Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: The Mellotron Group

previous by date index next by date
previous in topic topic list next in topic

Subject: Re: Expression/volume pedal

From: "Nick Hewitt" <nickhewitt235@btinternet.com>
Date: 2012-01-01

Sean - when I bought my tron, it came without its volume/swell pedal, so I'm having to do without any form of foot control. However, I want one. As an Electronic Engineer by profession, I should be able to make one, but I'm missing certain data.

I have been told on this forum that the value of the swell pot should be 10 kilohms. I'm assuming that it would be a 1/4W carbon track device. I presume this is what you mean by RATING, Sean.

I reckon that it is a LINEAR pot and not LOGRITHMIC - is this what you mean by "taper?" It's a term applied to pots I'm not familiar with, so I'm guessing it's an American colloquialism.

I'm after the CONNECTIONS between the pot and the stereo jack-plug that plugs into the tron. A normal swell pedal is wired such that when the pedal is pushed "toe-down", the tron sound is at maximum volume, and silent when "heel-down". I prefer the exact opposite, but I still want to retain the original configuration. I can do this with a DPDT switch - I'll probably use a slide switch. All I need to know is - "Which contact on the Stereo Jack-plug does the wiper of the Swell pot connect to?" With that info, I can work out the rest.

Happy New Year to you all.

Nick

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, "Sean" <fourtytwominds@...> wrote:
>
> An hour of googling has been fruitless.
>
> How do you guys get even response on a volume pedal?
>
> At current I have an Ernie Ball VP Jr mono volume pedal. It's between the source and the amp. V. simple.
>
> From heel to near full the pedal is fairly even but still quiet. In the last say... 1/8 to 1/16 of an inch of play it goes from quiet to full. It's pissing me off. It's pissing my band mates off. We either get not enough Hammond/Mellotron or WAY TOO DAMNED MUCH.
>
> I'm capable of replacing the pot in the pedal no problem. What rating and taper am I looking for? No one on the google seems to know.
>
> Thanks.
>
> -Sean
>