Rivera Fandango schematic

[catstrat]

Hello. I posted this over in the schematics needed section and i had no responses. So i'll try here in this catagory.
I'm in need of a Rivera Fandango schematic. I checked with Rivera and they may be reluctant to send them out. Does anyone mind sending me any info you may have. The customer wants me to build a foot switch to switch the channels on multiple heads. I'm not ever sure of it can be done. Thanks every body.

[Enzo]

Did you just ask them for "the schematic"? Or did you tell them you needed the footswitch circuit to wire up footswitch, or perhaps tell them custom controller interface. Some companies will send a partial schematic but not an overall one. I also suggest calling manufacturers on the phone rather than relying on email or web site requests. A live person is more likely to pay attention to you.

Describe your project. Do you men stomp one switch and it changes from channel 1 to channel 2 on more than one amp simultaneously? Or do you mean the switch can change channels on different amps at different times? Something else?

[J M Fahey]

Agree and add: worst case, what you want is to

build a foot switch to switch the channels on multiple heads.

You don't even need any schematic for that.

Maybe your customer thinks that you'll build a footswitch with just one switch and multiple plugs, one to each head.

Well that won't work.

I'm not ever sure of it can be done.

Oh yes it can, if you treat them as different circuits, activated at the same time.

1) you need to test each head for a functional footswitch.

Which will probably ground or not some voltage, or in old ones just the audio signal itself.

Easy to test just with an open plug and a piece of wire.

2) Then in your master fooswitch you use one relay per head, each connected to its own plug.

If relays are SPDT you have the option of connecting each plug where it belongs, either the NO contact or the NC one.

Then you wire all coils in parallel (say you use 12V relays, you'll need to supply said voltage) , and a master footswitch turns on/off all relays at the same time.

Each head will switch channels accordingly.

[Enzo]

Depending on the number of heads you need, there are common 4PDT relays, those often clear plastic cube ones for example. That would knock it down to one relay instead of two for four circuits.

Another trick depends on the supply voltage you have. Two relays that act together can be wired in series, like two 12v ones across 24v. On the other hand, I guess there is no particular advntage of series over parallel. I wouldn't worry about coils going open.

And if you wanted to get fancy - one button controls channel in all the amps, next button changes just some of the amps, etc. A VERY simple diode matrix can be used to connect each switch to whichever relays you want activated. Likewise, any one switch can control any number of relays, so you COULD have one button say turn on both lead channel AND reverb on one amp, or turn on two amp lead channels but reverb on only one of them, or whatever. That diode matrix idea does that as well. Think of the buttons as presets.

Lots of possibilities.


But Juan is right, you do need to start by finding out what each amp needs to switch its functions

[catstrat]

Fandango

I know what you mean Enzo about just calling the manufactoror and not emailing. My customer has 3 Fandango heads and he wants to switch all 3 heads at the same time using one footswitch. I have one Rivera footswitch as a model to go by. It's pretty simple with just 3 pushbutton switches,3 LEDs and about a 5 or 6 conductor cable. What i need is an amp schematic so i'm sure i'm connecting everything correctly. I don't want to try to wing this and end up blowing the switching circuits in all 3 heads. In other words, what plug pin number is the control voltage. I've built switches before but nothing like this. I need to find out how the amp switching occurs. I suspect it's by relays. I'll have to get at least one of his heads from him as a guide. All i have right now is the footswitch. Since he has 3 footswitches, one for each head, i'm thinking of building one footswitch to be used as a master and patching that one into the other 3. The guy at Rivera told the customer he didn't think it would work. That's why i need a schematic. Thanks everyone.

[Enzo]

I highly recommend when you try this, DO NOT wire the amps together. You can have one switch control three amps, but keep ALL the wires separate. Othewise you can create unwanted ground loops or worse.

[Jazz P Bass]

The guy has three amps on stage?
WTF!
Personally, I think it is going to be nightmare.

What is the Rivera footswitch number?
FS 4R?
That switch or similar has 8 conductors in it.



All three amps will have a cable coming into a gang box.
All three amps will have to have all 8 conductors selected for.
O/K: 2 4 pole relays per amp.
Now you need a separate power supply.
Now you need three switches marked Amp 1, Amp 2 & Amp 3.
Now you can plug in the original footswitch to this gangly box & have fun.

[J M Fahey]

The guy at Rivera told the customer he didn't think it would work. That's why i need a schematic.

Well, the guy a Rivera does have the schematic, and says it won't work ... to which I agree.

What I had suggested earlier and Enzo basically agreed was meant for classic "ground tip or ring" switching, which could be replaced by simple relays doing the same thing, but these modern multipin multiwire pedals often (almost always) have digital circuits built in, some as far as having a microprocessor (at least a PIC or similar) built in.

Just check some of the Mesa offerings.

So although in a way technically possible (maybe designing/programming/building what amounts to a dedicated computer or at least a dedicated Industrial Controller) it's practically/economically not so.

Now getting to the point: your customer has no clue. Period.

Besides he needing 3 Rivera Fandango amps cranked on stage, which I doubt, he's doing it the wrong way.

Just use one as the main amp, do whatever he wants with it, and slave the others to it.

Worst case you can easily break the power amp in connection and add the jack/s necessary for that.

To make it simpler you might designate one as the main one and add just a preamp out and the others as slave and just add a power amp in (which breaks the internal preamp connection).

Think outside the box, and besides that, you are the Tech, customers can come with as many hare brained proposals as they want, it's you who adds the reality bit.

That amp is killer, has tons of switchable sounds ... I bet the switching matrix is a nightmare.

[catstrat]

Fandango

Yep. The guy at Rivera told the customer you would probably have grounding problems to deal with. If the Fandango is similar to other Rivera amps then the switching voltage is 23 volts if i remember correctly. I wonder, if this can be done at all, could you use the voltage from one head to switch all 3. Would it have enough amperage to do it. I've had several ideas,that's all they are , ideas. If i use the voltage from one head and disconnect the switching voltage supplies from the other two heads at maybe the connector, would that work ? The only thing he wants to be switched are the channels and what they call the turbo mode. I think that's what it's called. I guess what i need to do is read up about the switching options via the Manual, which i did but i didn't take notes. I'll admit, sometimes i take on things that are out of my capabilty range. This may be one of those things. But i want to see if it's doable. Thanks for the continued input.