Parts · Opto
VTL5C9
Vactrol (LED + LDR).3 circuits use this part.
Datasheet · from xvive.com
Substitutes same kind
Optocouplers and photoresistors of the same construction; the response speed and resistance range set how an effect sounds. The figures are read off each part's datasheet (this one's from page 1), typical where the sheet gives a typical value, otherwise the maximum. Closest first; the last column says what differs. A different part can change the sound, and a circuit may lean on one particular figure, so read the build document's notes before you swap.
This part
| Part | On | Dark | Rise | Decay | Boards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VTL5C9 | 1.5k @ 0.5 mA | 2M | 4 ms | 50 ms | 3 |
Fast-decay vactrol (about 50 ms to 100k) suited to tremolo; this is the Xvive 5C9 sheet.
Alternatives
| Part | On | Dark | Rise | Decay | Boards | Differs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VTL5C6 | 6k @ 5 mA | 400k | 3.5 ms | 50 ms | 1 | higher on resistance; lower dark resistance. Xvive 5C6 equivalent: 40 to 80 kΩ at 0.5 mA, 6 kΩ max at 5 mA, decay to 1 MΩ in about 50 ms. |
| NSL-32 | 500 @ 20 mA | 500k | 3.5 ms | 500 ms | 11 | lower on resistance; lower dark resistance; slower decay. Slow decay (up to 500 ms to 100 kΩ), which suits optical compressors and tremolos. |
| VTL5C2 | 10k @ 0.5 mA | 2M | 3.5 ms | 500 ms | 13 | higher on resistance; slower decay. Xvive's 5C2-R equivalent; decay to 100 kΩ takes up to 500 ms. |
| VTL5C3 | 30k @ 1 mA | 10M | 2.5 ms | 35 ms | 21 | higher on resistance; higher dark resistance. Low light memory and temperature drift; the sheet prints its 10 mA and 40 mA on-resistance as 5 Ω and 1.5 Ω, almost certainly meaning kΩ. |
| VTL5C4 | 1.2k @ 1 mA | 400M | 6 ms | 1500 ms | 2 | higher dark resistance; slower decay. Very low on-resistance (125 Ω at 10 mA) but a slow decay of up to 1.5 s. |
| Faceplate | Circuit | Based on | Category | Vendor | Box | Knobs | Price | BOM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nobels DT-SN 2SC2240BL · 2SC2362G · 2SK222E · 2SK30AY Nobels DT-SN Distortion Special | Nobels DT-SN Distortion Special | Distortion | Experimentalists Anonymous | — | — | — | 128 | |
| Nobels Distortion Xtreme 062 · 14007 · 2240BL · 2SC2362G Nobels Distortion Xtreme | Nobels Distortion Xtreme | Distortion | Experimentalists Anonymous | — | — | — | 142 | |
| Wavelord 2N3904 · FET · TAPLFO3 · TL072 Tap Tempo Tremolo · 125B | Tap Tempo Tremolo | Tremolo | Madbean | 125B | 5 | $13.00 out | 61 |