GSSL HELP THREAD!!!

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@ rigazibi
Doublecheck the supply voltages at IC-socket again, maybe with a fresh battery for your multimeter.
Maybe its only a typo, but +17V, -17V, +13.4V, -13.5V doesn't sound right with +/-15V and +/-12V regulators.
Just my 2ct
 
Hello  :)

Is it possible to make the gssl clone switchable with these different modes 1 : gssl 2 : turbo 3: turbo with external sidechain 4 : gssl with external sidechain ?

It might seam overkill and even stupid but I would like that functionality , any one ?

Allin
 
hi ,allinbang

i don't know cause  i never used the external sidecahin ,
but i think , will be like that.

1 -Gssl ( your sidechain button put on off)
2 -External sidechain ( your sidecahin button on ext or 100hz .... )
3 -turbo ( when your turbo is  opened all the other mode are  closed)

or you could put a second external sidechain board  for the turbo but seem to be more difficult.

 
Thank you stereokillah :)

Another question : I want to place a LED (for bypass indication ) and I don´t know where to connect that, also I would like to connect a 12v lamp (for an EAO switch) to indicate "power on" - anyone ?

Allin
 
allinbang said:
Another question : I want to place a LED (for bypass indication ) and I don´t know where to connect that, also I would like to connect a 12v lamp (for an EAO switch) to indicate "power on" - anyone ?

Allin
I've got a very nice illuminated power switch as well(still waiting on boards though). I'm just connecting mine to the +12v rail, probably at a connector or somthing. when the unit gets its power the light will come on.

What type of switch are you using for bypass. If you are using a 4pole lorin switch you have pleanty of spare poles to make an LED switch on and off. The origional LED power indicator spot will provide a nice safe voltage(I assume you are not using it). Wire + lead of the LED to the board and -  to the D pole of the bypass switch. Then wire D2 back to the - hole on the board. This will illuminate the LED when the compressor is in.

If you have a toggle switch, you will need one with an extra set of poles. Tripple pole single throw switches do exist although less common.
 
thank you very much thwop ! :)

I am using a 4 pole EAO switch I think it is called swisstac  (when button is out circuit 1 is connected and when pressed cicuit 2 is connected - the lamp has its own poles, does that make any sense) so ; I have just shortcircuited pole 1 and 2 and connected them to COM and then connected "on" and "off" to pole 3 and 4 and that works ! (except I can´t defeat makeup gain with that button) so now I just need SOME where to connect the LED so that when the compressor is NOT bypassed the LED is on , please help this NOOB :)

Allin
 
Don't really know the switches you are talking about. Is the bypass switch lamp 12v also. if so, the power indicator spot wont have enough volts.

To clarfy what the switch is;
you say its '4pole single throw' with 2 connections for the lamp. By my count thats 14 connectors on the back of this sucker. is this right?
 
No sorry if I was a bit unclear :) it only has 6 connectors : 2 for the LED/lamp and 4 for connections (kind of works like a 2 position 2 pole lorlin switch) thus I can´t use the "defeat makeup gain but that should not matter ? and I have fitted a LED lamp in the switch (instead of the 12 V lamp) do you understand me ?

 
I think I know the switches now. The connectors on the back are not 'poles'. I mix my words up sometimes. Poles refer to the number of circuits inside the switch. sounds like you have 2 circuits so its a double pole single throw switch. Unlike other switches yours dont have common poles. Other people have had to use relay boards to get around this problem you are having with makeup defeat.

much like what this guy did
http://gssl.rolandklinkenberg.com/english/index.html
 
ups yeah I guess me being in Denmark the time difference ... I also had a look at this : http://www.hausverwaltung-heger.de/al_leck_trick/ssl_mod.pdf

But I am still not sure how to work it out.
 
"ups yeah I guess me being in Denmark the time difference ... I also had a look at this : http://www.hausverwaltung-heger.de/al_leck_trick/ssl_mod.pdf

But I am still not sure how to work it out."

Edit : ups - that kind of switch has just that one extra circuit suitable for the LED so my 2 pole EAO will not work for that  ??? now I am desperate : is there not some part of the ssl circuit that is NONE functional, when the ssl is bypassed ? and the I could somehow connect the LED to that, making it switch on and off according to the bypass state ?

 
Hi All,
      Just starting out on this adventure, is it a big deal to have shorting ( make before break) switches or do I need the non-shorting ( break before make) for the Ratio/Attack/Release. I have only gotten to the 12th page of this thread so far. Also, is there a more condensed thread of info for this project ? - side chain, super side chain, Turbo, Oxford and all ? - I dont mean to sound impatient, and I do so much appreciate all of you in this community that have posted the 130 + pages of info for others like me, but damn that's a lot of reading.  ;D

  Thanks,
          Chip
 
So I thought I would post a problem and the solution in one post as well as the methods I used to solve the problem.  Sometimes it's hard to find portions of this long thread that resolve problems, so if it is all in one post it may make it easier for others.

I have built 3 SSL Compressors and had small issues with all 3.

The first issue I had was that I wanted to use the square illuminated pushbutton switches like the ones used in the original.  I bought 12V bulbs and thought I would just tap the 12V from the switching board that is intended for an LED.  I think this may have worked for the power bulb, but when I engaged the compression switch (which illuminated the bulb in the switch) the 12V regulator said.....NO I DON'T THINK SO! and shut down.  I solved this problem but adding another voltage regulator that taps directly from the DC feeding the input to the existing +15V Regulator.  I mounted the regulator on the PCB where the on-board transformer would have gone and used this 12V tap to feed all of the bulbs and a relay that I used as well. (The relay was also used for the compression switch because I needed 3 things to be able to be switched:  The Compression On/Off, the Makeup Gain Bypass, and the Lamp for the switch).  BTW making holes for those square switches was a time consuming process.  I drilled a circular hole and slowly filed a square hole from that.  It took about 20-30 minutes per hole.  The flange on the switch isn't all that big, so I had to go slow and make sure I didn't take too much at once.



Another issue I had with a different unit was that when the compression switch was engaged it would make a super loud buzz/hum sound.  I first checked to see if the unit passed audio without the compression engaged.  It did, so I knew that the input/output section of the circuit was fine.  I then went to check out the switching of the compression as well as the makeup gain.  I desoldered the wires from the makeup gain section so that I could manually connect and disconnect them.  I was using the relay for this switching, so I wanted to eliminate the possibility that the relay was causing the problem.  The noise still happened when manually connecting the wires, so I knew the problem must be something in the makeup gain circuit.  I consulted the schematic as well as the PCB layout art to measure voltages and check connections.  I saw on the schematic that the makeup gain circuit was being fed 12V, so I checked that and all was well.  I then checked the output voltage from the potentimeter and it varied from basically nothing up to 12V with the turning of the potentiometer.  I then traced the circuit from there checking connections and voltages until I got to the makeup gain amplifier (the TL072).  I did a search on this forum for voltages and found what the voltages should be on each pin. I found that the voltage was way too high on one of the pins (9volts instead of up to 1.9volts).  I then began to suspect the resistor just before that pin and found that I had used a 20K resistor instead of a 620K.  I changed it out and all was well with the makeup gain.  I have to admit that it is a little tricky going from schematic to PCB artwork to PCB, but it makes the troubleshooting much more methodical and way less of a "shot in the dark" situation.

The third issue that I ran into with one of the units was that it wasn't compressing at all. (at least the meter showed no compression).  I first checked to see if all of the meter connections were correct as well as the orientation of all of the caps on the switching board.  Everything was just fine.  My unit didn't compress in either channel, so I assumed it had something to do with the sidechain (although I do have the turbo board installed in this unit, I had no compression whether the circuit was in turbo or regular mode).  I checked to orientation of all of the diodes and caps in the sidechain section (the portion of the PCB that says SIDECHAIN on it).  Again, I used the schematic as well as the PCB Artwork to check this.  Everything checked out just fine.  I then began to check for solder bridges.  On of my methods for this is to shine a flashlight from the topside of the PCB while checking the solder connections on the bottom.  I also used the Artwork layout to see if certain pads were supposed to be connected or not.  This can be tricky because the artwork is actually a mirror image if the PCB if you are looking from the bottom.  I compared several suspect solder bridges with the artwork, and found one (the 10K resistor) in the very corner of the PCB.  I am willing to be that this is a common one because it is very close to the 2 nearby pads and the ground plane.  I used a copper braid to remove the solder and I carefully resoldered it correctly.  Once I put it back together it worked like a charm in both regular and turbo modes.

I hope that this narrative can help a few people solve their problems.  The thing to remember is that the problem is probably something simple and that you just need to be patient and methodical about searching for the problem.  Use the schematic, use the search function on this forum, and take some time away if you get frustrated.  Most of the problems that I solved took a few tries to find.  The time in between gave my brain a chance to process stuff and come up with other solutions.

 
ok it's been a while since my last post and my gssl is almost done..  :D

however, i'm having some kind of 'problem'. When I'm bypassing the unit there is a long fade in in the level.
For example if the compressed signal is -5db and the original 0db, when i switch to bypass mode there will be a fade in from -5db to 0db.
This fade lasts a few seconds so is annoying when you try to A/B.

hope it make sense.

I'm using a lorlin with 3 positions. Turbo / Gssl and Bypass mode if that helps

thanks
michael
 
  Arrigotti.. Thanks so much for that great description of problems and corrections  :)

  warpie ... I'm afraid I'm too much of a Newbie to help, but I've gotten to page 26 of this thread so far and haven t seen this particular scenario yet, but if I do, I'll let you know.

 

 
 
hi guys

stereokillah sorry for this time whitout contact but job...job...wife...daughter... :p

now i can´t try to fix my gssl because i sell my interface, but when i was cheking the solder,jumps, etc.

i see a risk on pcb, i buy 2 on this forum and both have the risk, can this cause some problems??

tanks

 
hello ribazigi ,
i don't think the problem is caused by this risk.
for this , you just need to do a strip.
For your solder  some time can't be see with your eyes, only with your multimeter.
 
you are correct stereokillah

i allready ''see'' every solder and apparently it´s ok, but if the resistor not indicate the correct voltage

what can i ''see'' whit the multimeter?
 
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