Real or Fake Reticon SAD1024 Chips?

Discussion regarding early stompbox technology: 1960-1975 Please keep discussion focused and contribute what info you have...
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pmkipp
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Post by pmkipp »

They look kinda fake, being purple and all. But the lettering is correct.

These are in a non-working 1977 Memory Man (3 knob, solid gray version). Just some mild squealy noise when the effect is engaged.

These have, besides the purple color and the metal label, gold pins and are mounted in sockets.

Anyone ever seen anything like this?

Pete
Pete's Pedals, St Louis
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Scruffie
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Post by Scruffie »

Yeah those are real, just an older package type.

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Dirk_Hendrik
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Post by Dirk_Hendrik »

With a nano-error margin I'd say real. I cannot imagine someone would be willing to create the most alternative looking ceramic DIL case for a counterfeit. Those should be looking as normal as possible.

Other than that,
In the many, many, BBD based effects I've fixed it was almost never the BBD chip. Don't step into the common misconception that the defect will probably be in the most expensive or rarest part. I's usually not.
Sorry. Plain out of planes.

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theehman
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Post by theehman »

Definitely real. Common in very old Memory Man pedals, especially the gray ones.
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Post by lolbou »

Had one stock in a Deluxe Mistress that matched the very Hendrik's criteria :wink:
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pmkipp
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Post by pmkipp »

Problem is not with the chips. There is too much power going in through the filtering. 32 volts prior to the regulator, builds up to 22 volts after when plugged in. Will rebuild the entire section and cross fingers...
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Post by pmkipp »

Well - seems the problem may be with the chips, unless someone has another suggestion to check. Before I got this, when plugged in there was up to 22 volts going to the 1024 chips. The main problem in the power section was too much power coming out of the transformer (not the end of the world) and a bad Zener. Now, with a new beefier Zener and a higher value power resistor, the voltage coming out of the regulator is a cool 14.7 volts. But, pedal still did the same squealy noise with no effect. I traced the signal and all was fine all the way to the input leg of the first 1024, and the squeal began (mildly) on the output of that chip and increased through each one until total noise on output of the third. Bummer. I am assuming the chips were exposed to too much voltage for too long, but i am not an expert... If anyone is interested I can provide some voltage readings on each leg of the 1024's, or anywhere else. :hmmm:
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Post by theehman »

Did you try adjusting the bias on each 1024?
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Post by Scruffie »

They wont work without a clock signal so you need to test the 4047 is working too which IIRC has a lower terminal voltage than the SAD1024.

I'd post voltages if I were you.

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Post by pmkipp »

I came upon a working '70's Ross flanger with the same Reticon chip (socketed) and was able to test all these purple chips and they all worked perfectly. The power input section to the Memory Man was shot and was bleeding voltage. I rebuilt it and now there is a cool 14.5v going into the circuit and the recommended voltage (that the old schematic shows) going to the chips. Most of the electrolytic caps were also shot (some showing more than 2x's the correct value and up to 25% leakage), so I recapped it as well (all Nichicon or Sprague). I socketed all the other chips, including the clock chip, and tried replacements and though the boost works the delay time control just produces screeching. Now I am suspecting it is wired incorrectly. This had been worked on before and you know how fragile these wires are. Need to find a picture of this earliest version to see if I can tell which wires go where.
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