully understand though

Either way, forward thinking on

asatbluesboy · Post by **asatbluesboy** » 13 Jul 2012, 18:11

I understand having all pots the same value would make the whole thing cost-effective, but I'm a fuzzhead and would dearly miss a 1K or 2K...

Nocentelli · Post by **Nocentelli** » 15 Jul 2012, 10:59

I've just had a look at the proposed design for the carts, and they're going to be ABS plastic: isn't this likely to make RF interference a potential issue?

Seiche · Post by **Seiche** » 15 Jul 2012, 11:13

asatbluesboy wrote:I understand having all pots the same value would make the whole thing cost-effective, but I'm a fuzzhead and would dearly miss a 1K or 2K...

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-paralresist.htm

1k in parallel

Nocentelli · Post by **Nocentelli** » 15 Jul 2012, 13:53

I like this one:
http://www.electronics2000.co.uk/calc/s ... ulator.php

For a 1k fuzz pot, you'd need two 470r fixed resistors wired between lug 1+2 and 2+3, but it would give you a weird taper.

Reducing the pot value isn't the problem, but increasing the value would require a bit more thought (see previous posts by juanro). This really strikes me as a significant drawback for the DIY-er, but maybe not so much for experienced designers.

phibes · Post by **phibes** » 18 Jul 2012, 15:53

Yeah getting the pot to a certain value from 100K isn't a problem, but you're seriously gonna have some fucked tapers.

The console will most likely end up being a real nice paper weight or beer holder in the future. Maybe an even better incense burner?

Dr Tony Balls · Post by **Dr Tony Balls** » 18 Jul 2012, 17:07

phibes wrote:The console will most likely end up being a real nice paper weight or beer holder in the future. Maybe an even better incense burner?

LOL. Its open source! You can design a cart to hold all sorts of things!

Dr Tony Balls · Post by **Dr Tony Balls** » 30 Apr 2013, 14:10

FYI I did this without a kickstarter.