Belton mini reverb pans?

[Bear]

Anyone have experience with the Belton "mini" sized reverb pans?  Like BMN2 or BMN3 series?  A few inches shorter than the normal short pan configuration seems like it could enable a tight squeeze or two, but I wanted to see if anyone had gone there before trying to procure one--U.S. distributors seem to all pass on the minis.  As good? Nearly? No good?

(I'd think of the Digilog modules for new SS design.  Shamefully, I'm looking for a tube design I'm sketching out, but this forum seems the most likely to have experience with non-traditional pans, so I'm asking here first.)

[phatt]

Hi Bear,
          Oh yea it's a tricky subject xP

Unless you absolutely have to use Valve reverb it's best avoided.
You can build a SS reverb just as good as the best valve unit if you do the right things.
SS reverb gets a bad name simply because a lot of combo amps use really crap circuits.

Cheapest way is the Belton digital brick but digital can sound a bit too hifi for guitar. (IMO)

If you have low voltage supply this unit I built will be more than you will ever need.


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If you want SS Rev circuits THAT Actually WORK!!! no better place to learn than here;
http://sound.westhost.com/articles/reverb.htm

The Transformer drive idea on that page came from lil' old me.
Rod E has far more experience than myself and did some research so his circuit may well be even better.
Mine has worked perfectly for the last 4 years. <3)

SS or Glass,,,For reverb to work well the drive circuit has to match the driven transducer.
Having messed around with many different circuit concepts for many years I can tell you from painful experience very few work that well.


Belton stuff here;

http://www.belton.co.kr/neowiz/img_home/belton_no11.pdf
Phil.

[Bear]

I'll have to work through that info.  I can't get your host site to play nice, though--is that one of the mini sized pans in your project, or the more conventional short format?

[phatt]

Just google "rod elliot reveb" should come up on the first page, ESP is in the logo.

Another good explanation of how it works can be found here;
http://www.valvewizard.co.uk/reverbdriver.html
If Valves take your fancy then that will be helpful.

As for mini tanks I'm not sure how small you want but the tank in my Tverb is about 9 Inch long.
I've only ever seen one smaller tank but it was a cheap unit, and gave me problems.

The classic Roland space Echo unit actually had a Z configuration using a single spring.  The Tank was short but twice as wide. One spring but 3 times the length due to the odd layout, a clever setup. Those had a dedicated chip for drive as well.

BTW you read a lot of talk about 3 and even 4 rows of springs giving better reverb,,, Don't bother it's a waste of money as you only need 2 at most.
If you can find a close up of the transducer inside a reverb tank you will notice the coil is on one side of the tiny steel laminations which protrude sideways across the magnets.

With 3 or 4 rows of springs it's only the first 2 rows of springs closest to the coil that transfer 80% of energy. Gently mute the first spring next to coil and you loose a lot of reverb,, mute the 3rd or 4th row away from coil and it hardly makes any difference.
Phil.

[phatt]

I've been wondering about the *Mini tanks* you mention and after a search it seems they do exist.

https://www.amplifiedparts.com/tech_corner/spring_reverb_tanks_explained_and_compared

Mentioned down the bottom in the data sheets, Mini Belton is 6 inches long which is very short and I've never seen one of those and one wonders how well it would work with such a short spring length.
Of course you still have to match the tank to the circuit you wish to use.
Phil.

[J M Fahey]

Minis are the cheapest reverb tanks, they don't even come in metal cases, not even floating on springs, they just have 2 pieces of sticky foam tape, and are directly attached to chassis or even the PCB itself.

It's what all small 10/15W beginner's reverb amps use nowadays, I bet they don't cost more than $15 each, in OEM quantities (by the hundreds).
As they call it, it's the BS2 "without tray" and with 2 adhesive sponge pads underneat "to save space" 
www.epartshub.com/include/common_fileAttach.jsp?filename=00004280-BSN2-3_without_tray_series1.gif&cmpyCd=00004280&type=Img