Friday, June 26, 2020
AMZ Mini Booster SMD
What's everyone think of SMD? It seems more and more boutique builds are going that route, and with more parts only be available in SMD form, I wonder how long before it'll be hard to get quality parts in through-hole packages. All that to say, here's a simple etch-able SMD layout of the AMZ Mini Booster. I've left the power polarity diode and power filter cap (folded onto its side) as through-hole as getting the right packages can sometimes be a royal PITA. All the caps and resistors are 0805 size and note that C3 is a non-polarized cap. Should fit easily into a 1590A.
SMD is a way to go and it`s only a matter of time for vital TH components to be out of stock.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteRade, feel free to comment around here as it relates to circuits and pedal build, but if you can't keep your posts more civil and free of racist rallying cries I will continue to delete your comments.
DeleteI will quit building when TH dies.
ReplyDeleteI am legally blind in one eye. SMD is too small for me to reliably build with and too small to effectively repair.
I have witnessed myself that smd designs are much better on noise reduction and I am really willing to go that way but first I need some solid advice like videos for soldering... etc. Does anyone have any please feel free to share ?
ReplyDeleteFrom my very limited foray into SMD so far, it seems if you're going to be doing anything more than just a handful of components (like this layout) a hot air station and solder paste is pretty much a must. There are pretty inexpensive options out there. And there are videos on YouTube showing best practices.
DeleteI know a lot of DIY synth/eurorack builders are pretty much SMD exclusively at this point and figure it's only a matter of time before DIY pedal builders will have to follow suit or end up paying through the nose for basic things like TH 1/4 watt metal film resistors the way people shell out for tropical fish caps and black glass germanium transistors.
Thanks for the solid advice. I reckon the same thing. Smd soldering will somehow be a new expected skill for diy sooner or later. Besides, the components are cheaper.
DeleteI actually prefer SMD components in my own designs because it reduces the amount of drilling I have to do, and after the initial awkward phase, I haven't find it difficult to solder them by hand at all. I've been doing a lot of hybrid designs lately where I use SMD resistors , small value caps (good quality larger value SMD caps are more expensive), and and transistors/JFETs and ICs I have on-hand. I use through-hole for everything else for the most part.
DeleteThe technique I use is to put a touch of solder down on one pad, place the component with precision tweezers, pinch the tweezers together, place the point on top of the component, and apply a tiny bit of pressure. Then melt the solder on the pad with the iron. The component will sink down, and you can remove the heat. Now put down a touch of solder on the other pad(s) so it connects the component with the pad. Then if necessary, I'll add a little more solder to the first pad.
Things that help: Fine tip for your soldering iron, decent pair of tweezers, and thinner solder (I use 0.6mm for SMD)
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ReplyDeleteWhat will be the best SMD caps to replace the good old through hole SMF/MKT/FPK?
ReplyDeleteAnd why did you choose the 0805 form factor? 0805 are max 1/8W (mostly 1/10W) and it is not uncommon to have 30mA@9V = +-1/4W, or am I mistaken.
ReplyDeleteP = V^2/R. In this circuit, even if the full 9V was across the 1K R3, which it isn't, max power would be 0.08W. I don't think I've ever built an effects circuit with full 9V across a 1K or lower resistor. Commonly, you may see a 2 x 10K voltage divider, which would be 0.002W through each.
DeleteIt's something you definitely want to take into account when choosing components for a layout, but in this case, there's nothing to worry about with 0805 resistors.
For getting started with SMD components, I think 0805 is a good choice. They're small enough that they are plentiful and cheap, and large enough that it's not too hard to solder them by hand with a decent pair of angled precision tweezers. I started with a big sample book of 0805 resistors from ebay, with 50 of every value.
I mean 0805 as resistor form factor
ReplyDeleteWhat model/type/size is the 3.3uf? I see your notes abou 0805 but I don't see that as an option in Mouser. SMD is new territory for sure but I'm super excited to give it a go. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis one should work:
Deletehttps://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/TDK/C2012X8L1C335K125AC?qs=sGAEpiMZZMukHu%252BjC5l7YQIh48tMJQEi5vVI%2Fha87dM%3D
Thanks, I was looking at film capacitors that's why I couldn't find it.
ReplyDeletehey dude can you tell me what application is used to design the smd layout?
ReplyDeleteSorry, my English is bad
I drew this up in Eagle
DeleteHey dude, can you make a layout of this Marshall preamp? It's a very good and simple SS amp. THX
ReplyDeletehttps://drtube.com/schematics/marshall/3005.gif
Thanks for the SMD layout. I've been wanting some experience with these little guys, and this was the perfect project for it. The board came together rather quickly and I only lost one resistor. If this hasn't been verified yet, you can tag it. This is a great sounding booster.
ReplyDeleteThanks for verifying!
DeleteHi there, I've been planning to do some SMD layouts on Eagle, but I'm a little bit confused with that gigantic library. Could you share the specific one you used on this layout?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the Eagle tutorials, they are great!!
If you're using the Effects Layouts Eagle library, resistors, caps and transistors are all in the SMD folder. SMD ICs are in the Integrated Circuits folder.
DeleteThank you!!
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