Aion POLYPHEMUS Bedienungsanleitung

POLYPHEMUS OPTICAL COMPRESSOR 1

PROJECT NAME

POLYPHEMUS

BASED ON

EFFECT TYPE

PROJECT SUMMARY

DOCUMENT VERSION

Pigtronix®Philosopher’s Tone

An inventive optical compressor noted for its long sustain and blendable overdrive, designed by Howard

Davis, best known as the designer of the EHX Memory Man and Electric Mistress.

Compressor / Overdrive 1.0.0 (2023-07-04)

BUILD DIFFICULTY

Intermediate

Actual size is 2.3” x 2.68” (main board) and 1.78” x 0.90” (bypass board).

POLYPHEMUS OPTICAL COMPRESSOR 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1Project Overview 8Drill Template

2Introduction & Usage 9Enclosure Layout

3-5 Parts List 10 Wiring Diagram

6Build Notes 11 Licensing

7Schematic 11 Document Revisions

INTRODUCTION

The Polyphemus Optical Compressor is based on the Pigtronix Philosopher’s Tone, a vactrol-based

compressor & overdrive first released in 2009. It’s known for its incredibly long sustain, and has a

unique diode-clipping overdrive that can be blended in with the clean compressed signal.

The Philosopher’s Tone was designed by Howard Davis, the legendary inventor of the Memory Man and

Electric Mistress when he worked for Electro-Harmonix in the late 1970s. Since that time, he’s designed

several effects on a contract basis, and this is one of a few he did for Pigtronix.

After the original release, the Philosopher’s Tone underwent several revisions and new editions. The

first was the “Germanium Gold” edition, which was in a gold enclosure and featured a single germanium

diode in place of one of the silicon diodes in the clipping section (in other words, a marketing gimmick).

Later, the circuit was reworked into two new and slightly simplified pedals: the Philosopher’s Rock,

which emphasized the overdrive component, and the Philosopher’s Bass, which was tuned for bass

frequencies. These replaced the original Philosopher’s Tone.

Most recently, it was redesigned as a miniature pedal, once again using the original Philosopher’s Tone

name. This version included an onboard charge pump voltage doubler, so it no longer needed its own

15V or 18V adapter. This is the only one currently manufactured as of this project’s release.

The Polyphemus is an amalgamation of all of these, primarily based on the original Philosopher’s Tone

(which had more features than any subsequent versions) but incorporating various modifications

and tweaks from some of the later versions, including the charge pump, germanium diode, and

improvements to the sustain control.

USAGE

The Polyphemus has five controls:

• Sustain controls the amount of compression applied to the signal.

• Grit is the amount of overdrive or clipping applied to the compressed signal. Note that this is closer

to a blend than a gain control, and the clipping level is more or less fixed.

• Treble cuts or boosts the highs at around 2kHz by up to 6dB in either direction, with flat response at

12:00. This comes after the blend, so it’s applied to the dry signal as well as the effect signal.

• Blend sets the ratio between dry and effect signals.

• Volume is the overall output level. Be aware that even at maximum volume, it doesn’t go much

higher than unity gain, so it’s not suitable for use as a booster.

POLYPHEMUS OPTICAL COMPRESSOR 3

PARTS LIST

This parts list is also available in a spreadsheet format which can be imported directly into Mouser for

easy parts ordering. Mouser doesn’t carry all the parts—notably potentiometers—so the second tab lists

all the non-Mouser parts as well as sources for each.

View parts list spreadsheet →

PART VALUE TYPE NOTES

R1 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R2 470k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R3 8k2 Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R4 2k7 Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R5 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R6 2k7 Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R7 47R Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R8 2M2 Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R9 220k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R10 100k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R11 27k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R12 1M8 Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R13 56k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R14 2k7 Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R15 100k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R16 6k8 Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R17 91k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R18 100k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R19 150R Metal film resistor, 1/4W

RPD 1M Metal film resistor, 1/4W

LEDR 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W LED current-limiting resistor. Adjust value to change LED brightness.

C1 22n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C2 680pF MLCC capacitor, NP0/C0G

C3 6n8 Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C4 2.2uF Film capacitor, 7.2 x 5mm

C5 560n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 4.5mm

C6 33pF MLCC capacitor, NP0/C0G

C7 1000uF/10V Electrolytic capacitor, 8mm See build notes for sizing precautions.

C8 1000uF/10V Electrolytic capacitor, 8mm See build notes for sizing precautions.

C9 1uF Electrolytic capacitor, 4mm

C10 22pF MLCC capacitor, NP0/C0G

C11 1uF Electrolytic capacitor, 4mm

POLYPHEMUS OPTICAL COMPRESSOR 4

PARTS LIST, CONT.

PART VALUE TYPE NOTES

C12 2n2 Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C13 470uF/16V Electrolytic capacitor, 8mm Reference voltage filter capacitor. See build notes for sizing precautions.

C14 100uF Electrolytic capacitor, 6.3mm Reference voltage filter capacitor.

C15 10uF Electrolytic capacitor, 5mm Power supply filter capacitor.

C16 470n MLCC capacitor, X7R Power supply filter capacitor.

C17 10uF Electrolytic capacitor, 5mm Power supply filter capacitor.

C18 470n MLCC capacitor, X7R Power supply filter capacitor.

C19 220uF Electrolytic capacitor, 6.3mm Power supply filter capacitor.

C20 100n MLCC capacitor, X7R Power supply filter capacitor.

D1 1N5817 Schottky diode, DO-41

D2 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D3 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D4 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D5 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D6 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D7 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D8 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D9 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D10 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D11 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D12 Ge Germanium diode, DO-7 Original uses 1N60. Can also use BAT46 Schottky. See build notes.

D13 5mm LED LED, 5mm, red diffused

D14 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D15 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D16 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D17 1N5817 Schottky diode, DO-41

D18 1N5817 Schottky diode, DO-41

Z1 1N4742A Zener diode, 12V, DO-41

IC1 NE5532P Operational amplifier, dual, DIP-8

IC1-S DIP-8 socket IC socket, DIP-8

IC2 TL072 Operational amplifier, dual, DIP-8

IC2-S DIP-8 socket IC socket, DIP-8

IC3 RC4558P Operational amplifier, dual, DIP-8

IC3-S DIP-8 socket IC socket, DIP-8

IC4 LM741 Operational amplifier, single, DIP-8

IC4-S DIP-8 socket IC socket, DIP-8

IC5 LT1054CP Charge pump, DIP-8 Can also use TC1044SCPA.

POLYPHEMUS OPTICAL COMPRESSOR 5

PARTS LIST, CONT.

PART VALUE TYPE NOTES

IC5-S DIP-8 socket IC socket, DIP-8

VACT. VTL5C6 Vactrol, fast on/fast off Available from Aion FX. See build notes for optocoupler information.

BLEND 10kB 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot

SUSTAIN 100kB 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot

GRIT 100kB 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot

TREBLE 100kB 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot

VOLUME 10kA 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot

LED 5mm LED, 5mm, red diffused

IN 1/4" mono 1/4" phone jack, closed frame Switchcraft 111X or equivalent.

OUT 1/4" mono 1/4" phone jack, closed frame Switchcraft 111X or equivalent.

DC 2.1mm DC jack, 2.1mm panel mount Mouser 163-4302-E or equivalent.

FSW 3PDT Stomp switch, 3PDT

ENC 125B Enclosure, die-cast aluminum Can also use a Hammond 1590N1.

POLYPHEMUS OPTICAL COMPRESSOR 6

BUILD NOTES

Vactrol selection

The original Philosopher’s Tone was designed around the resistance range and on/off speed of the

VTL5C6 optocouplers. Substitutes such as the VTL5C3 or home-rolled optocouplers do not sound the

same and are not recommended for this particular circuit.

When the Philosopher’s Rock and Philosopher’s Bass were released, they used the VTL5C9, while at the

same time changing the R7 resistor (the current-limiting resistor for the optocoupler’s LED) from 47R to

470R, presumably with the intention of putting the LDR in a similar resistance range as the 5C6.

However, once Xvive began offering a reissue of the VTL5C6, Pigtronix again switched back to the

VTL5C6 for their Philosopher’s Tone Micro, the only current-production version of this circuit.

Aion FX carries the VTL5C6 specifically for use in this circuit, so it’s recommended to use this type. We

have not tried the Polyphemus circuit with the VTL5C9 and 470R resistor, but if that’s all you can find, it

may work.

Electrolytic capacitor selection

The original Philosopher’s Tone used a massive 2,200µF capacitor in the bridge rectifier section. All

subsequent versions instead used two 1,000µF capacitors in parallel, and that’s what we’ve used in our

version. They will perform the same as a single 2,200µF in this application.

For these capacitors (C7 and C8), the PCB layout assumes 8mm diameter, 3.5mm lead spacing, and

15mm maximum height, which is on the low end of the range for capacitors of this value. They only need

to be 10V minimum since they do not see the full 18V supply.

This is also the case for C13, the 470µF filter capacitor that supplies the reference voltage to the

rectifier. The requirements are the same as C7 and C8 except that it needs to be 16V minimum.

If you use the exact parts listed in the Mouser parts spreadsheet for C7, C8 and C14, they’ll fit without

any trouble. But if they’re ever out of stock (or if you need to order from somewhere other than Mouser)

and you need to source a different type, then be very careful of the dimensions.

C5 capacitor

C5, the coupling capacitor for the effect signal, is 560n (0.56µF), which is a very uncommon value.

The most readily available 560n capacitor is an EPCOS / TDK type from Mouser, part number

871-B32529C564J. The width is not specified in the datasheet, so we initially designed the PCB

assuming 3.5mm, which is the width of similar values from WIMA.

However, they’re actually 4.5mm in width, so there’s barely enough space to fit between IC2 and C13.

It’s recommended to install the IC2 socket first, then fit C5 and C13 together before soldering either of

them so that they can adjust to the position.

You can also use 470n with no real change in behavior, in which case no precautions are needed, since

they’re 3.5mm or narrower. The spacing issue will be fixed on subsequent runs, so if it seems like there’s

plenty of space then you can disregard this.

SCHEMATIC

POLYPHEMUS OPTICAL COMPRESSOR 7

OUT

1N5817

10kB

100kB

10kA

100kB

+9V

100n 220uF

GND

LT1054CP

1N5817 1N5817

10uF

470n

470n 10uF

1N4742A

GND

91k

100k

GND

10k

22n

470k

NE5532

GND

8k2

680pF

6n8

2k7

GND

10k

2.2uF

GND

TL072P

RC4558P

GND

560n

2k7

100uF

470uF

16V

GND

47R

TL072P

RC4558P

2M2

33pF

1N914 1N914

1000uF

10V 10V

1000uF

220k

100k

1N9141N9141N914

1N914 1N914 1N914

27k

1uF

GND

22pF

1M8

56k

1uF

GND 1N60 1N914

1N9141N914

2k7

2n2

GND

100k

LM741D

GND

6k8

GND

GND GND

BLEND

TREBLE

VOLUME

GRIT

SUSTAIN

C20 C19

4 5

IC5 D17 D18

C17

C18

C16 C15

R17

R18

IC1A

IC1B

IC2A

1IC3A

C14

C13

IC2B

IC3B

VACTA

VACTB

D2 D3

D4 D5

R10

D6D7D8

D9 D10 D11

R11

C10

R12

R13

C11

D12 D

LED

13 D14

D15D16

R14

C12

R15

IC4

R16

GND

RPD

150R

R19

GND

POLYPHEMUS OPTICAL COMPRESSOR 8

DRILL TEMPLATE

Cut out this drill template, fold the edges and tape it to the enclosure. Before drilling, it’s recommended

to first use a center punch for each of the holes to help guide the drill bit.

Ensure that this template is printed at 100% or “Actual Size”. You can double-check this by measuring

the scale on the printed page.

Top jack layout assumes the use of closed-frame jacks like the Switchcraft 111X. If you’d rather use

open-frame jacks, please refer to the Open-Frame Jack Drill Template for the top side.

LED hole drill size assumes the use of a 5mm LED bezel, available from several parts suppliers. Adjust

size accordingly if using something different, such as a 3mm bezel, a plastic bezel, or just a plain LED.

ø3/8” ø1/2”

0.385”

0.625” 0.625”

x: -0.775, y: +1.71 x: +0.775, y: +1.71

ø9/32” ø9/32”

x: +0.775, y: +0.41

ø9/32”

x: 0, y: -1.775

ø15/32”

x: -0.775, y: -1.775

ø5/16”

CENTER (0,0)

ø3/8”

125B

OUT

GRIT

x: 0, y: +1.71

ø9/32”

TREBLE SUSTAIN

x: -0.775, y: +0.41

ø9/32”

VOLUME BLEND

FOOTSWITCHLED

DC IN

0 1 2

0 1

INCH

POLYPHEMUS OPTICAL COMPRESSOR 9

ENCLOSURE LAYOUT

Enclosure is shown without jacks. See next page for jack layout and wiring.

125B

POLYPHEMUS OPTICAL COMPRESSOR 10

WIRING DIAGRAM

125B

IN +VGND NC NC OUT

PCB

GND +V +V JACK GND JACK

OUTIN

GND GND PCB

OUT

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