12/08/15 DIY Audio Circuits - PT2399 Digital Delay Analog Echo IC
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PT2399 IC
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PT2399 Digital Delay IC
The PT2399 is one of the most rewarding chips a DIYer can experiment with. A stock circuit from the datasheet
can nearly complete a guitar pedal project, and there are load of other applications for projects that require an
analog-sounding digital delay (more on this later). For you circuit tweakers out there, I will include a Mods
section to get you going in the right direction.
First off, let’s take a look at the datasheet to learn more about the PT2399.
PT2399 Datasheet
Always get a datasheet for any unfamiliar components before you do any circuit work! You don’t want to destroy
your part before you get a chance to hear it!
Princeton, the company that manufacturers the PT 2399 Echo Audio Pro cesso r IC, made a great datasheet
to accompany their product. Unfortunately, the full version is hard to nd amongst the most popular Google
results for “PT2399 datasheet”; an abridged version that edits out the good and useful parts is abundant.
Throughout this page, I will use snippets from the full datasheet to explain some of the results of my experience
with the PT2399.
You can download the full datasheet below:
PT2399_datasheet_(full_version)
PT2399 Features
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I’m not going to repeat the datasheet description/marketing here. What I will do is try and express how the
PT2399 actually sounds.
The PT2399 has a lot of unique features. It’s a digital delay that mimics analog delays quite well, giving a warm
bassy lter to the overall delay repeats. This is no accident, as the PT2399 has a lot of high-frequency digital
noise that has a way of getting into the audio path and is tamed through ltering courtesy of the on-chip op
amps.
If you use the PT2399 Echo Application’s Pin 6 resistor-potentiometer con guration,
PT2399 Pin 6 Potentiometer Resistor
you’ll notice that the input signal will modulate in pitch as you sweep the potentiometer. Whenever I see
potentiometers, I think modi cation. See the Mods section later in this guide for some of the ideas you can try
out!
“PT2399 boast of very low distortion (THD<0.5%)” – this number given by the datasheet authors is very
suspicious given my own experience, but let your ears decide whether the distortion is acceptable. Circuit design
is all about tradeoffs, and distortion can somewhat warm a tone up.
Because the PT2399 is CMOS, interfacing with this circuit is very experimenter-friendly. CMOS is a technology of
ICs that, simply put, plays nice with other CMOS device. They’re often used for prototyping simple circuit in lieu
of using a microcontroller. The familiar DIP packaging makes integrating it into through-hole designs an easy
task. Be very careful handling your PT2399, as CMOS devices are prone to being damaged by static electricity.
The internal memory is limited to 44K, which overall limits the quality of the repeats at certain settings. The
quality of the IC’s output noticeably degrades.
I’ll describe some more features in the future.
PT2399 Pin Con guration
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PT2399 Delay Block Diagram
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PT2399 Pin Description
Basic Schematics
The following PT2399 circuit schematics are included in the datasheet for the chip.
The PT2399 Echo Application Circuit is a quick way to see what the PT2399 is all about. If you do not have the
exact component values for the capacitors, get as close as you can. 0.082uF capacitors can be very dif cult to
obtain. The ‘R’ value is best set at 1k, and the 20k potentiometer next to it keeps you in a safe range of delay
lengths.
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PT2399 Echo Application Circuit
The second schematic Princeton has on their datasheet is the PT2399 Surround/Delay Application Circuit. I
believe what they mean by ‘surround’ is reverb, which is actually sort of achievable (more on this later in the
Mods section) if you set your circuit up right. Again, if you don’t have all the parts, just improvise; getting the
circuit up and running is worth it!
PT2399 Surround Delay Application Circuit
These are very good places to start. I prefer to build unfamiliar circuits piece by piece and bring them together
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once they are functioning correctly. Build a simple PT2399 circuit, test it, and integrate it with your next stage of
development.
Advanced Schematics
Several great schematics are available online. Many of them have modi cations that rival professional circuits,
so you’re not going to get a hodgepodge of iffy designs.
Valve Wizard’s Small Time – Valve Wizard did his homework when designing his PT2399 circuit. His
insightful accompaniment to the Princeton datasheet and example circuit will shave off a couple of
hours of frustration when you’re looking to tweak your circuits.
Echo Base – If you were ever wondering what the design process looks and feels like, look no further.
This 60+ page thread on the phenomenal DIY guitar pedal message board DIYStomboxes is a textbook
example of what it takes to deal with a lot of issues on the way to perfection. The Echo Base PT2399-
based circuit incorporates an LFO (low frequency oscillator) for delay length modulation as well as some
other nifty features.
I’ll be adding my own buffered guitar pedal with an in-depth analysis soon!
Another experimental circuit I have in the works is the source of a lot of the Mods below. In a nutshell,
an LFO controls the delay speed, which also controls the pitch of the signal being processed. It’s very
similar to the Echo Base, but with more waveforms and a tweaked PT2399 circuit.
Mods
Datasheets are just recommendations, right?
For the most part, you’ll do ne in your electronics life if you stay in the bounds speci ed by electrical engineers
who took the time to write down how their particular device works. However, sometimes you need to paint
outside the lines…
For example, take a look at this datasheet snippet.
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PT2399 Datasheet Resistor Values
These are the ‘R’ values that Princeton suggests for their two example schematics.
NOTE: do not let the total resistance between Pin 6 and GND fall below 1k. Anything below that may cause the
PT2399 to latch up, requiring a reset (turn to power to the IC off and then on again). Especially take care that the
resistance is at least 1k or greater when the PT2399 rst starts up (see datasheet application note below).
PT2399 Auto Reset
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This is actually audible and a great lead-in to our next modi cation. So get your simple PT2399 circuit running,
plug in a guitar and ampli er, and turn the power off, then on. What you will hear is a modulated delay with some
pitch manipulation. Very cool!
Some links to other PT2399 Mod resources:
Homebuilt Hardware – Towards the bottom, there is some info on using a CV (control voltage) source to
modulate the delay speed/length. I have yet to test this, but it looks promising.
More to come!
Real-World Examples
There are many great PT2399 projects out there! Many big-name companies (such as Danelectro & Korg) and
smaller boutique guitar effects pedal manufactures use the PT2399 in their designs. Some of these schematics
are available online for free from the manufacturer or reverse engineered, so you’ll have access to top-notch
circuits if you do some research. I’ll post them as I nd them (giving credit and avoiding the copyright
infringement)!
Electronics Kits
Some electronics companies also offer kits for people that want to build their own delays around the PT2399
Delay IC:
Synthrotek
GetLoFi
CanaKit
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