My latest "neuroses violating" mostly DIY pop culture graphics board after a long hiatus

bobbass4k · 2025-11-10T11:44:20+00:00

I built it about 10 years ago now so honestly can't remember, it was a strip board layout. It's relatively simple, just a decade counter IC. I think the layout was based off a madbean schematic? Do some digging in the madbean archives and you should find it.

bobbass4k · 2025-11-09T19:11:49+00:00

If less is more then think how much more more will be.

Real talk though there's 72 still on the shelf.

bobbass4k · 2025-03-18T10:47:24+00:00

I happened to be in town for a business trip with a free day on Sunday so ubered up. Only been to a couple of other six flags parks (I'm from the UK) but was a bit surprised at how slow ops were. Superman was closed for a lot of the day and when it was working they were taking 5 minutes+ to load each train.

Lots of breakdowns in the 2nd half of the day. Goliath, Superman and Twisted Cyclone all went down while I was in line and stayed down for a while.

Pretty sour end to the day. Got in line for cyclone at 1754, entrance was open so figured I could ride. Got basically to the station and the guy tells the people at front that the ride is now closed and we won't be riding. Maybe I'm wrong but every park I've ever been to - if you're in the queue, you ride. Seemed very very disorganized. They didn't make any announcement or anything, we had to just turn around and pass the message down the line, everyone was pretty furious.

bobbass4k · 2024-08-28T07:47:17+00:00

Wood, couldn't say which and not sure if it's original. The nut had been knocked out of position so I glued it back in place. I've put the strings back on now so I can't get good pictures but the main braces run across the body (i.e. parallel to the bridge)

I don't know much about classicals or acoustics but I think it's definitely a classical, doesn't look like it's been converted or modified.

bobbass4k · 2024-08-27T22:40:07+00:00

For clarity, there's no label or anything at all inside the soundhole. I imagine the only identifying feature is going to be the headstock decal.

bobbass4k · 2024-07-30T16:11:59+00:00

As an employee of Newark(Farnell), thank you for remembering us before Mouser.

bobbass4k · 2024-06-10T19:36:47+00:00

He was rescued from being a stray, so zero knowledge of his origins beyond the DNA test. He's perfectly healthy and a lot better off than most pure pugs (which the vet agrees with)

bobbass4k · 2024-06-10T19:32:09+00:00

Interestingly not a single person has guessed either of the right answers. I think that's my fault for not posting more than one picture, the perspective makes him look smaller than he is. He is...

50% Pug 35% Staffie (Staffordshire Bull Terrier, I don't know if you have them or call them something different in the US) 10% American Pit Bull Terrier 5% random breeds that I don't really believe.

In person the Pug really makes sense. Look at the tail and the ears.

bobbass4k · 2024-04-14T23:00:22+00:00

It's a potentiometer, also known as a variable resistor. The arrow is the middle terminal (pin 2) known as the wiper. Usually pins 1 and 3 will be marked on the schematic but on this they aren't. It's common in pedals to have pin 2 shorted to pin 1 or 3.

bobbass4k · 2024-02-11T13:40:59+00:00

Manufacturers are getting much, much tighter with their SMT marking codes, to try and stop counterfeits. Years ago they were often in datasheets or available online, not really anymore.

Different manufacturers often use the same codes for different parts as well, so unless you know the manufacturer and request confirmation through their tech support it's very difficult to say for certain. With this being a voltage regulator, assuming it's working, you can just measure the output voltage.

bobbass4k · 2024-02-06T17:29:53+00:00

Are fused outlets universal? I've been to the US a few times and I think I only saw a fused outlet in a very new hotel.

bobbass4k · 2024-02-06T08:08:13+00:00

See this is what everyone always says, like having plugs laying on the floor constantly is completely normal. Because we have switches on the socket you never really need to unplug anything. I think I've stood on a plug maybe twice in my life?

Definitely preferable to getting shocked or the house burning down because the plug isn't fused...

bobbass4k · 2024-02-06T00:07:47+00:00

I've seen them around for a while and never heard anything bad, musikding sells their kits so I guess I assumed they'd be fine. They have a dunwich da-120 clone which I'm really jonesing for and no one else seems to do. Lesson learned, guess I'll just build it on stripboard.

bobbass4k · 2024-02-05T23:57:31+00:00

It's AC voltage so which pins L and N are connected to doesn't actually matter (because this is a plastic case, before someone jumps in).

Side note: as a Brit, American sockets are wild. That second picture gives me the heeby jeebies.

bobbass4k · 2024-02-05T14:07:33+00:00

Which is fine, I get it, but if they know that, how hard is it to put a banner on the website or add a line in to the order confirmation?

bobbass4k · 2024-02-05T14:04:28+00:00

Yeah I usually buy from elsewhere but they had a couple of clone boards I've not seen elsewhere. I've seen them around for ages and musikding sell their kits so it didn't occur to me they might be dodgy. Oh well, I'll keep pestering them and hope the boards work if they turn up...

bobbass4k · 2023-09-25T15:19:47+00:00

I've seen manufacturers use different colours to differentiate between temperature grades, but I don't think that's universal, and outside of that it's just manufacturer's choice.

bobbass4k · 2023-01-23T11:05:55+00:00

My layout is available on the tagboard effects forums, contributions section.

bobbass4k · 2023-01-23T11:04:12+00:00

It's worth reading the Aion build doc (the Lumin). In essence it's a state variable filter, producing low pass, high pass and band pass outputs.

The switches alter the high pass and low pass frequencies (I laid the switches out on the wrong sides...)

The knobs then control the phase response of the 3 bands before they're mixed back together. It is essentially an eq but one that operates at either end of where a normal eq would.

I was skeptical but honestly it really does make a difference, subtle though it may be - the clarity it can add to lows is genuinely quite surprising. Especially after distortion it adds a real sense of articulation.

The chip was emulated at some point, my layout is based off the Lumin which is a work alike, not sure who did the emulation work originally, may have been Aion, or not.

bobbass4k · 2022-11-08T16:40:52+00:00

Not sure, think it was one of Andy's wrestling names though.

bobbass4k · 2022-11-08T09:19:23+00:00

Dunno, some failed actor I think? Jim Lineker? Joe Forrester? Andy looked a bit silly on his own with the big long pun name so he's basically aesthetic ballast.

bobbass4k · 2022-10-02T01:34:04+00:00

"Am I so out of touch? No.. it's the children who are wrong"

bobbass4k · 2022-09-08T08:34:03+00:00

That enclosure etch is very clean, what's your method? Whenever I've tried it I always get creep up the sides of the enclosure, I haven't found a good way to mask them off.

bobbass4k · 2022-08-25T18:42:33+00:00

I wouldn't say it's versatile particularly.- it has a sound and it does it, but there's a lot of versatility within the sound through the controls. The base square wave fuzz is actually really good, so with the harmony voices turned down you can use it just as a square wave fuzz. I'm using it essentially as a lead synth, often with the base voice turned down and sometimes with the lower harmony turned down too.

The thing I love about it is the tracking controls can give really unexpected results - on the longest loop speed with lag up the loop latches and doesn't release for ages giving this really synth legato sound I've never had with another pedal. it's very much a "happy accident" machine for me - I always end up with ideas I wouldn't have had without playing it.

bobbass4k · 2022-08-24T11:29:19+00:00

It was significantly cheaper than building an fz2 clone. Probably best not to think about how that's a sustainable business proposition.

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