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Old 10th Jul 2019, 3:42 pm   #1
BulgingCap
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Default Footpedal

Does anyone recognise the logo on this foot pedal? There are no other makings on it. I picked it up off the dump and it seems to be a very well made item. I assume it to be from an organ but old units I have seen before have had Cad Disulphide cells and a shaped blade.
Before I swap the pot and replace the cable with 3-core and 'aviation' plug to suit my TIG welder I wanted to make sure that it was not some rare unit as used by Reginald Dixon or some such.
BC
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 4:14 pm   #2
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Default Re: Footpedal

I believe it's the Farfisa logo, so the pedal will suit one of, or a range of, their combo organs.
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 4:35 pm   #3
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Default Re: Footpedal

yes it is the farfisa logo
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 4:39 pm   #4
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Default Re: Footpedal

Farfisa, and that looks like an Allen Bradley pot inside it. Rather good quality and not quite inkeeping with Farfisa'a cheap and cheerful reputation.

The wah wah pedal for my TIG had a whopping list price of £500. Unbelievable, but they did look like you could drive your panzer over one.

The Farfisa compact duo was a key to the early pink floyd sound. There is a youtube video of Nick Hirst cutting loose on one and doing a fabulous job of the last part of 'saucerful of secrets'

David
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Old 11th Jul 2019, 5:27 am   #5
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Default Re: Footpedal

I watched the video- it reminded me of my dear friend who referred to that type of music as 'Weedly Boop' music. I can see Reginald Dixon rising up and down in his bury box in apoplexy, but I am a big fan of early Floyd.
My tip-hound friend tells me that the rest of the organ was on the metal heap but has been squashed up by the digger- a council policy along with the 'NO SCAVENGING' notice. Oh, well.
Regards, BC
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Old 11th Jul 2019, 1:47 pm   #6
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Default Re: Footpedal

Quote:
Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler View Post
The Farfisa compact duo was a key to the early pink floyd sound. There is a youtube video of Nick Hirst cutting loose on one and doing a fabulous job of the last part of 'saucerful of secrets'

David
Who? As far as I recall, early Pink Floyd was Syd Barrett (gtr., vcls., etc.), Nick Mason (drums), Rick Wright (keyboards) and Roger Waters (bass, vcls.). Syd Barrett was replaced by Dave Gilmour in 1968. I will own up to not being exhaustive with this list. So who is Nick Hirst?

Colin.
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Old 11th Jul 2019, 4:20 pm   #7
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Default Re: Footpedal

Nick Hirst is a guitarist who just happens to have done posted a rather good performance on youtube. I don't think he has any involvement in floyd. It's great to see people enjoying timeless music and a great tribute to Rick Wright

I referred to the clip as a great demo of the Farfisa Compact Duo being seriously pushed to the limits.

David
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Old 11th Jul 2019, 6:29 pm   #8
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Default Re: Footpedal

Nothing wrong with Farfisa! I learned to play on one. And if Mike Oldfield used one on Tubular Bells, well....

True most organ pedals I've seen are CDS cell based, Maplin used to do a nice pot-based one in a steel case.
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Old 12th Jul 2019, 8:20 am   #9
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Default Re: Footpedal

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Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler View Post
The wah wah pedal for my TIG had a whopping list price of £500.
David
OK, daft question time.. why does a TIG welder need a wah-wah pedal ?
Is this some sort of musical application that I've not heard of.


Andy
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Old 12th Jul 2019, 9:25 am   #10
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Default Re: Footpedal

There are two approaches to TIG welding.

In Europe, it's most usual to have a button on the torch and to programme the machine in advance.

Push the button and the arc comes on at your chosen low current to allow you to start and build a pool by lingering in one spot. Release the button and full current comes on for the main welding. Push the button again and it falls to the lower current again to help filling in the end pool so you don't end with a pit. In addition to this you ca also (if your machine is posh enough) select pulsed welding where the main welding has a 1 second cycle between high and low power. Set right, this gives you a metronome and you work along going drip, move, drip, move timing drips from your filler rod. It makes for a regular looking weld pattern.

In America, things are different. Their most common setup has a pedal. Dial up your chosen current on the machine, and that's what you get pedal to the metal. Foot off and the current is off. Press a little to start, build a pool then put your foot down and get going. If you set the current more than you really need, you have to hold your foot in position, but you have reserve power you can bring in when your weld happens to go past something that pulls extra heat out of your pool. If you want pulse welding, pulse your foot.

Pedal welding is good on irregular shapes, you can just adjust as you go. Button welders either have to keep stopping to twiddle knobs or need an assistant to shout at.

Button style can look more uniform, almost the product of a robot. Suggest to an American that he welds like a robot and a hail of bullets is the likely reply.

Welding in a nice seated position, a pedal is great. Standing on one foot to operate one soon becomes tedious. Welding underneath something and arranging a pedal against a wall or something is starting to get desperate.

Welding equipment firms ask the ransom of princes for their pedals. Many welders just buy a second-hand guitarist's pedal, maybe change the pot, chuck the PCB and add a cable and connector.

I'm set up for both modes, even both at once. But the machine uses a micro in the pedal and a digital interface. OK, I could have programmed a 1-chipper, but the time would have earned more than the cost of the engineering porn one from Germany. It is awfully chunky and doesn't skate around.

The machine I use can be switched to AC output, variable frequency, choice of square wave or sine, and you can distort the wave to get more tungsten -ve time or less. So think of a 7kW function generator. Musical, yes, but not exactly a nice sound.

David
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Old 12th Jul 2019, 9:36 am   #11
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Default Re: Footpedal

Thanks David for the detailed explanation.
TBH I didn't know anything about TIG welding but I do now.
I do know about guitar wah-wah pedals and have built a few over the years - it was just the terminology that confused me.
So just a foot operated variable resistor really but using an old wah-wah or swell pedal housing.
You learn something new every day.

Andy
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Old 12th Jul 2019, 6:26 pm   #12
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Default Re: Footpedal

Welders will, of course convert any pedal they happen to get their hands on (to mix appendages somewhat). Even ones that have cult followings in guitar circles. We have to keep this quiet, lest the guitarists find out. They'd go ape-doodoo.

I think it's the demand for re-creating classic guitar effects pedals that has driven the prices of old vanilla germanium transistors so high. I guess there's a big and well-heeled (sorry!) market out there.

DAvid
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