True BYPASS mod a Roctek EQ pedal? How?

[rabidgerry]

Hi all, I've got a wee Roctek EQ pedal.

Its a nice EQ, very good for a cheaper made plastic unit, its rugged enough and I;m not one for pushing gear to the limit so it will survive all my usage.

However, I've one little query,

It aint got a true bypass.

Now why do I need this I hear you ask?

Well I was hoping to start using this EQ as a booster unit from now on to turn on and off whilst using a Boss GT-6 pre amp. I get great sounds doing this as you can really drive the pre amp into proper heavy metal tone land. Yes I could just use the Boss booster in the overdirve modules I hear you say, but if I leave that module free, I can then get away with using the extrenal option on this for something else i.e and ISP decimator

I don't need the EQ on supplying extra drive all the time, and when I have the EQ turned off I am still under the influence of the EQ pedal which is not desirable.

So like the mods done with the Boss GE-7 eq pedal I was thinking perhaps I could do me a true bypass on this EQ.

Thought I'd ask some of you on here first before I crack my pedal open for a look

[ashcatlt]

We'd have to see a schematic or a couple real good photos of the board to say for sure. It's likely very similar to Boss switching, but we can't say for sure.

Have you considered leaving the EQ as is and building a true bypass looper box? This way you could use it for other pedals, or even whole chains, if your needs ( or whims) change at some point down the line.

[rabidgerry]

I dunno what that even is ash!!!!!!!!!!!! The looper thing I mean. What would it offer?

So to clarify signal chain: with EQ and without

EQ(for boost) > BOSS GT-6 ( pre amp > EQ (for equing!!!) > modulation stuff > Foot volume

sometimes this may vary and I'll have a compressor on there before the preamp, having tried using compressor with the boost coming after it in the signal chain, it works fine just decrease the threshold and what not.

[rabidgerry]

oh I'll try get some picks of it tonight!!!

Cheers!!

[ashcatlt]

#5 on this thread. If you don't need the feedback, then you don't need the pot. It's basically four jacks (in, out, send, return) and a switch. Stomp the switch and the pedal(s) in the loop is/are in the signal path. Stomp again and it's straight to the amp or whatever comes next. The led's are optional.

[rabidgerry]

Took some pics of the rocktek pedal and I'm unable to see where I could upgrade the switch successfully, I shall upload photos asap.

The switch is a spst plastic type. I don't think I'd be able to true bypass this after all. I may try true bypassing another pedal however.

Although I like the loop idea, it mean having yet another pedal to carry around, and since a boost is an external pedal from my main multieffects pedal I'd end up having to press to pedals all the time or else leave the boost on when in the loop pedal and this way would just eat batteries.............so not keen on a looper despite it seeming like a good idea.

[rabidgerry]

[newey]

OK, so the jacks and all are integral on the board. I don't see the switch on there, but I assume it's mounted on the board as well. Which means it would be difficult to change the switch without causing fitment problems.

I think you're likely stuck with it.

Although I like the loop idea, it mean having yet another pedal to carry around, and since a boost is an external pedal from my main multieffects pedal I'd end up having to press to pedals all the time or else leave the boost on when in the loop pedal and this way would just eat batteries.............so not keen on a looper despite it seeming like a good idea.

Your options here are to build a pedal board and get a power supply, or alternatively, if you're wedded to 9V batteries, you could presumably build a looper that also switched the power on/off. Never seen that done, but why not?

That would involve disconnecting the pedal's battery from the TRS jack, and then powering it from a battery in the looper via the 9V power jack.

I built a looper from a kit from General Guitar Gadgets. It has an onboard 9V, but it's just there to power the LED telling one the Looper is engaged. One could set it up to give 9V out through the Looper's power jack, through a patch cord, and into the pedal's power input jack. Switching on the Loop would then also power up the pedals connected to it. You couldn't do many pedals from a 9V but it should work for just one, maybe for 2.

[ashcatlt]

When you have a battery in and plug into the input jack (without pushing the switch) is it on or off? Is it always the same, or sometimes on and sometimes off?

[rabidgerry]

are my pictures showing for you guys? I can't seem them anymore.


ash when I plug the jack into the pedal the power light comes on straight away and this is everytime. To get it off I need to hit the stomp switch again

[ashcatlt]

I can see the pics.

The fact that it comes on when you plug it in is a good thing for true bypassing it. I suppose you should also check whether it comes on right away when the battery is connected. Plug into the input jack, then disconnect the battery. Wait like thirty seconds and then snap the battery back in and let us know.

While you're at it, put your meter across the two lugs of that switch and check the continuity as you switch it. Since it's in circuit, it might not ever show completely open, but it should go from some high resistance to some very very low resistance. I'd do this test without the battery, just to be safe. I suspect this is a momentary switch, and we need to know if it's normally open (high restistance when not pushed) or normally closed.

[rabidgerry]

okey doke, I shall check this out. I can see the logic here and it seems like a good idea. Even though I haven't verified this completely yet I think the pedal does come on once I connect the battery and a jack is inserted in the input of the pedal.

Will check the switch also.

Something to note, the sliders for volume and frequencies effect the sound of the guitar even when the switch is off. When the switch is then turned on obviously a bigger effect on the sound occurs.

This for me is even more reason to make this pedal a true by pass since switch the switch off doesn not completely remove the sound from the shape made by the sliders.

[rabidgerry]

Ok on disconnecting the battery, whilst a jack is still plugged into the input, then reconnecting the battery again, the light comes on.

The switch is momentary

basically the 2 outside lugs are in connection all the time, and when the switch is pressed the middle lug becomes active, but the switch needs to be held in to keep the connectivity on the middle lug.

[ashcatlt]

Well, that's all good news, I think.

Do you feel confident you'll be able to despised that switch and the jacks, and solder a few wires to the board without lifting traces or otherwise destroying it? Do you have a 3PDT stompswitch and will it fit on the pedal with clearance for everything else?

You're going to end up doing something very similar to that looper I linked you to. The in and out jacks will be the jacks you've got the (after they're desoldered and turned so the lugs don't contact the board), the send and return will be the places on the board where those jacks were, and we'll wire one of the battery wires into the pole where the LED is shown.

[rabidgerry]

Ahhh I see. Nope I don't have a 3pdt switch and I don't think I could get one to fit, there are not not enough holes to have the switch fit in and the chances of my getting a switch that is the correct height are slim to none. The switch in that pedal I have never seen before, its plastic, all stomp box switches I have seen are metal (with plastic base) :-(

[ashcatlt]

Oh, the new switch isn't going to the board where the old one is. It will probably require drilling a new hole and you'll need enough room inside to get the switch (and it's attached wires) in without shorting to anything.

The switch that's there now is protected by the plastic pedal stomp thingy on top of the box (right?). As we've determined, it's a momentary switch. Stomping on it sends some sort of signal to at least one of those chips near it. The chip acts as a switch, which flips (or flops) when it gets that signal. That, whichever way it's switched, it switches the other way each time you stomp the physical (momentary) switch.

Since this circuit always starts out with that "chip switch" flipped to on, you want to never send it a signal that would change that. We'll be adding the 3PDT to switch the routing and battery power.

[ashcatlt]

Wanted to add that I personally wouldn't trust myself to do this mod without messing something up. I would not try it on something I couldn't live without or afford to replace.