Blacet Klang Werk – modification # 1 photos – New 01/07/03

Here are the photos of one of the modifications I made to my Blacet Klang Werk
module. One of the nice features John built into the module was some additional gain to
allow use with lower line level signals at the input. Of course, this creates the possibility
of clipping if gain is set too high with 10V peak-to-peak signals. The normal LED on the
Klang Werk is actually more of a signal strength LED. While one could judge gain by
relative brightness, I preferred something better. So, I decided to stick a LED VU meter
in my Klang Werk module. Here are a few photos showing that addition.
Click on the thumbnails for the full size photos:


Here is the kit I used for my VU meter. I made some changes which I plan to document in instructions.

Of course, this required more panel drilling. I already had drilled the 5/16" hole for the CLIP LED. So, I was stuck with that. I substituted small 3mm LEDs into the kit since it was a tight fit (same size as Miniwave LEDs). Holes are 0.222" on center. Use a 1/8" drill bit.

 
I needed a way to mount the PCB. So, I cut off a chunk of a Stooge bracket and used that. J

The bracket is held in place by one of the jacks and by a second hole I drilled for the switch to go through. DO NOT over-tighten the switch. Nylon hardware will hold the PCB.

Here the PCB is added to the bracket. It was a very tight fit for wood cabinets / flat rails. I had to trim a little off the PCB edge.

Here is the mounted view from the side. The PCB is mounted face to the bracket, which is not normal. But, that is the way the LEDs are laid out on the PCB.

 
Here is the finished Klang Werk with the LED VU meter mod. I have the trimmer on the LED meter adjusted so the red CLIP light comes on just as clipping begins. The 9 signal level lights below that are all green on mine. With a 10 volt peak-to-peak signal from one of my MOTM VCOs, the gain knob is set about 3.5.

The LED VU meter kit came from www.hobbytron.com. It is kit # V-K4304 and cost only
$14.95. I changed a couple of resistor values on mine. Email me if you are interested
in details. I do plan to write instruction documents for this modification.

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