I recently did a popular mod to my Superchamp XD. I put a line/poweramp in so that you can just use the tube poweramp, without any of the digital or solid state that comes before it. At the same time I also added a poweramp mute switch so I could use the line out and play when son is asleep in the house. The line in mod will also mute the speaker when a cable is plugged in, but I put the switch in as well because its easier than finding a cable and plugging it in.
Tube amps can be dangerous. Always observe tube amp safety:
I used a Mobee Power Bar to save money and the environment by not needing any batteries for Apple’s Magic Track Pad. I use in plugged in all the time, meaning that I never run out.
However this does eventually kill the rechargeable batteries inside, and meant mine would keep losing the bluetooth connection and need to be re-paired. Anyway, had a thought the other day and unscrewed it and used a spudger to prize it open gently. Its basically two AAA NiMH batteries inside a AA case. I replaced the AAA with new ones, and things seem to be fine again.
I recently purchased a Neunaber Slate pedal for the amazing Wet Reverb effect. However all the v2 of their stereo pedal range support up to 4 effects, with 2 presets per effect. They make an external controller to control this, but its a little too big for my Pedal Train Mini. You can see a demo in the video below:
Update July 2015:
Anders Jepsen has provided some updated information if you have issues with switch: avaliable to download here.
Update March 2016:
For those of you that have visited before, I now have a new improved circuit that just uses a SPST which means you can use soft touch switches :) It’s also much more stable when switch and shouldn’t have the random/glitchy issues that some have experienced.
Update July 2017:
I’ve since built a new ExP that ads an expression output, but still fits in the mini enclousre below. I also managed to change the hardwired Cat-5 cable for a panel mount socket. See pictures below.
This is the most recent circuit I’ve used with has a switch bounce filter which allows the use of SPST soft touch footswitches:
The first incarnation used a SPDT switch for the clock:
Q1
Q0
Effect
LED
0
0
4
(off)
0
1
3
Green
1
0
2
Red
1
1
1
Orange
Notes:
– Neunaber don’t cover warranty for custom ExP controllers, I can’t be held responsible if you break your pedal.
– While my pedal works, I’m not sure if I drew out the circuit exactly like I made it :P
– While I’ve used a counter so that I can cycle through the effects with a single momentary switch, the same could be achieved with 2 latching switches or a rotary encoder: http://www.fk-industrie.de/en/produktkatalog/P/D/E/A/27.html
– I’ve used an up counter which cycles the effects in reverse 4-3-2-1. Use a down counter if you want to go the right way.
– When the counter sets the effect inputs to high, it also turns on the LEDs.
– I used a two color LED for L1 and L2. Mine had a common cathode, some others you buy have a common anode and may need to be connected to the +3.3V rail, with the cathodes connected to Q0 and Q1.
– Power is provided through the ExP port, I’ve just labeled the rails for clarity.
– Since the supply is 3.3V, you need a HCF logic chip (Not HCT which is minimum 5V).
– I wired the RJ45 cable directly into the box to save space, but there are some nice panel mount sockets around.
– I’ve drawn a switches only circuit here: http://jameslow.com/2014/12/01/custom-neunaber-exp-3-switches/
