The Speaker Cranker is an all discrete dirt enhancement device designed to give your signal some grit and a slight boost without drastically changing the character of your tone. It’s perfect for those that don’t like to fiddle with pesky controls yet want to add a little tube-like breakup or enhance an already over driven amp (or pedal) to give it some extra crunch without over loading the preamp. The single “More” control allows you choose the amount of break up you desire. Just like you would with a tube amp, back it off to thin out the sound and clean it up or crank it up for a fuller sound with a bit of compression. Did we mention it’s an overdrive and not a booster? It’s an overdrive not a booster. All analog, true bypass and handmade one at a time in the pit of Akron, Ohio.
That demo sounds really nice. I have some bat41,42, and 46s. Those would work for this, I think. Would any one of those be better than the other?
ReplyDeleteThanks
Yes all those would be fine. I think they will all sound very similar so I'd just use one I had most of.
DeleteCool. Appreciate it. Now I gotta go dig through the transistor bags for the 3904. I seriously need to get organized...
DeleteThis will be a nice Saturday afternoon build. Wonder what normal people do with their time.... :)
Thanks for the layout
Go to the pub :o)
DeleteGuess that makes me normal then ;)
DeleteMy wife thinks I'm a little too normal!
DeleteNormal is in the eyes of the beerholder....
DeleteThanks for the great layouts John. This site managed to get even better!
ReplyDeleteLooks a lot like... Electr... I mean... Lovepedal High Gain Twin?
ReplyDeleteFinished and boxed. Nice in the lower gain settings. A tad harsh at the highest gain. Crackle OK....
ReplyDeleteThanks for the layout John.
Built one yesterday, quite a nice simple little design actually. I feel that it really needs a master volume tagged on the output though as the higher gain settings can get too loud.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Dave
I built this one too. Substituted bat41 diodes. It starts very slightly above unity and boosts a bit with the gain maxed. I don't hear a crackle in the gain knob, nor did I feel like there was a huge jump in volume. Maybe the diodes make a big difference. Anyway, going to drop it in a tiny, tiny box this week.
ReplyDeleteHow is the LED connected w/ the mini version?
ReplyDeleteJust connect the resistor inline with a daisy chain from the 9V supply, or if width isn't a problem for you, just add an extra column and put the resistor from the 9V row to one of the lower rows. Maybe the row that the transistor base is on, with a cut to isolate it obviously.
DeleteHi.
DeleteI have 1n60p's. Is the lit saying these are ok to use or not?
I have the bat's alsao but wanted to stick as close to possible to the build.
jeff
I often find that "non-stock" diodes work best for me than the stock ones. Use sockets and try different sets of diodes. BAT's will certainly work here although I often find they compress the tone too much and have quite a bit of a volume drop.
DeleteI always like the bat41 and 1n34a combination, or try bat 41 with 1n914 for more volume, dynamics and less clipping.
DeleteThis really is a nice sounding pedal. I've been playing through it for the past few days and the more I play through it, the more I like it. I used bat 46s for the diodes.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFinished this build yesterday. Sounds really, really good. I'm really impressed with the voicing of this one considering all it has is the one knob. This is staying on the pedal board for awhile. I tried 1n34a, bat 41 and 1n914. Stuck with the 1n914's for now, but the 1n34a's sounded really nice too. Would be curious to hear it with the 1n60p's. Thanks for posting this! Great pedal.
ReplyDeleteFinished building one of these last night and tested it out. It sounded pretty good, but not as good as I was hoping. I hear a fizz like the transistor is getting clipped too much. So I pulled the diodes and I can hear the transistor clipping at times. I've tried a few different 2n3904 and one 2n2222a (figured I would give it a shot) and, as expected, some clipped more than others. So my question is this, for those who got this pedal sounding great, when the pedal is cranked can you hear the transistor clipping after pulling the diodes? Thanks
ReplyDeleteI'm not really sure what is the problem you're describing... this is an overdrive not a (clean) booster. Clipping should be expected! :)
DeleteHaha, very true. I guess I'm wondering should the transistor just be boosting the signal (clean boost) so the diodes can do the clipping (overdrive sound), or is the transistor clipping and the diodes clipping? In the past I've had transistors clip too much and they made things sound fizzy. To fix it I changed the bias resistor to the collector so the transistor didn't clip as much, which I'm thinking about doing since this is DIY and I can do that sort of fun stuff.
DeleteI will say that I forgot that I had used a 100n output cap instead of the 68n, since I don't have any 68n's at the moment. I put in a 56n cap in tonight and tried it out, and well...that helped a lot. So that's my story. And the moral of the story is, try stuff out and have fun making a lot of noise.
So I got some time to mess around with the circuit a little more. I socked the 10k resister going to the collector and tried out a 8.2k and 6.8k resistor. Both made a huge difference, but I opted to leave the 6.8k in there. I ended up changing the input and output caps for preference with my setup. And of course I've been playing around with the diodes. At this point the pedal is sounding quite excellent.
DeleteI don't know who John K is, but that's my layout. I posted it on FSB two months before the date shown on "his" layout. Not that it was terribly complicated, but it was the first RE and vero I ever did. I've gotten a lot of great info from this site IVIark, proud to see some of my own work on here.
ReplyDeletehttp://freestompboxes.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=15191&start=20
Michael, cheers for you. I had seen your layout @FSB before being posted here, just didn't realize "Motter"and JohnK weren't the same people. Thnx for sharing.
DeleteHay all... i can´t find the value of the "more" poti? someone can tell me? maybe i am blind...:\
ReplyDeleteYes I suppose it would help :o)
DeleteIt's 5K linear
thanks
DeleteHey guys!
DeleteI have limited parts selection and no patience ... :P
What would happen with a 10K Lin in this position?
Hi there, I build mine a couple of hours ago. it works, kind of.
ReplyDeleteThough the pedal is very quiet, at max even quieter than unity.
Does anybody know what the problem might be?
I used really cheap 1n34as as diodes which I got from the states.
I tested every component before I built the pedal and they were fine.
Somebody a hint?
please help :)
ReplyDeleteDe-solder the bottom leads of D1 and D2 and see if the volume jumps up. If it does then the diodes are causing the problem, if not then it sounds like you could have a bad connection somewhere so you're going to have to go over your build and reflow solder as necessary. But as always with these things, we can't offer any advice without information, and that means you need to post the voltages you're getting at the transistor pins.
Deleteits the diodes,
ReplyDeleteI gonna exchange them to 4148s
thanks man
well, still doesnt really work, still a volme drop.
ReplyDeletehere are the tranny voltages:
C:4,3
B:1,2
E:0,5
also, i dont here much of a difference when turning rhe pot up and down, is that normal?
I gonna reflow my solder joints and see if it makes a diference
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteby reading this
ReplyDeletehttp://www.taitroncomponents.com/catalog/Datasheet/1N60.pdf
i could say yes...but i'm not an expert...!!!
I already saw that particular one, that is why I'm asking, I do not know what are the measures that matter...thanks anyways!
Deleteanybody?
ReplyDeletewould it work the same 1N60 germanium diodes instead of 1N60P germanium ones?..thanks
Any diodes will work fine, some will change the character of the distortion and the volume levels but they will all work. What sounds best is always subjective anyway so it's a good idea to test these things with a few and see what you think.
DeleteRemember that Ge's tend to lower the output and be warmer, while Si's tend to have more output and be more in your face. Checkout the demo video for the black arts pharaoh, and you'll see what I mean, because theirs a switch to choose between Si, Ge, and no diodes at all.
DeleteMany thanks.
DeleteI can buy either just wanted to know what might be the difference between them, tI could not find the by unit, they come in fairly big packages, both are 50mA, the 1N60 is 50V the 1N60P is 45V. Would this extra 5V increase the gain somehow? This will be good to know, what is actually affecting what...
The extra capacity doesn't make a difference, these are just used to clip the signal and the important characteristic for that is the forward voltage which should be somewhere around 0.25 to 0.35V.
DeleteBear in mind that if the diodes look like this, then they're not germanium, they're schottky. The Ge 1N60 should look something like this
thank you very much Mark, one learn every day here!
DeleteYes them both I can get are germaniums.
As the pdf shows, both have the same forward voltage curve (posted above by ξεναγός νεκρόπολης, http://www.taitroncomponents.com/catalog/Datasheet/1N60.pdf )
I think I'll get the 1N60 here in Germany, the P version comes from HK, too much waiting time.
i know you said they're both Ge, but just be careful as there are a lot of schottky diode work-likes that are sold as Ge. They will have similar forward voltage, and will sound similar, but they are not. just be careful, because they're priced as Ge's but aren't. don't want to get ripped off, ya know?
Deletehey johns many thanks, thats really sucks, actually now, after reading your post and watching Marks pics, they look more like schottkies to me: in HK http://www.ebay.de/itm/351175645964?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Deleteand in Germany
http://www.ebay.de/itm/181524706345?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
I've asked both sellers to confirm that they are authentic Ge's..no reply so far
without a doubt both of those are schottkys. that's not saying they sound bad, but you have to watch out. those are smaller DO-35 packages, and myself and others haven't found real Ge's in anything other than DO-7 packages which are larger. i just bought these:
Deletehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/171444646661?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
but there all out. but i just found this from the same seller, which is less diodes:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/20x-NOS-1N60-Germanium-Glass-Diodes-1K60-THOMSON-CSF-FOR-HI-END-AUDIO-/181411607746?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item2a3cf974c2
wow, I wouldn't buy stuff from suckers who tries to fool people! thanks so much for the heads up Johns! I know that guy in turkey I already bough some Roedenstein caps from him some time ago, cool dude.
Deletei honestly don't think it's on purpose, just miss information along the way. think about it. it's the same part number, so its just kinda accepted. i've bought 1n34a work-alikes that sound fantastic, even better then the real thing IMHO that were sold as Ge's. i contacted the guy and he was shocked, cause his distributor sells them as Ge to him, so he's just selling them as he's informed. the guy changed his auction instantly and thanked me so he didn't get accused of ripping people off. you think that people selling would be more aware, but sometimes they don't, so we have to. btw, the work-alike 1n60p's do sound great, they just aren't Ge, so make sure you don't spend Ge money on them.
ReplyDeletewell I can say that I basically do think that there are so many sellers trying to fool people that the honest one are the exception, and that is in the everyday life in all aspects...
ReplyDeleteyou mean the 1N60P are not Ge in any case? just found some in Canada in DO-7 casing, wanted to get these..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-IN60P-1N60-P-Germanium-Diodes-Crystal-Tube-Radio-25pcs-Black-LOOSE-/360879901665?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item54061e4be1
those should be true Ge's, and the price is good. i'ld go for it.
DeleteI just did. thanks for all the help and tips johns!
Delete(the seller has confirmed and guaranteed these are legit Ge in big DO-7 casing)
hey, anytime buddy. want to make sure you don't make the same mistake many of us have made before. if we don't look out for each other, who will. hope you're build turns out the way you want it. can't wait to hear how it turned out.
DeleteHi. there is a 1N4001 rectifier after the 100u electrolytic (coming from 9v) on this schematics (FSB) http://freestompboxes.org/download/file.php?id=24715&mode=view and on some guts pics too.
ReplyDeleteThere is none on your board, is it not necessary? thanks
I never include parallel reverse polarity protection diodes, I think they're stupid when not used with a fuse. Apart from some very early layouts I always omit them.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deletethanks
DeleteWhat capacitor values would be good for bass guitar use?
ReplyDeleteI wanted to install a dpdt switch w/ 2 caps, the original and one to optimize for bass. is this the right tact, or should I be concerned with the input cap value too?
ReplyDeletethat shouldn't be an issue at all. you want to use an On-Off-On DPDT, with one value on one side and the other on the second side. as for values, i'm not sure. this is based on an Electra Drive, and so is the Green Giant, both beeker and myself modified ours for bass and upped the input cap to 470nF, but in the Green Giant has a higher output cap of 100nF, so I would up the output cap to 100nF at least, in mine i upped the output cap to 470nF too.
Deleteso I couldn't just route a dpdt right off the board where the 68n cap goes, using a dpdt and a 68n and another larger value cap?
ReplyDeleteI think a 470nF will be the best choice to use this pedal for a Bass. Both the input and the output caps. You should try other values. I do not know exactly if only changing the caps it will work 100%.
DeleteReply for us if you find some interesting results!!!
you can just replace the input cap with a switch(middle two lugs), on the top two lugs put one cap, and the bottom two lugs the other. if you want to do this for the output cap as well just use 2nd switch. since this is basically an electra distortion, which has been used for many pedals, one being what we call the germanium giant in the contributions section. in any event i built one for my bass all i did was swap the in a 470nF for input and output and it retained all the low end i needed, nothing else needed. don't forget you can go higher, or lower, or make them 2 different values to get something you like.
DeleteThank you very much !
DeleteIt is more simple than I was thinking.
I also pretend to develop in the future a switch to change the diodes clipping.
thank you very much
I loved the sound of this pedal ! Amazing!
ReplyDeleteBut I am with "pop" sound when I turn on/off the devices.
Should I increase the 1M input Resistor to ground ? Or does anyone have other idea?
If the pop your getting is when you hit the stomp switch to turn the effect on and off, you can try upping the 1M pull down resistor. If it's happening when changing the caps when the effect is engaged that sometimes can happen.
DeleteIt happens when I turned the effect on. I increased the puldown resistor to 5M and solved the problem!
DeleteThank you
Love this one! Made with Russian d9E 's. Sounds nice! Put in front of od-830 and sounds amazing!!!!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI tried to clip the signal with red Leds of 3mm and noting happened!
I put in this way:
Input row: two leds here which the + polarity goes to ground and -, of the second one, is going to output.
From the output I put a third led as well. The - Goes to the ground.
Did anyone tried clipping sound with leds?
Hey guys, first time builder first time commenter, I've literally just finished wiring everything up for this build, and haven't blown anything up yet (thankfully!) but when I engage the switch my volume drops below unity and I get a high pitched squeal, my signal remains clean though, even cranked I can't hear any signs of the speaker cranker grit that I've heard in the demos. Any idea on where I could begin to troubleshoot? Thanks in advance!
ReplyDeleteI have a similar behaviour, how did you solve?
Deletego through the fault finding section at the top menu bar. it goes through the basics of fault finding on tagboard. a continuity checker is your first tool you reach for after building.
ReplyDeleteHow could I decresse the volume and increase the distortion ? Should I change which resistor?
ReplyDeleteI was breadboarding this and messing around. The emitter/collector will change gain characteristics, but what I did was I sent the emitter to a 2n5088 transistor and set up similar resistors on the C and E to power/ground like the earlier one. This added some gain. I also added really weird random clipping diode arrangement off of B and C... Like, basically one diode was in the feedback loop while the other two went off on eachother into the ground, and this part added a fuzzy characteristic and changed the working on the pot significantly, to go between and overdrive and fuzz type sound.
DeleteIf this is one of your first projects I highly reccomend breadboarding it and messing around if you have some extra trannies/diodes.
I think I burnt one tranny up trying to mod my perfect clipping arrangement lol...
Will either a 10k or 2k lin pot work for this? Closest I have in the drawer at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou could put a 10K resistor in parallel with the 10K pot to halve the resistance to 5K
ReplyDeletehttp://www.geofex.com/article_folders/potsecrets/potscret.htm
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJust built this - worked first time. Nice.
ReplyDeletehi.
ReplyDeletejusr bread boarded, pedal sounds really so nice.
i have replaced 68n cap with .47 and it soundes better to my ears, nice with humbuckers very nice tone.
Anyone else picking up the high freq squeal when using a power supply?
ReplyDeleteIts silent when using a battery and with high quality power supply. But shouldnt it be silent with regular boss psa ps as well??
Yes. This effect just doesn't seem very tolerant of noisy power supplies. Mine wails like a banshee when plugged into a cheap wall-wart (it's daisy-chained with a rat, which doesn't complain); but works beautifully on a battery. This afternoon I built a perf version of this: https://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/Hum_Stop_-_power_supply_hum_reducer/p847124_6807259.aspx and added it to the power jack, and this reduced the squealing to a fairly quiet hum. This isn't a bad workaround, but if you've got a high quality power supply I'd recommend just using that with this effect...
DeleteTotally new to pedal building and I'm sourcing the parts for this as my first build. Looking for 1N60P's and all I'm finding is "schottky"'s. I know squat about electronics, so I'm confused - are the specs for this pedal for Germanium or Schottky diodes? Are they interchangeable? Thanks guys!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteIs this circuit tuned for guitar only, or would it work fine with a bass too ?
Would increasing the 100nF and 68nF capacitor make it more "full spectrum" and bass friendly ?
(Sorry, I just realized it had been already replied above)
ReplyDelete"I socked the 10k resister going to the collector and tried out a 8.2k and 6.8k resistor. Both made a huge difference"
ReplyDelete> In which way did it change the sound ?
> Could we use a 10K pot instead (if so, how shuold we solder the 3 lugs) ??
So easy to make and sounds great, even with cheap Chinese parts!
ReplyDeletePut it into a 1590A and it's gorgeous! Great for edge of breakup and gets kinda vintage fuzzly when set high.
ReplyDeleteWith my old Boss power supply I get a high pitched squeal but with mir Palmer PWT12 it's silent.
Thanks for the layout, you guys are great!
Successful build, no substitutions. Pick an LED you really like, because it'll always be on. Thanks, Mark!
ReplyDeleteSounds excellent with simple bat 46’s. Bread boarded it first. Found something huge sounding to go into a 1590a. Beat out a Ritual fuzz. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAny chance of getting a tagboard layout of this one? I love mine!
ReplyDelete