# Electrovibe Standby Switch



## zachlovescoffee (Feb 12, 2022)

Howdy!

I was wondering if it would be possible to install a standby switch on the Electrovibe? The purpose would be to save the bulb from burning out of the pedal is plugged in all the time.

My thought is similar to an amp with standby, it’ll have 9V supplied to it all the time, but when it’s in standby the juice is put to ground until it’s flicked on.

Am I crazy?


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## Big Monk (Feb 12, 2022)

zachlovescoffee said:


> Howdy!
> 
> I was wondering if it would be possible to install a standby switch on the Electrovibe? The purpose would be to save the bulb from burning out of the pedal is plugged in all the time.
> 
> ...



I think you are describing the original Univibe’s “Cancel” function.


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## phi1 (Feb 12, 2022)

Not sure what you mean by ‘the juice’. If you’re thinking of grounding 9v power, or the 18v power at the lamp, don’t do that. 

You could simply use a switch to break the + power connection from pcb to dc jack. Same effect as disconnecting the power supply, but sounds like you’d rather a toggle switch than unplugging. Or you could put a switch to disconnect the 18v to lamp connection ( would require trace cutting or offboard component mounting). 

I don’t know the setup you’re after, but generally I try to find a system where your pedals aren’t connected to power 24/7. Like a power supply switch on your pedal board.


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## music6000 (Feb 12, 2022)

zachlovescoffee said:


> Howdy!
> 
> I was wondering if it would be possible to install a standby switch on the Electrovibe? The purpose would be to save the bulb from burning out of the pedal is plugged in all the time.
> 
> ...


You may be able to do it with a 4 PDT Bypass Footswitch if it fits in the Space.
You have an extra row to switch the power On & Off ???


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## Big Monk (Feb 12, 2022)

The original had no foot switch. If you did not have the pedal plugged in, the effect didn’t work.

With the pedal heel down, the connection from the bulb driver base was disconnected and no signal flowed to the bulb. 

You still ran through the Vibe circuitry though.


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## Gordo (Feb 12, 2022)

Those are pretty tough little bulbs.  I suspect that the wear and tear of being turned on and off is likely to shorten their lifespan more than just using them.  Just a thought.


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## Big Monk (Feb 12, 2022)

Gordo said:


> Those are pretty tough little bulbs.  I suspect that the wear and tear of being turned on and off is likely to shorten their lifespan more than just using them.  Just a thought.



I’ve heard this as well.


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## zachlovescoffee (Feb 12, 2022)

Big Monk said:


> I’ve heard this as well.


We’ll I’ll have to shelve plans because the pedal is dead again. Time to resurrect Electrovibe Deadish part Trois again. 🧐


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## Bricksnbeatles (Feb 12, 2022)

zachlovescoffee said:


> Howdy!
> 
> I was wondering if it would be possible to install a standby switch on the Electrovibe? The purpose would be to save the bulb from burning out of the pedal is plugged in all the time.
> 
> ...


This is something I have incorporated into my Electrovibe build plans. It’ll be a sub-mini toggle on the side of the enclosure directly above the power jack.


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## benny_profane (Feb 12, 2022)

Bricksnbeatles said:


> This is something I have incorporated into my Electrovibe build plans. It’ll be a sub-mini toggle on the side of the enclosure directly above the power jack.


I would advise against this. The lamp life is quite long and power-cycling the lamp will be more stressful than leaving it on in a steady state. I'd recommend disconnecting power to your pedal(s) when not in use rather than putting the lamp on a power switch. Also, you're likely to experience a 'pop' when power is applied.


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## Big Monk (Feb 12, 2022)

benny_profane said:


> I would advise against this. The lamp life is quite long and power-cycling the lamp will be more stressful than leaving it on in a steady state. I'd recommend disconnecting power to your pedal(s) when not in use rather than putting the lamp on a power switch. Also, you're likely to experience a 'pop' when power is applied.



This. 

As a thought experiment: Leave two lamps on in a room for a X period of time and monitor them. Put a load break switch that can be cycled constantly during this period. 

The cycled bulb will fail first.


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## Bricksnbeatles (Feb 12, 2022)

benny_profane said:


> I would advise against this. The lamp life is quite long and power-cycling the lamp will be more stressful than leaving it on in a steady state. I'd recommend disconnecting power to your pedal(s) when not in use rather than putting the lamp on a power switch. Also, you're likely to experience a 'pop' when power is applied.


I think I misunderstood what @zachlovescoffee was originally planning. My plan is just to have a toggle switch that disconnects the power from the unit as a whole. It’ll only be used for when I have no plans of using the pedal for an extended period of time, instead of having to physically unplug the unit. The switch is specifically to avoid unnecessary power cycling when the board is powered up and powered down when gigging. Vibe is something I rarely use, so in the 1 out of every 10 times where I’ll be using it, I’ll turn the power switch on before a gig, and otherwise it’ll always just be off. 
Not sure if what I’m saying is making sense, but if not, I can elaborate.


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## benny_profane (Feb 12, 2022)

Bricksnbeatles said:


> I think I misunderstood what @zachlovescoffee was originally planning. My plan is just to have a toggle switch that disconnects the power from the unit as a whole. It’ll only be used for when I have no plans of using the pedal for an extended period of time, instead of having to physically unplug the unit. The switch is specifically to avoid unnecessary power cycling when the board is powered up and powered down when gigging. Vibe is something I rarely use, so in the 1 out of every 10 times where I’ll be using it, I’ll turn the power switch on before a gig, and otherwise it’ll always just be off.
> Not sure if what I’m saying is making sense, but if not, I can elaborate.


I think I understand what you mean. You want to put a power interrupt between your power supply and the pedal. If you have your pedalboard powered on, but will not be using the univibe for the session, you'll have it so pedal does not receive power. If you'll be using it during your session, you'll have the pedal receive power as normal. This is opposed to an internal switch that would allow for on-the-fly power cycling to the lamp—most likely tied to the bypass switch itself—separate from the rest of the pedal circuitry. The former is a fine idea; the latter is inviting premature failure or other issues.


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## Bricksnbeatles (Feb 12, 2022)

benny_profane said:


> I think I understand what you mean. You want to put a power interrupt between your power supply and the pedal. If you have your pedalboard powered on, but will not be using the univibe for the session, you'll have it so pedal does not receive power. If you'll be using it during your session, you'll have the pedal receive power as normal. This is opposed to an internal switch that would allow for on-the-fly power cycling to the lamp—most likely tied to the bypass switch itself—separate from the rest of the pedal circuitry. The former is a fine idea; the latter is inviting premature failure or other issues.


Exactly. I just misread the OP, so I thought that is what they wanted to do as well. What they actually meant would mean even *more* power cycling, which is the exact opposite of what my planned method is. My switch would be so if I’m taking my board back and forth somewhere every day for a month but only using the vibe for one of those dates, it only power cycles the lamp twice instead of 60+ times.


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## Big Monk (Feb 12, 2022)

Bricksnbeatles said:


> I think I misunderstood what @zachlovescoffee was originally planning. My plan is just to have a toggle switch that disconnects the power from the unit as a whole. It’ll only be used for when I have no plans of using the pedal for an extended period of time, instead of having to physically unplug the unit. The switch is specifically to avoid unnecessary power cycling when the board is powered up and powered down when gigging. Vibe is something I rarely use, so in the 1 out of every 10 times where I’ll be using it, I’ll turn the power switch on before a gig, and otherwise it’ll always just be off.
> Not sure if what I’m saying is making sense, but if not, I can elaborate.



I think the point is there is no reason to turn it off.


Bricksnbeatles said:


> Exactly. I just misread the OP, so I thought that is what they wanted to do as well. What they actually meant would mean even *more* power cycling, which is the exact opposite of what my planned method is. My switch would be so if I’m taking my board back and forth somewhere every day for a month but only using the vibe for one of those dates, it only power cycles the lamp twice instead of 60+ times.



I think the OP is looking for the same thing you are.


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## Bricksnbeatles (Feb 12, 2022)

Big Monk said:


> I think the point is there is no reason to turn it off.
> 
> 
> I think the OP is looking for the same thing you are.


There’s no reason to turn it off if you’re keeping your board plugged in in your practice room or studio all the time, but if you’re taking the board back and forth from home to a practice space or gigs regularly, then the entire board is being powered on and off every time you plug it in one place, unplug it to take it somewhere else, and plug in it somewhere else. 

The point of the switch isn’t to frequently turn it off— it’s to keep it off so it isn’t constantly power cycling every time the board gets transported even if it’s not getting any use for extended periods of time.


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