AB Box Output Possibilities ~ Will ONE Wreck an Amp?

[angelodp]

Good to hear, hope the LED add ons get posted, need to do that myself.

Cheers A

[vibratoking]

Now the first thing I did was V-king's tone suck test but unless my ears are shot I could barely detect a difference, in fact I think I was wanting to hear a difference that wasn't there. Maybe the Dlator has something to do with the summed impedances, I dunno.

Glad to hear you got it working and all is well. I'm jealous that you don't hear a difference. BTW, D-lator has nothing to do with it.

[rogb]

Bad news on the LEDs for the BigShot.
The switches are DPDT and cannot switch the LEDs away from the signal path - I tried but it DID suck tone doing it And popped badly so you know the true bypass wasn't anymore.

The ideal way would be to replace the switches with 3PDT ones, hoping you could still fit them to the PCB , then the LEDs could be switched with no problem.
EDIT I just ordered 2 x 3PDT so I will try again.( I want my, I want my, I want my LEDS)



Or wire up a JFET as in the ProCo Rat,then DPDT switches can be used.

http://www.muzique.com/lab/true_bypass.htm



Any more ideas would be really welcome

[vibratoking]

The low-cost Whirlwind ABY has LEDS. Nice box for the money, although I have to admit that I don't know if they still sell it these days.

[Toppscore]

After searching and reviewing AB switch boxes, comparing manufacturers,
specifications, features, pricing, size, metal (versus) plastic, etc.
and . . . .
passive (versus) 9v battery (versus) 120v/9v wall adapter.

I decided to get an ABY box that was passive, but had four (4) guitar cable ports:
1) two ports for either A or B, back forth switching to amps or effects
2) two parallel ports for both A & B playing at the same time

Being passive meant no extra plug adaptor off my pedal board's daisy chain
of adapter plugs/ports and no extra adapter or wall plug socket to manage.
This ABY Switch is all metal with metal plug connectors.
Cheaper AB and ABY switches have plastic all over and
Most ABY switches I saw only offered guitar-in and two amp-out ports.
This ABY switch has guitar in and four (4) amp out ports (major feature).
MOST ALL OTHERS have one guitar-in and only two out-ports.
The battery option is only for the LED, and not needed at all for switching.

What do you guys think of this ABY Box.
Any missing good features?

[vibratoking]

What are you asking that you didn't ask before? That box is decently priced for what it is. It all comes down to the quality of the switch. If the switches suck, then it's overpriced. It's a passive switching box for Christ's sake. It doesn't get any simpler to comprehend than that.

[angelodp]

The Bigshot has (lift, iso on B), 180 - which is helpful. So in order to keep this a try-bypass conversion, are you thinking of running the power to the leds as a separate source, isolated form the circuit so it remains true-bypass?

Could be very cool.

A

[rogb]

The Bigshot has (lift, iso on B), 180 - which is helpful. So in order to keep this a try-bypass conversion, are you thinking of running the power to the leds as a separate source, isolated form the circuit so it remains true-bypass?

Could be very cool.

A

Well the 3PDT has another "rail" in the center so it is possible to isolate the switching/ powering of the LEDs from the signal path.

As it happens, the BigShot has all the switching but I didn't need any of it luckily. It also very made and that is apparent when you take it apart - top quality construction and components.

If you use the isolating transformer IT WILL SUCK TONE! You have been warned! I knocked it on a couple of times and wondered why my ears were full of cotton wool! The switches are now taped up so my boots won't shift .'em

[Reeltarded]

Aye, and the dang switches get to be finicky if you don't work them out. They start going open and intermitant pretty often for me.

[rogb]

Well the 3PDTs arrived today! Fast service from http://pedalparts.co.uk/. The A/B side is in - blue for A, yellow for B. Working fine - no pops or crackles.

This is not for the faint hearted, you need to do work on the PCB...
warranty will be invalid.

I will tackle the Y section tomorrow. Red for both.



It's impossible to photograph the inside as it is all crammed in the space above the PCB. Enough space behind for the 9v cell.

But I can describe what I did.

Removed the PCB, desoldered the 6 poles of the A/B switch, some of the tiny eyelets came loose so I replaced them with normal 1/8" eyelets.
Drilled the casing for the LEDs, fitted these with resistors and sealed these in shrink tube.

I added 1.5" ptfe flying leads to the PCB and soldered in the 3DPDT, having numbered the wires the same as the old switch. These wires fold down under the switch.

9v battery is switched via the LEDs ground through the input Cliff jack, ring and sleeve.

It is a pretty tricky job and space is tight but I have what I wanted.
Shame Radial don't throw $1 worth of LEDs and $5 of switches at this excellent switcher. Oh well ...

I'll put up some pics of the LEDs in action when I finish tomorrow.

[Toppscore]

Well the 3PDTs arrived today! Fast service from http://pedalparts.co.uk/. The A/B side is in - blue for A, yellow for B. Working fine - no pops or crackles. This is not for the faint hearted, you need to do work on the PCB... warranty will be invalid.
I will tackle the Y section tomorrow. Red for both. It's impossible to photograph the inside as it is all crammed in the space above the PCB. Enough space behind for the 9v cell. But I can describe what I did. Removed the PCB, desoldered the 6 poles of the A/B switch, some of the tiny eyelets came loose so I replaced them with normal 1/8" eyelets. Drilled the casing for the LEDs, fitted these with resistors and sealed these in shrink tube. I added 1.5" ptfe flying leads to the PCB and soldered in the 3DPDT, having numbered the wires the same as the old switch. These wires fold down under the switch. 9v battery is switched via the LEDs ground through the input Cliff jack, ring and sleeve. It is a pretty tricky job and space is tight but I have what I wanted. Shame Radial don't throw $1 worth of LEDs and $5 of switches at this excellent switcher. Oh well ... I'll put up some pics of the LEDs in action when I finish tomorrow.

Cool. I am inspired Let's see . . . .
I want to build a Trainwreck kit,
then a step-down transformer,
and now a pedal. Life can be full

[woof*]

I tried out a lot of A/B boxes over the years to run two amps together, and always had problems. Either from ground loops, tone sucking, or just breaking down. The last several years I have been using a Roger Mayer Crossroads. It doesn't suck tone that I can hear, has it's own little transformer and Led's. It's a A/B or A+B pedal and has a switch for either mode. They didn't sell well because they were high priced (250$) so I don't think they are made anymore. If I needed another I would look on the used market or try the Radial pedal.
I usually run a Fender Pro reverb, a Super reverb, Jtm 45, or my Ruby Express in a pair. I set the pedal mode for A+B.
http://195.11.212.138/crossroads.htm
[IMG:600:800]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b63/w ... 98df3c.jpg[/img]

[vibratoking]

Roger Mayer's stuff often falls into the "you can't pay more, but you can buy better category." I used to own some his stuff. The good thing is you can get more than lunch money for his stuff cause of Hendrix and the associated hype.

I haven't used the Crossroads, but if it doesn't tone suck then it must have buffers in it.

[Toppscore]

Wow!!! Are Roger Mayer products high-priced

I'm about "purchased-out".
After I get used my new "mid-priced" pedals & preamps,
will see what is actually used or favored towards music I play.
Down the road, will step-up to the top-of-the-line pedal effects.

Last item still seeking =
An analog footswitch/pedal that has one or two preamp tubes
for dedicated tremolo, not vibrato. A true analog tremolo pedal.

Anybody have experience with:
1) Electro Harmonix Wiggler
2) Electro Harmonix Worm
3) Carl Martin Tremovibe
4) and expecially the Nady TTV-2


Thanks for any experiences or share. Toppscore