Build Your Own Clone Message Board

I've heard that the Way Huge Green Rhino overdrive was based on a tube-screamer-like circuit. Anyone have any idea what specs they might have used? I heard once that the JRC4559 was used instead of the 4558... anyone know anything else?

These questions are asked with a view to an attempted clone using the BYOC Overdrive pcb... Thanks.

Found these pics on the interweb

Face

Guts

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The Dude Abides

Excellent. Thanks... Looks like there's alot of other good stuff on the Aaron Nelson site as well. Amazed I haven't seen it before.

Alright... I've pored over this pic for a while.

Looks like a straight clone of a TS808 -- no resistor val or cap changes, as best as I can tell. Only differences are the transistors and IC. (I'm assuming that the electrolytic caps and ceramic cap are business-as-usual. Don't know why those would be changed.)

Green Rhino specs attempt:
(1) Transistors are (correct me if I'm even partially wrong) obsolete 2N2484's in TO-18 form. This conclusion is based on the visible "2N24..." on the side of on of the tranny's + some internet searching + referencing an "ancient" thread where someone said they cracked a Green Rhino open once and said this was the case.
(2) IC is obviously an LF353N.
(3) All non-electrolytic caps are box metal film caps.
(4) All resistors are carbon comp except for two:
---> a 100-Ohm -- No doubt this is the resistor right after the 2nd transistor in the schem.
---> one that is hidden by the shadow of one of the NP caps -- I think this is the 1.0k that is connected to the tone pot or the one after the 2nd 1uF NP (?). Not quite sure on this one... Can't really see what the resistor value is, and unsure where metal film resistors would trump carbon comp resistors in a TS schematic.
(5) The Green Rhino has the 1N4001 diode that the original TS schematic has -- this is not on the BYOC schematic, and I'll assume it's not a big deal to not have it.

FINAL NOTES: Looks like the BYOC pcb will work fine for this, which is great -- I love the BYOC boards. I'm going to try this out at some point -- as of now, these are untested "specs". The only big problem I see with the specs above is that 2N2484's are obsolete. I just ordered a set of 20 on ebay for about $20 including shipping, so evidently they're still out there in some places. They also contained lead, which is not ideal. Don't know if there's a modern "replacement" tranny that's exactly the same. Still learning this stuff.

Wow, you've got some intense sleuthing going on here!

I don't know anything about the green rhino but I don't think you really need those transistors, they are just set up as buffers and you probably won't hear a major difference. There are probably tons of replacements you could try like 2N3904, 2N5088, MPS A18 etc....

If you have a breadboard you should build this on there as you seem interested enough to try some different things out. Otherwise just use sockets on your BYOC board.

Edit: The 1N4001 is usually used to bypass the circuit if you use an adaptor with reversed polarity.

Good Luck!

One of my "tone heroes" has one on his board, so I've always wanted to try one out. They've been discontinued for quite a while, I understand, so they're very hard to find. Been thinking about researching specs for some time now, and I finally got around to it.


Much thanks for the info. You're probably right on that -- going to give the 2484's a shot anyways just for kicks. I'll probably just put in sockets like you suggested and try different things.

Thanks again.

Curiousity bump. Any headway made with this?

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Resistance is futile (if < 1ohm).

I need to do a Mouser order soon, just haven't had time to get it going yet. Will post an update when I'm able to get it done.

Cool that someone's interested besides me, though.

Very interested. Please keep us posted, thanks.

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Resistance is futile (if < 1ohm).

kbozeman,

Just wanted to let you know I have gained access to a real green rhino, let me know if you need any pics of the inside or board etc..

I would really like to try and clone one of these mofo's

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The Dude Abides

And I was just coming in for a "being impatient" bump.

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Resistance is futile (if < 1ohm).

So, uh...wot's the deal?

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Resistance is futile (if < 1ohm).

Bump. Somebody? Anybody?

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Resistance is futile (if < 1ohm).