Smaller pedal board

Dave Sloven

Dave Sloven

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I've been thinking for some time that I'd like a smaller pedalboard with everything - including channel switching, expression pedals, etc - on the one board, plug the four instrument cables, switch cable, and power cable and then you're done. Also the idea of really simple switching between patches interests me, so that I can fine tune my sounds and have exactly the boost and channel combination I want without any tap dancing BS. Also as small a number of patch cables in the signal path as possible!

I realise this may seem shocking to those who remember my old double board but long experience of problems live and in the studio make me long for simplicity and a shorter signal path.

This is what I have been working on. I should get the MS-3 this week and I have my eye on a Rockboard and a FS-7, as well as the tuner/mute switch. The main thing I'm going to have to wait for is for those Rockboard Patchbay modules to start coming to Australia again after this COVID-19 mess.

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I made that mockup with the help of Pedal Playground, some online images, and a photo editor.

The treadle pedal will actually be an EV-30 rather than an FV-30L, so blue rather than grey, but they didn't have that on Pedal Playground and I forgot to change it.
 
There are 112 effects on the MS-3, so I think I will be okay ;)

You will be happy to know that I drew one of my old schematics to show how it works

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I didn't bother adding the guitar cable or the cables to the amp. The guitar cable will connect to the mute box with the tuner bypass going to the Korg Pitchblack Portable (so that the tuner display is always on). The footswitch stereo cable and the cables for the effects loop and amp input route through the patchbay. Obviously power will go under the right side of the board and then out through the patch bay to the power point. Loop 1 is the last effect before the effects loop, Loop 2 is the send and return for the effects loop, and Loop 3 is the first effect in the effects loop. The way the MS-3 is designed the three loops are always in that order and no on-board stuff can go between them, so the boost will always have to go last before the amp (when that pedal is used) and the Carbon Copy must always be before everything else in the loop when Loop 3 is engaged. I should get a much cleaner signal path using the MS-3. The pedals in Loop 1 and Loop 3 would always be on (obviously I would have to set the knobs and switches manually on them) and then engaged (or not) via the patches on the MS-3.

The channel switcher cable for the amp goes into CTL OUT on the MS-3 and the FS-7 and EV-30 are connected to its two CTL IN jacks.
 
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I've gone and bought this as well.

Interesting that they listed this as available - and I bought one - and now it is a 'pre-order' ... I must have gotten a prototype?

www.swamp.net.au

RockBoard Module 5 - Cab Sim and DI Patchbay

Organise your pedal board with the MOD 5. Features 6 IR loading cabinet simulations, DI patchbay, active DI box, headphone amp and adjustable volume.
www.swamp.net.au www.swamp.net.au


An IR loader / cab sim box is a great thing to have during this isolation, obviously
 
In 4CM I will run the guitar cable into the tuner/mute box, then the TRS cable for the footswitch into A, amp input to B, effects send to C, effects return from the Parallel Out. Obviously this particular module does not include an IEC socket, so I will look into having my local engineering firm cut a hole in the front of the board (in front of the under board centre brace so that I can run the power cable inside it) for one of these:

IEC EMI Power Line Filter - 6 Amp | Jaycar Australia

Specifications:- Rated voltage: 115/250VAC- Power Line Freq: 50/60Hz- Rated Current: 6 amps- Maximum Leakage Current:- Line to ground @ 115 VAC 60Hz 0...
www.jaycar.com.au www.jaycar.com.au

I'd just cut one of these down and wire it to the IEC socket, run it through the brace and around the back and side of the underneath of the board, to my T-Rex Fuel Tank Chameleon mounted on the Rockboard Tray.

0.5m Cable - 3pin Mains Right Angle Plug to IEC C13 Right Angle Female | Jaycar Australia

Mains lead for power input on televisions, computers, or other equipment - Right angle IEC C13 socket output - 3 pin AU/NZ mains plug input - 0.5m long
www.jaycar.com.au www.jaycar.com.au
 
I'm thinking also that the board will look more like this, with the boost between the MS-3 and the amp input (and switched manually), allowing my MXR Black Label Chorus to go in Loop 1.

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I figure that I am going to have to wire it to my T-Rex Fuel Tank Chameleon like this:

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The power supply has five isolated outlets, 300mA at 9V each and one switchable to 18V 150mA

The 18V outlet will be used for the boost. The Mod 5 has a 300mA draw so it will have an outlet to itself, as will the MS-3 at 280mA. The Carbon Copy has a decent draw and is in the effects loop away from the other pedals so I will give that its own outlet, and run a daisy chain from the last outlet to power the chorus and all of the 'quiet pedals such as the mute switch, tuner, and footswitch. The expression pedal is passive
 
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