Introducing the Bit Reactor

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sarv
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Post by sarv »

The Bit Reactor is a downsampling / bit crushing effects pedal that takes any line-level input and turns it into a digital noisemaker. This is my original design and I've been so happy with the prototype that I've decided to do a small run of 10 pedals and release them to the world.



The Bit Reactor gives you control over both sampling frequency and bit depth. The 8 small LEDs surrounding the middle knob represent the number of bits being used; as the knob is turned clockwise, more bits are added and more LEDs are lit (the output can be varied from 1 to 8 bits). The control of this knob can also be taken over by an expression pedal. The Bit Reactor will automatically detect if an expression pedal is plugged in and the player can use it to control the level of distortion, keeping his or her hands free to play the instrument.

I'm currently producing an initial run of 10 pedals and will be selling them to anyone who's interested; based on how that goes I'll determine how far to take this project. I have a few other pedal ideas waiting in the wings and this may well be only the beginning!

If you're interested in getting your hands on one or if you have any questions/comments, please let me know. I'd love to get your feedback!

Asking price is $160, that price is including shipping.

*****************

Technical specs:

Bit depth : 1 - 8 bit
Sampling frequency: 300 Hz - 5.1 kHz
Output level control: +/- 20dB
Expression pedal max resistance: 47kΩ
Input impedance: 1MΩ
Output impedance: 1kΩ
Power supply: +9VDC, tip positive
True bypass

PS. For the discerning amongst you, there will be a couple minor aesthetic differences between what you see in the demo video and what you'll get if you order one. For one, the large LED in the middle which indicates whether the pedal is ON/OFF will be a much more visible red instead of yellow. Secondly, the Input and Output jacks will be swapped to conform with the standard pedal convention of in on the left, out on the right.

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Nocentelli
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Post by Nocentelli »

Why centre-positive power? Why not make it fit the standard BOSS-style connection that 95% of people use?

Nice vid, btw.
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sarv
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Post by sarv »

The decision to use center-positive power is purely out of convenience for the build, since the DC sockets I've sourced have a metal shield which gets shorted to the enclosure, which is in turn grounded via the input/output jacks.

As far as I know DC adapters quite commonly have a tip which can be set as +/- as desired, so I didn't consider the choice between +/- tip to be something crucial or that a positive tip might be inconvenient. I am aware of the BOSS adapters being tip negative but is it really the case that the vast majority of the pedals out there have a negative tip? If so I can certainly look into making the change -- just need to work out a way of insulating the socket. I don't have that many pedals myself but I imagine if the standard were tip negative and a single tip positive pedal slipped in there it might cause some power distribution headaches.

Thanks for the feedback!

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rocklander
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Post by rocklander »

sarv wrote:is it really the case that the vast majority of the pedals out there have a negative tip?
yes.
ones that don't are.. the rat (using a 3.5mm positive tip IIRC), maybe a couple of EH? but that's possibly foggy memory.
ones that do are.. everything else on the planet.. +/-1%
sarv wrote:If so I can certainly look into making the change -- just need to work out a way of insulating the socket. I don't have that many pedals myself but I imagine if the standard were tip negative and a single tip positive pedal slipped in there it might cause some power distribution headaches.
or just invest in standard plastic ones.. they're cheap as hell on ebay.
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induction
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Post by induction »

rocklander wrote:maybe a couple of EH?
Yeah, my BMP has a positive center male DC plug. Everything else I've seen is Boss-style.

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sarv
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Post by sarv »

I'm happy to make the change in that case, so center negative it is then. Thanks for the advice everyone.

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sarv
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Post by sarv »

A few of these now available for sale on eBay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281243715028? ... 1555.l2649

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