this helpful vid is for beginners or folks not familiar with all the functions of a multimeter .

how to use a multimeter with a slant towards guitar / pedals / audio

one

http://youtu.be/AwUhuJZvdfM

pt two

http://youtu.be/XSQaLxW_Wsk

thanks for watchin !!

DIY (quick and dirty) Test Oscillator pt 1

http://youtu.be/6X7VrcYwKM4

DIY (quick and dirty) Test Oscillator and Probe Part two

http://youtu.be/SF0ZjDsYKas

preciate the views !!

the analog effects and older effects draw much less current , so a fuzz , od , treble booster , anything that is not digital uses a tiny amount of current or amps , like 20 milliamps to 60 milliamps . the ditital delays , digital based pedals , modelers , digital chorus and flange draw more , and that info is available from the manual / manufacturer . i would guess 200 milliamps and up .

it would be important to add up all the total milliamps your rig or all the pedals pull . then add more regulators IF needed .

in the case of my power brick , there are two lm7809 each one is rated at 1 amp , so i have a total output of 2 amps available thru that circuit before it got hot blew the fuse or failed  . that would equal 2000 milliamps so i could run a bunch analogs and say 5 200 higher draw digitals if they pulled around 200 ma each .

thing is the power supply i have feeding it is rated at 1.6 amps (1600 ma) , with a higher current output unit powering it (4 amps) , or a deep cell for remote use i could push it more , but ...

this particular unit was more designed as a "all in one solution" cause it has 3 , 5 , 6 , 9, and 12 volt ports . i plan on doing an all pedal p.s. ,  ten output one , 7 ports @ 9 v neg , one @ 9 volt pos (fuzz face) and 2 at 12 volt or something like that .

diy buffer pedal demo vid :

http://youtu.be/CUKIWAj_JVg

home made pedal power supply  :

http://youtu.be/MtiZRGfSGBI

its actually a bit more flexible than "just for pedals"  , but  ...

thanks for watching !   

cool idea , please post up results when you try this out ! i am guessing the amplug outputs something right around line level ?

i did a bass amp with the automotive version of this :

http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PHA25-8-Inch-Channel-Amplifier/dp/B004V9G3GQ

automotive version :

http://compare.ebay.com/like/330686997632?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

it uses 2 tens , actual bass amp speakers (!) and i run it off of a newer zoom bass processor . really like that amp .

hmm.

the front end on this amp is a korg pandora x5 .

from what i have read this unit does sound much better when run thru full range speakers . guitar amps , especially tube amps or stacks it doesnt sound so hot . i did try several speakers including an ancient guitar speaker before settling on the full range 6.5 w/ tweeters .

i was hoping someone had saved the schemo from beavis hifi site for the jfet ipod preamp . that particular site is doww , beavis audio research is up ...

so i am looking for something that will handle the out put of the korg pandora x5 but boost it up to say 10x gain ? not sure ...

thanks !

i built a battery powered minamp using some car speakers , a sure tda 2024 15 watt tripath stereo amp . the "front end" is a korg pandora x5 . anyway i am a little surprised that it isn't as loud as i had imagined it would be . looking around i saw about impedance mismatching when you plug an ipod into a stereo . this lead me to ponder that perhaps if i had some sort of boost circuit between the pandora and the tda tripath amp it would perform much better (loud) .

i have monkeyed around and read a little about boosters so i ended up building an oorman mosfet bost . i also saw on beavis hifi he had a jfet circuit for ipod to stereo . anyone famaliar with this conundrum ?  any recommendations ? ideally it would be quiet , provide the right range of gain (i know) not use too much power , and sound great (hah) , i am impressed with the pandora sound quality , it is pretty loud but i really think something in between will set this thing off like a rocket . i have some mini speakers i could chop that circuit in , also a circuit from some pc speakers that has a headphone jack , but thats in my cbg ....

as far as powering goes the amp has a 12 volt sla , and internal ac power supplies/dc regulators for 4.5 volts , 9 , and 12 . so i can run it ac or dc . it also powers the sustainer in my fernandes thru a custom hacked mic cable that carries 9 volts to the guitar .

i can not access the bevis hifi site , curious if someone had that page (jfet ipod pre) or schmo saved , a vero would be a dream come true  ! another option may be a mini headphone amp (ipod booster) , i have seen those too , but not sure . realize this is an oddball , but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask . (sorry i am not an EE , i am a goof) i just figured maybe someone had been thru something similar and could maybe point me in the right direction so i can save time , being disabled with this chronic back pain sucks . it kinda makes me want to cut the tinker time down if i can .

i can post more info about the pandora and the actual amp if needed , i am uploading a huge video to  YT right now so bandwidth is tight ....

should i try and measure the output of the pandora and then see if i can get specs for the tripath amp to see how much headroom i have ?

thanks in advance for any feedback , ideas , or insults directed towards my lethargy and (lack of) intelligence !!

not sure she is out putting a new clutch the volvo right now . she's better hurry up , its really snowing hard and last i checked there is school tomorrow !

you know what they say kindergarten only happens once ...

JK = joke

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/albums/the-capitol-amp

my latest home made amplifier . stereo , 30 watt , built in ac adapters and also a selaed lead acid 12 volt battery for LONG play . the "front end" is a korg pandora . i got the speaker box on craigslist free section . this puppy sounds sooo sweet ! its loud too . 6 inch sony xplode automotive speakers i got free , thanks Ken and Nancy !!!!! the amp is a ta2024 from ebay ... i may cut in an effects loop , but , i dont know if i need it yet . have to do some patch editing on the pandora , it has usb and patch software yahooo !

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/albums/the-capitol-amp

this was a super fun project , thanks to my wife and kids who did most of the work . i pace around , drinking / farting and cursng a lot . they didnt get too many splinters but my kid got a really bad solder burn on her face .

jk .

thanks for watching , i know the vids are too long , i gotta start cutting em in half at least . its just that amp has a long history . it sounds better / louder than the organ speaker / pizza amp now .

i have this one , coming up , i am waiting on parts , its going to be really special , i hope.  a stereo amp for use with a korg pandora . i got the speaker box from the craigslist free guy . the chassis is excellent .

final demo vid for my home made portable battery powered bass amp

part one : http://youtu.be/-oWcllUukXk - i talk

part two : http://youtu.be/naC31dQY5Ls - the actual demo

this guy John Wilson contacted me (i dont know him) and asked if i would "beta test" his amp kit instructions . its a 1-2 watt battery powered "mini" amp kit . i used a 6 inch speaker / 9 volts . high quality pcb , great kit , great amp , it gets a sweet clean tone .

http://www.crazybutable.com/projects/stella

the vids that i did for it


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_n-GVSh_As
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHOYV33n9qM

a vid that he did for it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aPAU1SZXu7I

unfortunately i couldnt find one ! i spose i may do some poking around on the board , if there is an output on the delay chip that goes to a resistor then to an op amp , maybe if i cut in a pot there it would boost the delay volume .

i am not going for 100 percent wet , the thing is "stock" the delay is VERY quiet .

makes my blood boil . how about at LEAST a switch , or a trimmer pot guys ?

i got one of these , rehoused it with a decent size speaker (5 inch) , removed the delay time resistor and cut in a pot , same thing with the tremolo rate resistor .

i am really fond of this mini amp .

the only thing left to do is mod the delay so i have a real wet/dry mix pot .

any ideas on how to go about this ?

thanks !

i have one i got in the mid 90's , the reverb stopped working a few years back .  i really had a tough time getting a decent distortion tone using pedals . its interesting in a lot of the boss stuff they always show that amp in the instruction manuals . i have the boss gt6 and it has an output setting for the jc120, although i have never tried that unit on that amp . adrian belew and rob fetters used those amps for a long time , they both got some great tones out of em , you name it ! i saw them live many times and they always really pushed their amps . i seem to remember rob having a proco rat . something about the built in distortion on it i didnt care for , with a usa strat . not sure but i think kurt cobain used this amp a  little , and i know metalica did maybe still does for clean tones (why do i know that?) . i think andy sommers was a fan too . adrian belew used the vibrato/chorus to great effect while feeding back with that amp . they really do have a very distinctive tone . they are pretty solid too , i know mine took a serious beating , i did loose a coupla those rivot thingies , and then the reverb went out , i am guessing it got dropped . going to have to look into that , i am sure it may be an easy repair .
i used a roland gr-50 guitar synth while i was playing bass in a few cover bands . i would use fretless / acoustic bass patches , or octave down fat bass going thru an eq pedal with no mids and highs to a 250 ys combo eqed low . then the straight guitar sound went thru some reverb or a backwards box and then to the 120 . it was quite a sound ,but i would always switch off to a real bass for most of the night (tracking) . quite a few people would be scratching their heads , "where that bass coming from" ? well , a few anyway .

not sure how the stereo works on it , but i do seem to remember when it was engaged , a distinct sensation of movement , either way they were very deep effects , even on the lower settings . i would just love to know if its possible to get a nice distortion or hard rock tone with that amp . i mean i know its possible , but i never even got close to it . 

srry to ramble ! i really do dig that amp . i saw this roland digital amp that looked just like a 120 , it had the 13 pin connector for the gk2 hex pu , it had some cosm and stuff , really cool lookin , used at GC , kinda cheep too , like a vg-8 / jc120 hybrid .