Seppuku FX

[oldangelmidnight]

Every time I hear about how crappy the customer service is, I wonder why I don't see more clones for sale. Have they just not been traced, yet?

[fcknoise]

re your memory loss (what memory loss?), i've been wondering how closely it compares to doug's (mid-fi's) clari-not. they seem to have a common base. have you opinions about both?

My memory loss is the later version with an added input boost (real handy actually) and Rhys also added an extra lofi mode switch because of an unexpected delay. As far as similarities ti the clari(not) goes I think the only obvious similarities are the use of the pt2399-chip. I wouldn't really consider them exchangeable for the same sounds really, but I base that on demos of the clari.

[tabbycat]

Seppuku DPM-2 Digital Pitch Modulator:

thanks for the pics pepe. can't see the full ic number but am guessing it's an 18pin HT8950 voice modulator. the dba robot uses the same one, so may be some sound similarities.
http://johnkvintageguitars.homestead.com/Effects/Fuzz-ODs/DBA/01-DBA_ROBOT_VERO.png
apparently it gets used in a lot of toys. talking dolls etc. which is pretty rock and roll.
from what i understand, it converts audio in to 8bit digital, modulates it in various ways then amplifies to out ('with robot and vibrato options' according to the datasheet). p4 of this will tell you all about it
https://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Com ... 50v110.pdf
re p4 i like it when serious official industry spec sheets say things like "in this mode an input voice can be converted into a robot voice" as if the term 'a robot voice' was an internationally understood and standardised scientific reference point.

i've not used that ic myself. i think it's a does-one-thing-well-but-not-useable-for-anything-else kind of chip. do you know what the transistors used are? i can't read them from the photo. the datasheet matches the chip with A733 and 8050 transistors, so may well be those or workalike equivalents. would be interesting to know.
it looks a pretty basic circuit, possibly not too far from what is suggested in the datasheet, but if it sounds great as is why complicate. an idea can be as simple, but sound as good as, put a guitar through a dolls voice box.

have you compared it to the dba robot?

[tabbycat]

a butt load of pics

thanks uc, that's borderline fetish. definitely fringeing on the pathological. but a boy needs a hobby. idle hands, etc.

i have a few ideas about where these ideas are coming from and about what some of the bits i can't see numbers for are. not sure if you still have the stuff around and open to confirm/correct, but thought i would throw them out there to you or anyone else with these stomps, in case you are curious.

memory loss: is the smaller ic chip (8pin) numbered TL072 or LM386? that would suggest whether it's nearer to the clarinot or the rebote delay. as it's low-fi am guessing LM386?

digitizer: uses the same HT8950 ic as pepe's Seppuku DPM-2 Digital Pitch Modulator (above), but with an ic instead of two transistors. looks like a LM386 ic. but probably has a lot of common ground with pepe's re what it does. tbh, that design is so minimal it may be straight off the datasheet.

ecomod: do you know what the two 8pin ics are (next to the green led and the big blue capacitor)? and the transistor? maybe 78L05? again, this looks like it uses the same starting point as the memory loss (PT2399/LM386). a busy circuit board (in dramatic contrast to the minimal digitiser).

digital water: this i have no idea about. this is so complex and such a quantum leap away from the rest of the seppuku stuff that it may well be a board from something else (behringer, joyo, etc) being repurposed/modded/circuit bent to do what it does in this role. it doesn't look very seppuku when you compare the quality to the rest of his work.

kompact kassette: back to the PT2399/LM386 thing. this is seppuku's low-fi delay groove i think. he's just twisting and retwisting the same base. just need to establish what and how. do you know what the transistor is in this one? may well be the same as the ecomod (78L05?).

octavedrone: am guessing the ic is an LM386 and the transistors 2n5088 or 2n3904? the spacefuzz is being decoded and dna tested right now and i'm pretty sure this and the spacefuzz are brothers/sisters design-wise. this may well be linked to tim escobedo's 'rambler' and fuzzhugger's phantom octave. if you have played either you may agree or disagree?

fuzzoverloader: great gutshots, good to see pcb traces. i haven't even heard this one. but 4 transistors (maybe 2n5088?) immediately suggests muff. is it muffesque? with a bit more bass? could be growlier caps instead of the typical muff scoop.

mind warp: more great guts with traces. PT2399 and TL072. same as the rebote delay and a few others. is one of the transistors a 78L05? would be good to know what they are.

well, those are all the ideas i had and questions that came to mind looking at your seppuku gallery. obviously it would be a mission for any one person to fill in all the blanks, but anything anyone can suggest chips away shawshank-style at the seppuku block.

thanks again for the pics. not a small task to post all those. shows commitment.

[smallsnd/bigsnd]

the one that you can see looks like a 2n5088 - just a standard BJT.
HT is a pretty neat chip!

[tabbycat]

Every time I hear about how crappy the customer service is, I wonder why I don't see more clones for sale. Have they just not been traced, yet?

a) my sentiments exactly. from a customer's pov it's bad to the point of 'forget it, i'll work around it'. which is commercial seppuku.

b) not yet, clearly the trace genies need more detailed gut shots, part specs, etc. ya dig?

what have you got? what do you know? what can you find?

[grindonomicon]

Looks like I'm late, but here's more Octave Drone!

[tabbycat]

thanks grindonomicon, great gut shots and pcb tracks too. 2n5088 transistor and 1n5817. that solves one mystery. consider yourself on the A team.

[UglyCasanova]

memory loss: is the smaller ic chip (8pin) numbered TL072 or LM386? that would suggest whether it's nearer to the clarinot or the rebote delay. as it's low-fi am guessing LM386?

digitizer: uses the same HT8950 ic as pepe's Seppuku DPM-2 Digital Pitch Modulator (above), but with an ic instead of two transistors. looks like a LM386 ic. but probably has a lot of common ground with pepe's re what it does. tbh, that design is so minimal it may be straight off the datasheet.

ecomod: do you know what the two 8pin ics are (next to the green led and the big blue capacitor)? and the transistor? maybe 78L05? again, this looks like it uses the same starting point as the memory loss (PT2399/LM386). a busy circuit board (in dramatic contrast to the minimal digitiser).

digital water: this i have no idea about. this is so complex and such a quantum leap away from the rest of the seppuku stuff that it may well be a board from something else (behringer, joyo, etc) being repurposed/modded/circuit bent to do what it does in this role. it doesn't look very seppuku when you compare the quality to the rest of his work.

kompact kassette: back to the PT2399/LM386 thing. this is seppuku's low-fi delay groove i think. he's just twisting and retwisting the same base. just need to establish what and how. do you know what the transistor is in this one? may well be the same as the ecomod (78L05?).

octavedrone: am guessing the ic is an LM386 and the transistors 2n5088 or 2n3904? the spacefuzz is being decoded and dna tested right now and i'm pretty sure this and the spacefuzz are brothers/sisters design-wise. this may well be linked to tim escobedo's 'rambler' and fuzzhugger's phantom octave. if you have played either you may agree or disagree?

fuzzoverloader: great gutshots, good to see pcb traces. i haven't even heard this one. but 4 transistors (maybe 2n5088?) immediately suggests muff. is it muffesque? with a bit more bass? could be growlier caps instead of the typical muff scoop.

mind warp: more great guts with traces. PT2399 and TL072. same as the rebote delay and a few others. is one of the transistors a 78L05? would be good to know what they are.

well, those are all the ideas i had and questions that came to mind looking at your seppuku gallery. obviously it would be a mission for any one person to fill in all the blanks, but anything anyone can suggest chips away shawshank-style at the seppuku block.

thanks again for the pics. not a small task to post all those. shows commitment.

Memory Loss: LM386

Digitizer: LM386

EcoMod: Sorry, don't own that one anymore, just had some gut shots laying around. You can ask hypnodrone here on the forums. He has my old one.

Digital Water: It's a modded NUX Time Core.

Kompakt Kassette: 78L05

Fuzz Overloader: 2n5088 - Sound clip of said pedal (around 4:00): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEWXXUTWOaM

Mind Warp: 2n5088 + 78L05

[tabbycat]

Memory Loss: LM386

Digitizer: LM386

EcoMod: Sorry, don't own that one anymore, just had some gut shots laying around. You can ask hypnodrone here on the forums. He has my old one.

Digital Water: It's a modded NUX Time Core.

Kompakt Kassette: 78L05

Fuzz Overloader: 2n5088 - Sound clip of said pedal (around 4:00): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEWXXUTWOaM

Mind Warp: 2n5088 + 78L05

big thanks uc, all mysteries solved and uncertainty banished. and in double-quick order. much appreciated and makes working these out a lot more straightforward. seppuku-o-rama...

[liskeardburns]

Here's my recent Ecomod with additional "flow" and "feedback loop" mods.

[Gone Fission]

Any time you see a PT2399, you should probably assume an unidentified transistor is a 78L05 if you haven't already spotted one or a full sized 7805. It's a voltage regulator to get the juice down to 5v for the chip.

[Hypnodrone]

What does the Ecomod flow / feedback loop mod do? I have one and mods sounds like fun.

[liskeardburns]

What does the Ecomod flow / feedback loop mod do? I have one and mods sounds like fun.

Flow seems like a tone control for the modulation and loop puts the repeats into a feedback loop for oscillation. Tbh I haven't found flow to be all that useful but find myself using the loop a lot.

[onyxrhino]

It would be awesome if someone would start cloning these things. I'd be sure to buy an ecomod and probably another DPM (regret selling my old one). Thing is, the pedals sound cool, but after multiple unreturned emails and numerous tales of delays, I've decided they aren't worth the trouble of actually buying them from rhys. It's sad, but there are plenty of other cool pedals out there and businesses that actually want to sell them.