Boss - DC-2 Dimension C

Hilbishnk · Post by **Hilbishnk** » 15 Jan 2010, 19:09

Does anybody have the PCB and layout files the andre posted. The links seem to be broken or have disappeared.

Hilbishnk · Post by **Hilbishnk** » 21 Jan 2010, 15:58

doriam · Post by **doriam** » 21 Jan 2010, 16:08

Hilbishnk wrote:Does anybody have the PCB and layout files the andre posted. The links seem to be broken or have disappeared.

Maybe somewhere here?

https://s752.photobucket.com/albums/xx1 ... p/?start=0

shadowmaster · Post by **shadowmaster** » 28 Jan 2010, 06:39

doriam wrote:
Hilbishnk wrote:Does anybody have the PCB and layout files the andre posted. The links seem to be broken or have disappeared.

Maybe somewhere here?

https://s752.photobucket.com/albums/xx1 ... p/?start=0

Thanks for pointing this out although I already previously have the PCB pattern but not the parts layout.

Does anyone have the parts layout? Much better if anyone have Andre's whole Boss Dimension C project file. I also want it. Kindly repost it.

Thanks again!

andre · Post by **andre** » 28 Jan 2010, 08:24

Here are links to the DC-2 transfer, parts layout and partslist:
https://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx1 ... _PCB-1.gif
https://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx1 ... _PARTS.jpg
https://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx1 ... tslist.gif

doriam · Post by **doriam** » 28 Jan 2010, 16:39

andre wrote:Here are links to the DC-2 transfer, parts layout and partslist:
https://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx1 ... _PCB-1.gif
https://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx1 ... _PARTS.jpg
https://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx1 ... tslist.gif

thanks a lot, andre!

Seven64 · Post by **Seven64** » 11 Feb 2012, 06:26

i figured i would bring this back from the dead, as this is my favorite pedal i have ever heard thus far in my life.

I have before me a stock boss dimension c in almost perfect condition. i also have the topiccone board fully populated, and about ready to be fired up. i am putting that off because of what i have read in this thread.

i also recently purchased the behringer space c chorus off of ebay for around $30 shipped to my door new in box. it was deff not as subtle as the boss pedal, but still a pretty sweet chorus. i did hear the distortion that gets talked about alot, and figured it was just something with the circuit design and took it off my pedalboard.

fast forward to tonight. i purchased the behringer slow motion (boss slow gear clone) pedal for $29 shipped to my door brand new, giving the behringer line a final try. i have built 2 slow gear clones for clients, but wanted to see if i could get the swell sound on my pedal board for under $30. well, it got here, and did not work. i figured it had not been adjusted properly, thinking to myself "how could they set up every pedal that leaves their factory." i opened it up, and noticed the trim pot was glued in position. a slight (very, very slight) tweak, and it went from doing nothing, to that all too famous violin attack that i love. my friend was playing guitar while i was messing with it, and he thought i had bought a boost pedal until i hit the spot. his eyes lit up, and he was like "Slow gear?" He already bought his.

Well, i opened up the space c tonight, and it has the same 2 trimvpots like the boss pedal does. I turned both of them all the way down, and had no effect at all. i engaged all 4 buttons, and started tweaking. i found the stock setting (i marked it) and one of the trim pots was just a hair to high (about the same as the slow motion pedal). I rolled it off just a little, and i don't have any distortion any more. It might not be as subtle as the dimension c, but this definitely made it as fluid and smooth as the dimension.

i am about to put them side by side again, but i am much happier that i got rid of the grainy/gritty sound that i found with the behringer.

sadrew · Post by **sadrew** » 23 Feb 2012, 17:24

Has anybody successfully built the DC-2 from Andre's project?

Just want to ask if it's verified before starting building it.

Thanks a lot for sharing

roseblood11 · Post by **roseblood11** » 23 Feb 2012, 18:53

@Seven64: Have you seen the "Dimension P" at diystompboxes.com? It's a digital chorus based on two PT2399's, the circuit is similar to the Dimension C. It would be interesting if someone who owns an original Dimension C could compare it to the digital version and maybe tweak some values to make it sound closer to the Boss.

DougH · Post by **DougH** » 23 Feb 2012, 20:20

I have a space c and never experienced any distortion with it. I guess it was adjusted right. Just used it for a recording on a clean guitar track. I put it on the aux buss of my mixer (along with an echo park on analog setting) and dialed in just a little on the aux send. Great way of getting subtlety. Just there enough for a nice stereo spread and a light breeziness without sounding "chorusy". It's a nice sounding unit. Shame about the cheesy packaging.

Seven64 · Post by **Seven64** » 05 Mar 2012, 02:29

roseblood11 wrote:@Seven64: Have you seen the "Dimension P" at diystompboxes.com? It's a digital chorus based on two PT2399's, the circuit is similar to the Dimension C. It would be interesting if someone who owns an original Dimension C could compare it to the digital version and maybe tweak some values to make it sound closer to the Boss.

yea, and im planning on building it shortly. ill report back to this thread whenever i get around to it. im working 2 jobs now, and dont have an aweful amount of time anymore.

silverface · Post by **silverface** » 16 Aug 2012, 13:24

audiohub wrote:
nooneknows wrote: a bit OT:

Krinkle wrote:
I started by buying the Behringer clone pedal, the Chorus Space-C CC300, then liked it so much that was the end of the project!

I bought one as it got out too: awesome. IMHO very similiar in sound to the DC-2, at least as I remember it ( a friend of mine got one long ago). BTW, 26 Euro...
I just got one of these Behringer CC300's in today to examine the possibility of modifying it for TZF, and after spending a half hour under the microscope, it appears to be a SMD recreation of the Boss DC-2 in almost every aspect. It's based on the Cool Audio Chipset using a pair of V3207/V3102 BBD's and clock drivers, and a pair of V571 compander chips.
Audio is handled by a quad TL064 chip, and LFO and clock voltage summing by a pair of V4558's.
The board is small and packed with SMD on both top and bottom, and both component number AND VALUE are silkscreened by each component, making it fairly easy to trace it's lineage.
I think that there may be a few different resistors in their preset selections, which might explain why some people feel that this unit has a less "subtle" effect than the Boss. Everything I've traced in the audio path so far has been true to the DC-2 schematic.
The only thing that they could have done to make tracing any easier would be to make each component number match up with the Boss...not the case, unfortunately

Oh, and did I mention that it was $29 delivered to my door, and sounds great, especially in stereo?
Clean and quiet, with great preset examples of the Boss "motionless chorus" effect.
The case is plastic with a fairly heavy metal bottom to give it a bit of heft, and the jacks are cheesy plastic with metal insert sleeves.
Switching is electronic, but seems to work well.
This seems like a great value, and it could certainly be re-housed if desired. Also seems like it's ripe for mods by those with tiny SMD experience.

Would a resistor mod on the CC300 be possible? Do you know what to change to get it closer to the DC-2?

roseblood11 · Post by **roseblood11** » 16 Aug 2012, 18:13

I think Mark Hammer compared both pedals and posted the differences at diystompboxes.com

silverface · Post by **silverface** » 17 Aug 2012, 06:51

Hmm thanks, been searching over there but I can't find the topic..

bucksears · Post by **bucksears** » 15 Jul 2013, 19:05

Bumping this one - are Andre's and Topopiccione's layouts verified/working?

lohstah · Post by **lohstah** » 16 Jul 2013, 08:53

i built one from the topopiccione layout ages ago...had trouble with ticking. practically unnoticeable when using a guitar amp, annoying when using headphones. tried everything under the earth to cure it, even built a separate LFO circuit that i completely shielded in foil and put in the corner of the box, shielded cables all around, no luck. had an original for a few weeks that i borrowed to compare, that did not exhibit the ticking, was dead silent. i strongly suspect that the layout of the clone is responsible.
but mind, if used for guitar with a guitar amp, it is very ok. i gave it to my guitar player and it has been on his pedalboard for years now.
the chorus itself is fantastic, unlike all the regular chorus circuits because of the two lines that modulate against the original sound.

i wanted to build the dimension p to compare (uses the same idea but PT2399), but could not get around to doing that, no building for me lately, too much other stuff to take care of.

cheers,
lohstah

snofla1900 · Post by **snofla1900** » 16 Jul 2013, 09:08

Did you use TL066 for the LFO , it has a low current draw , this could be the cause of the ticking if you used another opamp. Just my two cents.

bucksears · Post by **bucksears** » 16 Jul 2013, 11:49

I checked out Topopiccione's layout last night. Looks like it has several jumpers, which isn't a problem, but these are crossing over parts rather than just joining traces underneath.

I was working out a layout of my own, but was running into a few roadblocks and decided to check out the ones that were already done.

I'm going to give Andre's a go and then work on my own if that doesn't pan out. I've managed to save a lot of space on the sections that I've already done want to keep it as small as possible. Topo's is a little large (for me) to have potential ticking issues on top of that.

okgb · Post by **okgb** » 08 May 2015, 00:15

relevant to a part of this thread, adjusting the trimmers on my berhringer CC300 space c
trying to lessen the peak input like distortion I'm getting. turning the trimmers you can hear what seems like a null spot
of greatest chorus and get more distortion by sitting on one of those two points, but can't get it clean.
I'll try taking it apart to see the solder joints , Any New insights ?

Saphyre · Post by **Saphyre** » 15 Oct 2015, 23:18

I've just joined the forum as I've been searching all over for an "ensemble" type effect which I could build and found this thread very interesting.
I'll be using it with a line level signal (synthesizers). I've wanted a Boss DC-2 but the prices are driving me away, so I've been looking for a Boss CE-5 instead. But so far I've only found people selling the digital version which I'm not interested in.

I've also been looking at various DIY alternatives: J. Fromel's "Seraph" clone seemed like a nice according to various forum postings; an improved clone of the DC-2 and I believe PCBs were sold at one time but alas I don't think they're available any longer. His website also states that the Seraph is no longer sold (I suppose he's referring to the ready made ones).
Then there's the Dim-C/TZF improved DC-2 clone which also seems great but the prototype was made on a breadboard and there's no PCB available so it looks a bit too complicated for me.
Next there's the Topopiccione DC-2 clone, but I understand it's not without its problems (ticking noise etc.).
Finally there's Andre's DC-2 clone here, but I'm wondering if the documentation is complete as I can't find any info about where to connect the switches etc. ?

Basically I'm looking for something which is easy and straight-forward to build.
An alternative it seems is to buy a Behringer CC300 Chorus Space which costs less than US$ 30 on eBay and I read earlier that it's indeed got BBD chips inside. Does anyone know if it'll work with line level signals?

Boss - DC-2 Dimension C [schematic]