Rhythm Circuit - Switch only - would this be possible?

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MayTheFuzzBeWithYou
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Rhythm Circuit - Switch only - would this be possible?

Post by MayTheFuzzBeWithYou » Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:25 am

Hey there!

It's time again to do some modding. I didn't find anything about it using the search function - so please excuse if this topic already came up some time ago!?

So here we go:
The most recent idea on my head is to make a "Rhythm Circuit" equivalent to the "Strangle Switch". Meaning having the whole Darkness of the Rhythm Circuit without actually using the two Pots. So that I can repurpose them as something else, either use the space to host another switch or to make it a dual volume control guitar on the "Lead"-Plate and make a dual Tone Control on the "Rhythm-Plate" like user noisepunk did way back in 2016.

a) would this be possible at all?

b) would the Rhythm Circuit Cap be sufficient or what would you suggest, I'm about to order some Orange Drops anyhow.

c) has anyone done this yet and could provide some wiring diagrams?

to my understanding a fully open pot should actually only cut little of the actual tone - it's more about the way you're rolling it back, isn't it?!
Though a fully open 1M pot will be clearly shriller than a 500k/250k/50k? and for that case there are even 250k No Load pots that don't cut at all, when fully open. So what Tone Cap should I use to get closest to that combination of the 50k Pot and the cap? I love the rhythm circuit's tone but I never really used the pots. So to make my guitar even more a tone monster, why not use that extra space...

Thank you!

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Re: Rhythm Circuit - Switch only - would this be possible?

Post by oid » Tue Jun 05, 2018 12:29 pm

Sure it is possible, just replace the tone pot with a resistor of the same value and you can calculate the value of the cap with

frequency=1/(2piRC)

or you can just set the rhythm circuit to get the sound you like, throw a meter on the pot to get the resistance and order what ever resistor is closest to the measured value and reuse the old cap or use a new one of the same value.

EDIT: I did not really explain much in the way that someone asking this question would fully understand. I will explain the math and the rest more fully tonight when I have more time if no one else beats me to it.
Logic gates based on billiard-ball computer designs have also been made to operate using live soldier crabs of the species Mictyris guinotae in place of the billiard balls.

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Re: Rhythm Circuit - Switch only - would this be possible?

Post by Futuron » Tue Jun 05, 2018 6:01 pm

The first part of your quest what you're after is the equivalent of setting the pot to a chosen value and never changing it. So if a 'pot' (potentiometer) is just a variable resistor (a resistor where the ohm value changes according to where you turn the knob), you just find what value is the one you want (with a meter or trial & error) and replace the pot in the circuit with the appropriate resistor.

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Re: Rhythm Circuit - Switch only - would this be possible?

Post by oid » Wed Jun 06, 2018 12:54 am

Ok, here we go again, just lost the post I had been writing along with the wiring diagram I did, time is short right now so abbreviated post and wiring diagram will have to wait until tomorrow or Thursday unless someone else takes care of it.

Turns out the rhythm circuit is not the average tone circuit, instead of changing the frequency of the filter it is a fixed frequency filter and the tone is just a volume control for the high frequencies. Top plot is your run of the mill tone control, bottom is the rhythm circuit.
Image
Don't know how I never noticed that in all these years.

This all just means you need two resistors instead of one to get the effect of the rhythm circuit without the pot, no big deal. Just twiddle the rhythm circuit until you find the sound you want and then measure the resistance between the tone pots middle lug and each outer lug, these two readings will be the resistor values you will need, just go with the closest standard values, it will be close enough. If you do not have a meter we can get you fairly close without, just say so.

I will redo that wiring diagram as soon as time permits.
Logic gates based on billiard-ball computer designs have also been made to operate using live soldier crabs of the species Mictyris guinotae in place of the billiard balls.

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Re: Rhythm Circuit - Switch only - would this be possible?

Post by MayTheFuzzBeWithYou » Wed Jun 06, 2018 1:53 am

Thank you Oid and Futuron for your explainations!

Maybe I even have something fitting laying around (I ordered quite a bunch different values last time...for the 3 different ways of a treble bleed)

I'd be thankful for that diagram! But take your time! :)

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Re: Rhythm Circuit - Switch only - would this be possible?

Post by solfege » Wed Jun 06, 2018 3:30 pm

oid wrote:
Wed Jun 06, 2018 12:54 am

Turns out the rhythm circuit is not the average tone circuit, instead of changing the frequency of the filter it is a fixed frequency filter and the tone is just a volume control for the high frequencies. Top plot is your run of the mill tone control, bottom is the rhythm circuit.

Don't know how I never noticed that in all these years.
Whoa. Cool.

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Re: Rhythm Circuit - Switch only - would this be possible?

Post by Futuron » Wed Jun 06, 2018 5:00 pm

oid wrote:
Wed Jun 06, 2018 12:54 am
Turns out the rhythm circuit is not the average tone circuit, instead of changing the frequency of the filter it is a fixed frequency filter and the tone is just a volume control for the high frequencies. Top plot is your run of the mill tone control, bottom is the rhythm circuit.
So is it like a treble control from a 2-or-more tone eq?

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Re: Rhythm Circuit - Switch only - would this be possible?

Post by oid » Wed Jun 06, 2018 5:14 pm

Futuron wrote:
So is it like a treble control from a 2-or-more tone eq?
I believe there are some hi/lo tone controls In which the high control works just like this, the low would set the cut off frequency.

But I do not recall for certain, I never paid much attention to two knob passive tone controls and there are a great many variations.
Logic gates based on billiard-ball computer designs have also been made to operate using live soldier crabs of the species Mictyris guinotae in place of the billiard balls.

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Re: Rhythm Circuit - Switch only - would this be possible?

Post by oid » Sat Jun 09, 2018 9:57 pm

MayTheFuzzBeWithYou wrote:
Wed Jun 06, 2018 1:53 am
I'd be thankful for that diagram! But take your time!
Here you go, you will have to finagle the actual placement of the parts to get it to fit, but you will have plenty of room, resistors are small. It will sound abit different, a shade brighter and louder without the effect of the volume control loading the tone control down, if you want that sound you can hang a 1Meg resistor to ground off of the junction of R1 and R2.
Image
Logic gates based on billiard-ball computer designs have also been made to operate using live soldier crabs of the species Mictyris guinotae in place of the billiard balls.

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Re: Rhythm Circuit - Switch only - would this be possible?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Sat May 06, 2023 4:14 pm

Has anyone ever done this? I'm really considering doing this to my JM for simplicity's sake. The schematics/pictures in this thread are no longer working, although I'm pretty sure I know what it would look like. Resistor values are more what interest me. I'm thinking one value for tone control all the way on, and one value for tone control all the way off.
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http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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Re: Rhythm Circuit - Switch only - would this be possible?

Post by Bradley-Jazz » Sun May 07, 2023 12:12 am

Pictures are working for me.

But here it is again in case something odd is going on - credit to the OP

Image
All the cheeses....

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