Monday 23 July 2012

Seamoon Funk Machine V2 with buffered blend

After John K got better results putting a buffer before the circuit I thought it would be a useful to do a second layout incorporating a blend pot.  This almost certainly will make the effect more useful with bass, and if you want the effect 100% you can simply leave the blend pot in the extreme counter clockwise position.

For info about the effect see the original Funk Machine V2 post.



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72 comments:

  1. hey IVIark, will this board still fit in a B enclosure?

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  2. great post Mark. IMO, this pedal is so much better with the buffer and blend. as an option, you can use 2N5458's in the blender part of the circuit in case you don't have BF245's on hand (that what i have in mine).

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  3. Nice job IVIark. I used 2N5457's in the blender stage (which seems to take just about anything) and had a bit of fun finding an IC that works - the original post helped here and I ended up with a MC1458N with a 2N5088 as Q3. I took the 390K/1M pot option, which seems to do the trick.
    To get it to work nicely with a guitar, I added an AMZ-like MOSFET booster as a (pre) gain stage. It seems that the output from my pickups was not strong enough, and now with the variable gain on the gain section, it is really versatile.

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  4. Oh, and it also seems to work much better (at least in my hands) if you put a buffer in front of it. I use Mark's TL072 version of the Klon buffer. Again - thanks.

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    1. Thanks for verifying this version Sam. I'll wait until a few people post their thoughts and then put together an improved version with the best mod ideas included.

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  5. you might want to mark this as 5 links and add the obligatory "watch out for 2 links in 1 hole" warning, just in case. :-)

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  8. I just finished building this last night, and it sounds AMAZING. Best envelope filter I've ever played. HOWEVER, it seems to glitch out a bit and distort at times. Is this because I'm using an active bass? Theres a good chance I wired something a bit off, since I was tired and rushed. I'll look over it again after work, I just wanted to see if I was the only one encountering this issue.

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  9. Everything seems to be wired correctly. I had a bit better luck with a 2n3904 in place of the 5088, but it still glitches a bit and distorts at certain settings. Also seems like the buffer may be causing a bit of distortion, though very minimal. Any ideas?

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    1. Maybe one of the other bass players have come up with similar issues with an active bass? John maybe?

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  10. should i try changing the input and output caps to 224n?

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    1. IMO, there's no need to change them at all. and my active basses work fine with it.

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    2. did I maybe get a wonky lm1458? it works in most settings, but with the freq response all the way ccw it sounds like a trombone, and if i hold a note long enough itll turn to distortion. its REALLY clacky too in lower freq settings.

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    3. that's kind of the way that they are. for me, the freq range has a pretty narrow sweet spot.

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    4. Oh really? Maybe I'm worrying about nothing then. When I do dial it in to the sweet spot it's beautiful. I had the MXR M82 like you, and this blows it away. The buffer definitely colors the tone a little though. Its not bad, but if I beat the hell out of the B and E strings it clips just a touch.

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  11. Alright I figured it out. First and foremost, I would like to say to you all that I am an idiot. I mixed up the depth and range pots up. Not wiring-wise, just in my head. I shortened the leads on the 3904 and the two jfets, and somehow, that cleaned up the tone 0.o Anyway, it WORKS. AWESOME pedal!

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  12. Hi Mark,

    I found on eBay BF245A, BF245B and BF245C transistors, I know that the last letter means how much gain it has.

    The question is: which transistor is the proper for this project, A,B or C?

    Thx!

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  13. I have no luck with anything that is not dirt. No sound at all. Checked wiring twice voltages for the lm1458cn:
    1. 4.11
    2. 4.11
    3. 4
    4. 0
    5. 0
    6. 2
    7. 2.312
    8. 8.18


    5088
    E. 0
    B. .431
    C. 3.6mv

    Bf245B both
    G. 7.4
    S. 7.34
    D. 8.18

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    1. Have you used an audio probe before?

      http://www.geofex.com/FX_images/audioprb.gif

      This just allows you to follow the circuit from the beginning and see where the sound disappears and is useful for things like this where nothing obvious is standing out.

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    2. Thanks Mark, after spending a lot of time on this. I reversed the bf245s and behold it works but the markings and data sheet does not jive with your layout. I am not getting a lot of volume and higher frequencies are cutting out but it works. I think I am going to experiment with the socketed 5088 and see if I can't get it to behave. I am surprised at the bf245s. Has anyone else experienced this?

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    3. The bf245s. Even have the g s and d markings above the leads and it only works the opposite way as the layout.

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    4. I wanted to follow up and put this out there. I ordered some b245C to replace the 245B i got from Tayda. They behave as expected. Also when I pulled the 245Bs I hooked them up to the old dc55 and it could only identify the gate... First time that has happened but be warned if you go with b245Bs from tayda you may need to reverse them from the layout regardless of what the device says the pinout is. Sound?... Same.

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  14. Hi and sorry for my english ( I'm french ! I made the funk machine V2 who doesn't work and today i made this one (with buffered blend), with diode 1N4004, Transistor BF245A and BC549C (instead of 2n5088)but it still does not work. You can listen this recording:

    http://soundcloud.com/user693061883/test-funkmachinev2

    If someone can help me, thank you in advance.

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    1. What IC did you use, and have you rotated the BC549 180 degrees? The pinouts of that transistor are the opposite of the 2N5088 (CBE instead of EBC in the same orientation).

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    2. By the way I thought that sounded cool! It was like the intro from Somebody I Used to Know by Gotye. :o)

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    3. ic it's LM1458, exactly: "CHN MC1458N K66638", yes I had put the transistor as the pattern, and i tried with the transistors in the other position but doesn't work :( I don't understand where is the problem...when i listened the demo, i fell in love of the effect...

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    4. I have a sound better with a transistor 2n3904, but i still have these stronger "ploc", only on attacks or the first note i play. :/

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  15. this is a picture if everyone see something...
    http://imageshack.us/a/img856/3515/20121121005615.jpg

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  16. nobody has any idea why I have these "Ploc" acute attack of my notes? now i have a transistor 2N5088 and BF245 and IC is LM1458. I'm going to re-check my re-check my circuit...

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  17. hey, build this for a friend who plays bass. i used a 5088 and nat semi lm1458 and it sounds pretty good (it has that hard "ploc" on attack but just seems to be the nature of the pedal) but my main concern is that the volume from my clean signal drops about 25% when the pedal is engaged. i tried to add in a basic 5088 clean boost (similar to the hogs foot) as a daughterboard to the output of the funk machine but it gives me this horrible high pitched hiss in the background. any suggestions on boosting the volume of this pedal?

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  18. I just finished this one, I didn't have the right IC and JFETs so I put in a NE5532 for the IC and a pair of 5457 for the fets
    That seems to do the job not too bad.
    However, I really need to hit the light strings (GBE) very hard to have the effect.
    Also I had to rotate 180° Q2 (and only Q2) to make it work...
    A little demo with a tele : https://soundcloud.com/alltrax74/funk-machine-v2
    I'm waiting for a 1458 from tayda to see if it's better

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  19. Hi I've just built a Funk Machine V2 with blender, but I'm having a little trouble getting it working properly. I'm trying to iliminate different possible problems, could you tell me where exactly the output wire fixes to the board. I've put it where the blend 1 wire goes, as this is where it is on the V2 funk machine, but it was just a guess. As you can probably tell I'm pretty new to electronics, but any help would be much appreciated. Thanks, Joe.

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    1. Blend 1 is the effected output
      Blend 3 is the clean output

      Then the Blend pot pans between one and the other to the required mix, and the final output then comes from Blend 2. So Blend 2 would go to your switch (preferably after you've tested that its working, avoid soldering up the switch until you know that for sure to cut out another potential point of failure).

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    2. Thankyou for the info,it is much appreciated. I've changed the wiring as you've said. My pedal still isn't working though, as I'm getting clean guitar signal in both effect and bypass modes along with a nasty electrical buzzing noise. I'm going to go through everything again to see if I can find any more mistakes, will let you know how I get on.

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  20. I finished boxing mine with the LPB1 in front as a daughter board.
    As previously mentionned, I used 5457 for both Q1 et Q2, and I had to rotate Q2 180° to make it work
    Also, my board doen't work with the LM1458 but does with a NE5532. I think it's only a matter of biasing, which is very IC dependent
    I think the LPB1 (or any other boost) is mendatory in front of the effect to make it quack correctly. Otherwise the input signal might be too low.
    It works great with both single coils and HB, and sounds awesome with a distortion behind

    I also have to check my blend pot wiring as it go from full effect to no sound at all (but playing with the guitar vol pot does the trick perfectly)
    Actually this effect is very versatile and it's possible to get a lot of different sounds out of it

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    1. I check the wiring of my blend pot, it is correct according to the layout, but the problem is due to the LPB1 boost which is in front I guess.
      So lug 3 of the blend pot should in my case be wired somewhere on the LPB1 circuit, any idea where ? (I use the layout with the trim pot)

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    2. How are you wiring the booster, are you putting it in series before the entire FM circuit as if they are two pedals in a usual chain, or are you adding the booster to the effected side of the circuit only so that the clean side of the blend will totally omit it?

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    3. The booster is wired in serie, boost output goes to FM in.
      I added a spdt switch to be able to bypass the boost. So from the unit input I have a wire going the a spdt switch lug2, lug1 goes to the input of the boost, lug3 to the input of the FM

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    4. I can't picture how you're switching it with a SPDT switch, you really need a DPDT to take the LPB1 out of circuit

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    5. Well, both circuits are grounded together so yes, the spdt does the job.
      How would you wire this with a dpdt ?

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    6. I still can't see how it can bypass properly. If you have the main input from the switch going to 2, 1 to the LPB1 input and 3 to the FM input then it means you must also have the LPB1 output permanently attached to the FM input because you don't have another pole to switch it out of circuit. I'd do it with a DPDT switch:

      1----4
      2----5
      3----6

      1 - linked to 4
      2 - Main input
      3 - LPB1 input
      4 - linked to 1
      5 - FM input
      6 - LPB1 output

      Then when you bypass the LPB1 it is entirely out of circuit.

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    7. That's right, the LPB1 output is permanently attached to the FM input, but my guess was that when I bypass the LPB1, the signal can't run back into the LPB1 because its input is connected to nothing, am I wrong ?

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    8. Oh, and BTW, thank's for taking time to answer my questions, I really appreciate !

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  21. I finally ended replacing the switch by a 100k pot for the boost, now it's just perfect, amazing and very versatile filter !

    http://www.casimages.com/img.php?i=130219022522100801.jpg

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  22. I'm getting a very loud "ploc" on the initial attack as well. Anybody have any idea how to remedy that? I've changed ICs and transistors. I have an LM1458 in there now, and a switch toggling between a 2n3904 and a 2n5088. If I use my Jack Casady bass with the transformer set to 250 the "ploc" isn't bad at all, but on 500, or with my main bass, which is an active 5 string, it is VERY loud.

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  23. Hello, two things, first the volume gets very low in the high range of the Freq pot and the Range pot don´t make anything... some suggestions? Thanks

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  24. which way does the IC face?

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    1. Pin 1 is always top left unless noted. If you look closely at the IC you'll see the semi circle at the top.

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    2. Hi mine doesnt wah. I used a 2n3906 that helps against the squealing...but no luck with the wah effect. I am using both guitar and bass.

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    3. Exactly the same for me ... no wah effect...

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  25. Hi.
    Verified it and sounds clever :)
    I tried a very good chain with a Rams' head in front of it, great original quality sound.
    However the board has 14 cuts instead of 11 as drawn.
    Thanks for your good work

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    1. Thanks for the heads up Riccardo, I forgot to add the cuts that the blend section adds to it. Now corrected.

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  26. I am getting a very loud plucking sound that is making this pedal completely unusable the only difference in my layout is using a HA17458 and BF245B, can anyone help me out wit this?

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    1. the opamps and transistor used makes a big difference as to the 'plucking sound' that you are describing.

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    2. I rechecked the comments and found your earlier recommendations on the op amp and transistors I will give that a try I already ordered the parts

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  27. Do you recommend anything specific?

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  30. no lograba el efecto wha wha hasta que reducir la resistencia 100R y a unos 68R y la verdad que funciona de maravilla. un poco bajo el volumen, alguna idea con respecto a esto?

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  31. Hello ,
    Exactly like some of people here , I've some problems with a big and high Ploc and no range (the pot doesnt do anything )
    Ive bought the kit and have verified again and again, ecerything is correctly wired....
    can anyone help me (us) ?
    Thanks a lot :)

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  32. Mine doesnt work at all:
    I used LM1458N, 2N5457 for Q1 and Q2 and 2N5088 for Q3.

    Here are my voltages:

    IC: Q1: Q2: Q3:

    1: 4,1 D: 8,3 D: 8,3 E: 0
    2: 4,2 S: 7,4 S: 7,4 B: 0,6
    3: 4,1 G: 7,5 G: 7,5 C: 0
    4: 0
    5: 0
    6: 6,2
    7: 7,5
    8: 8,3

    The voltages of Q3 look weird, other than that I have no clues what is wrong
    Any help is much appreciated.

    Thanks in advance.

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  33. Mine doesn't have any effect on guitar or bass. Sound comes through fine with no distortion, but also no wah effect. Turning the pots doesn't seem to make any difference, except maybe with blend turned all the way up it is a TINY bit more bassy. Any one got any idea what the problem could be?

    Thanks

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  34. I have the same problem as a lot others where sound comes through and you can tell the pots are working, most obvious is the frequency pot, but there is no wah effect. Why is this? What is it in the circuit that produces the wah effect? Is it something to do with the orientation of the transistors or electrolyte caps. Perhaps I am missing something obvious in the layout the more skilled builders know. I have purchased and built two of these kits and none of them produced any wah effect-but more like a fixed wah. I have built several of the other kits and they have worked just fine. In this kit I was also careful to turn two of the transistors 180 degrees as specified. Any thoughts?

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  35. Hi, I just built this. It's awesome! Once I'd found I'd picked up 4.7R instead of 4.7k for the blender it works like a charm. For my strat though I've had to use a LPB1 in front. I may rebuild and add this as a permanent addition to the pedal, complete with boost knob. Very versatile envelope filter, I am even going to say better than my DOD fx25. The Ploc sound disappears with a bit of fiddling with the settings, and or playing for a little while adjusts your playing enough for it to be AWESOME. W-E-F-U-N-K!

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  36. I built one of these and then spent many hours trying to debug it. Like a number of comments I have read, there is simply no audible envelope action. The depth knob does pretty much nothing, and the freq knob does very little. Checked and rechecked everything. Ran knife between the traces. tried different transistors for q3. Tried reducing the 100r resistor. The circuit pretty much behaves the same without q3 or d1. Bummer, was looking forward to this one.

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  37. I'm a sucker for punishment so I built another, with sockets for some of the resistors so I could tweak away. Well, after a bunch of testing, that one doesn't work either. No sweep, not a lot of filtering. Unfortunately this one has been a waste of time, don't bother if you are thinking about it.

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    1. then you did something wrong. i've built quite a few of them and all of them worked perfectly.

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  38. Is it possible to add a led to show the envelope dynamic?

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