# Danelectro Cool Cat rehousing.



## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

I love my Cool Cat Overdrive but I hate the Danelectro housing. I am always missing the switch on my pedalboard. I found this DIY on rehousing and it looks pretty straightforward. Has anyone tried it?

http://supervelcroboy.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/how-to-rehouse-the-cool-cat.pdf


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

Interesting but it still doesn't address my biggest pet peeve about that housing and that's the front facing knobs!


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Well there's this project which addresses the knob position but it seems a bit more complicated for my first attempt!

http://hotbottles.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/rehousing-a-danelectro-coolcat-vibe/


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

It seems pretty simple enough to follow and thorough enough. 
If it's only the switching that bothers you it would be much easier just to build a simple bypass switchbox and plug the pedal into it. With an independent switchbox you can also use for other pedals if the need presented itself.

Using a tall enclosure will allow you to have the knobs on top or replace the board mounted pots with the usual kind and put the controls wherever you want them.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

I am thinking a loop switcher might be less hassle!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

A loop switcher is a perfect place to start oneself in DIY. Other than some machining, and making sure you don't overheat the solder joints on the stompswitches, there is very little that is critical, no questions to worry about with respect to component values, and very little troubleshooting to deal with. More importantly, it is a project that will remain eternally useful for as long as there are 1/4" jacks in the world of music.

Where a given effect may grab your fancy for a year or two before something else comes along that gives you a private tickle, a loop selector HAS no tone, so you won't get bored of it. It will let you keep the resale value of those pedals that DO run the risk of losing your loyalty as high as possible.

The only caveat I would offer is that a great many pedals that use electronic switching internally (like the Cool Cat and many many others) do not provide proper anti-pop protection should you disconnect the guitar from the pedal input and reconnect it (which is precisely what a true bypass loop-selector would do). This will necessitate the addition of a couple of inexpensive and easy-to-find parts. But we can jump off that bridge when we get to it.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Hmmm. I could make one or buy one for $40 and save myself the hassle, (I have 9 month old twin boys so simple things like eating and showering are often luxuries).

mhammer would switchers made by loop-master suffer from the "popping" issue you describe?

http://www.loop-master.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=53


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

Have a look at the Road Rage Pro Gear Loopers. They're in Ontario.
True Bypass Switching Systems, Guitar Effects, A/B Pedals, Pedal Boards, Stompboxes, Guitar Buffers, DIY Kits!!!


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Thanks for the link Jeff. I'll order from them. I am concerned about this popping issue mhammer mentioned though. :0


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

hardasmum said:


> Hmmm. I could make one or buy one for $40 and save myself the hassle, (I have 9 month old twin boys so simple things like eating and showering are often luxuries).
> 
> mhammer would switchers made by loop-master suffer from the "popping" issue you describe?


(The 'm' is for Mark)
Yes, they would. And here is why.

Let's look at a couple of schematics of typical pedals using electronic switching. I've shown a Boss Heavy Metal HM-2, Ibanez TS-9 and SC10 Chorus, and a Danelectro Pepperoni phaser. These are pretty representative of the spectrum of all those things that use electronic switching.

http://www.indyguitarist.com/schematics1/boss/BOSS HM-2.gif
http://www.indyguitarist.com/schematics1/dod/Ibanez_SC10_Chorus.gif
http://www.indyguitarist.com/schematics1/DanElectro_Pepperoni_Phaser.gif
http://www.indyguitarist.com/schematics1/ibanez/Ibanez TS9.gif

What you'll see on all of them is that the first thing your plug encounters after the input jack is a resistor and a small-value capacitor in series. That capacitor stores charge, albeit small amounts. If you stop playing, whatever charge is stored in the input cap can drain off by following the path to ground through the resistor preceding it, and whatever is plugged into the pedal (guitar, another pedal, etc.).

If the input is completely disconnected, however, whatever is stored in the cap has nowhere to drain off. Should you suddenly provide a viable low-impedance path to ground, that current will drain off very quickly, producing an audible "pop", whose loudness will depend on the value of the cap and how long it has been since the last time it was drained off. The same is also true of caps on the output that might have a similar "hanging free end", but it is more often the case that there is a terminating resistor on the output in pedals.

ANY completely passive looper, even if it uses relays instead of just stompswitches, will produce audible pops under those circumstances unless a path is provided for those input caps to drain off. If you had a Boss CS3 plugged directly into an Ibanez Tube Screamer, which was plugged directly into an SC10 chorus, the terminating resistor on the output side of each of those pedals would provide such a drain-off path (which is yet another reason why you don't hear pops). The popping issue arises when one or more of those pedals are situated in a loop that is completely cut off from all other parts of the signal chain (which is what "true bypass" is and *does*). Any boutique or commercial pedals that use TB will likely have such drain-off resistors at both input and output, as "insurance".

Since the issue is one of having a drain-off path for the input cap available at all times, so that the input cap can gradually drain off while that pedal is out of play, the solution is to just provide one. The simplest approach is to add a 1meg - 2.2meg resistor between the input and ground on any of the pedals you intend to be loop-selecting that use electronic switching. When that pedal is placed in series with another, the 1-2.2m resistor will be placed in parallel with the output terminating resistor on the preceding pedal, but the combined parallel value will be more than acceptable if one uses a value of added resistor like that described. The target is a combined value that does not significantly alter the combined parallel resistance, but yet provides a path to ground fro the input cap that is sufficiently low that the cap can drain off enough over a reasonably short period of time.

Once your e-switched pedals (or at least the first one in line, of all those placed within the loop) are adapted in that fashion, any TB loop selector will provide convenient pop-free service without degrading signal quality.

So.....long story short, stick a 1-2.2meg resistor on the input of your Cool Cat, score yourself or build yourself a loop selector, and you'll be able to enjoy years of convenience, and retain the market value and usability of the Cool Cat.

problem solved?


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Road Rage 3 channel Looper ordered


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Channel looper arrived today. Can't wait to plug it in and test it out. Jeff at Road Rage was super helpful and customized some options for me. Looks solid!


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