Wednesday 15 February 2012

Orange Squeezer

This one is verified.  Level and Sustain are both 10K



And with external Sustain control:


86 comments:

  1. Hey whats that gold box in the first one that says "10k" under it? is that a potentiometer?

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    1. The original Orange Squeezer had a trimmer on the board for setting the sustain level. So that is just a vertical inline trimmer like this:

      http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j6/IvIark_2006/DIY/32897.jpg

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  2. Hi,

    What value pots would I use for the External sustain version?

    Thanks.

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    1. 10K, same as the trimmer. The sustain on this one is a bit strange because at higher settings it distorts and so the idea was that you set it to the right sustain level before distortion for the gear you're using it with, and then forget it. But I suspect some people would like the distortion so it could be handy to have external.

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  3. i believe the orange squeezer's internal trimmer was for bias, not sustain. well at least the one I built from a GGG board was...is this actually a sustain knob?

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    1. Either name would be accurate, the trimmer adjusts compression by biasing the JFET. From the Dan Armstrong marketing info:

      The Orange Squeezer compresses the dynamics of the music or of the individual notes without adversely affecting the attack of the note and without adding any significant noise or distortion to the signal. An internal adjustment lets the user adjust the output level to suit his instrument and his playing style, while the compression threshold is pre-set at the factory.

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    2. really? I dont see how either name would be correct- the trim pot doesnt control the amount of compression- you must set it correctly into its sweet spot for the pedal to sound true... but you're the master. I saw an article somewhere on how to bias it correclty.

      I saw that the BYOC board (the armstrong twin) has a three way switch for three different attack speeds. I'm going to add it as a mod- might be a nice addition for the layout- I dont know well it works, but I absolutely love being able to control the attack speed on compressors. It really makes them become more useful in more situations, which is always a good thing. getting that slow attack for solos and just getting sustain instead of a real compressed pick attack- and then hitting that fast attack for yer chickin pickin!!!!

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  4. Verified :o)

    But, the external sustain pot doesn't really have much effect until around 2'O'clock. and at max it scratches out to silent? I used 10k linear pot.. Would another value pot have a more gradual sweep?

    Sounds nice though.

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    1. I don't think it's that sort of smooth sustain control mate, which is probably why it was a trimmer to set and forget with only the volume on an external pot.

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    2. Ok got it, I flipped the wiring so you get silence on zero of the sweep and tried it with the SG.. MUCH better!.. It does slightly distort at max (Depending on pickups). Nice little comp.. just flip the sustain wiring as it's backwards :)

      I may have to replace my strat pups (SD SL6 set) they act weird on everything.

      Thanks again mate.

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    3. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/339/dsc00139bm.jpg/

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    4. Thanks for that mate, I'll update the layout.

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  5. can i substitute a tl072 for the jrc4558?

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    1. Yup. Any dual opamp should work in there, try a few and see what you think the responses are like.

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  6. Sounds decent. Not so sure about the external "trimmer" :) It's pretty much useless under the sweet spot and over it, well, it distorts. Probably not in a very good way - in my opinion..

    i guess i need to play with it a bit more before i decide to move it to jar of horror or drawer of to-be-boxed.
    +m

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    1. Needed a smoke to figure it out.. That pot might become useful, if it's B5K, and there is a 3K9 or 4K7 resistor between ground and lug 1. That way the horrid, massive ground noise should be gone and that 5K should control only usable part of the sweep.

      I need to get some sleep soon, but i might try that out tomorrow. There's still many interesting designs unverified, so i'm not getting that much of a kick playing around with the verified ones :D
      +m

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    2. The reason I included the external option was because there is some slight adjustment in compression (albeit a small amount of rotation), but also because someone who built it from my original trimmer layout quite liked the gritty distortion you get in the far rotation. That trimmer is just biasing the FET though so if you only want to use this as a compressor then you'd be better using a trimmer to set and forget.

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    3. True. In my opinion, the sweet spot is about 3-6 wide, including quiet compression to slight breaking. I'll try that 5K pot and if it works good, well, then it works good and we'll have a nice 2 pot version of the Squeezer :)
      +m

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    4. Also..(my 10p's worth) I found the external handy for different pickup levels as I have a strat/SG/Jackson EMG so it's quite good for compensating pick up power differences. But I agree Mirosol, there is a small 'sweet spot'.

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    5. Works like a charm. I soldered 5K1 resistor between ground and B5K pot's lug 3 (which is linked to lug 2). I'm naming the pot "Comp/Break". It's really quite usefull - I can change the sound from hard compression to light compression to light breakage to distorted. And there is no more of that start noise from between 10K and 6K.

      Nice little mod. Gives it a bit more usable versatility.
      +m

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    6. Excellent, anything that makes the control more useful has to be a good mod to try out.

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    7. Confirmed,
      replace the 10K "sustain" trimmer/pot with:
      1) 5KB pot
      2) (more or less) 5K resistor

      the wiring remaing the same, just put the resistor seried between plug 2 (which is connected to plug 3) and ground.

      Just to be clear
      (plug 2 -> 3 plug) -> 5K resistor -> ground
      (plug 1 as before in the schematic)
      NOTE: resistor IS NOT between plug 2 and plug 3, just seried to both of them.

      Very congrats Mirosol, the smookes make it right :)

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    9. I did this mod as well and put the 5K1 resistor on the board on a spare bus. Thanks!

      http://thejoyofelectronics.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Orange-Squeezer-Mod.jpg

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  7. Here we go:
    http://mirosol.kapsi.fi/varasto/boxes/beaterheater.jpg

    It's modded (control mod from above) Orange Squeezer on right stomp switch and mojo MXR Micro Amp on the other. Looks like some confused block head character :)
    +m

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  8. I just played a JHS pedals pulp n peel- which is an orange squeezer clone. It has a blend circuit and controls for volume and sustain. But it still has an internal trim pot that you are not supposed to touch... i'm wondering if the sustain control on the JHS is different than the externalized trim pot here. In fact I'm pretty surer it is. the jhs pedal is definitely one of the absolute best compressors I've played. and it had a normal range of compression with the sustain knob- instead of the often called "bias" (sustain here) trim pot in most orange squeezer layouts.

    id love to see that circuit laid out... they really did add some magic to the original OS circuit at jhs. very impressed

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  9. wondering if jhs did something similar to miro's sustain mod?
    i've been hearing about keeley's use of matched transistors in his 4 knob compressor would there be any value of matching transistors in the OS? mayybe a certain value? thanks guys!

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    1. different transistors GREATLY affect the compression and tone of this circuit...

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  10. Having some trouble with this... built it up and it sounds pretty good, but I am getting some distortion when I first hit a note. Doesn't seem to get much better with changing the sustain knob. Any ideas?

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    1. You should try to adjust the trimmer. Untill you find that sweet spot ;) How i see there's too options: 1. That popping compression that really makes your notes jump and 2. a bit smoother when rolling the trimmer "down".

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  11. SmoothAction here. Built this the other night, sounds FANTASTIC. Im getting absolutely NO distortion. Is this because I subbed a 1n914 for the 1n34a? Other than that my build was completely stock. Nice, tight layout. Props Ivlark!

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    1. i had distortion, but when i changed diode to 1n914, i have no distortion to! :)

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  12. I have a question... what's that 47uF capacitor there for? I don't see that in the original schematic. Thanks!

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    1. It's a power supply filter cap to reduce noise and ripple.

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    2. Aha, I see. :P Great layout by the way.

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  13. I seem to be having a tough time finding a compressor to build that requires parts I am able to source. This OS seems to be the most possible, the only problem being the 2n5457 transistors I can only get the SMD version (MMBF5457). Have any of you tried using SMDs on vero is it possible? My thought was to bend contacts flat and solder three pieces of wire on and use them as transistor leads.

    I also checked replacement options only thing I could find was J201 but these were also SMD.

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    1. You can't use SMD transistors as they are with vero, they're just too small. The best way to do it would be to solder resistor offcuts to the pins to make through-hole like legs so you can spread them out a bit but it's a lot of faffing around. Tayda still has 2N5457s I think and for the Dyna Comp/Ross based compressors you can get 4 x CA3080 from Polida on eBay for £3.87 delivered.

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  14. Oh fantastic thanks for the reference I'll check them out! Is a OS a worth while compressor? I played my friends JHS version and I really enjoyed the way it enhanced a telecaster's tone. The dyna/ross type to me always seemed a bit sterile probably more suited for humbuckers?. What would the cmat mods signa comp be equivalent to?

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    1. I haven't seen a schematic for the Signa, but looking at the gut shot and it's just another Dyna/Ross (isn't she a singer?)

      The Orange Squeezer is very well regarded by some people and so it's always worth trying them out.

      Check out the Really Cheap Compressor and Engineer's Thumb on here, both have a lot of fans. Plus there are 16 comp layouts here in total so I'm sure you can find one you like out of that lot. :o)

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  15. haha yes Diana Ross I think, not a bad name for a clone, could use artwork of her massive afro :P.

    I like the simplicity of some of them unlike the keeley and madproff those are a bit way to higher grade for me.

    Thanks again for all the help you're a champ!!

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  16. hey guys, to make a long boring story short, I have a semi-populated PCB of an Analogman Bi-comp. Is this of any use to you circuit tracing gurus? or is it only helpful if it's fully populated? If you're interested please advise on how to upload or share pix. thanks for all the great vero layouts, I recommend this site to all of my friends who want to try effects building.

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  17. I'm getting a squeal when I plug the unboxed board into my breadboard. I have checked for shorts and I can't find one. I have checked my values and they are all ok. Any thoughts? The trimmer seems to affect the pitch of the squeal. And the volume pot works as a squeal volume. I'm out of ideas. are there any areas I should check?

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    1. I should add that this is with the tl072 chip. With the 4558 I get a pulsing "heartbeat" type sound.

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    2. Triple scheck everything. This layout has been built over and over, so i'm pretty confident that it is an error in your build. How are the voltages?
      +m

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  18. could you help me please?
    when i adjust the trimmer to find the sweet spot, the 2 choices i have is : trimmer low=distortion and trimmer high= no distort but big volume loss compared to bypass signal.
    Is it normal?
    thanks

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    1. fixed... wrong transistors (2n3819..., am i blind?...!)

      However,
      thanks a lot for your altruism!

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  19. Hi there! Got a JHS Pulp n peel and I want to fixe this issue with the bass drop. Any help? I want to know what to change.

    Thanks a lot!

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  20. Hi, not sure if this is a rookie error or not, I'm getting the same problem as Brian Spence: 'With the 4558 I get a pulsing "heartbeat" type sound.' Bypass signal works but nothing but a hearbeat when I switch it on. May be that I've put the op amp in wrong - as you look at the diagram 1-4 down the left, 5-8 down the right?

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    1. Hi! Have you ever solve this issue? Looks like I also have this “heartbeat” pulsing problem with 4558.

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  21. Hi,

    This is my first veroboard build. Just ordering the parts now. Am wondering, do I use a 3PDT? does it have true bypass?

    Sorry if these are silly questions, but got to learn somehow :-s

    Thanks in advance
    Hav

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    1. Yes 3PDT and it will be true bypass. You can find the diagram to use here:
      http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/offboard-wiring.html

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    2. Thanks Ivlark!

      I have seen that, just wasnt sure if you can use it with this build...

      One other question, it says volume 2 to output - what does this mean?

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  22. Does the in-line resistor have to go in a specific way? I have searched the net but can't find anything on it. I know resistors aren't polarized but being a different type, just wanted to make sure before I complete it tonight!

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    1. oh reason i asked was because I built the whole thing backwards :-s

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    2. Do you mean the trimmer? If so then no it can go in any way, it's symmetrical.
      When you say you built it backwards, do you mean with all the components the opposite way to that shown in the board? If so, then it won't work because the IC isn't symmetrical.

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    3. interesting. starting over...

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    4. So I finished it today was quite a simple build in the end! Have one issue though, I get a distinctive POP when i engage the effect. Any ideas what this could be? I have played around with the in line trimmer, but its still quite distinctive. Any ideas?

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  23. Mark, anyway you can draw up a layout with all these mods in place?
    http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=102861.msg932503#msg932503

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  25. can you build this without the trimmer pot inside and it still work? I have all the pieces but that trim pot

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    1. You could build the second layout which adds a sustain knob? That replaces the trimpot with a pot for external control.

      Otherwise you could do the first layout still, but replace the trimpot with a resistor, starting at about 3K3 or something, and then experiment with values up to 10K and what sounds best?

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  26. so its 4.7 x 4 and 47u x 1 ?

    or is that 4.7u x 5?

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  27. Hi! I've just implemented the circuit and I obtain a much smaller gain than when bypass. The only difference is the diode: 1N5817. Can this be the problem? I've played with the trimmer but I don't hear much difference.
    Thank you!

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  28. Thanks for the layout. Not sure if it's OK to post links but I made a youtube video on my build. Be cool if you could check my channel out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAfzVQOPASg

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  29. Does somebody use this sqeezer layout for bass ? Could be good ;-)

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    1. I've been using it on a bass the last few weeks and it sounds great. I've been using it more for the boost in volume it gives. Sounds (to my ears anyway) different to how it sounds on guitar

      Keep in mind that I'm playing dirty hardcore punk.

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  30. Yet another paperweight from this site. Could someone who has it working post voltages to the transistor legs? thanks.

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    1. I'd also appreciate that as am trying to use different transistors.

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    2. I will get some voltages tomorrow. I couldn't get any sound for a minute then realized I had all the rows up 1 too high. It was extremely fucked up, but 100% my fault. All were easy fixes so maybe other people did it too? Anyway, look at the layout, look at how you got it laid out. Does it line up? Holla atcha boy

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  31. I jammed 5485s in this because I didn't have and 5457s on hand, they seem to work!

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  32. I just completed this, sounds great! Does anyone know if this circuit reverses the phase of the signal, does it keep it in phase? I would love to build a split n blend and use as a wet dry mix with this... any feedback appreciated, thanks!

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    1. Can t recall what was the case with mine, but if you go all the way to make a split and blend circuit check out the Runoffgroove Split and Blend, it has a phase switch so that would take care of that (unless you activate another pedal in the loop that reverses the phase as well, then you would need to change the switch setting when this happens as the phase will return to normal after an even number of phase reversals). Good luck!

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    2. thanks! I'll check it out

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  33. thanks my friend. Very good effect. hug from brazil.

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    1. Try adjusting the internal trim pot

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  35. Put this on an oscilloscope with a signal gen (and the 5k pot + 5k1 resistor sustain mod)

    https://youtu.be/R-hI8hAjggo

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  36. I built a few of these several years ago using JRC4558D and RC4558P opamps. One of he ones with the RC4558P failed within a year or so. Replaced it with the JRC4558D. Just yesterday, the one I had on my board for a few years also failed. This one had the 4558P opamp. Replaced with the JRC4558D and it is working fine and sounding great. Has anyone else used the RC4558P opamp with success?

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  37. What value and taper are people using for volume please?

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  38. Tried this and it worked well except when I tried playing an A5 chord, for which I noticed I got a weird volume swell about half a second after hitting the chord. Can anyone diagnose what I've done wrong here?

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  39. Does someone have the working voltages for the 4558 IC and the two 2N5457 ? I have no signal output. when i remove the battery, the signal passes trought.

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  40. I too had distortion no matter what I tried with 1n34a (including reducing the opamp gain), and almost no compression. Both 1n5817 and 1n4148 were distortion-free, and offer lots of compression. The 1n4148 sounded best to me, and worked with a variety of jfets. To be certain I wasn't crazy, I built a 2nd one, and same result. 1n4148 and 2n5457 (or NTE457s) sounded like the smoothest compression. 1n5817 had a different attack and more of a pop before the compression kicks in.

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