Replacing whammy treadle with a pot

[p00n]

Well, not really a whammy, but a Digitech XP-1000.

 

I almost never operate the treadle by foot, it's always by hand when I get on my knees to manipulate looped drones. And the squeaky treadle is never ever accurate, especially for time-based patches on the Space Station model.

 

It's fun {censored}ing around making weeewooooowhoop noises, but if I had more precise control it'll be a much more musically useful tool than just a novelty noise box

 

SO question time:

 

1) Feasibility: A treadle basically physically sweeps a pot right? So technically it should be simple to disconnect the internal "pot" and reconnect the leads to another pot right?

 

2) Value: I'll be drilling a hole for the pot. So this might mess with the value of a fairly sought after pedal, no?

 

Should I

 

a) install a toggle that selects between the treadle and another pot

 

or

 

b) remove the treadle and drill the hole for the pot under the treadle so that if I ever need to sell it, I can patch it up and you can't see it unless you look under the treadle

[TheBumRush]

Well, I'd say not to worry about installing the pot under the treadle, they're going to notice it when they buy it and if you didn't tell them and they're upset then it's false advertising and you can get in trouble.

 

Also, the XP-1000 isn't exactly a highly sought-after pedal, its re-sale isn't tremendously high, so I wouldn't worry about messing up its value and losing a ton of money. Maybe if it were a WH-1.

 

It should be physically possible to disconnect the treadle and change it to a pot, but I'm not 100% sure how. I know the WH-1 and WH-4 operate with an optic sensor that has a light on the other side of a shaded piece of plastic. It senses how shaded it is to tell how far the treadle has been moved. It's not a physical treadle in the strict sense. So I'm not sure whether the programming of the chip has anything to do with the sensor, you'd have to ask a technical guy. But it might be possible, yes.

[p00n]

 

Well, I'd say not to worry about installing the pot under the treadle, they're going to notice it when they buy it and if you didn't tell them and they're upset then it's false advertising and you can get in trouble. Also, the XP-1000 isn't exactly a highly sought-after pedal, its re-sale isn't tremendously high, so I wouldn't worry about messing up its value and losing a ton of money. Maybe if it were a WH-1. It should be physically possible to disconnect the treadle and change it to a pot, but I'm not 100% sure how. I know the WH-1 and WH-4 operate with an optic sensor that has a light on the other side of a shaded piece of plastic. It senses how shaded it is to tell how far the treadle has been moved. It's not a physical treadle in the strict sense. So I'm not sure whether the programming of the chip has anything to do with the sensor, you'd have to ask a technical guy. But it might be possible, yes.

 

 

 

oh if I sell it, of course I'd tell them about the drilled hole. I'm just considering those who care about the physical appearances of the pedal. A hole covered by the treadle would be far less obvious than a visible hole elsewhere.

 

hmmmm I didn't know that the WH-1 and WH-4 worked that way. I thought that it was similar to volume pedals, where the treadle is just an extension of a physical pot.

 

anyone with any technical expertise?

 

I'm probably going to keep the original treadle, but add another pot and selector switch to switch between either setting.

[claytonjohn18]

If they do run off of a photoresistor, you can swap it for a potentiometer of equal value and manipulate the resistance that way. They're both variable resistors, they just function differently.

[TheBumRush]

 

oh if I sell it, of course I'd tell them about the drilled hole. I'm just considering those who care about the physical appearances of the pedal. A hole covered by the treadle would be far less obvious than a visible hole elsewhere. hmmmm I didn't know that the WH-1 and WH-4 worked that way. I thought that it was similar to volume pedals, where the treadle is just an extension of a physical pot. anyone with any technical expertise? I'm probably going to keep the original treadle, but add another pot and selector switch to switch between either setting.

 

 

Yeah, just thought I'd bring it up, I wasn't assuming that you'd do that, but never can tell with some people and just wanted to be sure it was mentioned.

 

And yep, definitely optical on those. I'm not sure about the XP-1000 cuz I've never played one, but I'm sure if the treadle works a pot like a volume knob that it would be a hell of a lot easier to do than modding an actual Whammy over. And yeah, a selector switch between the two would probably be pretty easy but like I said, I'm not technical (or at least, I don't know specifics or methods, but I usually know what's possible and not).

 

So in that case, here's a bump so hopefully someone that is will read and comment for you.

[theboywho]

A completly different option, but have you thought about a Kaoss pad, it has some similar sounds and if you are controlling it with your hands it might be better?

[p00n]

 

A completly different option, but have you thought about a Kaoss pad, it has some similar sounds and if you are controlling it with your hands it might be better?

 

 

very interesting idea! i'm not sure why i've never considered this option, especially since I'm running this in a true bypass loop already