FCB1010 Phantom Power Option from VG-99 RRC2 port

By C. Feddema, Netherlands

DISCLAIMER: You will void the warranty of the FCB1010 by performing this modification. You and
you alone own the responsibility for any damage you incur.
The author disclaims any liability express or implied.

This document describes how you can power the FCB1010 from the VG-99 using
only the power supply of the VG-99. Optionally you can also extend a footswitch from
the Control 3 input to the pedal board. The footswitch can now be connected to the
FCB1010 instead of the VG-99. This does imply drilling a hole in the FCB1010.

There is no need to open the VG-99. I use a little “adapter”, which connects to the
VG-99 and can be left there, when transporting the unit.

You need a MIDI cable that has all 5 pins connected from one end to the other.

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These modifications do require some experience with soldering and electronics. If
you’re not sure, then let somebody else do the job who is experienced.

Needed materials:

• Diode (1N4005 or similar) – most diodes will do the job (apart from zener
diodes.)

• RJ-45 plug

• DIN 5 plug

• DIN 5 contra plug

• Some pieces of telephone wire (I sacrificed a telephone wire for this.)

• Some pieces of ordinary wire

• If you want to extend the footswitch, you will also need a jack plug (mono) and
a jack chassis (mono or stereo, with switch)

• Tools: screwdrivers, pliers, soldering iron, solder and heat shrink tubing.

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 Modification of the FCB1010

1. Connecting the power from the MIDI plug to the FCB1010.

First the good news, half of the job is already done! PIN 3 of the MIDI OUT connector
of the FCB1010 is already connected to ground. We only need to connect the
positive voltage to the FCB1010. I use a diode, so that power will only flow from the
VG-99 to the FCB1010 and not the other way. Just in case somebody connects
power to the FCB1010 while it’s connected to the VG-99.

The schematic below shows how you connect to the rectifier bridge of the FCB1010
through a diode. The rectifier bridge is on the FCB1010 board.

Here is how we do it:

• First open up the FCB1010 and locate the rectifier bridge next to the firmware
chip. If it does not look exactly as the picture below, then you will have to know
what you are doing or need to ask assistance of somebody else who does.
• Now put some solder on the top side of the two diodes on the right.
• Next connect the 1N4005 diode to these diodes:

Make sure the diode has its grey line on the left side as show in the picture.
• Now you can solder a wire to the other end of the diode. You may want to add
some heat shrink tubing for protection. On the picture the (white) heat shrink
tubing is moved to the right.
• Next you will have to unscrew the board with the MIDI connectors inside the
FCB1010.

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• Now you can connect the other end of your wire to the bottom of the board as
indicated in the picture below. Connect it to right side (brown wire). Be careful
to connect the wire just to the pin and not to short it to the green area around it
(which is ground). Alternatively you could connect these wires to the back of
the MIDI plug.

• Optionally if you want to extend control 3 through the midi wire, you will have
to connect two more wires to the board (the white and green ones). You will
also need to drill a hole in the back of the FCB1010 and connect a jack
chassis to the other end of these wires.

Make sure you connect a wire that shorts the plug when there is no jack plug
in the chassis (a Roland sustain pedal or switch is open when pressed)

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2. Making the “adapter” for the VG-99.

In the picture above you can see the adapter. It is basically three plugs going to one
DIN-5 contra plug. I connect my MIDI cable to the contra-plug.

Here is the schematic of the “adapter”:

Here is how to make it:

• Connect the telephone wire to the RJ45 plug. Pin 4 and 5 provide the +9V
power and pin 7 and 8 are ground. I have used pin 5 and 7 (pin 1 is on the left
in the picture above)
• Connect the other end to pin 3 (ground) and pin 5 (+9V) of the DIN-5 contra
plug.
• Use another piece of telephone wire to connect pin 2 and 4 of a DIN-5 plug to
pin 2 and 4 of the DIN-5 contra plug.
• Optionally if you want to extend control-3 to the FCB1010, you can connect
the tip of a mono jack plug to pin 1 of the DIN-5 contra-plug. In the picture

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 above I use a stereo plug, because I didn’t have a mono plug. I shorted the
ring of the jack plug with the sleeve, so it effectively is a mono plug.

I would recommend checking things with a voltage meter as you go. If you have done
all of this, you should be ready to connect it all up, and you should be up and
running!

If you have any questions, you can contact me at cfeddema@gmail.com or through

the VG-99 forum (http://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php)

Joshua 1:9 – “Be strong and courageous”

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