I really dig the sound of univibes, more so than regular phase shifters. Univibes for those who don’t know are controlled by a bulb and like 4 photocells to give it’s distinct phasing sound.
Now it’s gotta have an LFO from the get go to make the bulb go from dim to bright, but what if it had a control voltage inputs, so you could have random univibe, staircase univibe, and all sorts of other sources for modulation? I doubt Moog would make a univibe since they have the phaser, but how would one go about adding a +/-5v control voltage jack to a univibe effect, like a danelectro chicken salad?
Danelectro stuff isn’t moddable, unless you’re into circuit bending. I used to have a Chicken Salad, and saw firsthand the inside. There’s a bunch of IC’s including what appears to be a small ROM. It doesn’t work like most univibes, rather it works like other digital effects.
I guess its really a matter of what yoiu want. If you want a real univibe you may be able to find one on E-Bay. If you are not looking for the exact sound but want to come close there are a number of digital pedals that may get you fairly close. Boss and Line 6 come to mind and like the last post indicates, there are other botique pedal out there as well with some unique features.
Of course, buying foogers to simply be pedals is well, expensive. Their primary advantage is their CV inputs. Sure, they have a great sound but so do some other pedals. If you want a univibe like sound with CV control, you might think of getting the phaser and then making your own. Of course, you can’t get the same sound but if you connect a fooger LFO CV to a LED or light and then a photo cell to the phase CV on the phaser fooger (forgot the number). Of course, there are probably some electronic details here to be worked out but if you are the DIY type this can be done.
A simpler option is to use a vactrol which is both LED and photocell in one with 4 leads.
well I don’t really do digital effects. The Chicken salad is analog enough-- it has a LFO controlled LED which triggers the LDRs, LOL. Basically you know it works like a real vibe, a lamp and photocells. I can’t imagine the chicken salad utilizing an analog method for controlling a digital phase shifter. Either way, I dig it.
Using the Moog phaser to get a univibe sound could come close, especially with a LED/photocell device like you’re describing Lux, minus that the Moog phaser is only 6 or 12 stages while a univibe is 4.
Someone posted a diagram to add an expression pedal input jack in a chicken salad mod discussion. Here it is:
Couldn’t one implement this to the chicken salad somehow?
Interesting…mine didn’t have that. Perhaps someone had modded theirs into a phaser. I bought it used from a pawnshop, so nothing would surprise me there. That’s actually a simple modification shown in the picture. A couple extra wires going from the pot to a jack. It should be noted that a TRS jack should be implemented here if using a Moog expression pedal. TS is fine if utilizing a modular type device. Actually, a powered modular device would work best for the Chicken Salad.
Any pedal that has an expression pedal can be controlled by a resistance sounds. Try plugging a photocell into an expression pedal input. It will work although its not a bad idea to add a potentiometer to change the range of the resistance.
If you have a CV LFO, it can control a vactrol. Apply the CV to the LED leads (2) and then plug the other side into the expression pedal you want to ccontrol (2 leads). The other side is just a photocell encased in plastic. If this control the phase of the pedal then you get a vactrol phaser.
voltor, when you opened yours up did remove the pcbs? Under the first one which is just a bunch of BS for the power supply and jacks is the actual unit- lots of chips and all that but theres a small black box which the light is visible from. Also there is a little yellow trimpot to control the “center” of the univibe effect.
Also, voltor as far as that mod goes, certainly a TRS jack would have to be implemented to power the pedal, but wouldn’t the source from which the exp. jack was connected to need to have a connection to the power source? I’m pretty sure the Moog pedal and others work similarly but I have a feeling if TRS is neccesary that this mod would be much more complicated.
First, yes I did completely dismantle the pedal, and I saw no such devices as the trimpot and LED of which you speak. The pedal never worked right anyway, probably due to the fact someone had switched the boards out, but I took my $5.00 loss or whatever it was and gave it to a friend.
Second, most expression pedals are TRS, but if you have a TS jack, the ring where the voltage travels will be bypassed. After all, what you are doing is bypassing whatever pot you want to control and having an external pot to control the parameter instead. This goes for any type of pedal you wish to modify as such. The only concern here would be making sure the resistance and taper (if applicable, as not all pots are tapered) of the pot you want to use is the same that Danelectro used.
Now then, making a CV Chicken Salad would be much more complex than just adding a jack. But why stop with a simple potentiometer? This technique will work with any form of resistance, be it a pot or a ribbon controller. One could even use a photo resistor and LED. Which would then lead to various light filtering techniques as well as a dimmer to make fine adjustments. Again, check the resistance first, and see if whatever setup you want will work without damaging the pedal or creating unwanted results.
thanks for that info voltor. I know its a cheapy little pedal, but its got the goods and I love me some smoothed sample/hold to modulate my modulation effects. If a pedal had an expression jack, is it safe to assume other modulation CVs as in the ones from Moog gear could be used? i’ll have to look into all this, i really wish i knew in depth about electronics stuff so i could mod this all myself and try.
That would depend on the gear, really. Some gear uses resistance alone while other gear uses control voltage. It’s always best to read the manual to determine what is compatible.
That would depend on the gear, really. Some gear uses resistance alone while other gear uses control voltage. It’s always best to read the manual to determine what is compatible.
The dano chicken salad doesn’t have a manual! I recenetly picked up a voodoo lab micro vibe used but I don’t think it had much of a manual to begin with. I think these pedals wouldn’t really work CV, probably just resistance. I really would like to be able to do smoothed sample and hold to control the light bulb rate though.
I am not sure how you would wire it. I am just learning some DIY stuff now but the light bulb gets a voltage right? Depending on the range it seems to me that you could wire it right into the CP-251 sample and hold if you have one? If the voltage range is not right a resistor should fix this.
Yeah I know that Danelectro stuff has no manual. I was talking about gear in general. I don’t know if Lux_Seeker’s idea will work…LED’s don’t have much to work with, especially small ones. Of course, the ones I buy are rated at 5V, but I’d be willing to bet that the Chicken Salad’s LED is rated for 2.5-3V. An attenuated S&H might work, but unless the LED is hole-through and not surface mount, I wouldn’t try adding a jack for such a modification. Plus you’d have to bypass the circuit that controls the LED in the first place to get predictably unpredictable results, if you get my meaning.
You could also simply put something over the LED and then power one separately. As long at they are rated at least to 5V you would not blow the LED and then place it roughly in the same place as the other LED. You might have to move the other one out of the way a bit.
I have not had the time but I want to try some stuff not with this pedal but with LEDs and vactrols myself. Lot’s of interesting ways of using CVs, light and photocells to control things musically.
It’s actually easier to build a unit from scratch than it is to modify an existing unit. You could also experiment with a filter wheel. A clear lens, a somewhat darker lens, a little bit darker lens, up to a sunglass type lens. That would work in a similar fashion as a fine-tune function.
Its funny you mention that. One of the ideas I have actually toyed around with is a type of Aeolean wind hard. It would have two polarized filters placed on circular disks suspended on rods with ball bearings so that they can spin freely. I would put some type of wind scooping device much like a wheather vane so that wind would cause the disks to move at different speeeds. Photo cells could then be place at different parts of the disks and the base to then control foogers..
That would be really awesome! You could even use a fan indoors and control the speed of the fan, thereby controlling the speed of the filter wheel! Four styrofoam cups attached to two wood dowels would work fine, though if aestethics are important, you could use a bathroom fan blade instead. PM me if you ever want to collaborate on such a project. I didn’t get first place in my junior high science fairs for nothing, you know.
I have not done much yet. I have some parts and thanks for the suggestions. I did find a DIY site that was of help but I will let you know when I start the project.
That’s actually a simple modification shown in the picture. A couple extra wires going from the pot to a jack. It should be noted that a TRS jack should be implemented here if using a Moog expression pedal. TS is fine if utilizing a modular type device. Actually, a powered modular device would work best for the Chicken Salad. 
You could even use a fan indoors and control the speed of the fan, thereby controlling the speed of the filter wheel! Four styrofoam cups attached to two wood dowels would work fine, though if aestethics are important, you could use a bathroom fan blade instead. PM me if you ever want to collaborate on such a project. I didn’t get first place in my junior high science fairs for nothing, you know.