Are you thinking something like a Valvecaster? [http://beavisaudio.com/projects/valvecaster/](http://beavisaudio.com/projects/valvecaster/) Or the Behringer VT999? [https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VT999--behringer-vt999-vintage-tube-monster-overdrive-pedal](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VT999--behringer-vt999-vintage-tube-monster-overdrive-pedal)
Both are single-tube pedals/designs I believe
I breadboarded a Valvecaster a couple years back and it wasn't bad: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPZRTgMAI4E&t=253s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPZRTgMAI4E&t=253s) \-- t's not mind blowing, but it did give it some tube-y grit. That said, I overlooked OP's point about dc-dc voltage boost, which I haven't tried
I’ve always wanted to try one of those little tube pedals. I’ve got a not-little preamp pedal that has 200v plate voltage to two tubes and it sounds amazing.
This is something I’ve been working on. Looking at the dc-dc voltage boosters also. Much of what I read is that they’re noisy and some are prone to failure. Unlike a well designed purpose built SMPS.
I was thinking of doing a valvecaster with just a high B+.
Otherwise maybe clone the preamp section of a 5f1. You could cascade the two stages on the 12A*7.
That was my other plan. To take known preamp sections from amps and remove the power section to fit them in a stomp box with a voltage booster.
Would love to hear the results. I’ve done valvecasters and whilst cool. They’re underwhelming.
That’s kind of the concept behind overdrive or distortion pedals with a starved tube design. Unfortunately many of them aren’t really transparent enough to be used to just add a tube like quality (without coloring tone). One trick a lot of people do is put a 12AT7 (or even a 12AU7) to get less gain.
I’d pay good money for something a bit more transparent even if it did change the sound a bit. I mean changing the sound is what I want. Just also want it to be workable with little or no extra gain or clipping.
TLDR: fu** yeah that’s useful and no it doesn’t sound stupid in the slightest. I may not be professional, but I take my tone as seriously as one.
My two cents...the most popular pedal I've built (when I was a pedal builder) was a tube overdrive designed around the 6N16B. This tube is designed for lower plate voltages and is perfectly happy with a 30 volt power supply. I use the MAU109. That device gives you +/- 15 volts which comes in handy when you also have op-amps in your circuit. The only downside to the 6N16B is the heater draws 400 mA. Which means I had to include a power supply with my pedal. There are other tubes out there designed for lower plate voltages. Car radios used to have tubes in them and you can still get something like the 12K5 space charge tube that is designed to run on 12 volts. Although, that particular tube has become scarce.
As far as the sound is concerned, you can design the circuit to be perfectly linear like a cathode follower (buffer cct) all the way up through a clipping amplifier like that Behringer someone else mentioned. I made two pedals...one that was a buffer/booster with a single knob tone control and the overdrive that could be perfectly clean all the way up to fuzz. It comes down to the plate voltages you choose along with the plate resistor and whether or not you have a cathode resistor and if you bypass that resistor or not. I hope any of this helps!
I haven’t looked at any of the specifics on it but an idea I had was to use a hex inverter, a la cd40106 or something similar, to get about 80v from a 9-12v input.
I’m sure there’s something I’m missing that would be preventative but the idea has been lingering in my mind for a time now
I didn't see a max voltage rating but did see:
Maximum Input Current Of 1 µA at 18 V Over Full
Package Temperature Range:
– 100 nA at 18 V and 25°C
So I'm not sure if it could provide 80V, plus max dissipation is 100mW per input so if it was able to it would only supply 1.25 mA @ 80V max.
I did see this though:
"The CD40106B device is a Schmitt-Trigger input device that can be used for a multitude of inverting buffer type functions. The application shown here takes advantage of the Schmitt-Trigger inputs to produce a square wave output from a sine wave input."
Wave-shaping is on its list of applications so maybe you could try running a signal through and mix it with a clean signal since you'd be getting varying square wave frequencies at the output, might be crunchy? I have no idea if it would work.
[This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHngn_2bgA8&ab_channel=OlivierJambois) CD40106 oscillator is very cool though, thanks for mentioning that IC
Yeah! I know about it from a microphone building email group and an intractable channel. Their is a mic builder who designed a circuit to use the cd40106 or [tc4584](https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/408/TC4584BF_datasheet_en_20140301-1916065.pdf) in a [true condenser](https://www.instructables.com/True-Condenser-OPA-Mics/) mic build, and it is using phantom power so like minuscule current, also the hex inverter is *after* a power conditioning stage on the mics main board that feeds I believe 11.2v to the hex inverter. And I believe the opa1642 only pulls 1.8ma so it’s like tiny in this use-case.
But it makes me wonder if there’s another beefier hex inverter out there…
Are you thinking something like a Valvecaster? [http://beavisaudio.com/projects/valvecaster/](http://beavisaudio.com/projects/valvecaster/) Or the Behringer VT999? [https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VT999--behringer-vt999-vintage-tube-monster-overdrive-pedal](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VT999--behringer-vt999-vintage-tube-monster-overdrive-pedal) Both are single-tube pedals/designs I believe
>e you thin Yes, and these seems nice!
Matsumin Valvecaster will give you a nice tube sound and no complications.
I’ve read these are basically useless running on 9v.
I breadboarded a Valvecaster a couple years back and it wasn't bad: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPZRTgMAI4E&t=253s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPZRTgMAI4E&t=253s) \-- t's not mind blowing, but it did give it some tube-y grit. That said, I overlooked OP's point about dc-dc voltage boost, which I haven't tried
I’ve always wanted to try one of those little tube pedals. I’ve got a not-little preamp pedal that has 200v plate voltage to two tubes and it sounds amazing.
This is something I’ve been working on. Looking at the dc-dc voltage boosters also. Much of what I read is that they’re noisy and some are prone to failure. Unlike a well designed purpose built SMPS. I was thinking of doing a valvecaster with just a high B+. Otherwise maybe clone the preamp section of a 5f1. You could cascade the two stages on the 12A*7. That was my other plan. To take known preamp sections from amps and remove the power section to fit them in a stomp box with a voltage booster. Would love to hear the results. I’ve done valvecasters and whilst cool. They’re underwhelming.
I could send You this unit if You'll test it and do the report ) I can do it free of charge or free donate, but shipping is your
Thanks but I’m in no situation to do any testing at present. Just moved house and everything is all boxed up. Appreciate it though! All the best
That’s kind of the concept behind overdrive or distortion pedals with a starved tube design. Unfortunately many of them aren’t really transparent enough to be used to just add a tube like quality (without coloring tone). One trick a lot of people do is put a 12AT7 (or even a 12AU7) to get less gain. I’d pay good money for something a bit more transparent even if it did change the sound a bit. I mean changing the sound is what I want. Just also want it to be workable with little or no extra gain or clipping. TLDR: fu** yeah that’s useful and no it doesn’t sound stupid in the slightest. I may not be professional, but I take my tone as seriously as one.
>I could send You this unit if You'll test it and do the report ) > >I can do it free of charge or free donate, but shipping is your
My two cents...the most popular pedal I've built (when I was a pedal builder) was a tube overdrive designed around the 6N16B. This tube is designed for lower plate voltages and is perfectly happy with a 30 volt power supply. I use the MAU109. That device gives you +/- 15 volts which comes in handy when you also have op-amps in your circuit. The only downside to the 6N16B is the heater draws 400 mA. Which means I had to include a power supply with my pedal. There are other tubes out there designed for lower plate voltages. Car radios used to have tubes in them and you can still get something like the 12K5 space charge tube that is designed to run on 12 volts. Although, that particular tube has become scarce. As far as the sound is concerned, you can design the circuit to be perfectly linear like a cathode follower (buffer cct) all the way up through a clipping amplifier like that Behringer someone else mentioned. I made two pedals...one that was a buffer/booster with a single knob tone control and the overdrive that could be perfectly clean all the way up to fuzz. It comes down to the plate voltages you choose along with the plate resistor and whether or not you have a cathode resistor and if you bypass that resistor or not. I hope any of this helps!
>MAU109 Thank You, man! By thos reply You help me to find bipolad DC-DC converter which I need, but didn't know it's model
I haven’t looked at any of the specifics on it but an idea I had was to use a hex inverter, a la cd40106 or something similar, to get about 80v from a 9-12v input. I’m sure there’s something I’m missing that would be preventative but the idea has been lingering in my mind for a time now
I didn't see a max voltage rating but did see: Maximum Input Current Of 1 µA at 18 V Over Full Package Temperature Range: – 100 nA at 18 V and 25°C So I'm not sure if it could provide 80V, plus max dissipation is 100mW per input so if it was able to it would only supply 1.25 mA @ 80V max. I did see this though: "The CD40106B device is a Schmitt-Trigger input device that can be used for a multitude of inverting buffer type functions. The application shown here takes advantage of the Schmitt-Trigger inputs to produce a square wave output from a sine wave input." Wave-shaping is on its list of applications so maybe you could try running a signal through and mix it with a clean signal since you'd be getting varying square wave frequencies at the output, might be crunchy? I have no idea if it would work. [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHngn_2bgA8&ab_channel=OlivierJambois) CD40106 oscillator is very cool though, thanks for mentioning that IC
Yeah! I know about it from a microphone building email group and an intractable channel. Their is a mic builder who designed a circuit to use the cd40106 or [tc4584](https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/408/TC4584BF_datasheet_en_20140301-1916065.pdf) in a [true condenser](https://www.instructables.com/True-Condenser-OPA-Mics/) mic build, and it is using phantom power so like minuscule current, also the hex inverter is *after* a power conditioning stage on the mics main board that feeds I believe 11.2v to the hex inverter. And I believe the opa1642 only pulls 1.8ma so it’s like tiny in this use-case. But it makes me wonder if there’s another beefier hex inverter out there…
I mean, I do love a good tube preamp! Something like this would be useful combined with a Headrush or other modeler.