TS 808 build help

kip4

Well-known member
As part of my ever increasingly difficult pedal project quest I'm looking into making a Tube screamer.
Has anyone built one. If so which version, Kit/from scratch
Problem and solution and opinions please

I'll be building point to point. Not vero or pcb.
Any help ?
 
I really don't get the point-to-point fad. You want to cram all this;

vintage808boardNEW.jpg

..... into a pedal without the benefit of a circuit board to hold parts, avoid shorting leads, and be compact? :confused:
The 'best' kit may be the General Guitar Gadget, but BYOC has a BD2 clone that can be modified to be a TS808. I think the BYOC costs more, but is just a little better quality for parts and 'things lining up the first time'. But a kit usually includes all the parts, such as the enclosure, and a circuit board. If you can build from scratch, and not use a circuit board, you don't need any 'kit'. You can buy all the resistors and capacitors far cheaper than any kit seller would charge. Heck, Radio Shack would be cheaper than BYOC, and the schematic is online.
I would use the whole kit.
 
My TS808 is awaiting some caps i have on back order and no doubt a few days debugging as usual.
I have to say if its anything like as good as the son of screamer i built i cant wait to hear it.
If i get it working and like it. I might even invest in some burr brown op amps.
 
This TS808 debugg is on a back burner atm
As soon as i get it working. I'll post up some pics.
If you really want to see what a ghetto circuit looks like.

I can say they are getting neater with each new board.
The orange Squeezer i just made looks good.
I'm currantly breadboarding a another Orange Squeezer with mods.
So i can learn to adapt and mod circuits.
I think the next project after the modded Squeezer will be the Engineers Thumb Compressor.
latest builds include
DOD250 yjm308 spec. Rothwell love squeeze comp, Amz boosters,Son of screamer,Quick and dirty test oscillator,voodoo labs overdrive,Seymour duncan 3 knob fuzz.
The ones still under debugging are
OCD ver 3, TS808
I'm so busy right now i've got time for nothing else right now.
Must be the solder fumes getting to me.
I love this forum but the pages take so long to load it takes me ages to get anything done, in terms of answering posts or replies even.
Its so much worse since the FB button thing.
As soon as i get a bit more confident with circuits i'll be back and spend more time here.
I miss you all meantime, guys
 
Hey Steeno
I made another son of screamer since, Currantly debugging the Modded Oange Squeezer.
And just finished a Zvex SHO.
I had an early night last night. Went to bed at 2.30 AM.
Supper? Is that food?
No time for that nonsense. I quit smoking a couple of months back and i dont want to put on 3 stone like i did last time i quit so I'm giving suppers and puddings a miss.
A couple more hours debugging and i'm off up the wooden hill.
Night Johnboy.
 
Hey,

I'm with you on the burnin' the midnight flux....:yawn: is frequently followed by :cursing:

I'm in the middle of some major construction, so everything is on hold right now. FYI, have you checked out Tonepad.com? I've not done business w. them, but they have a bunch of PCB's.
 
Hi kip4
I am new to this forum site.
I have built a number of TS clones and find the original 808 or 09 circuit works fine but I simply use a 3 pole switch or relay for true bypass and use good quality caps such as polyester mkh or mkt etc. I never use tantalum beads but only bi-polar electrolytic or cylindrical tant for the 10uf output cap.
Another trick is getting good pots with the right curve(s). Mouser can help there. I ended up making a good pcb but have used vero with success.
All the best in the quest.
Gramoo
 
I'm still debugging my TS808 clone.
I'm a but stumped with it tbh.
I made it from the GGG its8 Schematic.

I have been over at tonepad Steeno mate i downloaded some of the Schematics , in fact their DOD 280 compressor is on my to do list. When i can source the bits.

Schemo here
http://www.tonepad.com/getFile.asp?id=40

What major construction are you up to Paul? PM me or email pls.

Thanks for the help Gramoo and welcome aboard mate.
This is the best forum on the web mate.
 
I was looking at the 280 as well (I bought a couple of the opto whatsits) and maybe modding it to use a +/- 15v PSU and eliminated the output pot (or buffering it somehow) to rackmount it for line level signals.
 
Hey Kip,
Sorry man, no projects on the go at the minute.
Well, two recording sessions, but no 'real' projects! :p

Any pics en route from your end?
 
When i get some boxs. I'll post up some pics and samples too Paul.
I'd love to hear some samples of the recordings buddy.

Blue Jin Have you checked out the Engineers thumb compressor? And Samhay's AOC
here
Another Optical Compressor
 
I managed to complete the build this weekend. It's a real triumph for me to build the ts808 from scratch. plus I have made Merlin Bs Engineers thumb compressor this weekend too.
 
Cool again. BTW I took a quick look at "Another Optical Compressor" Any thread that has PRR posting is worth a read! He is an amazing wealth of info and also the designer of the "PRR Variable Mu Compressor...." (Slowly getting parts for that one. uses a 12AU7)
 
I'd love to see some of your work blue Jinn. Thanks for the encouragement too. I made the engineers thumb and did the millenium bypass too. Its super quite. This was my first boxed up project. I was a box virgin until now.
 
Good on you for boxing stuff up. Machine work IMO is really the hardest part. One easy solution is old PC power supply boxes. The aluminum is easy to drill, and they come with the IEC power connector. I also stuck something in an old rack mount networking box. I've not tried this, but a guy at GroupDIY uses the shiny part of a sticker sheet (so minus the stickers) reverses the artwork, runs through a laser printer and then applies that to a panel that has 3M spray on glue before the glue dries. Then put a clear coat of varnish.

Ha, if I swung my iron as much as my tongue, I'd get a lot more done! Lately I've been doing the microphone thing, and have a handful of threads here with pictures. I really recommend checking out GroupDIY if you haven't already.

I started out with Craig Anderton's Electronic Projects for Musicians. PAIA used to carry all of them as kits. They don't anymore, and one of the opamps he used is almost completely unavailable, and can't easily be substituted due to the non standard pinout, but he goes into great detail about how his devices work. IMO a great learning tool. I built some of those kits. PAIA is an amazing place. Used to have a lot more stuff. John Simonton passed away a few years ago, but he was a regular contributor to the old P/R Electronics magazines. Some of the projects have alternative layouts (like his optical compressor -- which I've built but need to change a resistor and then rack mount) if you're up to etching your own boards. (Something I don't really want to do.)
 
I signed up for groupdiy a while back but havent really contributed apart from an intro. Just lurked a few times.
Ive been busy digesting circuits and improving my build skills.
I got a step drill today and a draft of the artwork for my pedals. He's an awesome cartoonist.
I'm waiting on bitsstill and am now customising my third Son of Clay Jones. Inc polarity protection diode. interchangable input cap and clipping diodes. Personal preferance tone knob value and millenium bypass.
I'm working on improving my design skills and incoroporating tone stacks in circuits. Understanding how they work etc.
I've been a busy boy.
i must get back on here more often its just so late by the time i've finished studying and melting flux i just collapse and cant manage to get the wifes ipad out before i fall to sleep.
I'll be back more often soon.
I'll take a look at that site Jinn although i'm fairly certain i've been there in the past. It'll do me good to checjk it out though
 
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