ValveLiTzer Trifecta

When I saw gmoon's Instructable for the original ValveLiTzer, I decided to make two guitar pedals based on his design - one for a friend of mine (the ValveLiTzer Redux), and one for my father-in-law (the ValveLiTzer Trifecta). Both are guitar players (obviously) and I wanted to give them something unique.

My first version, the ValveLiTzer Redux, features a prominent "figure 8" design with the tube sticking out the top, etched aluminum plates, and a glowing blue base.

This Instructable will describe how I built the second one. The guts are the same, but as you can see the case is very different. It's also made of Baltic Birch plywood, but the case is a rounded square with the tube inset and mounted sideways. There are aluminum plates on all the sides, and the knob labels glow when the pedal is plugged in.

If you want to make one of your own, you don't have to use gmoon's exact schematic. You could fit a lot of different pedal designs inside this 5x5 inch case, changing the labels and knob locations as necessary.

Step 1 Design, Materials and Tools

Both gmoon's and my first ValveLiTzer feature a vacuum tube sticking out the top of the case, unprotected from feet, cables, and damage in general. I wanted this version to be smaller, more streamlined and most importantly, to protect the tube.

I used one of my favourite materials, Baltic Birch plywood (aka Russian Birch plywood) to build the case. The case is actually several layers stacked together. The main case is a layer of 1/4" plywood glued to a 3/4" piece. The bottom of the case is a single layer of 1/8" plywood. The top is the most complicated. It is made of a 1/8" plywood bezel, with 1/8" polycarbonate hidden inside. A layer of aluminum duct tape is applied to the plastic, and acts as a mask for the component labels. The top is laminated with a wood veneer to conceal the plastic and the label mask.

The sides feature inlaid aluminum, with the front panel etched using electrolysis.

It's... kinda tricky to make, but I'm sure you can do it. With the right tools, that is!

MATERIALS (case)

1 6x6" piece of 3/4" Baltic Birch plywood
1 6x6" piece of 1/4" Baltic Birch plywood
2 6x6" pieces of 1/8" Baltic Birch plywood
1 5x5" piece of 1/8" transparent polycarbonate, acrylic or Lexan plastic sheet
about 25 square inches of 1/8" thick aluminum plate (brass or steel would work, too)
a few flat head 1/2" wood screws
20 inches of aluminum duct tape
Carpenter's glue
Two-part Epoxy (the longer the set time, the better)
Spray-on adhesive
packing tape (optional)
clear acrylic finish (I used Minwax Polycrylic)


MATERIALS (electronics)

1 12FQ8 tube
1 9 pin miniature socket
2 1/4" mono jacks
1 50k linear potentiometer
1 500k audio (logarithmic) potentiometer
1 SPDT (on/on) footswitch
5 blue 5mm LEDs
1 amber 3mm LED
2 1000uF 25V electrolytic capacitors
2 1M resistors
1 470k resistor
1 220k resistor
1 47k resistor
1 510 ohm resistor
1 120ohm resistor
1 220 ohm resistor
2 0.01uF polyester, mylar or ceramic capacitors
1 0.1uF ceramic capacitor (or replace with a 33uF electrolytic for more boost)

TOOLS

A variable-speed scroll saw
A good scroll saw blade for wood (I use Olson reverse skip tooth PGT blades)
A crown tooth scroll saw blade (for cutting plastic)
A drill press and assorted bits (a hand drill would work in a pinch)
A band saw (or a scroll saw with metal cutting blades)
Lots of sandpaper
A sharp knife (use a fresh blade for this - you'll need it!)
A computer and laser printer
An electrolysis bath
A clothes iron

Comments

[kebo_ganjen]

i have Question about your Tube effect

1. how many Watt your resistor, and i can't find 510Ohm(which one is better :560 Ohm or 470 Ohm)

2 how much Volt(DC or AC) for your 0,01 uF and 0,1 uF, since in my town i can't find anything except more than 63VDC

thanks before

[jeff-o]

It can be 1/4 watt or 1/2 watt. 

The 510 ohm resistor is used for the LED that illuminates the tube.  Either would probably be fine, but use the 560 ohm just to be sure.

63V capacitors are fine.  Hopefully they will fit (assuming you're making the same case)!

[kebo_ganjen]

ok i 'll change to 1/2 watt. because i found 1W in shop .if i can't find any 63 VDC more maybe i'll use 250 V .Thanks before

[la-main]

Very nice design (i love natural look)

Are you wearing a ring around your finger while working with machines?
Thats a very bad idea, the uncle of my friend lost his finger because his ring got caught in a saw blade.

[jeff-o]

If my finger were so close to a saw blade that my ring could catch on it, then I wouldn't be using the saw safely in the first place.  ;)

But, I do remove my ring for some tasks.

[robot797]

well that is just stupid who wants to see if a saw can cut a ring when there finger is still inside it

[la-main]

you have no respect for my friends uncle. It realy hurts if you say such things. (:P)

[robot797]

well it is my work to be sarcastic

and jeff-o seems to agree

[robot797]

why the heck would you wanna put a led into a tube that lights itself when used.

this way you cant see if the tube is hot (ready) to use....

[jeff-o]

The tube doesn't illuminate much on its own.  Most of the glowing parts are obscured by metal plates.

[la-main]

Gmoon is brilliant with electronics but you are very good with disign maybe you can make a nice disign for the tube amp of gmoon.

[Sam the Wizer]

Just finished soldering my first one together. It has a nice warm sound, but I noticed the gain pot doesn't vary too much. I used a 100uF cap for C3 to get more gain. Should I go with a smaller cap for more variety?

[jeff-o]

Hmmm, you could try a 33uF or a 47uF. But in general, the distortion is more subtle than on many other pedals. Gmoon (the guy who designed the circuit) may have more advice for you - I don't actually have a guitar or either of the pedals I built anymore!

[asdterror]

Delicate work! Well done:)

[asdterror]

Well-written, great techniques! Several new tricks for the toolbox. Thank you.

[jeff-o]

Thanks! That's usually my goal for any project; to implement new techniques that I've dreamt up!

[Clayton H.]

You should put some kind of cage around the tube, like a metal grill from an amp/ head.

[jeff-o]

That could certainly be done, though the tube is quite well protected as is.

[gmoon]

Looks awesome, Jeff! (Are all the metal and foil surfaces connected for shielding?) Any "feedback" from your father-in-law about the sound?

[jeff-o]

Thanks! The foil is not connected to anything, though I suppose it could be if you wanted (by extending a thin strip around to the inside). Perhaps it would be agood idea to include even if you don't use it, just in case you get grounding or noise problems. So far the 33uF cap in place of C3 does indeed boost the output quite a bit. It gives a wider range of adjustment, from mellow and tubey to rather distorted. At least, that's what I heard in the 5 minutes or so that my friend tested it for me. More tests to follow, and hopefully some sound clips, too.

[gmoon]

If your friend has any other comments, send 'em along, please. RE: photo of you holding the FX--it's really very compact, isn't it?

[jeff-o]

Sure thing. I made it as small as I could (one of the design goals, actually). I based the dimensions on minimum wood thickness and the width of the components. As you can see from the inside views, there isn't much leg room side-to-side. It's a bit less than 5" wide in both dimensions, and about 1.25" high not including the knobs.

[pstretz]

not sure what LEDs you used, but if you got some with a wider viewing angle you may get better coverage. These for instance are 110deg viewable. Love this project, great job!

[Aud1073cH]

you might get more even light distribution if you sand both sides of the plastic... you could also lightly sand the LED.

I think if you used a small sand blaster (the craft etching type, or airbrush size ones) to frost the labels, and glue the LEDs to the plastic just to one side of the label, to create a "light pipe" that may work as well.

Check out the bottom of this page - the light flows inside the plastic until it hits a frosted section or cut edge:
http://metku.net/index.html?path=mods/glowpad/index_eng

[jeff-o]

I've got some experience illuminating plastic panels. When I built this case I had hoped that LEDs anywhere inside the case would light all the labels. It didn't work out quite as planned, so instead I installed one LED for each label. This is the first time I've tried this technique. In the future I'll try variations, illuminating from the side or using different combinations of frosting and reflective tape.

[jeff-o]

That may indeed help. However, part of the problem is that some of the labels are partially blocked by the components (pots, jacks, switch) so even with a wider viewing angle there would still be a "shadow." Unfortunately I also seem to be unable to capture a true image of what the effect really looks like in person - human eyes tend to auto-adjust the light levels so the illumination appears much more even.

[crapflinger]

yay for JB weld!

[jeff-o]

Yep. Adhesive of the Gods.

[NachoMahma]

. Most excellent job!

[jeff-o]

Thanks! I'm really proud of this one.