SSS 01 Layout

[vibratoking]

Mesa has used them for decades

[talbany]

Aaron
If you can go ahead and trace out the PCB etches for the trem circuit(as best you can) then we can make the determination as to which one Dumble might have used as a starting point for his trem circuit..You will have to do this anyway..The trem circuit is an effect..It doesn't really effect the overall tone of the amp(accept for the possible loading effect it has when it's mixed back in @ the master) so as long as it functions properly everything else is just depth speed and mixing/loading tweaks..So let's not get too carried away as long as we can get a good idea of how it works!

Tony

[bcook]

And does anyone know what the label on the red 4-pole switch says?

I've attached a picture of the back.

picture source: http://personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/s ... 74-O-1.jpg

Cheers,

Max

Thanks Max.
After staring at this for not long enough, I'm leaning toward a close Magnetone derivative. With the correct combination of caps in the signal path, it could create a vibrato that would be similar to the early '60's Fenders. Not quite pitch shifting, but it alternately attenuates the high and low frequencies. Perhaps the switch selects between this and the roach type tremolo. It'll take some more study.

[Aaron]

I've been looking at the new, clearer image and don't think it's Fender or Magnatone.
IMO, pins 6-7-8 don't look to be connected. I can't see a circuit on the other side and I think the pins have no solder-wire compared to the others.
So, I pulled out my old Tube Amp Book Vol 3.

Don't think it's Fender or Magnatone cause their trem circuits that use half a valve also don't have the opto-roach.

I did find though, that some Ampegs do!
Some values match, but a few tweeks here and there might work?

[dreric]

I've been looking at the new, clearer image and don't think it's Fender or Magnatone.
IMO, pins 6-7-8 don't look to be connected. I can't see a circuit on the other side and I think the pins have no solder-wire compared to the others.
So, I pulled out my old Tube Amp Book Vol 3.

Don't think it's Fender or Magnatone cause their trem circuits that use half a valve also don't have the opto-roach.

I did find though, that some Ampegs do!
Some values match, but a few tweeks here and there might work?

Aron,
I have one of these Ampegs, let me know if you can use a gut shot, I can take one this weekend.

Have you looked in a Traynor Mark 3 or Reverb master? The Tremolo is great in these amps, I'll see if I can get a schematic out of the ones I have.

Eric

[talbany]

I've been looking at the new, clearer image and don't think it's Fender or Magnatone.
IMO, pins 6-7-8 don't look to be connected. I can't see a circuit on the other side and I think the pins have no solder-wire compared to the others.
So, I pulled out my old Tube Amp Book Vol 3.

Don't think it's Fender or Magnatone cause their trem circuits that use half a valve also don't have the opto-roach.

I did find though, that some Ampegs do!
Some values match, but a few tweeks here and there might work?

I think they are connected here's why

You can clearly see pin 8 is grounded (like Magnatone)
2 B+ feeders (white wire comes in next to the 820k 270k (could be plate resistor) and 22m grouping.. Also next to the 3 discs 2 .01's and the larger .02 similar to the Magnatone..
What do you think

Tony

[martin manning]

Here's the Maggie M10-A circuit... looks like a close match with the two large resistors being 47k loads for the inverter. Even if the 0.1's are omitted I don't see enough caps, but otherwise it seems to be close with several other matching resistor values. Clearly the remainder of the circuit (with the varistors and caps) isn't there, so perhaps the two out-of-phase signals from the inverter are applied directly to the neon bulb in the roach. That would be a unique way to do it, but I think it would work.

[Aaron]

Changes made to this are:-

1. The Accent switch corrected

2. The power supply updated. There is one question to where the yellow wire that feeds the 4k7 resistor at the multi-cap. It leads to the power board, to the side between the power board and the main pre.
Do you think it joins at the last point where the red wire goes in. This supply is slightly different to SSS 002. You can see the yellow wire has been joined at one stage with heat shrink. And the join at the red wire has the extra flux like its been rehreated a few times.
I'm only guessing that maybe it was wired like SSS 002 and at some stage HAD has rewired the amp.

3. I've taken a stab at the tremelo.

4. Added the "effects" switch at the back of the amp.

Nearly there. I know the tremolo isn't crucial to the sound of the amp, but now we're this close

EDIT:- revised layout posted further on

[Max]

the surf box..I have no info on that one so if someone else does perhaps we can peek inside..

Tony, I don't have one at hand to peek inside but here is what I noticed when once using one in the loop of an ODS (without a Dumblelator as the Surf Box has an internal tube buffer):

The "tremolo" and "vibrato" controls are step switches. The "speed" control is a usual pot. If the "speed" control is full up, then you can control the speed by an expression pedal to match the tempo of the song. The tremolo and the vibrato have a wide range from slow to fast. AFAIR it had a switch to switch between two speed ranges from very very slow to fast and from slow to very fast.

When the vibrato is activated you perceive a pitch shift that IMO might be generated by a doppler-effect: Even if no guitar signal is present, the speaker moves a bit. And AFAIR the amount of this movement (without guitar signal) is dependend on the setting of the "vibrato" control, and the speed of this movement is dependent on the setting of the "speed" control.

If you play a note with you guitar, then the subjective perception of its pitch changes, probably because of the doppler-effect that is caused by the speaker movement that's present even without a guitar signal. AFAIR the perceivable vibrato effect is a bit more subtle than the perceivable tremolo effect and AFAIR at some settings of the "speed" and "vibrato" controls the vibrato has something of a nice modulation fx like some subtle setting of a phaser or something like this.

Cheers,

Max

[dcribbs1412]

Unmarked caps in the latest rev. are .0047 from the M10a circuit?
Outstanding work BTW.

[talbany]

the surf box..I have no info on that one so if someone else does perhaps we can peek inside..

Tony, I don't have one at hand to peek inside but here is what I noticed when once using one in the loop of an ODS (without a Dumblelator as the Surf Box has an internal tube buffer):

The "tremolo" and "vibrato" controls are step switches. The "speed" control is a usual pot. If the "speed" control is full up, then you can control the speed by an expression pedal to match the tempo of the song. The tremolo and the vibrato have a wide range from slow to fast. AFAIR it had a switch to switch between two speed ranges from very very slow to fast and from slow to very fast.

When the vibrato is activated you perceive a pitch shift that IMO might be generated by a doppler-effect: Even if no guitar signal is present, the speaker moves a bit. And AFAIR the amount of this movement (without guitar signal) is dependend on the setting of the "vibrato" control, and the speed of this movement is dependent on the setting of the "speed" control.

If you play a note with you guitar, then the subjective perception of its pitch changes, probably because of the doppler-effect that is caused by the speaker movement that's present even without a guitar signal. AFAIR the perceivable vibrato effect is a bit more subtle than the perceivable tremolo effect and AFAIR at some settings of the "speed" and "vibrato" controls the vibrato has something of a nice modulation fx like some subtle setting of a phaser or something like this.

Cheers,

Max

Max
Very cool!!..Thanks for the review of the surf box..

Tony

[vibratoking]

Just to let everyone know so that work is not duplicated. I am creating a schematic to match the layout that Aaron is currently working on. It is not close to being done, but here is what I have so far. I will update this as I move forward. BTW, I am using ExpressSCH and I will make the SCH file available for easy editing and mods by the forum.

Updated: Aug 24, 2012 incomplete version
Updated: Aug 27, 2012 removed and added to current end of thread

[ToneMerc]

So once this is finalized are there thoughts of having pc boards made and maybe a chassis as well?

TM

[vibratoking]

I would think a community project might be where this is leading. I am making a schematic that will naturally flow into a PCB layout. There are quite a few approaches to making a PCB, but I need finish the schematic first.

[talbany]

I would think a community project might be where this is leading. I am making a schematic that will naturally flow into a PCB layout. There are quite a few approaches to making a PCB, but I need finish the schematic first.

Vibro
Thanks for contributing your time for this project!!

Good Luck!

Tony