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Topic: Li'l Izzy not working |
David LeBlanc
From:
New Brunswick, Canada
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Posted 28 Aug 2018 12:50 pm |
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| My Li'l Izzy quit on me. Now it distorts or nothing. I changed the battery and still the same. I know Mr Baker is no longer with us. Any ideas ? |
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Kevin Mincke
From:
Farmington, MN (Twin Cities-South Metro) USA
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Posted 28 Aug 2018 1:17 pm
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| Unfortunately the circuitry was gooped with epoxy to avoid reverse engineering it. Might be able to gingerly take one apart |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 28 Aug 2018 1:26 pm
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| I always wondered if you could visualize the L'il Izzy components on X-ray. |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 28 Aug 2018 2:11 pm
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| Tony Glassman wrote: |
| I always wondered if you could visualize the L'il Izzy components on X-ray. |
Take one with you when you go for your next dental exam!
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Michael Brebes
From:
Northridge CA
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Posted 28 Aug 2018 4:06 pm
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I've had a lot of success reverse engineering Standel hybrid modules that are potted similar to your Lil Izzy. Unfortunately, the process is very time consuming which in turn drives the price of repair up.
_________________
Michael Brebes
Instrument/amp/ pickup repair
MSA D10 Classic/Rickenbacher B6/
Dickerson MOTS/Dobro D32 Hawaiian/
Goldtone Paul Beard Reso
Mesa Boogie Studio Pre/Hafler 3000
RP1/MPX100 |
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David LeBlanc
From:
New Brunswick, Canada
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Posted 28 Aug 2018 4:18 pm
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| I figured that much. I just looked inside while changing the battery and it looked like one big gunk . |
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David LeBlanc
From:
New Brunswick, Canada
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Posted 28 Aug 2018 4:19 pm
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| Thanks for the replies . |
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Greg Lambert
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 28 Aug 2018 5:51 pm Re: Li'l Izzy not working
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| David LeBlanc wrote: |
| My Li'l Izzy quit on me. Now it distorts or nothing. I changed the battery and still the same. I know Mr Baker is no longer with us. Any ideas ? |
Did Craig pass away????? |
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Jack Stanton
From:
Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
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Posted 28 Aug 2018 6:03 pm
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Greg, Craig passed away in September of 2016.
David, There are several for sale on the forum right now.
Path of least resistance.... |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 29 Aug 2018 2:33 am
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A Goodrich Matchbox or even an MXR Micro Amp or something similar will do about the same thing. A Hilton basically does this too.
I have an original model Goodrich MatchBro and in the "Dobro Off" position it has basically a constant load on the pickup and a low Impedance out.
I remember years ago at the ISGC Herby Wallace and Craig did a demo on the Lil Izzy and its low Impedance output and how it could drive a spool of George L's cable without any loss of high frequencies. At the time there wasn't much around that was marketed to do what the Lil Izzy did. Now there are many devices that will do the same thing. |
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David LeBlanc
From:
New Brunswick, Canada
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Posted 29 Aug 2018 3:04 am
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| Thank you all for the kind reply's. |
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Jim Bates
From:
Alvin, Texas, USA
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Posted 29 Aug 2018 8:43 am
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I had a new Lil'Izzy purchased from Craig Baker, that would not work or was full noise (as you described). I shipped it back to him, and he checked it out and worked perfectly for him.
The ONLY thing that may have happened, was that there is a piece of cardboard between the battery case and the some of wiring. You need to make sure that the battery case has either a piece of cardboard (business card), or some electrical tape around battery so any part of metal battery case does not come in contact with wiring (or any part of circuit with bare wires). It works fine now!
Craig said another place to check is the two rivets that secure the plug, may have become loose which cause a bad ground.
Thanx,
Jim
_________________
Jim Bates, Alvin, Texas
Emmons LeGrand,Sho-Bud Super Pro, SB ProII - E13th,C6th on all. Many Resonator guitars |
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Greg Lambert
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 29 Aug 2018 9:16 am Re: Li'l Izzy not working
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thanks Jim. this is so sad. Craig was such a wonderful person.
I remember my Izzy Plus quit working and mailed it to Craig. He sent me a new Izzy and I mailed him a check for the Izzy. He never cashed the check so I called him. Craig said dont worry about the cost just glad he could help.
I had talked to Craig about a few thing through out the years and he aways helped. I will truly miss Craig. |
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Steven Paris
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 29 Aug 2018 8:31 pm
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I'm pretty sure that I recall seeing a photo of the inside of a Li'L Izzy, unsheathed----I magnified it and the IC was a T.I. TL061.
_________________
Emmons & Peavey |
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Bill L. Wilson
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 29 Aug 2018 8:53 pm Good Ol Izzy.
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Mine wasn’t gooped up, so here are some pics. When it quit working, I replaced the op-amp TL061. Works like a champ.
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Steven Paris
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 29 Aug 2018 9:55 pm
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Good pics!! A TL061, indeed. 1 MegΩ resistors? OH NO-----I spot one of the dreaded tantalum capacitors in there---if it were mine, I'd surely replace it with a polypropylene one. What is the value?
_________________
Emmons & Peavey |
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David LeBlanc
From:
New Brunswick, Canada
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Posted 30 Aug 2018 3:10 am
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| Thanks guys. I am not good with electronics, but will take a look and see if I can figure something out. Thanks for the pics. I to had a good talk with Mr Baker and he was one of the nicest guys I met. |
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Ken Fox
From:
Nashville GA USA
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Posted 30 Aug 2018 4:56 am
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I used tantalum sin all my Fox Intense Mods for Nashville 400 amps. Love them.
Here is an interesting tidbit from the Internet
Hi
If one is daft enough to fit a tantalum in backwards, or apply a voltage many times the spec written on the side of the capacitor, you will be rewarded with a red hot ball of metal rising upwards at great speed. The moral there is to not fit the wrong value or the wrong way around.
That said, back then when the units were made in the 1970's tantalums were bloody marvelous. They had a small footprint, very very low leakage, and added to the sound one associated with vintage Neve equipment that strived to be the best within budgetary constraints.
I can recall a conversation with David Rees back when and he said he would judge a circuit by the number of tantalums used! More recently, when I used to work with and fix Neve modules, I would get a module like a 1081 that had been recapped entirely with radial electrolytics... it did not sound anything like a regular 1081 and the sound was not restored until I pulled out those pesky small electrolytics and replaced them with tantalum type.
History moves on and now I read a thread that starts "Tantalum capacitors have always been supposed to be poorly-sounding"
Who says?
This is just my 2c, folk are very welcome to have contrary opinions but I can only quote what I have heard and what I have perceived. |
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Scott Duckworth
From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
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Posted 30 Aug 2018 5:28 am
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Craig was a good guy. We had many conversations on the phone about steel, family, life, ham & broadcast radio, and God.
I think from most stories I've heard, if someone sent one of his "children" in for repair, he usually replaced it. Or at least, put your cover on a new one.
_________________
Amateur Radio Operator NA4IT (Extra)
http://www.qsl.net/na4it
I may, in fact, be nuts. However, I am screwed onto the right bolt... Jesus! |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 30 Aug 2018 6:10 am
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| David LeBlanc wrote: |
| I figured that much. I just looked inside while changing the battery and it looked like one big gunk . |
Well, even though one of the secrets of the universe has been revealed, I guess some of your options are:
Gut the old one and rebuild it per the photos
Try to find another one to purchase
Purchase a different brand of buffer
Purchase a volume pedal with a built-in buffer
_________________
Lee, from South Texas - Down On The Rio Grande
There are only two options as I see it.
Either I'm right, or there is a sinister conspiracy to conceal the fact that I'm right.
Williams Keyless S-10, BMI S-10, Evans FET-500LV, Fender Steel King, 2 Roland Cube 80XL's,
Sarno FreeLoader, Goodrich Passive Volume Pedals, Vintage ACE Pack-A-Seat |
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Michael Brebes
From:
Northridge CA
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Posted 30 Aug 2018 6:42 am
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Looking at the pics, the TL061 is probably just strapped for unity gain. That is the same IC used in the MXR Micro Amp. Since yours is potted, you can either have someone build the simple buffer circuit for you, or just buy the MXR and set the knob fully counter-clockwise which is unity gain.
_________________
Michael Brebes
Instrument/amp/ pickup repair
MSA D10 Classic/Rickenbacher B6/
Dickerson MOTS/Dobro D32 Hawaiian/
Goldtone Paul Beard Reso
Mesa Boogie Studio Pre/Hafler 3000
RP1/MPX100 |
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Jack Stanton
From:
Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
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Posted 30 Aug 2018 11:07 am
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| Wow! an un-epoxied Izzy! Craig must have been having a bad day... |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 30 Aug 2018 7:41 pm
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| I always guessed over the years it was a two transistor circuit. What kind of amazes me is that it seemed to work for a sine wave, even though it does not appear to be a dual polarity arrangement. |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 30 Aug 2018 7:46 pm
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| I checked out the circuit for the MXR Micro Amp. It is a much more complex circuit. I see many corners cut in the Izzy design. But who can argue with success, it seemed to work and people liked it. |
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