Snowflake kit thread!

[FuzzHugger]

I'd recommend socketing your IC chips. I've personally had more dead-on-arrival JRCs than LMs. So! Socket. If your JRC isn't doing it for you, pick up another (or an LM) and pop it in. Just check which version (there are different power ratings. I imagine most people who are hearing differences between the LM and JRC are just picking LMs with a different output rating).

[futuresailors]

Tommy boy, any word on when you'll get some more drilled enclosures?

[phil_in_delaware]

Anyone have any suggestions on how to mod the fingerprint / snowflake for a bass? I am not really sure what, if anything, needs to be altered in the tone section. I would guess increased resistance but this is one of my 1st projects like this.

[Scruffie]

Anyone have any suggestions on how to mod the fingerprint / snowflake for a bass? I am not really sure what, if anything, needs to be altered in the tone section. I would guess increased resistance but this is one of my 1st projects like this.

Socket the Input & Output Caps and Increase there Values till you find a value you like.

[raginreggie]

Question re bass cap values
If I keep on increasing their value, will I reach a point where as much bass going in is coming out and I get a 'true' representation of the instruments 'tone'
Or will the amount of bass increase with each change no matter how much bass frequencies is going into the circuit?

[phil_in_delaware]

New question, I didn't get a kit with a display LED (my mistake). Where can I get the right LED?

Will any of these do?
http://www.smallbearelec.com/Categories ... +and+Lamps

Also, does it matter which 9v jack I buy?
http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=93
http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=666

[Jero]

New question, I didn't get a kit with a display LED (my mistake). Where can I get the right LED?
Will any of these do?
Also, does it matter which 9v jack I buy?

Yea any of those will work. Usually people use 3-5mm leds, but this is simply up to preference. Either of those jacks will work as well. The first one sticks further into the inside of the enclosure and looks cleaner in the end. The 2nd sticks out more, giving you slightly more room in the enclosure. Again, either will function the way you want.

[daydreamer]

would this be easy enough to do with no build experience whatsoever?

[stickyvalentine]

So...I just finished my snowflake build and I have a few questions.

1) Does this circuit have reverse polarity protection? Heres what happened. I socketed the IC. When I tried to put the IC in the socket I bent and then broke off one of the pins. I put the IC in anyway and checked to see that I had a connection with the damaged nub of a pin and the socket which I did when I tested it. I was excited to try it out so I thought I would give this precarious connection a shot. I closed it up and in my haste to hear it I plugged in my tip positive PS. Then I realized the mistake I had made and hooked up a tip negative PS. Of course, at this point it didn't work I pulled the tortured IC and replaced it with a LM386N-1 that I had handy and it did work! Now I am wondering if it was the reverse polarity or (if there is polarity protection) or the missing pin on the IC that was the problem. If there is no polarity protection on the circuit then that leads me to my next question:

2) What other parts might have been killed? Will something like this ruin the caps? I assume (in ignorance) that all of the other parts would be fine.

3) I read here that not all LM386 IC have the same power rating and might sound different as a result but I couldn't find a DATA sheet for the JRC386D to compare. In all honesty I am not sure what I would be looking for anyway. Can anyone tell me if an LM386N-1 is a good substitute? Unfortunately I never heard the JRC386D to compare it to. Maybe I should just order a new JRC386D and AB them but if anyone has any insight I would appreciate it.

4) About the diode orientation brought up earlier in this thread I just wanted to be sure I understand correctly...Do I follow the instruction sheet direction that says to put the negative end of the LED to the negative end of the diode or the markings on the PCB that shows the negative end of the LED to the positive end of the diode. I was unclear on if the mentioned photoshop error was with the PCB or the printed sheet of instructions. The second way seems right to me in my very limited knowledge and is the way I did it. I assumed that these are clipping diodes and should be oriented opposite each other unless half of the waveform is supposed to stay unclipped. If I am wrong (likely) please let me know.

Sorry for being painfully explicit and thanks in advance for any help.

[FuzzHugger]

I imagine most people who are hearing differences between the LM and JRC are just picking LMs with a different output rating).

More info on LM vs JRC!

LM386N-1 and the JRC386 (also more frequently called NJM386D) have the same min/max voltage, and the same min/typical output power.

[Scruffie]

I imagine most people who are hearing differences between the LM and JRC are just picking LMs with a different output rating).

More info on LM vs JRC!

LM386N-1 and the JRC386 (also more frequently called NJM386D) have the same min/max voltage, and the same min/typical output power.

This may be so but it's been widely documented that they do not work the same, no one knows why as far as i'm aware but in certain circuits they just aren't interchangeable... you'd thought they'd be the same die production just different companies but apparently not... they're just too variable for some reason or another, that doesn't mean they wont function at all, just not 'right'.

[smile_man]

I'm definitely considering buying one of these kits, but I have a few questions.

1.) Does the $64 kit come with EVERYTHING I need to build the Flake?

2.) IS the Snowflake more like the Fingerprint? Or the Snowdrift?

and

3.) Does the second footswitch only do the gain bypass thing?

[FuzzHugger]

I imagine most people who are hearing differences between the LM and JRC are just picking LMs with a different output rating).

More info on LM vs JRC!

LM386N-1 and the JRC386 (also more frequently called NJM386D) have the same min/max voltage, and the same min/typical output power.

This may be so but it's been widely documented that they do not work the same, no one knows why as far as i'm aware but in certain circuits they just aren't interchangeable... you'd thought they'd be the same die production just different companies but apparently not... they're just too variable for some reason or another, that doesn't mean they wont function at all, just not 'right'.

Yes, that's the forum-talk consensus.

They may not be identical circuits, but two ways of achieving the same voltage operation AND output power operation.

So, if that's the case, there might be a slight tonal difference...though the basic operation values are technically identical.

I've interchanged the two before with near-unnoticeable results...to the point that it could just be placebo. I do stand by my statement that "most people who are hearing differences between the LM and JRC are just picking LMs with a different output rating." At least that more people are experiencing that, as opposed to noticing the more subtle differences between the 386N-1 and the JRC/NJM.

[Scruffie]

They may not be identical circuits, but two ways of achieving the same voltage operation AND output power operation.

So, if that's the case, there might be a slight tonal difference...though the basic operation values are technically identical.

I've interchanged the two before with near-unnoticeable results...to the point that it could just be placebo. I do stand by my statement that "most people who are hearing differences between the LM and JRC are just picking LMs with a different output rating." At least that more people are experiencing that, as opposed to noticing the more subtle differences between the 386N-1 and the JRC/NJM.

I think it also depends on the circuit in question, this may just be a case of a slight tone change here but in others I beleive it can be quite a drastic change leading to a bad sounding effect, there was an amp design I re-call and using the LM386 just would not work properly by all reports. With the Snow Flake though, it may very well be just a slight tone change (does this effect have an octave effect to it? Perhaps its weakened with one of the chip types, that could be plausible)

[FuzzHugger]

True, true!
I haven't familiarized myself with the exact differences, only the basic specs of operation / power output.

I encourage people to experiment / socket! And report here!

All I know for sure is, if you want to get as close to the JRC as possible, you want the N-1...I've definitely noticed the differences compared with N-3! You gonna get some fucked up tones.