The Folk Buffer.

[ibodog]

Ah, yes, I was only following the schematic. I'm at the "connect the dots" level right now so the new instructions helped. OK strip board is proto so we can put the wires wherever is convenient to us. Those who want to replace the VR2 with a fixed resistor can save themselves 2 columns of board.

Maybe the schematic could be altered to match the new layout?
[attachment deleted - see new layout below]

Now if Fromel wanted to pop over to FSB and give me a clue about how to simplify the PQL mid range controls, that would be awesome!

[jfromel]

Now if Fromel wanted to pop over to FSB and give me a clue about how to simplify the PQL mid range controls, that would be awesome!

I see I finally made it to the disection table at FSB, and on my 40th birthday no less, what a fine birthday present Thank you. Here is your clue...

(1/(2pi*R*C)10^12)=Hz

I don't goop my pedals but if I wanted my schems published I would post them on the forums for everyone to roll their own if they wanted. The fact is that if someone did roll thier own it would not sound like one of my pedals. I have a certain way that I build and my pedals all sound like I built them. Just like Bjorns pedals sound like they were built by Bjorn.

I think I disclose more than most builders do about their circuits but don't take that as a willingness to disclose specifics about my circuits or BOM's. I would rather sell a Shape EQ for $189 shipped to anyone who wanted to buy one. Personally I think it is a very good value and the sales do really help me feed my family even though pedal building is a part time job for me.

For reasons I do not care to discuss, I openly state the foundation on which my circuits are based for any pedal I am building if I am asked. In some cases this helps like with the Shape and Seraph, but with the Death is Gain it has not helped at all, in fact I think that pedal would be a best seller if I encased it in epoxy and told everyone it was some mysterios circuit because it does not sound anything like a TS. That's enough rant, back to the buffer discussion.

Nice work on the Vero Layout, I will review and comment if necessary but it looks like Bjorn's evaluation is spot on.

[ibodog]

Hey man, I understand that once you start making these things for a living the sharing of information becomes difficult to justify. You've posted a number of things over at FSB and I was hoping you might throw in some clues there as to the simplification of the mid control on the PQL. I'd already put some sort of EQ on my "to do" list and started with the PQL. Then I started searching forums for more info on it and that eventually led to the Shape EQ. And then that led to the buffer here. No biggie, right? At the end of it I'm only going to end up with one big vero layout for the thing that *no one* is going to want to put into production! You've had a look at Dirk's schematic for the PQL, right? Anyway, I'm going to end up making some sort of cut down PQL for myself one way or another based off of that. Call it "inspired by" the PQL and Shape EQ because it certainly won't be an exact clone. I do tweaks to pretty much every pedal I make for myself because often just a few tweaks are needed to fit my taste/guitars/amps. Judging by the (non)response to the FSB thread, I don't think you have a lot to worry about.

[jfromel]

Hey man, I understand that once you start making these things for a living the sharing of information becomes difficult to justify. You've posted a number of things over at FSB and I was hoping you might throw in some clues there as to the simplification of the mid control on the PQL. I'd already put some sort of EQ on my "to do" list and started with the PQL. Then I started searching forums for more info on it and that eventually led to the Shape EQ. And then that led to the buffer here. No biggie, right? At the end of it I'm only going to end up with one big vero layout for the thing that *no one* is going to want to put into production! You've had a look at Dirk's schematic for the PQL, right? Anyway, I'm going to end up making some sort of cut down PQL for myself one way or another based off of that. Call it "inspired by" the PQL and Shape EQ because it certainly won't be an exact clone. I do tweaks to pretty much every pedal I make for myself because often just a few tweaks are needed to fit my taste/guitars/amps. Judging by the (non)response to the FSB thread, I don't think you have a lot to worry about.

Good talking with you today, The PQL schematic is very different from the Shape EQ schematic. The Shape is based on the PQ-9, it's a different animal.

Now back to the buffer.

[ibodog]

Right you are, my good man. Here's the verified layout for the Folk Buffer! (Old ones above deleted.) One minor tweak was made to make the 100uf cap fit better. Just for fun I hooked up the battery backwards and felt the 1n4001 get really hot. When I switched the battery back everything still worked.

I don't have a NE5534 on hand so a TL071 is in my build right now. Also didn't have a 2M trimmer so I used a 1M trimmer with a 1M resistor tacked on in series. I didn't get a chance to check the output impedance trim settings with a sensitive fuzz pedal. But I did put the buffer in a true bypass loop to switch it in and out. Was using a 10' economy guitar cable to the buffer and a 5' after and plugged into a Pod X3. Telecaster w/Seymour Duncan mini humbuckers plugged into the buffer. Increasing the input trim adds just a hair of sparkle over the bypassed signal even with these shorter cables. With the trimmer at minimum (so about 1M ohm) the sparkle and general spectrum and level was the same as the bypassed signal.

Some may be interested in the power draw for figuring battery life or supply requirements. My build draws 2.1mA with the TL071 in it.

[jfromel]

I think this schem will work. The Vero is a pretty easy build but if anyone wants to etch their own I would be happy to do a PCB design for this one. I may do a small run of boards as well if anyone is interested. Sorry the buffer has taken so long but things have been busy here. Many thanks to Ibodog for the fine Vero and bumping this thread.

[jdandry]

So I completed my Buffer. It sounds like its working, the input imp control seems to add sparkle but the output imp control dosen't seem to have any effect. Is there any way to measure it. Maybe voltage via some points to see if it is working right.
ok, this is an edit. I tried the buffer in front of my Folkfuzz and the output imp. control had an effect. Sounds like it when it was turned up, it increased the lows and highs, or maybe just the overall drive into the fuzz. I guess it is working. I know I need a good buffer, I played my last gig with my new cables which are alot longer than my old ones. The rig sounded like I was playing through a wah pedal, loss of lows and highs and drive, the next night, I plugged direct into the amp with a 10ft. cable and the tone was there!!
I got a BIG loss with the new cables and the pedalboard. In the bedroom, the Folkbuffer seems to add about 90% of the signal, highs and lows back with the long cables and pedalboard in the chain vs. just the 10ft. Pretty good!

[jfromel]

I think this might do well with a couple minor changes.

C1 - 1uf film cap
C4 - 10uf Bi-polar

This should open the circuit up just a bit.

[BJF]

Hi,

Regarding the trim pots in the Folk Buffer:

The input trimmer works as a load to the guitar pick up- see further reference on that in thread about when to use a buffer.
It will at it's highest setting allow the highest peak of the guitar pickup through with minimum attenuation while as you turn down this control the pick up resonance will be dampened.

Output control forms a filter with the following cable. Any cable has a capacitance between sheild and core.
Output control can also be used to keep your fuzz from going bearseark

Further note on using Folk Buffer with Folk Fuzz in this combination Folk Fuzz will not go bearseark but place FF first to get more control over fuzz and closer reaction with guitar or place FB first to get more gain out of FF

The purpose of the two controls is to carefully trim the treble increase that would occour when you drive a cable with a 'steady out output as opposed to a guitar pick up that is a choke and that behaves like one and the wha sound effect comes from the choke forming a filter with the capacitance in the cable.

Now if your ideal sound comes with your 10foot cable use that ahead of the Folk Buffer. and you can use a much longer cable after the Folk Buffer.

Also for reasons of safety in powerdown mode I would suggest using no larger cap than 47nF or 0.047 as C1.

This is a buffer and the purpose of the controls are to minimize the effects of its inclusion.

Have fun
BJ

[Hulakatt]

jfromel,
Did you ever do a small run of boards? Any left?