Vero Layout: The Gristleizer

Here's a really ugly vero layout I did for the classic 'Gristleizer' circuit, the first circuit I ever took a probe to and figured out how it worked. I learned a lot from the circuit, as it provides elements of electronics present in both guitar effects and synthesizers.

It certainly hasn't aged well, the filtering is pretty terrible and some settings are borderline inaudible, with some knobs not doing anything in 70% of their settings, and using 5 LM741s seems ridiculous, so this one uses a TL074 and a TL072, with the voltage doubler hidden off-board (I had this in console style case that I never finished). A lot of fiddly parts chained together.

I've built several of these now and they've all come off really well. FuzzDog does a great PCB if you're in the UK too: https://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/Gristleizer_-_Mad_Modulations!/p847124_15740439.aspx

Anyway, the layout:

I told you it was ugly!

I often wondered why nobody had produced a vero layout for this, and then as soon as I put pen to paper, I realised why. Too many jumpers, too many cuts and too many specific parts needed to commit to making this unless you really want to.

The schematic I made this from was a beautifully neat Eagle schematic which now seems to have been expunged from the internet. I have a copy but shan't post it here as I cannot remember where it was from and wouldn't want to host it without asking permission first. But if you fancy it, have fun building this.

Self-verified, as I had this working for a while, and it sounded near identical to the three I bought from Fuzzdog.

First HyperLight boards now available

Hello all,

I now have the first run of HyperLight boards on their way to me.

If you're interested in buying one they are here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282842216604

Here they are:

Pretty huh?

You can drop me a line at bluffchill@gmail.com and we can sort out PayPal stuff.

Update: with a bit of fiddling, it fits in a 1590B.

Schematic for you home brew types:

New Effect: Screaming Red Rabbit Fuzz

So here's a happy mistake!
Confessions up front. I was trying to make a Seamoon Funk Machine. I'm sorry.
Sorry that I was trying to make an auto wah pedal, and sorry for not succeeding.

Fortunately, I can bring to you, hypothetical reader, something else entirely. I present to you the SCREAMING RED RABBIT fuzz pedal.

And I'm posting the schematic AND a veroboard layout for you to make yourself.

The Screaming Red Rabbit is, while technically unassuming in its low part count and common components, a rather serviceable fuzz pedal. It's almost like a ZVex Fuzz Factory, in that it squeals with delight, self-oscillates, and generally won't behave its damn self.

There are four controls.

• Definition (envelope sensitivity)
• Density (envelope gain)
• Frequency (frequency of the low-pass filter, a sign of its origins as a 70s filter pedal)
• Volume (how loud it can do what it does)

I fiddled around with the bit in between the envelope follower and the filter op amp for quite a while until I found a decent combination, but got it to do some pretty wacky things on the way. At one point it was very nearly a tremolo. A horrible, horrible tremolo.

Schematic!

And a vero layout for you to chew on:

Your homework is to try making this, verifying my layout and letting me know if it sounds as awesome as mine (somewhere between a Prunes & Custard and a Smashing Pumpkins-esque op amp big muff) or if it is totally horrible and I am very wrong. Bonus points if you can identify the origin of the name I have given this thing.

Enjoy!

New Effect: The HyperLight Ringmodulated Delay

I've been working for a little while on a circuit called the HyperLight. It is a very basic lo-fi PT2399 based delay with a ringmodulator in the delay path. Your dry tone stays dry, the repeats come back in Dalek form.

I was inspired by the soundtrack for the game Hyper Light Drifter, by Disasterpeace, which is divinely atmospheric in a decayed future sort of a way.

After a lot of twiddling over the breadboard, I have a complete version. Thanks to OSH park, I have some boards for it as well.

The controls are delay time, modulator frequency and feedback. There is also a trimpot mounted on the board which controls how much signal is returned from the ringmod vs 'clean' delayed tone from the PT2399. There is also an optional switch which puts it into 'experimental mode' - that is, it redirects the delay time pin from pin 6 through a 47k resistor to pin 5 of the LM567 chip. It gives a much shorter delay and makes it sound more like a normal ring modulator, but with the clean signal still present. An image:

Introducing the HyperLight ring-modulated delay. Send your delayed tone into the glitchy virtual future. #diyeffects #ringmodulator #delaypedal

A post shared by Bluff Chill (@bluffchill) on Jan 9, 2018 at 2:03pm PST

And some sound samples:
You can get some pretty cool hypnotic twinkly robot noises behind your normal playing. Obviously being a ring mod type effect it handles single notes better than chords but can fatten up chord work in weird ways when using lots of distortion. But I liked it and I'd like to share the effect with the world.

I will very soon have boards for sale. I will also add a schematic, and if I get round to it, a tagboard layout.

Welcome to the blog!

Hello and welcome to the Bluff Chill Devices blog!

A little introduction: I'm a musician who dabbles in electronics - effects pedals, noise makers, synthesizers, etc. I enjoy designing my own circuits and modifying existing ones. I like to think my particular area occupies a fuzzy (pun) area between synthesizers and effects units. I became interested in this particular area after discovering the Gristleizer, building several, and then deconstructing the schematic to change things about it I didn't like. Posts on my work will follow.

I've just taken my first steps into producing some of my work for sale and would love to share my work with the circuit bending, guitar effect building world, and look forward to them being deconstructed and modified in turn by other members of the community.

Enjoy!