Module Modding Tips and Tactics

[muzapstar]

Hello Everyone,
I'm interested in finding my own modifications (like pete does) for personal use however There isn't much on this board about how to do that and what little information there is is scattered across multiple postings. I'd like to know what to do. I'm not looking to duplicate Pete's or Dave Friedman's mods as they were developed and should belong to them but I would like to know what they do so I can try my own too. I am most interested in the warmth and clarity type mods and how this is achieved whether it is caps and resistors or what. Let's not divulge specific values as that wouldn't be right. These combinations of parts came about by hard work and testing and I believe those combinations are creative intellectual property such as the combinations of notes would be that make up one of our songs.

So, if I may, I humbly submit the Modding Tips and Tactics Board. Please help us build a worthy bank of data for ourselves. I'll start.

I don't know much other than the bass cap mod and that maybe upgrading to OD caps will open the sound up a bit(also thanx to pete's previous posts) what other things can we do to change up the sound?

I'm interested in cap and resistor locations and values (if you came up with it. Again, please do not submit values found by others without permission) as well as brands and types, etc. Also, anything else to improve and or change sound is welcome.

 

[TheHunter]

I think this is a good post, where i would love to send off all my modules to have Pete or Dave turn my modules into the tone from the heavens, I am a poor musician and often cannot spare the extra funds for such pleasures of the MTS kind, But i do not think that a little general knowledge form others is a bad idea to help all of us learn about our amps and modules as well as allow us to get them closer to the tones we all desire.

One mod that I did an know of:

Recto to GRAIL mod. C3, .005 cap, C14 unknown,( never tried it) R1-R3, 150ohm 1/2 watt resistors

 

[johnodge]

I'd like to see something like adding a 3 position switch for the resistor mod (R3 i think)

 

[JKD]

I'd like to see something like adding a 3 position switch for the resistor mod (R3 i think)

I think I posted a guide on here for someone on how to do a c3 mod already..the principle would be the same, except to note that is you connect resistances in parallel (e.g. with a double pole switch)...they follow this rule:

1/R = 1/R1 + 1/R2

I prefer the parallel method as there is always a functioning component in circuit at all times.

 

[TheHunter]

I'd like to see something like adding a 3 position switch for the resistor mod (R3 i think)

I think I posted a guide on here for someone on how to do a c3 mod already..the principle would be the same, except to note that is you connect resistances in parallel (e.g. with a double pole switch)...they follow this rule:

1/R = 1/R1 + 1/R2

I prefer the parallel method as there is always a functioning component in circuit at all times.

Ok im not to hip on my electronics, the formula above pertains to what, how do i read this, make sence of it, I am a novice with electronics but i can wield a soldering iron like nobodies business LOL,

Help me better understand the formulas using Resistance and Capasitance.

Also in which post did you instruct on the 3 way switch, id like to try this myself.

Thanks.

 

[JKD]

Well..in my post, I pointed out that if you didn't understand the basics..you probably shouldn't be modding but to hell with that elitist crap

In the circuit. you have a resistor...say 100Ohms and you need a way to change it..there are two simpe ways.

Switch in/out
You remove the R from the board and run two flying leads to the poles of a double pole switch (Double Pole or DP simply means the switch has two connections or 'circuit paths' that are altered when you throw the switch.)

On the terminals of a the switch you connect the original resistance on one side and the alternate value on the other. This would be a double throw switch (DPDT in fact) because it has two conducting pathways.

Now when you throw the switch, you're switching directly from one R to another R value. In theory you could use a DP3T switch (with center on) and switch 3 R values...

Parallel method
Don't remove the R from the board and run flying leads from each side of the resistor to a DP switch..but this time you probably want a DPDT with a center off position...now you can have 3 values of R (one each on the throws and in the centre position, the in-circuit cvalue) and the formula comes in this way:

R1 (on PCB) = 200
R2 (on switch) = 100

1/R = 1/200 + 1/100 = 3/200 => R = 200/3 = 66.67

Oh, the reason I called out the R formula is because the C (Capacitance) formula is opposite, in parallel, C values add directly:

C = C1+C2 etc. This makes for a nice easy way to switch c3 using the parallel switching arrangement above.

What do they teach in High School Physics these days?

 

[srrdude]

What do they teach in High School Physics these days?

not a whole lot.

 

[TheHunter]

What do they teach in High School Physics these days?

They sure dont teach them kids how to mod there amps thats for sure. This is valuble information to the youth of america, perhaps the presitential cantidates should touch on this subject, " Randall MTS Electronics and Physics in our Schools" "Better understanding of your amps components and how to mod them" Id vote for that guy!

LOL

 

[veets987]

Kudos to this post. I am in the same boat. Poor musician with limited electrical "modding" knowledge who is extrememly interested in learning how to do some of this stuff myself. Especially just the basic clarity type stuff......

 

[muzapstar]

I just talked to a man who said he changed his c1 resistor to 102k in his plexi to add gain. If this is works for all modules, I'd love to try it. Can anyone verify this one?

 

[Jaded Faith]

I just talked to a man who said he changed his c1 resistor to 102k in his plexi to add gain. If this is works for all modules, I'd love to try it. Can anyone verify this one?

If he did, that would be a "100K" resistor and it would be in "R1", not "C1". R1 is a resistor slot and C1 is a capacitor slot. 100K would be a big jump from the stock value of 470, so I can't really tell you what the results would be. I would double check with your source and try to get the facts and figures straightened out before trying anything.

 

[muzapstar]

Thank you. I thought that sounded funny when I checked my board. he wasn't sure about it and said he didn't have the emails anymore on it. he also said that he looked at his board so if that isn't confusing I dont know what is. How did you come upon r1? any info backing it up or just a guess based on the fact that he said resistor in c1, a capacitor slot?

 

[Jaded Faith]

Well R1 is for the input gain, which is well documented here in the "fix for early production clean modules" post that is sticky-ed in the Module forum. What that fix did was help clean up clean modules that clipped too easily. What you are asking is kind of the reverse.