Toward the end of 2020 I picked up a handful of PCBs from Pedal PCB. It has taken me a little longer than expected but finally got around to start putting them together.
The Dark Rift Delay is from PedalPCB.com and can be compared to EarthQuaker Devices.
How difficult was it?
The build itself was a step up from a basic fuzz or boost but overall it was fairly straight forward. I did have some issues with the PT2399 chip. I’ve read that it’s not uncommon to get a dud chip, and the first one I tried was definitely a dud. I’d always recommend using sockets for ICs and transistors. Makes life much easier if you need to swap something out.
The no distortion/fizz mod
Once I socketed a working PT2399 IC the next issue I had was a slight hiss/fizz/distortion sound in the repeats of the delay. I tried a couple more chips I had on hand but the result was roughly the same.
The only way to describe the issue was that the first repeat in the effected signal was sort of clipping to the point it was introducing some distortion in to the later repeats. After a bit of digging I found a post on the PedalPCB forum from a user called BurntFingers who provided some advice to another user on how to tame the distortion in the repeats.
The solution was to install a 5mm green LED between pin 7 and ground. You attach the anode (positive) leg of the LED to pin 7 and the cathode (negative) to the ground – which is pin 3 on the PT2399 chip. Credit to BurntFingers on the Pedal PCB forum.
I gave this a shot and it definitely helped tame the clipping in the first repeat – it’s still there, just not as prominent – however it also reduced the volume of the effect. I guess it’s a trade off – do you want a cleaner sounding effect that’s a little quieter, or a louder sounding effect that’s a bit dirtier?
If you’re going to try this mod I’d recommend using alligator clips to test it first to see if it’s for you or not. In the end, I preferred the dirtier, louder, effect, but really comes down to personal preference.
The Shopping List
All up this project cost between $25-$30USD I already had the capacitors and resistors. The most expensive items are listed below.
- Dark Rift Delay PCB = $12 USD
- 125B Enclosure = $6 USD
- 3PDT foot switch = $2.50 USD
- PT2399 IC = $1
- Potentiometers x 6 = $3.60
If you’re looking for PT2399 chips there’s currently a 12 pack on Amazon for $12.90 that also includes 12 sockets, try your luck on eBay, or check out Tayda.
Check out the capacitor conversion table here.