Is anybody still here? I am new to this and want to build my own. I have questions regarding clones design and specs. I can’t find the pedal I want and will make it myself. Anyone here?
Ah, the BD-2. I can’t tell you for sure, but I did base it on a schematic claiming to be a clone (just without the typical Boss buffered switching).
sorry harald, i was thinkin’ about the boss bd-2 clone….
Giorgione84,
What circuit are you thinking of, or do you mean all circuits in general?
Harald, my question is: is this the clone of the original stock, or you change some values to have a better sound? Do you think that i’ll need to do any mod? Some people mod theire original one…. Thanks
Thanks for the reminder. Fixed.
Please mark the Fetto Stripped as verified. 2 of us successfully built it. Thanks!
Thank you so much for all these cool layouts. So far I have built (all successful BTW)…
Ah, could I trouble you for info on how you create your graphics then please Harald? I’m useless when it comes to anything like that, but desperately want to try! What software do you use buddy? Thanks, Milkit
Ah…that’s exactly what I was looking for. Can you post a link to which type (brand) of paper & glue you use? I’m up in Canada…it’s hard to source this stuff up here sometimes.
Many thanks Harald!
Hi, Marco. If I remember correctly I commented about that on the Wampler Tripple Wreck post. But I didn’t touch on how I draw the graphics, only how I print it and secure it etc. Was that what you were wondering about?
Hi Harald,
Not sure if it’s been asked yet or if you’ve got a special spot for it on this page…but how are you going about creating the stickers for the pedals? (Like you did on the Triple Wreck?)
They’re pretty sick and I’d love to make some up myself.
Thanks!
Sorry to hear about your unsuccessful build, Andrew. I could have made a mistake of course, this happens. I’ll try to build this circuit eventually if nobody else does first, but I’m afraid I have a lot of stuff on my todo list.
So I built the King of Tone single version and I couldn’t get it to work. No sound. I’ve built lots of pedals in the past with great success so I wouldn’t say I’m a novice at building anymore. I triple-checked all of my solder joints and the layout of my components etc and I’m stuck until someone else builds one successfully or the layout is revised. I could have made a mistake somewhere in my build but I just don’t see it. Hope someone can figure it out.
Hey Harald, the King of Tone – single version has an error 404 page when clicked on. I’ll be building this one pretty soon and let you know if its verified. Thanks.
I probably wouldn’t have thought of that if it wasn’t for one of my test rig switches doing just that a couple weeks ago. You never know, these things do fail from time to time. Keeping my fingers crossed you’ll sort it out.
Wow Harald, in rereading this thread I’m particularly drawn to your comment regarding a faulty footswitch; I don’t know how I never thought of that since the wiring checked out. I’ll investigate that, thanks.
Thanks Harald, the rig works with boards I’ve obtained from guitarpcb.com and madbean, but I note differences between your designs like having a ground from the board as well as various pots, though where I normally do the star grounding where grounds converge from the board, bypass switch, output jack and 9v to the ring of the input jack (and therefore only one ground connection at the test rig, I just connected the two or three extra wires to the same spot on the test rig as I normally connect the one from the board. The two zendrives look identical, or as close as possible, that’s why I thought if I threw it in the box it might work. One thing weird about the test rig is that you hear nothing in bypass, so maybe I’ve got to revisit that. As I said, those other boards work on it though…anyway, I’ll let you know if I get the Squeezer working!
My first thought is that there’s something wrong with the wiring of your test rig. There’s very little reason for you not to have any signal even at the input. I’d start by triple checking everything on the test rig. Maybe the on/off switch is faulty or some such?
And sorry, I did see your comment earlier, but didn’t get around to responding.
Hi Harald, I had sent these two messages yesterday on the page for the layout of the Orange Squeezer, but when I looked at the dates of a lot of that activity I figured I’d reprint them here in case that page was a closed topic or something.
I tried to build this and it didn’t work. I then started checking with my audio probe and discovered I got nothing at the input even after replacing the input wire and C1. At points beyond this I did get sound but no effect. Any ideas? I’m no expert at troubleshooting or any of this obviously, but I would expect to hear something with the audio probe at input I think. The testing is done on a test rig I built that is an enclosure with the off board wiring all done…I used star grounding. Looking at the diagram the only way I see it going to the IC is input to R2 jumping to the “L” strip, going to L12 and jumped up under the IC. But as you can see I’m grabbing at straws here. C1 (.047U) won’t allow anything to pass, so it’s hard to say whether it’s a problem with the input or the cap…if I had to suspect one I guess it would have to be the cap, but as I said I replaced that with the same result. I’ve cleaned out all the channels between the strips and cleaned the board with a tooth brush and alcohol. I’ve also re-flowed all the solder joints. Any ideas? I mainly did the project to try to verify, but it looks like others, while still having problems did better than me!
And:
Just a thought: in the last week I’ve built two Zendrives from this fine site, and the Squeezer. Only one Zendrive worked out of the three circuits, and it was the one I happened to build right into the box without using my test rig. I just remembered hearing that some circuits need to actually be in the box with hardware mounted etc. to work for grounding reasons. Could that be my problem here, because the only one that did work I built right into the box, as I’ve done with all previous projects on this site.
hi Harald
Just built the Big Muff Creamy Dreamer and used BC550 transistors instead of the 2n5088’s – they are different pinouts so had to reverse the orientation (I put sockets on the board so I could experiment). Anyhow the box sounds a lot nicer than I expected … The BC550’s are a lower hfe (approx 400) than the 2n5088’s (approx 800). nice 🙂
cheers Hookey
Hello. I don’t understand most of your explanation but the “Hmmm” part seem to speak of the good things to come.:)
Thank you so much for the learning!
Thanks again Harald, as always very helpful!
Hi Harald
Just a quick note to let you know I have built the Korg SDD3000 preamp and it works very well !!
I must thank you for the excellent job you have done on the layout – I havent seen anyone else consistently turn out such compact layouts – respect my friend !!
cheers Hookey
Hi, Jordan. I just had a look at the SansAmp schematic you were referring to and I’m thinking this wouldn’t really work. Each of the three switches use two poles and three throws (DP3T), but the 3 effects switching circuit would only handle one of the two poles required. While you -could- wire two switch circuits to the same momentary stomp switch to create one DP3T (you’d need 6 circuits in total) the circuits aren’t straight switches, there’s pull-down resistors, coupling capacitors in the signal path too that would very likely interfere with the workings of the SansAmp circuit.
But I do agree that is a cool idea. It just requires a slightly different solution. Hmm…
Hi,
It’s me again. The 3 choices of amp models of the SANSAMP GT-2 clone (Tonepad’s) coincide with the three EFFECTS IN on your CMOS switcher. So the newbie in me got to thinking why not use the switcher(or a couple) in place of the 3-position slide switches in the GT-2? CAn it be done?
Thanks a lot for your patience.
Wow, i just built the little angel rev1 last night (my first build of yours) using all components from tayda (cheap) and it works great. I didn’t know it was this iffy. That’s weird. Good luck troubleshooting!
…and thank you, Harald!
-Justin
You’re not alone. If you read up on the related thread at http://www.freestompboxes.org you’ll notice lots of people are having issues with this circuit. There has been successful builds using both versions of my vero layout, and similar results with other people’s PCB layouts, so the problem is most likely the layout but the circuit itself. There’s little I can do, sorry.
Hey Harald,
I went ahead and tried to build the Little Angle Rev1 from your layout and can’t seem to get the dang thing to work… right now I’m just getting what sounds like a siren out of the output… I checked all the components one by one and checked the traces and cuts at least 5 times, also swapped out the ICs to check them and its still not working. Any advice/tips?
If you look at, say, the zen drive schematic you’ll notice the first opamp stage in particular has the signal coming in on one of the opamp inputs and continuing to the rest of the circuit from the opamp output. But the opamp output is also connected to the remaining input through a whole bunch of different components. This is the feedback loop where part of the output signal is fed back to the input. The presence of those diodes, the gain pot etc. helps produce distortion.
Thanks Harald! Oh, by the way, my gain knob had been listed as 3-2-1 top to bottom, but that made it work counter clockwise, so I reversed them and it’s fine. The LED addition I had seen was in lieu of no diode in that spot, so you either used a jumper, the LED, or the double pole double throw switch. If with my very limited ability with schematics I can find out how it worked i’ll report it. I am in the process of learning that stuff…or should I say getting READY to learn it! By the way, I’m embarrased to ask this but what is the feedback loop, and how can I identify it? I’ve tried to look it up, but all I’ve found is stuff about A feedback loop vs. The feedback loop. Thanks again!
Very happy to hear it, Matt 🙂 I’ll add a note for people to try the OPA2604.
As for the gain switch I’m not really sure, but I’ll take a guess. If you use a switch to swap out the diodes in the IC feedback loop with a LED or two you’ll increase headroom (how much depends on the voltage drop of the chosen LED) and the IC will clip the signal less. The result should be a less distorted, but louder output signal.
Hi Harald, so I did the Zen Drive again from scratch…I’ll investigate why the other didn’t work, but now I’ve got a working unit. I tried the TL072 first, as in a previous build…the AD712 seemingly not to be found…then went for the OPA2604, which I had seen in the plans. The 2064 was a huge improvement over the TL072, with a richness much like the original. I then went on to try the OPA2134. Still an improvement over the TL, a big one, but when I put the 2064 back in I knew it was a winner. the TL072 sounded the fuzziest, though a perfectly respectable overdrive sound. The 2134, as I said, was much better than the TL072 albeit a bit less driven, distortion-wise. I’d say the TL072 and the 2064 are the real extremes from dirtiest to…well, highest quality, but still more than adequate dirt in the 2064 for the purposes normally associated with this type of pedal. The pedal just sounds fantastic!
Hey, while I’m here I’ve seen circuits of this type with a more gain switch that activates an LED. Could that be done in this circuit, either switchable or not? Could I replace an existing diode? Thanks a lot Harald…as usual I came out with a great pedal thanks to your layouts!
Thanks!
Hehe, I agree.
Hi Again Harald
I have just finished building the Fuzz Face Silicon version and can verify the layout for you = it works a treat !!
cheers Hookey
Hi Harald
Recon I’ve got dyslexia !! – it was 3:00am when I was building the box 😉
I guess the main thing is that the actual layout is OK
thanks again
Hookey
I’m pretty sure I’ve got both pots the correct way according to how I am used to numbering the lugs. If the pot sits on a table with the shaft pointing upwards and the lugs towards you I count lug #1 – #3 from left to right (there’s an illustration in the “schematics & drawings” section).
As for the preamp, I’ll add it to my list and we’ll see.
Hi Harald
I have just finished building the BBE Sonic Stomp and the TS808
Both work well apart from the TS808 Volume and Tone pot connections seem to be the wrong way round ?
(ie pin 1 should be pin 3 and pin 3 should be pin 1)
apart from this I can verify the layout for you.
Hi AudioPhile. Good guess, but they’re actually trim potentiometers.
Hey, noob here.
What are the VR parts? I’m assuming Voltage Regulators but I may well be completely wrong.
Hi, Schnorrire. Start off by making sure you’ve got the 78L05 oriented the correct way. Depending on the manufacturer, model etc. the pinout can vary, so get a datasheet for your specific regulator and double check. I’d also try with another 78L05 in case the one you’ve got is faulty.
If that doesn’t solve it I’d start looking for solder bridges. Some people have luck running a sharp blade down the length of each gap between the vero strips. The continuity function of your DMM can also be of help as can a magnifying glass.
Good luck! Patience, and you can do it.
Hi Harald i’ve got a question about the rebote delay 2.5… I have searched so long for a mistake, but diddn’t find anything…
The 78L05 gives 7.5V not 5V. Do you have any idea where it comes from? I think I don’t have any bad solder joints (I renewed all)…
Thanks and greetz from GER
Thanks, Hookey. I didn’t notice your comment until now.
Great, Marcus! I’m confident you can do it, but do note that the OC-2 is a fairly difficult build. There might be some problem solving and debugging involved. You’ll learn a lot 🙂
I’ve just made my first DIY pedal – and it works great.
It’s an OCD Clone, check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1PJhnYJpbU
I think I might try the OC-2 next.
Thank you!
Thanks Harald, I’m looking forward to it!
I’ll email you the schematic, Matt.
Harald, I haven’t been being lazy about the zendrive with the OPA2134, but I can’t get the circuit to work. I’m trying to troubleshoot using a probe, and of course I’ve reflowed all the solder and made sure the spaces between the strips are clean. I don’t pretend to know much about using the audio probe, but I do know that I shouldn’t hear anything connected to ground. I’ve got 52 successful builds, but I’ve got a few too many hanging around that don’t work, and feel it’s time to get past the obstacles. Any chance of a schematic for the Zendrive? I’ve done searches, but can’t find silent fly. If I could compare the schematic to the diagram I may be able to figure it out. Any chances on this?
Hi Harald
I have just finished building a Fulltone OCD and a Demeter Compulator – both work well
So I can verify the Compulator layout for you
thanks for your hard work – its appreciated 😉
Hookey
Thanks for letting me know, Hookey!
Hi – Just built the wampler cranked AC – it worked first time and sounds really good so layout verified. Any chance you can do a layout for the lovepedal engilishman??
cheers Hookey
Thank you so much. This will be my first DIY FX project.
more power!
Hi, Jordan. There’s no reason this shouldn’t be doable, but you have to make sure your caps are rated 25v+. Good luck!
Can the seventh heaven accept an 18v supply? Will there be any changes in the parts?
Thank you so much. I still have to build one of your lay outs..
Jordan
philippines
That’s great, Matt. Thanks for the input. I’m going to try one of those when I get around to this circuit myself 🙂
Okay, so I’ve completed a Zendrive that was slated for TLO72 (my earlier reference to TLO17 being a typo!). I first tried the TLO72 and played for quite a while. It did sound very nice – nicer than an older version I made with one of those. Then I switched for the OPA2134, and suddenly it was richer and more nuanced. I may throw one into the older build, and will definitely try as soon as I get to yours!
Hi, Mark. Yes, there’s 10 switches in all. These are all internal in the original, either on-board DIP switches or jumpers. As for the labeling on the layout it’s: SW . With ten switches it gets confusing quickly, I can see that.
It’s a bit hard to explain without drawing it all, but take the “Bass 1” switch as an example: (I’m assuming either an SPST off-on switch with two lugs, or an SPDT on-on switch with three lugs where the center lug is “2” and the “1” lug can be either side lug) “Bass 1” lug #1 has one wire connecting it to the corresponding label on the board (“Bass1 SW 1”) and “Bass 1” lug #2 has two wires; one connecting to the board (label “Bass1 SW 2”) and one connecting to lug #1 on the “Voice” switch. And so on…
I guess I should draw full wiring diagrams for each layout, but that takes a lot of time. We’ll see.
Hey so I have a question about the Fetto. From what I can tell it has 10 switches. Is this correct or am I reading the layout wrong. Its pretty confusing withe the Gain2 SW1 Gain1 SW2 and the rest like that. SOme clarification would be great because mine doesnt work and Ive built it with 10 switches.
Please do, Matt 🙂
Thanks Harald, I also did a search and found that the OPA2134 is a more expensive but noticeably better (in the opinion of the users) component. Also, the first guitarpcb.com version used the TLO17. Since I had built one of those I will put an OPA2134 in there. If it’s that much better I’ll try it in yours, and will report the outcome.
Hi, Matt. If I’m not mistaken the AD712 is a standard pin-out dual opamp, meaning there’s a whole bunch of different ones you can try substituting. You probably have a TL072 or a 4558 around. May or may not sound as good, but they should at least work.
Hi Harald, I was wondering…I want to build the Zendrive but can’t find an AD712 from any of the usual suppliers. Any suggestions or workarounds? Thanks, Matt
Nice work! this is a GOLDMINE! hats off to you!
Thanks, ibodog.
Love the epic vero layouts! Outstanding!
Fantastic 🙂 Thank you for helping me
Hei, Kristian. You want the drain pins in the region of +4.5v and +5v approximately, though this may vary slightly with different FETs. I still recommend an audio probe (or an oscilloscope) for easy adjusting, though. You can find the recipe for a DIY audio probe at http://www.geofex.com, which you simply use to probe the drain pin on each FET stage starting with the first one. This’ll let you tune each by ear alone. Good luck!
Hello, Harald! Just one question about the JCM800: What should the voltage readings be on the transistors q1 – q6? I’m a complete newbie, and don’t know how I should adjust the trimmers 🙂 Greetings from Trondheim
Yes, I’ve got noise gate scribbled down already, but I don’t know anything about these so I’m more than welcome to some suggestions/pointers.
He Harald,
a descent noise gate would be very welcome!!
any chance on putting it on the list??
just built the OCD…sounds great!! thanks for the nice layout.
Great, thanks.
revision of the angel is verified..
Thanks for verifying, wlad! Do you mean revision 1 of the “Little Angel” or are we talking about the modulation add-on to the Aqua-Puss?
Hee Harald, chorus rev 2 is verified…works like a charm.
Thanks, Dennis! I’ve updated the layout.
The Ampeg Scrambler is almost verified. C3 orientation needs to be reverse and then it works great. Built and working with the change to C3.
Perfect. Thanks!
Hi, Marco. Try http://www.mouser.com, part # 513-NJM3404AD. It’s not the ‘AL’ version, but in my experience you can usually ignore those last letters on ICs. I’m guessing the AL version just indicates a different packaging. In any case, I used the NJM3404AD with luck.
Hi Harald,
Quick question on the DS-1 – Keely. I’m having a hard time sourcing an NJM3404AL. I’ve found a couple hits on ebay which offer the 3404AD…will it work the same? Can you point me in the right direction?
BTW…completed the Rebote 2.5. Just awesome.
Thanks!
It may or may not have been a mistake, but the labeling on the layout doesn’t follow the labeling of the schematic at all. Looks like I might put some more effort into this area in the future.
The C11 on my layout corresponds to C7 on the schematic and it’s an electrolyte. Also note that I used an electrolyte for C2 on my layout since a 2u2 regular capacitor is physically pretty large (make sure to orient it so that the negative side connects to the same strip as C11; ground).
Thanks Harald. Will presume that C11 is correctly absent from the schematic although still on list.
The layout is correct according to the schematic. For one reason or another I had to swap those two caps when I was doing the layout, and the software didn’t resort the list.
Harald, Excellent site -many thanks. Just started building Snow White Auto Wah. Just quick check on labelling of capacitors C8 & C7 onthe schematic. List order is reversed. Keep up the good work!
Thank you. I’ll also assume that Body 3 from board go to BODY LUG 3 and daisy chains to Gain 3 as well.
Thank you for your work. Looking forward to building the Diablo and Squeezer next two weeks (as well as Rick Holt’s Red Dwarf Booster.)
Yes. You can of course connect the input lead to the free pad on the board as well (n3), but a daisy chain from n1 via Feed lug #3 to input is how I’d do it.
One question about the OKKO Diablo – am I right in saying that the input goes through the FEED lug 3 to the Feed 3 input on the board (n1)?
Hi Harald i love the layouts you made for anyone…You Are the man.
I built the lil secret and it sounds awesome. Thanks alot.
I added a 470nf cap parallel with R3 (10K) and found more gain, at least to my ears. Its hard to compare with the youtube videos, but i like it.
I was wondering if you have sound clips of some of the stuff you built.
Again many thanks for all your work
Harald,
Among all your compressor layouts, which one would you favor for David Gilmour sounds ?
Thank you !
Hey. I keep checking back and saving your layouts. You have some awesome projects you offer and even more greats on your to do list!! And I love that you update so often with so much goodness!! Thanks!!
Congratulations! Now it’s time to start on your next one 🙂
Harald…just finished my first pedal, the Little Angel Chorus. Sounds great! Many thanks!
Thank you. You really are too kind 🙂
Found it Harald…thanks so much.
By the way…stumbling onto this page has pretty much made my year. You rock.
Hi, Marco. Have a look in the “Schematics & drawings” section. You’ll find a picture showing the off-board wiring, including the stomp switch.
Hey Harald,
First, great work on all these layouts. I’ve got a quick question about the Baja Trembulator. I noticed that there seems to be a “Tempo” switch shown in the layout, however there’s no mention of the stomp switch. I’m planning on using a 3pdt (ordered a bunch), can you point me in the right direction in terms of wiring it up?
Many thanks!
Thanks for verifying, Ian. And a nice site you’ve got there as well. Keep it up!
I built the green ringer based on your layout, sounds great.
You can verify that now if you like.
As always Harald, thanks a lot! I’ll give it a try and get back to you. Matt
I based my layout on a schematic by R.G.Keen of geofex.com which calls for a 10nF capacitor (C3 on my layout), but I notice Tonepad.com has a 1nF instead. You could try changing C3 to 1nF and see if it brightens up somewhat, or perhaps somewhere in between (4.7nF or 2.2nF maybe?).
Non-polar electrolytic. I don’t know when this effect was designed, but it was a long time ago (70’s?) and I don’t think they had access to small 1uF capacitors like we do today. You should be able to swap these with regular 1uF caps.
Harald, in the Colorsound Supasustain diagram C4 and C7 are listed as having values of 1ufNP. Just curious as to what the NP is. Thanks, Matt
I’ve successfully completed the Dynacomp with Janglebox mod, and it’s really cool. The only thing is, I’d like to see maybe a little less extreme difference between the two modes. I’ve got what is basically a tele with a humbucker in the front, so the standard mode sounds a little to bassy on the humbucker but good on the lollar tele treble p/u, and the jangle sounds good on the humbucker but a bit piercing on the treble. I was wondering if there’s a mod that would give maybe a bit less contrast. Other than that, I love the pedal, and all the ones I’ve built from these layouts, and am truly grateful for all the info you provide free of charge. Thanks! Matt
Excellent. I’ll update it to verified then 🙂
I have just finished building the Dirty Little Secret. What a killer OD, awesome !
Thanks a lot for this fine layout
Hi Harald,
you can classify your orange squeezer vero layout as verified. I’ve built it successfully. Thank you so much!
I suggest you ignore everything labeled “infinite”, connect one side of a 15k resistor to “Repeat 2” and connect the other side of the same resistor to where it says “Infinite SW 2” on the board.
Very happy to hear it. Thanks for verifying 🙂
Hi! 🙂
I’d like to build the rebote 2.5 without the infinite switch… what do I have to change on the layout? 🙂 (if you can add a “clean” layout, it would be easier for me to work it out!)
Hi
Just completed the Okko Dominator and it works very nicely. I used two 1n5819 schottkys instead of the two 1n4004 in the voltage doubler in order to get 15 volts from the 78L15. The voltage doubler itself produced almost 17 volts.
Thanks Harald, and will check into the mouser thing!
Perfectly OK. Incidentally I believe I picked up some Xicon 50nF green caps from mouser, try mouser # 140-PF2A503F.
Hi Harald, on the DynaComp w/ Janglebox mod I’m having an awful hard time tracking down C7, the 50nf one. Even mouser only has a real high voltage one…and I think they tend to be huge. Small Bear pretty much jumps from 47nf to 56nf regardless of cap type. I’m guessing you’re suggesting film. Is it OK to use 47nf (.047uf) instead, or do you know where I could find the 50nf? Thanks, Matt
OK Harald,will do.
Hah. I didn’t even know there was a shaded area on the electrolytes, and I guess that answers your question. Go with the explicit (+) signs.
Hi Harald…Going to build Catalinbread Merkin Fuzz but i notice in the layout that C8 has a positive sign on the shaded area which usually indicates the minus side of the cap.Which should be the correct way…Robrhy
Hi
Yeah i used 2n5952 transistors and they were very very matched :D. Aparently there was a short between two strips of vero that was invisible to a human eye. I now have them both working and phasing.
Hi Sannu. I recommend you use sockets for the transistors, at least the 2N5952s. You won’t fry them and it makes it easier swapping them later. You should really get them matched.
As for the Dominator, I’m not certain at all. Haven’t verified it myself, only drawn it from the schematic in that thread.
Thanks for verifying the Phase 90 layout 🙂
Hi Harald,
I just built two phase 90 pedals using your layout. One of them works really well and the other has no phasing so again I quess you can say the layout is verified :D. Do you know how sensitive the 2n5952 are to heat? I think i might have fried one. Next I’m gonne have a go at the dominator. How certain are you that the C6 in dominator is 100pF? 😀 Looks like the dominator thread in FSB forum has been forgotten.
Thanks again
Sannu
I finished a few days ago (didn’t box it though) the JCM 800 emuulator.
After biasing the trims (VR3 is a bit tricky), it sounds very nice, a lot of gain and great tone.
But…only 2 pots (preamp gain & volume) have some effect on the sound. I can twick the 4 others (MV + TMB tone stack) in all ways, they don’t affect the sound at all ??
(I at least triple checked their wiring and the pots are ok)
Thanks for the heads up, Dan. I don’t agree on C14, but other than that I have to admit my knowledge on electronics theory is fairly limited. Are you certain of the other three caps (C12, C13 and C15)? I built this myself (albeit a long time ago) and I don’t recall any popping issues.
thanks for the great layouts and inspiration! just wanted you to know your Ram’s Head big muff has three of the capacitors backwards (C12, C13, C15), I think you looked at a PNP schematic probably but it should be NPN. I built it your way and there was a loud footswitch pop. flipping the caps fixed this. I updated your layout with some mildly annoying added comments here: http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/monkeyxx/Big-Muff-Pi-Rams-HeadVERIFIED.gif
Ah ok, in that case yes, you may actually have the others wired in reverse. They now are all right on my build
Hmm, the treble, gain and volume wiring looks correct. The lugs are numbered 1, 2, 3 with the shaft pointing up and the lugs towards you. But maybe I’ve got the other pots wired in reverse… I’ll have to find my own Boogeyman circuit and test this as soon as I find the time.
Excellent, Denis! I’ll have another look at the wiring on the layout, thanks for the heads up.
Not sure I have the time to also maintain a forum, but I’ll keep it in mind.
Hey Harald, back with my Boogeyman, it works now as a charm !
Here is a pic : http://nsa26.casimages.com/img/2011/01/30/110130120042139223.jpg
I just had to reverse pins 1 and 3 on gain, treble & volume, they are wired wrong on your layout (i had full volume, treble & gain with pots set at 0)
Thanks very much for your input, the JCM800 emulation is on its way 😀
(BTW, it would be a great idea if it was possible to open a forum section on your site, too share and debug our builds)
Thanks for verifying the layout, Sannu!
Hi there! I just built the Snow White autowah based on your vero layout and it works quite nicely. So I guess you can say the layout is pretty much verified. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Sannu
awesome layouts! definately want to try anm EQ and a Compressor
Denis, I double checked the layout ad it looks correct. I also compared the layout to my working circuit and it’s correct. Hope you manage to pinpoint the problem.
Yes you’re right, this is what I’m gonna do next.
Thank you very much for your help, Harald, much appreciated
I do it the other way around; wire my guitar to the input and plug an audio probe in a small practice amp. While strumming I then follow the audio path with the audio probe right from the input and through each stage of the circuit until I find where the sound disappears.
I guess you should also go through the regular debugging routine, but I’m sure you’re familiar with this. There’s a nice one at geofex.com.
I’ll pull up the layout and double check it in case I’ve accidentally uploaded an early version or something, just in case.
Yes, I biased all of them to 4.5V on the drain.
To try to locate the problem, i plugged the output to the in of my amp, then a jack in my guitar, with the wires free on the other side of the jack.
While strumming the strings, i grounded the ground wire and put the tip on the gate of Q4, to simulate an input on Q4. Still no sound.
I guess I have to focus between Q4 and the output then
Thanks for your answer
Denis
Yes, I’ve got a working circuit myself. Did you remember to bias each of the JFETs properly using the trim pots? Use an audio probe and, starting with Q1, listen to the output of each transistor’s drain pin. You can now tune the corresponding trim pots by ear to where it sounds good.
Harald, is the vero layout of the Boggeyman verified ?
(I finished the board and wired it without the switch, I double checked everything and have no sound).
Thank you very much
wheres the soundclips?… 🙂
its nice to know what these fx sound like before building!!!!..
thanks rob.
Glad to hear it, guys. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more enjoyable and rewarding hobby 🙂
By the way, feel free to make suggestions if there are particular effects you’d like to see here. There’s a good chance I won’t be able to help you, but you never know. And I think it’s nice to know what other people are looking for.
Thank you for taking the time and effort to put all this information on here. I’ve just started building pedals (kits) and now I’ve seriously got the bug. Kinda like golf…. Something else for my wife to @&^%! about. Thanks again!
thanks for the great resource! I’ll soon probably end up building several of these. your selection is very tasteful, and I’m super keen on this veroboard thing now that I realize how versatile it can be. I’m glad you don’t just have fuzz overdrive and distortion, too.
Yes, that’s how I did it, and it works just fine.
Harald, I just wanted to let you know that I finished the build, and love it – it’s one of my favorites that I’ve made…that is the OCD. If I may, one other question about the digital reverb: I checked the build plans on the GGG website and noticed the Belton unit attaches to their board, and the pins go neatly into their own holes. I know I can’t do that with vero; do I just solder wire to the pins on the reverb unit, like maybe wrap the wire around the pin and solder it? Thanks, Matt
You’re welcome. Good luck with your build!
Wow, thanks a lot Harald
Yes, Matt. You can run one wire from either lug to the board and place a jumper between the two pot lugs.
But you can simplify this a bit more if you want to. When you see two adjacent pot lugs connected to the same point on the layout (e.g. “gain 1, 2” or “filter 2, 3”) it means the pot is used as a rheostat/variable resistor. When this is the case it’s enough that you connect the middle lug (the wiper), as the other lug (either 1 or 3) is redundant.
Yes, the Belton unit has two sets of pins so those are just to separate the two sets. But I can see how this is ambiguously labeled.
As for the switch labeling; good question! I’m actually not sure what I thought to begin with. I really need to re-draw the earlier layouts…
Take a DPDT switch. It has six lugs, three lugs per pole and two poles. Instead of labeling the lugs of the 1st pole 1, 2, 3 and then the lugs of the 2nd pole 4, 5, 6 I gave each pole a number and designated the lugs of each numbered pole with a decimal point and a lug number. I don’t think that made any more sense than my previous answer.
I really need to re-draw those layouts…
I think I misunderstood about the Verb…that’s probably a hookup for the Belton unit…sorry!
Now I’m wondering if this would be a case of jumpering too?
Hi Harald, I think there’s a mixup here; I wasn’t asking about the trace cuts, I know about those. I was asking about hookups of pots in both cases. First I was asking how to connect two lugs to one connection point on the board, and suggesting I jumper the two lugs to each other so that I have only one wire going to the board connection. Would this be correct?
Then I was asking – I think it’s in the D-Verb diagram, what it means when the lugs from the pots that are connected to the board have decimal designations. Like what does it mean in the D-Verb project on the “M” row of the board at the 22nd hole where it says R1.3, as opposed to 1 OR 3?
Hi Matt. In the OCD layout (and all the other layouts) you’ll notice there are red markings. These represents cuts on the vero track side of the board. Notice that the vero layout is drawn as you would see the board from the component side (non-vero side), and the cuts are drawn as if you could see through the board. You need to flip the vero board over and make these cuts in the vero tracks mirrored to how you see them on the layout.
Did you get that? I’m bad at explaining…
Harald, I was also wondering what it means (I’m pretty new you’ll see) when you designate connections for pots as things like 2.3 and 2.1 . Normally I see these as lug #’s, but I don’t get the decimal point. Thanks, Matt
Hi Harald, nice site! I’m about to go for your OCD Rev.3, and I see that drive 2,3 and tone 2,3 connect in the same place. I’m guessing that one would connect the lugs on the pots to each other and go from a single lug to the board? Thanks, Matt
I just wanted to say that the chorus is now VERIFIED, I have just put it together as per your veroboard layout and it fired up no problem it is also alot nicer than I thought it would be!
great site!!!!!
..and nice layouts…
you’re the best,man!
It wasn’t a missing jumper, but rather a missing 10k resistor from Q1 source. I’ve updated the layout.
You’re quite right. Thanks for spotting it. I’ll have another look at the layout as soon as I have time.
Hi,
there seems to be an error in your Harmonic Energizer Layout. The Cap before the “bypass output”-point goes nowhere. I’m guessing you forgot a jumper around there.
Cheers,
dune2k
Will do! (What would I do without nice and helpful friends).
My new studio facilities are up and running within a few days now.
Bring “da stomps” over and we’ll record soundclips for all of them;)
Hi, Luke. Instead of bringing the volume pot lug #2 to the circuit board, add a 1M resistor to ground and then adding a separate wire for output, I decided to “outsource” the resistor to conserve circuit board space and wire count. What you need to do is place the 1M resistor from the volume pot lug #2 to anywhere on the effect pedal there’s a ground reference. I.e. if you use a typical 3PDT wiring scheme you can place the 1M resistor between “circuit output” and “ground” on the 3PDT itself (in addition to the standard 3PDT wiring). Hope this helps.
How come the output on the catalinbread heliotrope says volume pot lug two goes to output then it say is it goes to a 1m resistor to ground as well?? I can’t figure this out does it go to both or is this an typo on the layout??!! plz help
Hi!
No problem. It works now & sounds great. 🙂
Sorry about that, dune2k. That layout is one of the earlier ones I did, and I’ve since tried to include a note on all hidden trace cuts. But you’ve got a point about including the number of cuts and I’ll keep it in mind.
Harald
Hi,
nice layouts, but you should count the number of cuts and put somewhere in the layout so you can see if you missed any.
I was debugging a civil war muff clone for 3 days or so because I missed 2 trace cuts that were hidden under resistors or capacitors.
Cheers,
dune2k
Send a few to me and I’d be happy to record sound clips.
Sound clips is a good idea. Now if only I was any good at actually playing the guitar. I’m having too much fun building this stuff… But seriously, I’ll keep it in mind.
be nice to have soundclips too…thanks
rob
Nice Site! Good Luck!!
Visit my DIY sometime if you would!
GuitarPCB.com
wahheyyy….looks like im the first to post…do i get a prize?…
Is anybody still here? I am new to this and want to build my own. I have questions regarding clones design and specs. I can’t find the pedal I want and will make it myself. Anyone here?
Ah, the BD-2. I can’t tell you for sure, but I did base it on a schematic claiming to be a clone (just without the typical Boss buffered switching).
sorry harald, i was thinkin’ about the boss bd-2 clone….
Giorgione84,
What circuit are you thinking of, or do you mean all circuits in general?
Harald, my question is: is this the clone of the original stock, or you change some values to have a better sound? Do you think that i’ll need to do any mod? Some people mod theire original one…. Thanks
Thanks for the reminder. Fixed.
Please mark the Fetto Stripped as verified. 2 of us successfully built it. Thanks!
Thank you so much for all these cool layouts. So far I have built (all successful BTW)…
– Zvex Machine
– Zvex Wooly Mammoth
– Rebote Delay
– Little Angel Chorus
– Zen Drive
– OCD
– Proco Rat (less mods)
– Wampler Plexi-Drive
– Flatline Compressor
– Noisy Cricket 9v Amp
Now I need more parts! 🙂
No trouble. See my latest post.
Ah, could I trouble you for info on how you create your graphics then please Harald? I’m useless when it comes to anything like that, but desperately want to try! What software do you use buddy? Thanks, Milkit
I know what you mean, stuff is hard to source in Norway as well. The glue is a 3M photo adhesive in a spray can. I believe this is it: http://www.3m.com/product/information/Photo-Mount-Spray-Adhesive.html. I couldn’t find the paper I use, but it’s similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/HP-Premium-InkJet-Transparency-C3834A/dp/B00000JKJ2.
There are surely better solutions out there, but I think this works reasonably well.
Ah…that’s exactly what I was looking for. Can you post a link to which type (brand) of paper & glue you use? I’m up in Canada…it’s hard to source this stuff up here sometimes.
Many thanks Harald!
Hi, Marco. If I remember correctly I commented about that on the Wampler Tripple Wreck post. But I didn’t touch on how I draw the graphics, only how I print it and secure it etc. Was that what you were wondering about?
Hi Harald,
Not sure if it’s been asked yet or if you’ve got a special spot for it on this page…but how are you going about creating the stickers for the pedals? (Like you did on the Triple Wreck?)
They’re pretty sick and I’d love to make some up myself.
Thanks!
Sorry to hear about your unsuccessful build, Andrew. I could have made a mistake of course, this happens. I’ll try to build this circuit eventually if nobody else does first, but I’m afraid I have a lot of stuff on my todo list.
So I built the King of Tone single version and I couldn’t get it to work. No sound. I’ve built lots of pedals in the past with great success so I wouldn’t say I’m a novice at building anymore. I triple-checked all of my solder joints and the layout of my components etc and I’m stuck until someone else builds one successfully or the layout is revised. I could have made a mistake somewhere in my build but I just don’t see it. Hope someone can figure it out.
Hey Harald, the King of Tone – single version has an error 404 page when clicked on. I’ll be building this one pretty soon and let you know if its verified. Thanks.
I probably wouldn’t have thought of that if it wasn’t for one of my test rig switches doing just that a couple weeks ago. You never know, these things do fail from time to time. Keeping my fingers crossed you’ll sort it out.
Wow Harald, in rereading this thread I’m particularly drawn to your comment regarding a faulty footswitch; I don’t know how I never thought of that since the wiring checked out. I’ll investigate that, thanks.
Thanks Harald, the rig works with boards I’ve obtained from guitarpcb.com and madbean, but I note differences between your designs like having a ground from the board as well as various pots, though where I normally do the star grounding where grounds converge from the board, bypass switch, output jack and 9v to the ring of the input jack (and therefore only one ground connection at the test rig, I just connected the two or three extra wires to the same spot on the test rig as I normally connect the one from the board. The two zendrives look identical, or as close as possible, that’s why I thought if I threw it in the box it might work. One thing weird about the test rig is that you hear nothing in bypass, so maybe I’ve got to revisit that. As I said, those other boards work on it though…anyway, I’ll let you know if I get the Squeezer working!
My first thought is that there’s something wrong with the wiring of your test rig. There’s very little reason for you not to have any signal even at the input. I’d start by triple checking everything on the test rig. Maybe the on/off switch is faulty or some such?
And sorry, I did see your comment earlier, but didn’t get around to responding.
Hi Harald, I had sent these two messages yesterday on the page for the layout of the Orange Squeezer, but when I looked at the dates of a lot of that activity I figured I’d reprint them here in case that page was a closed topic or something.
I tried to build this and it didn’t work. I then started checking with my audio probe and discovered I got nothing at the input even after replacing the input wire and C1. At points beyond this I did get sound but no effect. Any ideas? I’m no expert at troubleshooting or any of this obviously, but I would expect to hear something with the audio probe at input I think. The testing is done on a test rig I built that is an enclosure with the off board wiring all done…I used star grounding. Looking at the diagram the only way I see it going to the IC is input to R2 jumping to the “L” strip, going to L12 and jumped up under the IC. But as you can see I’m grabbing at straws here. C1 (.047U) won’t allow anything to pass, so it’s hard to say whether it’s a problem with the input or the cap…if I had to suspect one I guess it would have to be the cap, but as I said I replaced that with the same result. I’ve cleaned out all the channels between the strips and cleaned the board with a tooth brush and alcohol. I’ve also re-flowed all the solder joints. Any ideas? I mainly did the project to try to verify, but it looks like others, while still having problems did better than me!
And:
Just a thought: in the last week I’ve built two Zendrives from this fine site, and the Squeezer. Only one Zendrive worked out of the three circuits, and it was the one I happened to build right into the box without using my test rig. I just remembered hearing that some circuits need to actually be in the box with hardware mounted etc. to work for grounding reasons. Could that be my problem here, because the only one that did work I built right into the box, as I’ve done with all previous projects on this site.
hi Harald
Just built the Big Muff Creamy Dreamer and used BC550 transistors instead of the 2n5088’s – they are different pinouts so had to reverse the orientation (I put sockets on the board so I could experiment). Anyhow the box sounds a lot nicer than I expected … The BC550’s are a lower hfe (approx 400) than the 2n5088’s (approx 800). nice 🙂
cheers Hookey
Hello. I don’t understand most of your explanation but the “Hmmm” part seem to speak of the good things to come.:)
Thank you so much for the learning!
Thanks again Harald, as always very helpful!
Hi Harald
Just a quick note to let you know I have built the Korg SDD3000 preamp and it works very well !!
I must thank you for the excellent job you have done on the layout – I havent seen anyone else consistently turn out such compact layouts – respect my friend !!
cheers Hookey
Hi, Jordan. I just had a look at the SansAmp schematic you were referring to and I’m thinking this wouldn’t really work. Each of the three switches use two poles and three throws (DP3T), but the 3 effects switching circuit would only handle one of the two poles required. While you -could- wire two switch circuits to the same momentary stomp switch to create one DP3T (you’d need 6 circuits in total) the circuits aren’t straight switches, there’s pull-down resistors, coupling capacitors in the signal path too that would very likely interfere with the workings of the SansAmp circuit.
But I do agree that is a cool idea. It just requires a slightly different solution. Hmm…
Hi,
It’s me again. The 3 choices of amp models of the SANSAMP GT-2 clone (Tonepad’s) coincide with the three EFFECTS IN on your CMOS switcher. So the newbie in me got to thinking why not use the switcher(or a couple) in place of the 3-position slide switches in the GT-2? CAn it be done?
Thanks a lot for your patience.
Wow, i just built the little angel rev1 last night (my first build of yours) using all components from tayda (cheap) and it works great. I didn’t know it was this iffy. That’s weird. Good luck troubleshooting!
…and thank you, Harald!
-Justin
You’re not alone. If you read up on the related thread at http://www.freestompboxes.org you’ll notice lots of people are having issues with this circuit. There has been successful builds using both versions of my vero layout, and similar results with other people’s PCB layouts, so the problem is most likely the layout but the circuit itself. There’s little I can do, sorry.
Hey Harald,
I went ahead and tried to build the Little Angle Rev1 from your layout and can’t seem to get the dang thing to work… right now I’m just getting what sounds like a siren out of the output… I checked all the components one by one and checked the traces and cuts at least 5 times, also swapped out the ICs to check them and its still not working. Any advice/tips?
If you look at, say, the zen drive schematic you’ll notice the first opamp stage in particular has the signal coming in on one of the opamp inputs and continuing to the rest of the circuit from the opamp output. But the opamp output is also connected to the remaining input through a whole bunch of different components. This is the feedback loop where part of the output signal is fed back to the input. The presence of those diodes, the gain pot etc. helps produce distortion.
Thanks Harald! Oh, by the way, my gain knob had been listed as 3-2-1 top to bottom, but that made it work counter clockwise, so I reversed them and it’s fine. The LED addition I had seen was in lieu of no diode in that spot, so you either used a jumper, the LED, or the double pole double throw switch. If with my very limited ability with schematics I can find out how it worked i’ll report it. I am in the process of learning that stuff…or should I say getting READY to learn it! By the way, I’m embarrased to ask this but what is the feedback loop, and how can I identify it? I’ve tried to look it up, but all I’ve found is stuff about A feedback loop vs. The feedback loop. Thanks again!
Very happy to hear it, Matt 🙂 I’ll add a note for people to try the OPA2604.
As for the gain switch I’m not really sure, but I’ll take a guess. If you use a switch to swap out the diodes in the IC feedback loop with a LED or two you’ll increase headroom (how much depends on the voltage drop of the chosen LED) and the IC will clip the signal less. The result should be a less distorted, but louder output signal.
Hi Harald, so I did the Zen Drive again from scratch…I’ll investigate why the other didn’t work, but now I’ve got a working unit. I tried the TL072 first, as in a previous build…the AD712 seemingly not to be found…then went for the OPA2604, which I had seen in the plans. The 2064 was a huge improvement over the TL072, with a richness much like the original. I then went on to try the OPA2134. Still an improvement over the TL, a big one, but when I put the 2064 back in I knew it was a winner. the TL072 sounded the fuzziest, though a perfectly respectable overdrive sound. The 2134, as I said, was much better than the TL072 albeit a bit less driven, distortion-wise. I’d say the TL072 and the 2064 are the real extremes from dirtiest to…well, highest quality, but still more than adequate dirt in the 2064 for the purposes normally associated with this type of pedal. The pedal just sounds fantastic!
Hey, while I’m here I’ve seen circuits of this type with a more gain switch that activates an LED. Could that be done in this circuit, either switchable or not? Could I replace an existing diode? Thanks a lot Harald…as usual I came out with a great pedal thanks to your layouts!
Thanks!
Hehe, I agree.
Hi Again Harald
I have just finished building the Fuzz Face Silicon version and can verify the layout for you = it works a treat !!
cheers Hookey
Hi Harald
Recon I’ve got dyslexia !! – it was 3:00am when I was building the box 😉
I guess the main thing is that the actual layout is OK
thanks again
Hookey
I’m pretty sure I’ve got both pots the correct way according to how I am used to numbering the lugs. If the pot sits on a table with the shaft pointing upwards and the lugs towards you I count lug #1 – #3 from left to right (there’s an illustration in the “schematics & drawings” section).
As for the preamp, I’ll add it to my list and we’ll see.
Hi Harald
I have just finished building the BBE Sonic Stomp and the TS808
Both work well apart from the TS808 Volume and Tone pot connections seem to be the wrong way round ?
(ie pin 1 should be pin 3 and pin 3 should be pin 1)
apart from this I can verify the layout for you.
Is there any chance you can do a layout for the Korg SDD3000 preamp that people are using to push the Vox AC30 for the Edge’s sound. Schematic here http://analogguru.an.ohost.de/001/schematics/Analogguru_SDD-preamp.gif ?
Hi AudioPhile. Good guess, but they’re actually trim potentiometers.
Hey, noob here.
What are the VR parts? I’m assuming Voltage Regulators but I may well be completely wrong.
Hi, Schnorrire. Start off by making sure you’ve got the 78L05 oriented the correct way. Depending on the manufacturer, model etc. the pinout can vary, so get a datasheet for your specific regulator and double check. I’d also try with another 78L05 in case the one you’ve got is faulty.
If that doesn’t solve it I’d start looking for solder bridges. Some people have luck running a sharp blade down the length of each gap between the vero strips. The continuity function of your DMM can also be of help as can a magnifying glass.
Good luck! Patience, and you can do it.
Hi Harald i’ve got a question about the rebote delay 2.5… I have searched so long for a mistake, but diddn’t find anything…
The 78L05 gives 7.5V not 5V. Do you have any idea where it comes from? I think I don’t have any bad solder joints (I renewed all)…
Thanks and greetz from GER
Thanks, Hookey. I didn’t notice your comment until now.
Great, Marcus! I’m confident you can do it, but do note that the OC-2 is a fairly difficult build. There might be some problem solving and debugging involved. You’ll learn a lot 🙂
I’ve just made my first DIY pedal – and it works great.
It’s an OCD Clone, check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1PJhnYJpbU
I think I might try the OC-2 next.
Thank you!
Thanks Harald, I’m looking forward to it!
I’ll email you the schematic, Matt.
Harald, I haven’t been being lazy about the zendrive with the OPA2134, but I can’t get the circuit to work. I’m trying to troubleshoot using a probe, and of course I’ve reflowed all the solder and made sure the spaces between the strips are clean. I don’t pretend to know much about using the audio probe, but I do know that I shouldn’t hear anything connected to ground. I’ve got 52 successful builds, but I’ve got a few too many hanging around that don’t work, and feel it’s time to get past the obstacles. Any chance of a schematic for the Zendrive? I’ve done searches, but can’t find silent fly. If I could compare the schematic to the diagram I may be able to figure it out. Any chances on this?
Hi Harald
I have just finished building a Fulltone OCD and a Demeter Compulator – both work well
So I can verify the Compulator layout for you
thanks for your hard work – its appreciated 😉
Hookey
Thanks for letting me know, Hookey!
Hi – Just built the wampler cranked AC – it worked first time and sounds really good so layout verified. Any chance you can do a layout for the lovepedal engilishman??
cheers Hookey
Thank you so much. This will be my first DIY FX project.
more power!
Hi, Jordan. There’s no reason this shouldn’t be doable, but you have to make sure your caps are rated 25v+. Good luck!
Can the seventh heaven accept an 18v supply? Will there be any changes in the parts?
Thank you so much. I still have to build one of your lay outs..
Jordan
philippines
That’s great, Matt. Thanks for the input. I’m going to try one of those when I get around to this circuit myself 🙂
Okay, so I’ve completed a Zendrive that was slated for TLO72 (my earlier reference to TLO17 being a typo!). I first tried the TLO72 and played for quite a while. It did sound very nice – nicer than an older version I made with one of those. Then I switched for the OPA2134, and suddenly it was richer and more nuanced. I may throw one into the older build, and will definitely try as soon as I get to yours!
Hi, Mark. Yes, there’s 10 switches in all. These are all internal in the original, either on-board DIP switches or jumpers. As for the labeling on the layout it’s: SW . With ten switches it gets confusing quickly, I can see that.
It’s a bit hard to explain without drawing it all, but take the “Bass 1” switch as an example: (I’m assuming either an SPST off-on switch with two lugs, or an SPDT on-on switch with three lugs where the center lug is “2” and the “1” lug can be either side lug) “Bass 1” lug #1 has one wire connecting it to the corresponding label on the board (“Bass1 SW 1”) and “Bass 1” lug #2 has two wires; one connecting to the board (label “Bass1 SW 2”) and one connecting to lug #1 on the “Voice” switch. And so on…
I guess I should draw full wiring diagrams for each layout, but that takes a lot of time. We’ll see.
Hey so I have a question about the Fetto. From what I can tell it has 10 switches. Is this correct or am I reading the layout wrong. Its pretty confusing withe the Gain2 SW1 Gain1 SW2 and the rest like that. SOme clarification would be great because mine doesnt work and Ive built it with 10 switches.
Please do, Matt 🙂
Thanks Harald, I also did a search and found that the OPA2134 is a more expensive but noticeably better (in the opinion of the users) component. Also, the first guitarpcb.com version used the TLO17. Since I had built one of those I will put an OPA2134 in there. If it’s that much better I’ll try it in yours, and will report the outcome.
Hi, Matt. If I’m not mistaken the AD712 is a standard pin-out dual opamp, meaning there’s a whole bunch of different ones you can try substituting. You probably have a TL072 or a 4558 around. May or may not sound as good, but they should at least work.
Hi Harald, I was wondering…I want to build the Zendrive but can’t find an AD712 from any of the usual suppliers. Any suggestions or workarounds? Thanks, Matt
Nice work! this is a GOLDMINE! hats off to you!
Thanks, ibodog.
Love the epic vero layouts! Outstanding!
Fantastic 🙂 Thank you for helping me
Hei, Kristian. You want the drain pins in the region of +4.5v and +5v approximately, though this may vary slightly with different FETs. I still recommend an audio probe (or an oscilloscope) for easy adjusting, though. You can find the recipe for a DIY audio probe at http://www.geofex.com, which you simply use to probe the drain pin on each FET stage starting with the first one. This’ll let you tune each by ear alone. Good luck!
Hello, Harald! Just one question about the JCM800: What should the voltage readings be on the transistors q1 – q6? I’m a complete newbie, and don’t know how I should adjust the trimmers 🙂 Greetings from Trondheim
Yes, I’ve got noise gate scribbled down already, but I don’t know anything about these so I’m more than welcome to some suggestions/pointers.
He Harald,
a descent noise gate would be very welcome!!
any chance on putting it on the list??
just built the OCD…sounds great!! thanks for the nice layout.
Great, thanks.
revision of the angel is verified..
Thanks for verifying, wlad! Do you mean revision 1 of the “Little Angel” or are we talking about the modulation add-on to the Aqua-Puss?
Hee Harald, chorus rev 2 is verified…works like a charm.
Thanks, Dennis! I’ve updated the layout.
The Ampeg Scrambler is almost verified. C3 orientation needs to be reverse and then it works great. Built and working with the change to C3.
Perfect. Thanks!
Hi, Marco. Try http://www.mouser.com, part # 513-NJM3404AD. It’s not the ‘AL’ version, but in my experience you can usually ignore those last letters on ICs. I’m guessing the AL version just indicates a different packaging. In any case, I used the NJM3404AD with luck.
Hi Harald,
Quick question on the DS-1 – Keely. I’m having a hard time sourcing an NJM3404AL. I’ve found a couple hits on ebay which offer the 3404AD…will it work the same? Can you point me in the right direction?
BTW…completed the Rebote 2.5. Just awesome.
Thanks!
It may or may not have been a mistake, but the labeling on the layout doesn’t follow the labeling of the schematic at all. Looks like I might put some more effort into this area in the future.
The C11 on my layout corresponds to C7 on the schematic and it’s an electrolyte. Also note that I used an electrolyte for C2 on my layout since a 2u2 regular capacitor is physically pretty large (make sure to orient it so that the negative side connects to the same strip as C11; ground).
Thanks Harald. Will presume that C11 is correctly absent from the schematic although still on list.
The layout is correct according to the schematic. For one reason or another I had to swap those two caps when I was doing the layout, and the software didn’t resort the list.
Harald, Excellent site -many thanks. Just started building Snow White Auto Wah. Just quick check on labelling of capacitors C8 & C7 onthe schematic. List order is reversed. Keep up the good work!
Thank you. I’ll also assume that Body 3 from board go to BODY LUG 3 and daisy chains to Gain 3 as well.
Thank you for your work. Looking forward to building the Diablo and Squeezer next two weeks (as well as Rick Holt’s Red Dwarf Booster.)
PLAY IT LOUD!
jhl
http://147pedals.blogspot.com
Yes. You can of course connect the input lead to the free pad on the board as well (n3), but a daisy chain from n1 via Feed lug #3 to input is how I’d do it.
One question about the OKKO Diablo – am I right in saying that the input goes through the FEED lug 3 to the Feed 3 input on the board (n1)?
Hi Harald i love the layouts you made for anyone…You Are the man.
I built the lil secret and it sounds awesome. Thanks alot.
I added a 470nf cap parallel with R3 (10K) and found more gain, at least to my ears. Its hard to compare with the youtube videos, but i like it.
I was wondering if you have sound clips of some of the stuff you built.
Again many thanks for all your work
Harald,
Among all your compressor layouts, which one would you favor for David Gilmour sounds ?
Thank you !
Hey. I keep checking back and saving your layouts. You have some awesome projects you offer and even more greats on your to do list!! And I love that you update so often with so much goodness!! Thanks!!
Congratulations! Now it’s time to start on your next one 🙂
Harald…just finished my first pedal, the Little Angel Chorus. Sounds great! Many thanks!
Thank you. You really are too kind 🙂
Found it Harald…thanks so much.
By the way…stumbling onto this page has pretty much made my year. You rock.
Hi, Marco. Have a look in the “Schematics & drawings” section. You’ll find a picture showing the off-board wiring, including the stomp switch.
Hey Harald,
First, great work on all these layouts. I’ve got a quick question about the Baja Trembulator. I noticed that there seems to be a “Tempo” switch shown in the layout, however there’s no mention of the stomp switch. I’m planning on using a 3pdt (ordered a bunch), can you point me in the right direction in terms of wiring it up?
Many thanks!
Thanks for verifying, Ian. And a nice site you’ve got there as well. Keep it up!
I built the green ringer based on your layout, sounds great.
You can verify that now if you like.
http://hownotomakeapedal.blogspot.com/
As always Harald, thanks a lot! I’ll give it a try and get back to you. Matt
I based my layout on a schematic by R.G.Keen of geofex.com which calls for a 10nF capacitor (C3 on my layout), but I notice Tonepad.com has a 1nF instead. You could try changing C3 to 1nF and see if it brightens up somewhat, or perhaps somewhere in between (4.7nF or 2.2nF maybe?).
Non-polar electrolytic. I don’t know when this effect was designed, but it was a long time ago (70’s?) and I don’t think they had access to small 1uF capacitors like we do today. You should be able to swap these with regular 1uF caps.
Harald, in the Colorsound Supasustain diagram C4 and C7 are listed as having values of 1ufNP. Just curious as to what the NP is. Thanks, Matt
I’ve successfully completed the Dynacomp with Janglebox mod, and it’s really cool. The only thing is, I’d like to see maybe a little less extreme difference between the two modes. I’ve got what is basically a tele with a humbucker in the front, so the standard mode sounds a little to bassy on the humbucker but good on the lollar tele treble p/u, and the jangle sounds good on the humbucker but a bit piercing on the treble. I was wondering if there’s a mod that would give maybe a bit less contrast. Other than that, I love the pedal, and all the ones I’ve built from these layouts, and am truly grateful for all the info you provide free of charge. Thanks! Matt
Excellent. I’ll update it to verified then 🙂
I have just finished building the Dirty Little Secret. What a killer OD, awesome !
Thanks a lot for this fine layout
Hi Harald,
you can classify your orange squeezer vero layout as verified. I’ve built it successfully. Thank you so much!
I suggest you ignore everything labeled “infinite”, connect one side of a 15k resistor to “Repeat 2” and connect the other side of the same resistor to where it says “Infinite SW 2” on the board.
Very happy to hear it. Thanks for verifying 🙂
Hi! 🙂
I’d like to build the rebote 2.5 without the infinite switch… what do I have to change on the layout? 🙂 (if you can add a “clean” layout, it would be easier for me to work it out!)
Hi
Just completed the Okko Dominator and it works very nicely. I used two 1n5819 schottkys instead of the two 1n4004 in the voltage doubler in order to get 15 volts from the 78L15. The voltage doubler itself produced almost 17 volts.
Thanks Harald, and will check into the mouser thing!
Perfectly OK. Incidentally I believe I picked up some Xicon 50nF green caps from mouser, try mouser # 140-PF2A503F.
Hi Harald, on the DynaComp w/ Janglebox mod I’m having an awful hard time tracking down C7, the 50nf one. Even mouser only has a real high voltage one…and I think they tend to be huge. Small Bear pretty much jumps from 47nf to 56nf regardless of cap type. I’m guessing you’re suggesting film. Is it OK to use 47nf (.047uf) instead, or do you know where I could find the 50nf? Thanks, Matt
OK Harald,will do.
Hah. I didn’t even know there was a shaded area on the electrolytes, and I guess that answers your question. Go with the explicit (+) signs.
Hi Harald…Going to build Catalinbread Merkin Fuzz but i notice in the layout that C8 has a positive sign on the shaded area which usually indicates the minus side of the cap.Which should be the correct way…Robrhy
Hi
Yeah i used 2n5952 transistors and they were very very matched :D. Aparently there was a short between two strips of vero that was invisible to a human eye. I now have them both working and phasing.
Hi Sannu. I recommend you use sockets for the transistors, at least the 2N5952s. You won’t fry them and it makes it easier swapping them later. You should really get them matched.
As for the Dominator, I’m not certain at all. Haven’t verified it myself, only drawn it from the schematic in that thread.
Thanks for verifying the Phase 90 layout 🙂
Hi Harald,
I just built two phase 90 pedals using your layout. One of them works really well and the other has no phasing so again I quess you can say the layout is verified :D. Do you know how sensitive the 2n5952 are to heat? I think i might have fried one. Next I’m gonne have a go at the dominator. How certain are you that the C6 in dominator is 100pF? 😀 Looks like the dominator thread in FSB forum has been forgotten.
Thanks again
Sannu
I finished a few days ago (didn’t box it though) the JCM 800 emuulator.
After biasing the trims (VR3 is a bit tricky), it sounds very nice, a lot of gain and great tone.
But…only 2 pots (preamp gain & volume) have some effect on the sound. I can twick the 4 others (MV + TMB tone stack) in all ways, they don’t affect the sound at all ??
(I at least triple checked their wiring and the pots are ok)
Thanks for the heads up, Dan. I don’t agree on C14, but other than that I have to admit my knowledge on electronics theory is fairly limited. Are you certain of the other three caps (C12, C13 and C15)? I built this myself (albeit a long time ago) and I don’t recall any popping issues.
thanks for the great layouts and inspiration! just wanted you to know your Ram’s Head big muff has three of the capacitors backwards (C12, C13, C15), I think you looked at a PNP schematic probably but it should be NPN. I built it your way and there was a loud footswitch pop. flipping the caps fixed this. I updated your layout with some mildly annoying added comments here: http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/monkeyxx/Big-Muff-Pi-Rams-HeadVERIFIED.gif
Ah ok, in that case yes, you may actually have the others wired in reverse. They now are all right on my build
Hmm, the treble, gain and volume wiring looks correct. The lugs are numbered 1, 2, 3 with the shaft pointing up and the lugs towards you. But maybe I’ve got the other pots wired in reverse… I’ll have to find my own Boogeyman circuit and test this as soon as I find the time.
Excellent, Denis! I’ll have another look at the wiring on the layout, thanks for the heads up.
Not sure I have the time to also maintain a forum, but I’ll keep it in mind.
Hey Harald, back with my Boogeyman, it works now as a charm !
Here is a pic : http://nsa26.casimages.com/img/2011/01/30/110130120042139223.jpg
I just had to reverse pins 1 and 3 on gain, treble & volume, they are wired wrong on your layout (i had full volume, treble & gain with pots set at 0)
Thanks very much for your input, the JCM800 emulation is on its way 😀
(BTW, it would be a great idea if it was possible to open a forum section on your site, too share and debug our builds)
Thanks for verifying the layout, Sannu!
Hi there! I just built the Snow White autowah based on your vero layout and it works quite nicely. So I guess you can say the layout is pretty much verified. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Sannu
awesome layouts! definately want to try anm EQ and a Compressor
Denis, I double checked the layout ad it looks correct. I also compared the layout to my working circuit and it’s correct. Hope you manage to pinpoint the problem.
Yes you’re right, this is what I’m gonna do next.
Thank you very much for your help, Harald, much appreciated
I do it the other way around; wire my guitar to the input and plug an audio probe in a small practice amp. While strumming I then follow the audio path with the audio probe right from the input and through each stage of the circuit until I find where the sound disappears.
I guess you should also go through the regular debugging routine, but I’m sure you’re familiar with this. There’s a nice one at geofex.com.
I’ll pull up the layout and double check it in case I’ve accidentally uploaded an early version or something, just in case.
Yes, I biased all of them to 4.5V on the drain.
To try to locate the problem, i plugged the output to the in of my amp, then a jack in my guitar, with the wires free on the other side of the jack.
While strumming the strings, i grounded the ground wire and put the tip on the gate of Q4, to simulate an input on Q4. Still no sound.
I guess I have to focus between Q4 and the output then
Thanks for your answer
Denis
Yes, I’ve got a working circuit myself. Did you remember to bias each of the JFETs properly using the trim pots? Use an audio probe and, starting with Q1, listen to the output of each transistor’s drain pin. You can now tune the corresponding trim pots by ear to where it sounds good.
Harald, is the vero layout of the Boggeyman verified ?
(I finished the board and wired it without the switch, I double checked everything and have no sound).
Thank you very much
wheres the soundclips?… 🙂
its nice to know what these fx sound like before building!!!!..
thanks rob.
Glad to hear it, guys. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more enjoyable and rewarding hobby 🙂
By the way, feel free to make suggestions if there are particular effects you’d like to see here. There’s a good chance I won’t be able to help you, but you never know. And I think it’s nice to know what other people are looking for.
Thank you for taking the time and effort to put all this information on here. I’ve just started building pedals (kits) and now I’ve seriously got the bug. Kinda like golf…. Something else for my wife to @&^%! about. Thanks again!
thanks for the great resource! I’ll soon probably end up building several of these. your selection is very tasteful, and I’m super keen on this veroboard thing now that I realize how versatile it can be. I’m glad you don’t just have fuzz overdrive and distortion, too.
Yes, that’s how I did it, and it works just fine.
Harald, I just wanted to let you know that I finished the build, and love it – it’s one of my favorites that I’ve made…that is the OCD. If I may, one other question about the digital reverb: I checked the build plans on the GGG website and noticed the Belton unit attaches to their board, and the pins go neatly into their own holes. I know I can’t do that with vero; do I just solder wire to the pins on the reverb unit, like maybe wrap the wire around the pin and solder it? Thanks, Matt
You’re welcome. Good luck with your build!
Wow, thanks a lot Harald
Yes, Matt. You can run one wire from either lug to the board and place a jumper between the two pot lugs.
But you can simplify this a bit more if you want to. When you see two adjacent pot lugs connected to the same point on the layout (e.g. “gain 1, 2” or “filter 2, 3”) it means the pot is used as a rheostat/variable resistor. When this is the case it’s enough that you connect the middle lug (the wiper), as the other lug (either 1 or 3) is redundant.
Yes, the Belton unit has two sets of pins so those are just to separate the two sets. But I can see how this is ambiguously labeled.
As for the switch labeling; good question! I’m actually not sure what I thought to begin with. I really need to re-draw the earlier layouts…
Take a DPDT switch. It has six lugs, three lugs per pole and two poles. Instead of labeling the lugs of the 1st pole 1, 2, 3 and then the lugs of the 2nd pole 4, 5, 6 I gave each pole a number and designated the lugs of each numbered pole with a decimal point and a lug number. I don’t think that made any more sense than my previous answer.
I really need to re-draw those layouts…
I think I misunderstood about the Verb…that’s probably a hookup for the Belton unit…sorry!
Now I’m wondering if this would be a case of jumpering too?
Hi Harald, I think there’s a mixup here; I wasn’t asking about the trace cuts, I know about those. I was asking about hookups of pots in both cases. First I was asking how to connect two lugs to one connection point on the board, and suggesting I jumper the two lugs to each other so that I have only one wire going to the board connection. Would this be correct?
Then I was asking – I think it’s in the D-Verb diagram, what it means when the lugs from the pots that are connected to the board have decimal designations. Like what does it mean in the D-Verb project on the “M” row of the board at the 22nd hole where it says R1.3, as opposed to 1 OR 3?
Hi Matt. In the OCD layout (and all the other layouts) you’ll notice there are red markings. These represents cuts on the vero track side of the board. Notice that the vero layout is drawn as you would see the board from the component side (non-vero side), and the cuts are drawn as if you could see through the board. You need to flip the vero board over and make these cuts in the vero tracks mirrored to how you see them on the layout.
Did you get that? I’m bad at explaining…
Harald, I was also wondering what it means (I’m pretty new you’ll see) when you designate connections for pots as things like 2.3 and 2.1 . Normally I see these as lug #’s, but I don’t get the decimal point. Thanks, Matt
Hi Harald, nice site! I’m about to go for your OCD Rev.3, and I see that drive 2,3 and tone 2,3 connect in the same place. I’m guessing that one would connect the lugs on the pots to each other and go from a single lug to the board? Thanks, Matt
I just wanted to say that the chorus is now VERIFIED, I have just put it together as per your veroboard layout and it fired up no problem it is also alot nicer than I thought it would be!
great site!!!!!
..and nice layouts…
you’re the best,man!
It wasn’t a missing jumper, but rather a missing 10k resistor from Q1 source. I’ve updated the layout.
You’re quite right. Thanks for spotting it. I’ll have another look at the layout as soon as I have time.
Hi,
there seems to be an error in your Harmonic Energizer Layout. The Cap before the “bypass output”-point goes nowhere. I’m guessing you forgot a jumper around there.
Cheers,
dune2k
Will do! (What would I do without nice and helpful friends).
My new studio facilities are up and running within a few days now.
Bring “da stomps” over and we’ll record soundclips for all of them;)
Hi, Luke. Instead of bringing the volume pot lug #2 to the circuit board, add a 1M resistor to ground and then adding a separate wire for output, I decided to “outsource” the resistor to conserve circuit board space and wire count. What you need to do is place the 1M resistor from the volume pot lug #2 to anywhere on the effect pedal there’s a ground reference. I.e. if you use a typical 3PDT wiring scheme you can place the 1M resistor between “circuit output” and “ground” on the 3PDT itself (in addition to the standard 3PDT wiring). Hope this helps.
How come the output on the catalinbread heliotrope says volume pot lug two goes to output then it say is it goes to a 1m resistor to ground as well?? I can’t figure this out does it go to both or is this an typo on the layout??!! plz help
Hi!
No problem. It works now & sounds great. 🙂
Sorry about that, dune2k. That layout is one of the earlier ones I did, and I’ve since tried to include a note on all hidden trace cuts. But you’ve got a point about including the number of cuts and I’ll keep it in mind.
Harald
Hi,
nice layouts, but you should count the number of cuts and put somewhere in the layout so you can see if you missed any.
I was debugging a civil war muff clone for 3 days or so because I missed 2 trace cuts that were hidden under resistors or capacitors.
Cheers,
dune2k
Send a few to me and I’d be happy to record sound clips.
Sound clips is a good idea. Now if only I was any good at actually playing the guitar. I’m having too much fun building this stuff… But seriously, I’ll keep it in mind.
be nice to have soundclips too…thanks
rob
Nice Site! Good Luck!!
Visit my DIY sometime if you would!
GuitarPCB.com
wahheyyy….looks like im the first to post…do i get a prize?…
looks like some great projects there…nice.