misinformation and the art of disinterest -

17 Feb, 2011

Boss AB2 Power Jack Mod

The Boss AB2 is a relatively inexpensive and readily available buffered A/B footswitch. It suffers from one critical problem: it cannot be powered by a pedalboard supply. Boss decided to make this pedal run only from a pair of AAA batteries stored inside the unit, which must be disassembled to change. And if the batteries die, no sound gets through because it’s a buffered pedal. Because of these problems, the AB2 is a rare sight to see on pedalboards, but that can be fixed with just a few parts and a few minutes of work.

Motorcycling

30 Jan, 2011

2005 Honda VFR800 Interceptor

I was never really drawn to sport bikes, preferring vintage standards, oddball cruisers and one-off choppers. But when I had to scratch that itch for a new (and not just new-to-me) bike and the Honda Magna had been discontinued, my fascination with the V4 drew me to the Interceptor. Its mix of street-applicable performance, agility, durability and long-ride comfort really made me a believer in the sport-biased side of the sport-touring world.

Amplifiers

5 Aug, 2010

6BM8 Hi-Fi Amp

This came up because I decided to start a little hifi project – something to push my bedroom TV’s audio to something better than the built-in speakers. So I thought, why not try to add adjustable compression? Warmly-biased triodes can compress one side of a soundwave, so what about sticking two in series to compress both sides?

Motorcycling

30 Jan, 2010

1982 Honda CB900 Chopper

I originally bought this bike in 2004 after I wrecked my 1988 Super Magna. The plan was to ride it around in stock form while I fixed the Magna, and then chop it into something ridiculous. The chopping part happened before I got around to fixing the Magna, and here’s what came out.