This is a library of perfboard and single-sided PCB effect layouts for guitar and bass. I'm not an electrical engineer by any stretch of the imagination, just a DIY'er who likes drawing layouts. It is meant for the hobbyist (so commercial use of any of these layout is not allowed without permission) and as a way to give back to the online DIY community.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Angry Beard III

Here's another circuit I ran across will going through the Free Information Society site. It's designed by Jamie Heilman and seems to be like if a Distortion + and a germanium fuzz had a baby. The first stage uses a single op-amp (NE5534 in the original, but others could be used–TL071, LM741, etc) that pushes as single PNP germanium transistor. The orientation of that transistor confuses me and makes me wonder if it should be an NPN, or a PNP flipped 180º. Here's the schematic so you can share in my confusion. So socket the transistor and experiment. I've added the small capacitor in the feedback loop referenced in the schematic notes. Add it if you have some extra noise. This one should easily fit in 1590a.

I don't have a demo of this circuit, but I thought people might get a kick out of how I layout these circuit boards. It's not really a tutorial, but you can get a feel for how I make my layouts. I use DIYLC and then Photoshop.




at
Labels: , ,

12 comments:

  1. UnknownSeptember 19, 2015 at 3:01 AM

    Thanks for giving us a glimpse of your process.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MonOctober 21, 2015 at 4:50 AM

    Hi. Thanks for the demo. Can you help me out please? I'm a DIYLC noob and I don't know the proper sizes/lengths for components. Can you give me the measurements you use for different kind of components? Thank you very much. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. dtgehringOctober 23, 2015 at 9:37 AM

      Resistors are 1/4 watt, which are 0.25" long and 0.09" wide.
      Film caps (green) vary a little:
      1-10nF are 0.25" long and 0.09" wide
      15-33nF are 0.25" long and 0.1" wide
      47-68nF are 0.3" long and 0.1" wide
      100-220nF are 0.35" long and 0.11" wide (they keep getting bigger after that)
      Ceramics caps are pretty much always 0.25" long and 0.1" wide
      Electrolytic caps:
      1-10µF are 4.5mm in diameter
      22-33µF are 5mm
      47µF are 5.5mm
      100µF are 6.5mm
      Diodes are pretty much the same size as resistors (though 1N4148s are about 0.1" shorter)
      All ICs and transistors have a 0.1" pin spacing

      Hope that helps

      Delete
    2. MonOctober 24, 2015 at 11:13 AM

      Thank you very much! :)

      Delete
    3. MonOctober 25, 2015 at 11:35 AM

      I have another question. LOL
      How about the pin spacing of caps?
      Thanks. :))

      Delete
    4. dtgehringOctober 26, 2015 at 9:53 AM

      Film caps 47nF and above span .3" (or more for the bigger ones like 470nF).
      Film caps smaller than 47nF and ceramics span .2"

      That's just what I do based on the components I typically buy/have on hand. It never hurts to measure what you have on hand or look at the datasheets of the components you plan to buy.

      Delete
    5. MonOctober 26, 2015 at 11:48 AM

      Oh yeah datasheets! I forgot those things existed. Actually I have no idea about sizes and pin spacings of box caps. The only type available locally is the mylar green ones. I have yet to order online for the box types so I currently have no idea on their sizes.

      But thank you again for the additional info! Cheers.

      Delete
  3. UnknownSeptember 27, 2016 at 3:26 PM

    This video is so great! I've been wondering how I make my own toner transfers for my own stuff. I had to watch very closely to see how you inverted the board for the backside because I have been wondering how you did that in DIYLC, and then realized that you didn't! I don't suppose you have the normal speed video shared somewhere so we can see the more detail?

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownAugust 24, 2021 at 5:53 AM

    Hi everybody, can anybody help me please. Is the switch needed well a SPST or a SPDT? Cause I can't Find any SPST with 3 contacts. Is it possible to use a 3 PDT? If yes, how to connect it to the PCB? how do I identify the in and out on the PCB (SW 1, SW 2, SW 3 on the PCB)?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Effects LayoutsAugust 24, 2021 at 8:46 AM

      That should be a SPDT, sorry for the confusion. Check out the General Layout Notes tab for switch lug numbering and off board wiring info.

      Delete
    2. UnknownAugust 24, 2021 at 9:15 AM

      Ok thank you for your reply.

      Delete
  5. JDTNovember 23, 2021 at 6:37 PM

    Verified.

    This effect sounds more like a Distortion+ or Blue Clipper than a fuzz, with a hint of ring-modulator thrown in. With the switch in the "normal" position, you can get a comparable gain to the "high" position by rolling back the volume, but you will always have distortion. I tried clipping the switch leads to a pot to get a Dist+ style gain control, but it muffled the sound pretty quickly, even with a c-taper pot.

    Regarding the Ge transistor, I found a diystompboxes thread on this effect where PRR writes:
    "It is not even the right supply polarity for a "transistor amplifier", and the resistor values would make it an awful amplifier. It's gotta be a diode sound-mangler. Draw-in the diodes explicitly. I suspect the 100K and Emitter do little or nothing. So the B-C junction can be any Ge diode or half-dead Ge transistor."

    Sure enough, the circuit sounds the same if you disconnect Q1's emitter or if you replace it with a Ge diode with the cathode in the base position, and the anode in the collector position.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)