Madbean Pedals updates Polytrog, CliffHanger and Kompromat projects for 2024

August 17, 2024 · 3 sources

The Madbean project documents for the Polytrog24, CliffHanger24 and Kompromat24 are dated August 17, 2024. Each states that its 2024 version has no circuit changes and minor layout tweaks¹²³.

The Polytrog24 is a modulation project based on the EHX Polyphase, which the document describes as a six-stage optical phaser with envelope control¹. It has two modes, Envelope and Sweep, with controls for RATE, FDBK, ENV SENSE, ENV RATE and ENV MOD, plus two internal trimmers, T1 and T2¹. It runs on 9v power with a charge pump and draws roughly 75 to 105mA, peaking just north of 100mA in Sweep mode¹. The design uses Xvive reproductions of the VTL5C3/2 in place of the original CLM8200/2 vactrols, which the document calls hard to get in the States¹. A bypass board is now included with this version¹. Hardware is a 1590BB enclosure, two 1/4 inch mono jacks, a slim 2.1mm DC jack and a standard 3PDT footswitch¹.

The CliffHanger24 is a fuzz and overdrive project based on the Hermida Dover Drive, which the document says is marketed as a "spiritual" Chandler Tube Driver in a discrete package². Controls are FUZZ, COMP, TONE and VOL, with PRE and VOICE trimmers and an S/M switch; the left position is stock and the right adds an input gain stage for a brighter, more mid-focused tone². Current draw is given as 7mA². It fits a 125B enclosure and is compatible with both the SSBP and SSABP bypass boards².

The Kompromat24 is a compression project drawing on the Keeley Compressor and Barber Tone Press, which the document says are in turn based on the classic Ross OTA compressor³. It can use either a CA3080 or an LM13700 OTA, but only one of the two³. Controls are SUS, ATTACK, BLEND, CLIP and LVL, plus a BIAS trimmer³. Current draw is given as 5mA, and it fits a 125B enclosure³.