Rangemaster Votage 4.5V or 9v?

[Mandopicker]

Hi everyone!

I just finished building a Rangemaster off of RG's GEOFEX design. Works great, but I am wondering why this version was designed to use 9 volt battery supply as opposed to the 4.5v supply of the original.

I realize the 4.5v battery is very strange but there are other ways to get that "Original" Voltage.

And...isn't that the way the pedal was designed anyway?

I have tried both voltages and the unit sounds very different. So I guess my question is, "What is the optimal voltage to run the Rangemaster on?"

I suspect that tweeking and tuning based on the 9 volt as opposed to using a 4.5v with the original spec parts will get further away from the original design intent. Therefore I am not really wanting to tweak yet, just want to make it as close to the original design as possible. Then I will tweak from there. I just need that original bench-mark for tone and function.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

[booj]

voltage regulator

here's one way to tweek your battery voltage

Tone Love Photo Gallery - Photo 25 of 25 by Bob - MySpace Photos

should take you to a schematic. The pot will make noise sometimes as you adjust it, but once you know the voltage your there.
the zener will set the low voltage. add diodes to tweak in series.

[Mandopicker]

Thanks so much...that will be very useful.

Truthfully, I was really just curious to know why...if the original was designed to run off of 4.5v...are clones designed to use a 9 volt? I can't imagine it having only to do with lack of the proper battery type.

Once again thanks!

[Enzo]

Why not imagine that? If I designed something for battery use, I would start with a common battery type unless there was a VERY compelling reason to do otherwise.

You have tried it both ways, and you find a difference. Which wat sounds better to you? Optimal performance is in the ear of the listener.

[Mandopicker]

Hi Enzo, David aka(mandopicker here) nice to meet you.

True enough are your comments and letting my ear decide will definitely be considered during this process of experimentation. All good things in good time...

But at the moment, I am looking at it from the standpoint of original design intent. After all, the whole reason I built this pedal was to see what all the "buzz" was about.

Is it really the secret to a popular tone we all grew up with? I had to question that.

Given that the schematic I used and individual parts were as close as I could get to original spec, the only remaining problem was the voltage. Making any tonal judgements with a 9v just did not seem fair.

* From what I can find out the 9 volt battery (in its current form) existed at that time and may have just as easily been chosen when the Rangemaster was designed. Why was it not used? Was it because the designer liked the way it sounded with a 4.5V,perhaps supported by the favorable opinions of famous happy owners of the time.

As far as what sounds best to my ear...I am undecided as of yet, but I am sure I will come to a conclusion.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Enzo]

I have no idea what the design effort was. trends change. Floor pedals almost universally run on 9v batteries today. Having to stick three AA cells into a pedal would be an annoyance, at least to me. 40 years ago, the thought of AA cells or even C cells was not so foreign.

If I had to make a wager, I'd say the designer started with a voltage he was comfortable with and designed a circuit. I would be very surprised to find out he started with a 9v design and changed the battery.

[stever1957]

Hi everyone!

I just finished building a Rangemaster off of RG's GEOFEX design. Works great, but I am wondering why this version was designed to use 9 volt battery supply as opposed to the 4.5v supply of the original......

I'm sure you'll be pleased to learn that the original Dallas Rangemaster was in fact powered by a 9v battery.

As you can see (below) the manufacturer's suggested battery was the Vidor VT4 (a 9v battery, and the equivalent of the Ever Ready PP4).

[dai h.]

is there a source that says the Rangemaster used 4.5V?

[R.G.]

The two original Rangemasters I examined when I was writing up the Rangemaster articles for Geofex were both 9V.

I don't know whether some Rangemasters were 4.5V at one time or not. But I can assure you that there were originals intended for 9V. So if I were you, I'd check my sources.

[Mandopicker]

I did my early research before building mine and I think I read someone state the following...

"I recall that it uses a 4.5 volt U2 size battery with a snap on terminal on each end."

Just did a quick search again and found this..perhaps it is where I got the thought process initially.
Harmony Central...

3rd post down from top...

Dallas-Arbiter Rangemaster Treble Booster: Harmony Central User Reviews

But seeing the above photo tells me a bit more of course.

Thanks Stever1957 and to you R.G. for making the project more accessable. Either way I do enjoy the pedal.

[dai h.]

quick google seems to say a British "U2" is a 1.5V "D" cell, so maybe the Harmony Central reviewer came to that (apparently confused) conclusion since he was able to fit a "U2" 1.5V battery.

The 2BF Bedside Torch - CandlePowerForums

List of battery sizes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Mandopicker]

Given the information provided from RG and Stever1957...I think I'll go with the 9 volt idea. Though I do have to admit that it sounded less "harsh" for a lack of a better way to put it when using 4.5 volts.

I guess another way to design it would be to put some sort of voltage regulator pot inside to somehow use the lower voltage (and others in between) for other toal possibilities.

Thanks again (to everyone) for all the insight.