Lithium Grim Purple Vibe Instruction Manual

Purple Vibe
Building instructions
v1.0.1

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
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property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
2
Table of contents
PCB layout ............................................................................................................................................... 3
Components ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Bill of Materials........................................................................................................................................ 6
Options.................................................................................................................................................... 7
Build sequence ...................................................................................................................................... 10
Off board wiring .................................................................................................................................... 11
Tone selector..................................................................................................................................... 11
Mode selector ................................................................................................................................... 12
Buffer switch ..................................................................................................................................... 13
Pots.................................................................................................................................................... 13
Footswitches...................................................................................................................................... 14
Setup...................................................................................................................................................... 16
Troubleshooting .................................................................................................................................... 17
Schematic .............................................................................................................................................. 18
Read this entire manual thoroughly before you start building the effect! There are many available
options and you should choose which one you want to incorporate before starting your build.
Last update: 25-08-2017

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
Manufacturers and product names are mentioned solely for circuit identification, and where applicable their trademarks are the
property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
3
PCB layout
Dimensions: 97 mm x 85,5 mm
3,82 inch x 3,37 inch
NB There is a small silkscreen error that does not affect the effect. On the PCB P5 is marked as Gain,
but should be marked as Offset. Dito for P6 which is marked as Offset, but should be marked as Gain.
Yeah, I reversed the names….

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
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property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
4
Components
All parts must be rated 25V+
Name
Value
Comment
Name
Value
Comment
C1
100n
SMF
Q1
J201
C2
100n
SMF
Q2
2N5089
C3
1u
SMF
Q3
2N5088
C4
1u
SMF
Q4
2N5088
C5
1u
SMF
Q5
2N5088
C6
330p
Ceramic
Q6
2N5088
C7
1u
SMF
Q7
2N5088
C8
1u
SMF
Q8
2N5088
C9
1u
SMF
Q9
2N5088
C10
15n
SMF
Q10
2N5088
C10a
4n7
MKT
Q11
2N5088
C11
1u
SMF
Q12
2N5088
C12
1u
SMF
Q13
2N5088
C13
1u
SMF
Q14
2N5087
C14
68n
SMF
Q15
2N5088
C15
220n
SMF
D1
1N4001
C15a
100n
SMF
D2
1N5817
C15b
3n3
MKT
D3
1N5817
C16
1u
SMF
D4
1N914
C17
1u
SMF
D5
1N914
C18
470p
Ceramic
D6
LED
Rate indicator
C18a
47n
SMF
IC1
LT1054
C18b
2n2
MKT
LDR1
9203
GL-5539,Silonex NLS-7532
C19
1u
SMF
LDR2
9203
GL-5539,Silonex NLS-7532
C20
1u
SMF
LDR3
9203
GL-5539,Silonex NLS-7532
C21
4n7
MKT
LDR4
9203
GL-5539,Silonex NLS-7532
C21a
1n
MKT
P1
B50k
MIX
C22
1u
SMF
P2
B100k
VOLUME
C23
1u
Electrolyte
P3
C100K Dual
SPEED
C24
1u
Electrolyte
P4
B50k
INTENSITY/DEPTH
C25
1u
Electrolyte
P5
B250K
GAIN
C26
10u
Electrolyte
P6
B500R
OFFSET
C27
10u
Electrolyte
C28
1u
Electrolyte
C29
100u
Electrolyte
C30
47u
Electrolyte
C31
470u
Electrolyte
C32
100n
SMF
C33
100u
Electrolyte
C34
10u
Electrolyte

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
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property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
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Name
Value
Comment
Name
Value
Comment
R1
22k
R33
100k
R2
47k
R34
47k
R3
1k
R35
100k
R4
1M
R36
4k7
R5
4k7
R37
4k7
R6
1M
R38
4k7
R7
1M
R39
100k
R8
100k
R40
47k
R9
47k
R41
68k
R10
5k6
R42
22k
R11
4k7
R43
3k3
R12
3k3
R44
2M2
R13
1k2
R45
4k7
R14
75K
R46
220k
R15
75K
R47
4k7
R16
47k
R48
4k7
R17
220k
R49
220k
R18
4k7
R50
4k7
R19
100k
R51
10k
R20
47k
R52
1M
Lower up to 22k if needed
R21
100k
R53
1k
R22
4k7
R54
4k7
R23
4k7
R55
47k
R24
47k
R56
47k
R25
100k
R57
22R
R26
4k7
R58
1M
R27
100k
SW1
DPDT
Buffer/Vintage
R28
47k
VR1
LM7815
not LM78L15
R29
100k
X1
18v Lightbulb
alternative 12v
R30
4k7
R31
4k7
R32
4k7

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
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property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
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6
Bill of Materials
Resistors
Semiconductors
Amount
Part
Type
Amount
Part
Type
1
22R
1
1N4001
2
1k
2
1N5817
1
1k2
2
1N914
4
3k3
2
LED
Rate indicator/Status LED
17
4k7
1
LED
Bicolor common cathode
1
5k6
1
LT1054
1
10k
1
J201
2
22k
1
2N5087
10
47k
12
2N5088
1
68k
1
2N5089
2
75K
1
LM7815
9
100k
Other
3
220k
Amount
Part
Type
5
1M
2
4P3T
Mode and Tone switch
2
2M2
1
DPDT
Input buffer
4
9203
or GL-5539,GL-5549, NLS-7532
1
SPDT
or DPDT/3PDT footswitch
1
B500R
Trimpot
1
3PDT
Footswitch
1
B50k
Trimpot
1
18v
Lightbulb
1
B250K
Trimpot
2
Jack
Mono input jack
1
B50k
16mm Alpha
1
Box
Hammond 1590DD
1
B100k
16mm Alpha
1
DC
2,1mm DC jack
1
C100K Dual
16mm Alpha
4
Spacer
Plastic PCB mounting spacers
Capacitors
1
DIL-8
Socket for IC
Amount
Part
Type
1
30p
Ceramic (optional for C6 mod)
1
330p
Ceramic
Orange marked parts are optional and you can read
about these choices in the off board wiring section.
1
470p
Ceramic
1
1n
MKT
1
2n2
MKT
1
3n3
MKT
2
4n7
MKT
1
15n
SMF
1
47n
SMF
1
68n
SMF
4
100n
SMF
1
220n
SMF
14
1u
SMF
4
1u
Electrolyte
3
10u
Electrolyte
2
47u
Electrolyte
2
100u
Electrolyte
1
470u
Electrolyte
A=Log, B=Lin, C=Rev. Log

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
Manufacturers and product names are mentioned solely for circuit identification, and where applicable their trademarks are the
property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
7
Options
Before you start, you must decide which options you want to incorporate in the build. The original
Univibe™only has a Mode selector (Chorus/Vibrato). The Neovibe™(GeoFX) was one of the first
reconstructions of the original and followed by the Harbinger One™ (Madbean) which added an input
buffer and charge pump. In this build there is also an added Tremolo mode as well as a Tone selector
that works with all modes. In essence it is a 3 position switch that adds different combinations of
caps in the 4 different phase stages. The optional input buffer and chargepump are also
incorporated. I salute GeoFX and Madbean for their work and strongly suggest that you check all
their work!
If you want to be as close as possible to the original then you can opt out on these mods. If you want
to incorporate all options then you can skip this part and start soldering, but it is still a good read.
1. Capacitors
The original Univibe™ the 1uF caps were electrolytes. Most clones replaced them with SMF
(stacked metal film) caps. To give you the ability to keep it as original as possible, I marked
the polarity of these caps on the PCB so you can use electrolytes instead of SMF. You can
recognize these SMF caps on the PCB by their rectangle marking. If a capacitor is marked as a
circle, it is meant to be an electrolyte anyway.
If you decided not to use SMF 1uF caps then make sure you source your 1uF electrolytes with
care! Buy Nichicon or Elna quality caps to keep the sound quality as best you can.
It is reported that replacing the C6 with a 30p will brighten the overall tone.
There have been questions if C23-C28 caps should be SMF, but that would be a waste of
money. These caps are part of the LFO and thus are not part of the signal chain. The LFO only
makes the lamp blink and the normal (cheap) electrolytes do a great job there.
2. Input buffer
The original has no input buffer, but there are a lot of people who have a problem with the
volume drop when engaging the effect. To prevent this, there is an input buffer ready on the
PCB. But if you do not want to use it, please do the following:
DO NOT SOLDER: R3,R4,R5, C1, C2 and Q1
EXTRA JUMPERS: On SW1 row A and B connect pad 2 and 3.
Jumpers can be made by using excess lead wires that you cut off the resistors.
You can optionally replace R2 with a 2M2 to raise the signal to unity although it might get a
bit distorted.

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
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property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
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3. Tone selection
If you want to leave out the tone selection and want to use only the original cap values in the
phase stages then you will need to do the following:
DO NOT SOLDER: C10a,C15a,C15b,C18a,C18b, C21a and Switch 3 (4P3T rotary)
EXTRA JUMPERS: Connect SA to SA1, SB to SB1, SC to SC1, SD to SD1
4. Tremolo mode
If you do not want the tremolo mode then you will need to do the following:
DO NOT SOLDER: R24, R25, C12, C14
EXTRA JUMPER: SE to SE1
You will now need a DPDT switch instead of the 4P3T rotary mode switch.
Do not yet connect this switch but wait till the off board wiring section!
5. Lamps and LDRs
There are a lot of options for choosing the combination that is right for you. Regarding lamps,
you could use a 12V filament lamp or a 12V / 18V bi pin JKL lamp (8097SBP/8099SBP).
LDR’s can be 9203’s, GL-5539, GL-5549 or Silonex NLS-7532. Of course if you have personal
lamp/LDR preferences, do not hesitate to use them!
I personally found the combination of a 18V Lamp and upright GL-5539 LDR’s to be a good
combination. But there are companies out there on the web that sell great ready to use
lamp/LDR kits which you might prefer.
Note: The tremolo modus requires higher than vintage spec LDRs to really work. The
GL-5539 has been tested with success, other LDRs may have different results. You could also
mix different LDRs. For example a GL-5539 as LDR1 (the essential LDR for the tremolo) and
9203’s for the rest.
6. Mix
P1 is a mix pot to vary the mix of dry and wet signal to the output. It does not have a great
yield so if you want to leave it out do as follows:
DO NOT SOLDER: P1
EXTRA JUMPERS: In P1 connect pad 3 to 2 and 1 to 2
Also the value of R14 and R15 should be changed to 100k

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
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property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
9
7. Power supply
The PCB is designed to use a regular 9V adapter and raise the voltage to 18V with a built in
charge pump. I do not advise the use of a battery in this build so I left it out in the
descriptions! But feel free to have a different opinion and incorporate it anyway. Some
prefer to use a dedicated 18V wall wart and in that case you must leave out the onboard
charge pump by doing the following:
DO NOT SOLDER: D1, D3, C30, C31 and IC1
EXTRA JUMPER: Short D3 with a jumper
D2 should be a 1N5818 or 1N5819.
8. True bypass
This build is adapted to be used with true bypass switching. In the original there was no true
bypass, only a switch that turned off the lamp. The wiring of all these options will be
discussed in the special off board wiring section, just know that if you are not using true
bypass then you can leave out the optional pulldown resistor R58.
9. Light shield
You can make a light shield out of almost anything. The max outer diameter is 23 mm (0,9
inch). You can use a plastic cap and put aluminum foil inside as reflecting surface. There are 4
extra pads around the lamp/LDR’s so you can attach some wire to and secure your light
shield.
Ok, just a small bite out of the LDR orientation discussion. You can solder the LDR’s flat on
the PCB. This way you really need a reflecting light shield, else barely any light will reach the
LDR. If you put the LDRs in an upright position (directly facing the lamp) you do not really
need a light shield as the enclosure will make sure that no real light comes through and the
LDR is close enough to the lamp to catch enough light.
Flat LDR Up right LDR
Some simple light
shield samples.

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
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property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
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10
Build sequence
Soldering this board can be very complicated for some people since the solder pads are very close
together. Use a magnifying glass to make the job easier. The trick to soldering a PCB is to work from
small to big components. My building sequence suggestions in this section are based on the parts I
used myself. Sometimes some components are smaller (or bigger) so always use your own common
sense and change the order. Usually capacitors differ a lot in size depending on their rating.
Note: Do not blow on your solder in an attempt to cool it down. That will possibly result in a bad join
that might corrode!
Start by soldering the resistors, then the diodes and then the ceramic capacitors.
If you want to experiment with other transistors, lamps or LDR’s then you could socket them instead
of soldering them to the board. You’ll need a some 20 SIL sockets, break off the sockets and solder
them to the board. Now is the time to solder these sockets on the PCB as well as the socket for the
IC. Place the transistors, IC, LDR’s and lamp once you are finished with all soldering and off board
wiring!
If you are using small horizontal 6mm trim pots then solder them now (P1,P5 and P6).
Now continue by soldering small SMF capacitators (<1 uF), then the MKT capacitors then the 1uF
SMF and then the smaller electrolytes (<470uF). If you are using upright precision trim pots
(P1,P5,P6) then now is the time to solder them on the PCB. Finish by soldering the 470uF and then
the LM7815.
I suggest you now drill the holes in your enclosure so you can use it during the off board wiring.
Note: Really take some time to determine where to place the pots, switches, jacks and PCB in the
enclosure before you start drilling. Measure twice, drill once.
You are almost ready to rock, well… not really. The difficult part starts now.

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
Manufacturers and product names are mentioned solely for circuit identification, and where applicable their trademarks are the
property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
11
Off board wiring
Tone selector
This build is a beast to wire, so we’ll do it in steps. We’ll start by soldering the most difficult part, the
4P3T Tone selector and after that the Mode selector. For those who have never worked with a 4P3T
rotary switch, pay special attention. Start by determining which poles are connected to the commons
(those are the 4 center pins in the switch) in the 3 positions. You can do this by using a DMM (digital
multi meter). Most of them have a special setting (eg diode test) that shows if 2 points are directly
connected. Most give a beep or other signal to point out that the points are directly connected. Note
down on a piece of paper how they are connected. Chances are that your diagram will be the same
as mine, but don’t assume directly that it is!
Start by connecting A1 to A2 and D1 and D2 directly on the switch. After that, connect the pins to the
according points on the PCB. I suggest you start by soldering the wires on the pins on the switch and
then test their length by measuring it to the PCB. I also suggest you twist the wires to shield from
additional noise. It may also be a good idea to first measure it inside your enclosure.

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
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property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
12
Mode selector
If you decided not to use the Tremolo mode then you will not need the 4P3T but a SPDT (or DPDT if
you want a LED indicator). Take a good look at the diagram and wire accordingly:
(Chorus) SF1 SF SF2 (Vibrato)
Start by connecting E1 to E2 on the switch. G1 and G2 are not connected. If you are in a creative
mood, you could use the unused poles on the 4P3T for a RGB LED (common cathode). Connect the
LED anodes to pins 10,11 and 12. The cathode to a spare ground pad on the PCB and the leftover
common on the switch to a Vref pad on the top left of the PCB.
If you are using the SPDT then you could also use a DPDT instead and add a bicolor common cathode
LED. Wire the anodes each to one of the outer pins of the extra pin row on the switch. Wire the
center pin to Vref and the common cathode to an extra ground pad on the pcb.

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
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property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
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13
Buffer switch
SW1 marks the input buffer switch pads (see bottom left of the PCB image on the previous page).
Notice it is in the same shape as a DPDT switch so it should be easy to solder the wires to the switch.
Pots
We can now continue with the pots. Again let’s start with the most difficult one, P3 the Speed pot
(C100k DUAL). Bend the bottom 3 pins carefully so they are flat. Use some leftover lead wire to connect
pins 1,2,4 and 5 together and then attach wires to pins 1,5 and 6 like this:
Connect the wires to P3: wire 3 to pad 3, wire 6 to pad 6 and wire 5 to either pad 1,2 or 4,5.
Next we connect P2 and P4. These are standard pots so all you need to do is connect the pins in the
right order. In the pictures below you see the pin numbering of the pots. If you look at the pads of P2
and P4 you’ll see that pin 1 is marked as a square pad. Solder the wires accordingly and it is always a
good idea to twist the wires together to have a sort of extra shielding against external noise.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Blue = pin 1
White = pin 2
Yellow = pin 3
1 2 3

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
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14
Footswitches
The wiring of the footswitch and LED’s are the last steps. First of wired as true bypass with lamp
cancellation. If you do not want to cancel the lamp then leave out the grey wire from the footswitch
to the cancel pad on the PCB:
Cathode (short leg)
Anode (long leg)
Ring
Sleeve
Tip
Tip
Sleeve
R led
Cathode (short leg)
Anode (long leg)
Note that this wiring is using a sort of star grounding and the output connector must make good
electrical contact with the enclosure else the grounding will not work properly and the effect might
start to buzz loudly.

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
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15
As mentioned in the beginning, the original unit did not have true bypass, only lamp cancellation. You
can wire it like that with this PCB, although I would not recommend it. Since only the lamp is turned
off, all additional noise the unit generates will be audible and in your signal path. But if you really prefer
vintage you can wire it like this:
Cathode (short leg)
Anode (long leg)
Ring
Sleeve
Tip
Tip
Sleeve
R led
Cathode (short leg)
Anode (long leg)
Note that R led is a 3k3 resistor. You can change this value depending on the type of LED you use but
3k3 is safe enough for almost all LEDs.
It is now time to place your transistors, IC, lamp and LDR’s in the sockets if needed.

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property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
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16
Setup
You must first set the trim pots before you connect the DC jack. Start with these settings:
•P1 (mix) at 12 o’clock
•P5 (gain) at 12 o’clock
•P6 (offset)all the way to the right
Now, connect the DC and start turning up P5 until the lamp is bright enough. Then, turn P6 to the left
until you really see the light turn off.
There is no exact scientific setting for the pots. It is all a question of taste. The settings are just a
suggestion so experiment at will. Do not forget you will need to use a light shield when testing the
PCB in an open enclosure. Without a light shield, the effect will not do its magic and the dry signal
will be dominant. Take your time finding the sweet spots. Also test the settings in conjunction with
the Intensity pot. It will take time to get it right but once you have it this effect will change your life!
Another method to set the effect up from scratch is as follows:
1. Turn Volume (P2) an Intensity (P4) to the max and Speed (P3) and Mix (P1) to halfway.
2. Turn the Gain (P5) until you get a moderate but not too bright burning lamp.
3. Now you need to determine the floor value of the lamp by turning the Offset (P6). The higher
you set this the darker the floor value of the lamp will be. If you open the Offset all the way
up then the lamp will turn off at the bottom of the sweep. Turn it till you find your sweet
spot.
NB. There is a theoretical possibility that you blow your lamp when setting the gain to high when
using a 12V bulb. Be careful setting this pot!
In the original design there are no gain pot (P5) and offset pot (P6). Instead there are fixed resistors.
If you want to build it as the original (not recommended due to differences in lightbulbs), leave out
P5, P6, R55. Change R56 to 100k and R57 to 200R. Short pin 3 to pin 2 on P6 and pin 1 and 2 on P5.

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
Manufacturers and product names are mentioned solely for circuit identification, and where applicable their trademarks are the
property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
17
Troubleshooting
All PCB’s have been 100% factory e-tested and out of every batch I receive I build an effect to double
check, so there should not be a connection problem on the PCB itself.
The board is not working (at all), what now?
•Check if your 9V is plugged in correctly (and/or soldered correctly on the board). Pay special
attention to the polarity.
•Check that you oriented the capacitors, IC’s ,transistors and diodes the right way. SMF, MKT
and ceramic capacitors as well as resistors do not need to be oriented. A likely sign of
incorrect capacitors and/or orientation is when an effect is sputtering, rumbling or
“motorboating”.
•Check if you used the correct values of the components. For resistors you can look here:
http://www.diyaudioandvideo.com/Electronics/Color/
•Double and triple check your soldering! A loose or cold solder can be really bad for your
board.
•Replace the IC and/or transistors, one might be defective. Before doing that first unplug the
9V and wait for 5 seconds.
•Check that you have good/high grade components. A lot of Chinese sourced parts are fakes
(especially high end opamps, audio capacitors, vintage diodes and transistors) so be careful
that you source your parts from reliable suppliers.

Purple Vibe v1.0.1
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property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
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18
Schematic