Tubeworks - BlueTube (guts)

All about modern commercial stompbox circuits from Electro Harmonix over MXR, Boss and Ibanez into the nineties.
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culturejam
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Post by culturejam »

Here are some gut shots of my TubeWorks Bluetube pedal.

Some notes:

* the two ICs are Ti TL072
* the two FETs are labeled J112
* all the caps are rated for 16v
* the transformer has no discernible identifying marks
* there are no SMD components

Here we go with clickable thumbs:

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soulsonic
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Post by soulsonic »

Nice.
It appears to be almost exactly the same circuit as the TW303 I put up earlier today. You could use the TW303 schematic as a guide and fill in the blanks where the values are different. I'm assuming that majority of the value differences will be in the tube section and tone controls. The rest of it is pretty much just buffers. There might be a difference in how much gain is available in the opamp stage right before the tube, but that would most likely be affected by either the value of the pot used for the Gain control or the values of the padding resistors in series with the signal after that stage.
The plate load resistors look like they are probably the same value - 68K - but maybe different cathode resistor?
It will be nice when we can have the complete set of all the different Tube Driver pedals traced out... especially since they aren't made anymore (except for the six B.K. Butler builds personally each week!).

I have the factory schematic for the rackmount model 913. When I get it redrawn, I will put it up too. It is yet a different variation with a crazy positive ground power supply.
"Analog electronics in music is dead. Analog effects pedal design is a dead art." - Fran

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culturejam
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Post by culturejam »

SoulSonic, you inspired me to post the guts!

I also have a TubeWorks 100w head (which is tube pre-amp and SS power amp), so if you think that might help, I can post some shots of that as well.

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bajaman
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Post by bajaman »

Thanks guys - I have a bad photocopy on fax paper of a Tube Works amplifier somewhere - I will dig it up and try and pretty it up - have you seen what B K Butler has been doing with car audio recently???
Google search for Tube Driver Blue.
cheers
Steve
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Post by MillsApparatus »

Bumping this in case it somehow leads to the verified schem I wanted when I posted my thread. I just emailed "pesocaster" who might come through with the factory schem at some point in the future, fingers crossed on that.

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