Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Regan on August 6, 2016 at 9:58am

The diodes can conduct backwards, they clip the signal and thats where the sound change comes from. Honestly, I think this circuit is overdone too, and the 2 diode circuit and modifying it is where to start.

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Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 6, 2016 at 10:24am

I'm not so sure. Having 4 gives a signal two "paths" to follow through 2 different real life paths.

If this was a digital system everything would be perfect but in real life other factors come into play. Much like versions of tube amps verses digital amps.

The guy talks about something odd happening to the signal in the second version in his description.

Also, in the original chip thing that this guy built his design on, there are different ways to wire it up. I wonder if this is what they have done to produce the effects on it.

You are correct though. The first diagram is the way to begin to experiment with this thing.

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Permalink Reply by Lane Martin on August 15, 2016 at 6:17am

All he did was build a full wave bridge rectifier. (see here)

I think (been out of school a long time and I don't work in this area) it's the voltage drop of the diodes that "clips" the signal a bit to produce the desired effect.

May not do much for you, but it won't cost much to try it.

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Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 6, 2016 at 10:51am

Your right. Not sure how that one works

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Permalink Reply by Regan on August 6, 2016 at 11:35am

The diagram you have up above won't work because the clippers need to fit in between the positive and negative signal lines, not only on one.

Here is a good explanation on diode clippers.

http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/diode/diode-clipping-circuits.html

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Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 6, 2016 at 11:55am

So if we find we get no signal or full signal with no clipping from the diodes, we could in theory use a step up low amp transformer like we would use in a homemade alumitone but wire it into either a pup or a piezo and use a pot to vary the voltage to the diodes.
The diodes sensitivity to voltage leveling of our signal strength can be found. We just ramp up our voltage, use the pot to bleed it off then slowly turn it up until the clipping becomes apparent.

All this wireing will make my head spin.

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Permalink Reply by Regan on August 6, 2016 at 11:58am

That might work, your volume pot would work  to control clipping so no need for an added pot.

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Permalink Reply by Regan on August 6, 2016 at 2:33pm

That's it!

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Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 7, 2016 at 1:38am

That looks real simple to build

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on August 6, 2016 at 3:16pm

From what I've seen on youtube it takes some energy to do this. With a min of 8.56 to drive the effect.

This would also make a great outboard effect for someone who doesn't what to use batteries or doesn't have access to extra power.

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Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 7, 2016 at 1:48am

Yeah. We could definitely use some of that!

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on August 7, 2016 at 6:56am

The guitar that I put the Black Ice into had 500k pots and worked fine. Latter I took the Black Ice out, put it in a shaver tin with a bypass switch and a 250k volume pot. So signal comes into the tin to the volume, to the switch, to the Black Ice and out or just out. The result was a slight signal boost without the Black Ice and no drop in volume with the Black Ice.

The Black Ice was worth the 20 Bucks I paid, not the best OD/Distortion effect but is worth the money. I put in the tin as a pedal so I could use it with all my guitars.

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