By: Brad Burt - RedHouse
History : page-1 of 3
1-2011
This layout is an effort to make a multi-use vibe PCB which supports vintage or higher performance builds, allowing layout space for alternative component choices and supporting most of the common mods that have been contributed in the newsgroups and internet forums over the years. This board is also a bit more user-friendly than software generated boards going around on the internet, traces and pads are wider so the experimenter can solder/un-solder more times before permanent damage occurs to the board (YMMV). This Forum-Vibe uses 70's style stand-up components where possible ie; resistors stand up on one leg saving board space. Supported modifications include JC Maillet's bulb bias Offset-Adj mod (the single most useful vibe-mod IMHO) which allows nearly any small bulb in the 1.2v-14v and 20mA-100mA range to be used and more importantly enables the LFO circuit to be dialed-in, finding the sweet spot for the LDR's. This pretty much negates the old problem of finding the "right" LDR's or Lamps for a vibe build. This Forum-Vibe board supports vintage or modern builds in any combination, supports the bulb driver mod, the output mix mod, bulb driver Darlingtons mod, dual MPS-A13 mod, has universal Bourns type trim-pot pads, can accept Greenies or WIMA caps, the coupling caps can be Electrolytic, Tantalum, or Pansonic ECQ-V stacked film caps, and additional space for a decent Poly .22uF cap is provided and an extra set of pads for the 1.2M resistors in the preamp section to ease the use of metal film resistors which don't normally come in 1.2M value (must use a 1M & 200K in series).
If you are not familiar with his work you should definately go have a look at JC's webpage where you will find lots of great stuff. While you're surfing also check out Moosapotamus webpage and RG's webpage.
It isn't a new "design" it's a new layout. It's not a holy-grail vibe and it's not an all-in-one project, the original Forum-Vibe layout uses an off-board power supply. If you need an all-in-one vibe you could look at building on the old Neovibe project, or the newer and argueably better Warhead Vibe from Brian over at madbeanpedals.com which is designed to fit into a 1590BB.
The root of this work was based on JC Maillet's from back in 1996 when he had developed a unique vibe board of single-sided construction with both the copper traces and the components on the same side. I liked the flow of his layout which loosely followed the original UniVibe >where the circuit wraps in a circle around the light sheild. I contacted JC about using his layout as a starting point for further development on my own, he gave me a huge thumb's-up. He liked the idea of using his work as a spring-board even to the extent of offering assistance. So away I went with it and now I'm on my Rev-7 boards but this Forum-Vibe board described here is a dedicated version of my rev-4 board R4-F to the DIY community.
- Brad RedHouse Burt