Reddit Guitar Pedal Group Build

By u/colemaj

v.0.1

The Purpose of this Guide: When I learned to program in Python, I was very taken by the teaching philosophy of a book

called “Learn Python the Hard Way.” The author didn’t hand everything to you on a silver platter; he

forced you to search for information and work things out on your own. I firmly believe that the best way

to learn is through discovery, tinkering, and good old fashioned head-scratching. This is as true for

building effects pedals as it is for programming, science, music, and just about anything. Teaching you

to learn how to learn about building your own effects, rather than showing you how to build effects is

going to be the overarching goal of this guide. The internet is full of information on pedal building,

electronics theory, and anything you would ever need to know to build any kind of pedal. This amazing

fact is precisely the barrier that makes learning about guitar electronics so difficult. Over the past two

year, I’ve navigated through a slew of websites (some great, many terrible) to learn about the basics of

DIY guitar effects. My goal with this guide is to show you the path I took, so you can carve your own. I’d

like to minimize the wading through the muck, ease your fears about getting into guitar pedal building,

and point you in the right direction of becoming a tone god.

Why/Can/How

Why should I build my own effects? There is no universal answer to this question, and it differs from individual to individual. The

most obvious reason is the cost savings. While it isn’t a cheap hobby, a $1000 tychobrahe Octavia can be

build for $30. That boutique overdrive (that is really just a tubescreamer with the buffers ripped off) that

costs $200 bucks… again, $30. More complex builds might set you back the better part of a hundo, but

try finding a really solid analog delay with modulation and tones of other features for that price.

Above and beyond price, is that you can really begin to customize your effects to your liking. Do

you have a muddier sounding guitar and want to brighten things up? It can be as simple as changing a

cap. Want more single-note clarity? Audition different op-amps, clipping diodes and transistors til you

find the right one. Hate buffers? Strip them off the design and build a buffer-less version. Pedals bought

pre-made aren’t built with your rig and tastes in mind. Pedals built on your bench-top are.

The reasons are almost too many to list, pedal building is a hobby that challenges you mentally

and tests your dexterity. It gives you a sense of pride to know that sound, that gorgeous overdrive, is

something you put to together. The cred from other musicians is pretty huge, and you’ll quickly have

more guitarist friends (for better or for worse). You can have access to vintage and rare stomp boxes

that otherwise would never grace your rig. Finally, you can even make a little cash on the side by

building pedals for friends.

Can I build pedals?

If you have two hands (you could probably do it with one if you’re creative) and don’t shake too

much, you can build pedals. If you’re colorblind, you might face challenges with some folk’s layouts and

resistor color codes but it really won’t stop you from getting into the habit. You can have a buddy sort

your resistors or you can label them when you buy them and keep them sorted.

How do I get started?

My interest started when I was listening to Hendrix, heard a tychobrahe Octavia and thought, “I

want one.” I headed over to eBay with my credit card ready and figured out that I’d have to skip

groceries for the next 20 weeks to afford one. Some googling led me to websites about building my own

pedal and I got really excited. I headed to radio-shack, got stuff to etch a board, found artwork for an

Octavia online and got to work. The board was terrible, unusable and I killed a patch of lawn with the

acid. I also managed to burn myself with a soldering iron, had terrible luck soldering and quickly quit

building pedals. Clearly this is the wrong way to get started.

Several years later, an older (and maybe wiser) me decided once again to give pedal building a

try. This time I did lots of research, I lurked dozens of forums, checked books out from the library and

read reviews on tons of products. Over the course of a month or so I really did my best to learn how to

get started and tried to make sure I didn’t have a repeat of my Octavia incident. The best way to get

started is by careful research, reading, and really using the community to your advantage (there will be a

list of links). This guide will take you through building your first pedal and push you in the direction of

modifying circuits, learning electronics theory, and building more complex pedals.

Join the Community

First things first, join the community. There are amazing forums at the following websites:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/

http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/

http://www.guitarpcb.com

http://circuitworkshop.com/forum/

http://www.buildyourownclone.com/forum.html

http://www.freestompboxes.org/

I wholeheartedly recommend you join all of them, make memberships and look around. Each of them

has more information than this guide contains, and could keep you busy reading for hours. The folks on

them will be the ones who save you from a botched build, organize group buys of parts, and often sell

one-off printings of PCB board for way-cool stuff.

Stuff to Buy

Unfortunately you will need tool. If you know how to solder, you can more or less skip this section.

Otherwise, here are some suggestions.

The Fuck-it I’m Lazy route:

Buy a starter kit from here, commence building.

http://buildyourownclone.com/tools.html

Tools:

Soldering Iron:

This is the heart and soul of your pedal building. Here are four possible soldering irons. They’ll

all work, but if you want to build more than a few pedals I would seriously consider one of the nicer

ones.

Elenco Learn to Solder Kit At $12.40 with some stuff to learn soldering, this is as cheap as it gets. Don’t

let the price tag fool you though, I built my first 3 pedals with it.

Entry Level Variable Heat Soldering Iron At $20, this is a great budget bet. You can lower the heat for

sensitive components or crank it up for larger parts like jacks.

Weller Variable Heat Soldering Iron $40, this is the Iron I use. It’s nice because the tips are easy to come

by. Make sure to pick up an ST7 tip, because the chisel tip it comes with isn’t exactly ideal.

Solder:

I prefer lead-free for health reasons, but it is harder to use than solder containing lead. Here are

two excellent choices.

Lead-Free:

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/Chandler-Solder-wire-LEAD-FREE-96-5-3-0-5-rosin-p/1100-501-

10f.htm

Lead-Containing

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/Rosin-Core-Solder-Wire-60-40-SN-PB-190-C-p/1100-500-10f.htm

Learn to Solder Kit

If you haven’t done any soldering, I can’t recommend more that you buy a cheap electronics kit

to practice on. It’s a lot better than dropping fifty bucks on a nice kit and ruining it. Here are a few great

options.

Elenco Kit 1 $8

Elenco Kit 2 $9.22

Other Necesssary Tools

Solder Sucker: ($7.00)

http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-Solder-Sucker--

desoldering/dp/B0002KRAAG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363295626&sr=8-1&keywords=solder+sucker

Small Screwdriver Set

Phillips Screwdriver

Crescent Wrench

Electrical Tape

Work Light

Recommended Stuff

Solder Fume Extractor ($40)

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WSA350-Bench-Smoke-

Absorber/dp/B000EM74SK/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1363296395&sr=1-

1&keywords=Solder+fume+extractor

Helping Hands ($7). I can’t recommend this enough, it will make your life so much easier.

http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-7521-Helping-Hand-

Magnifier/dp/B000NQ4Q4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363295868&sr=8-1&keywords=Helping+Hands

Heat Sink: ($1.50)

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-Heat-

Sink/dp/B009VNUZYS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363295644&sr=8-1&keywords=Heat+Sink+soldering

Debugging Probe ($12.99)

http://www.buildyourownclone.com/probe.html

Volt Ohm Meter ($10.00)

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-VOLT-Meter-Voltmeter-

Multimeter/dp/B005EK3NRS/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1363296148&sr=1-

1&keywords=Volt+ohm+meter

Soldering tip cleaner ($7.00) You could just use a sponge, but this is a better option.

http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Soldering-Cleaner-sponge-

needed/dp/B005C789EU/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1363296180&sr=1-

1&keywords=Solder+tip+cleaner

Set-Up

Reading twice, Paying Attention: The most expensive part about pedal building is not paying attention and not reading things

twice. I’ve put wrong component values into a board and completely screwed an otherwise perfect build

trying to get it out. I’ve missed an important part of the build guide and forgot to jumper something

then spent hours wondering what went wrong. You want to read and watch everything that seems

important three times, things that don’t seem important twice. Jot stuff down, take notes, and do

everything you can to be an active learner. This is your money and your sound, might as well make the

most of it.

Works-space

The WorkBench

Be honest, how many times did you read that last paragraph? If it was once, read it again so it

sticks in your head. It contains the single most important piece of advice in pedal building. Once that’s

done lets read about (twice) getting a workspace together then let’s get it together. Your work space

should be sturdy, a workbench is ideal but a desk will do in a pinch. Make sure you have a lot of space

and not a lot of flammable/damageable things nearby. Also, your soldering iron and other projects

might have a lot of electricity running through them so it’s best to work in a dry area. A good work light

will make life a lot easier, some part values are only a little labeled.

Ventilation

Your work area needs to be well ventilated, you will be releasing some nasty fumes and there are only

so many brain cells left after reading this sentence multiple times. A fan blowing out a window is great, a

fume extractor is better. Google will help you find soldering fume extractors in a variety of price ranges

as well as, of course, DIY instructions to make your own. Whatever you do, make sure it has an activated

carbon filter to pull out the really nasty stuff. In my other life I study neuroscience and biology and I

can’t stress this enough… make sure you have adequate ventilation. It goes without saying that you

shouldn’t expose young ones to fumes, and if you shouldn’t use lead solder if you have young ones in

the house or on the way.

A Weller Fume Extractor, $60 Bucks on Amazon but they can be found for cheaper.

Electricity

Your workbench will need power! You’ll need outlets for your lamp, soldering iron/s, fume

extractor, laptop (I use mine for instructions/music), etc… Follow common sense rules and don’t daisy

chain stuff together. Just use a well rated surge protector. If you have even the slightest thought that

water might be nearby, make sure it’s ground fault interrupted.

Assemble Tools:

The first part of your journey begins with learning to solder. If you bought my kit, you should

have most of what you need. Otherwise you’ll need to source it from various locations. We’re not gonna

worry about all of the tools involved in pedal building, just what you’ll need to get started learning to

solder.

List of stuff you need:

A fume extractor (Optional, highly recommended)

Soldering Iron

Desoldering Bulb / Braid (Included in Kit)

Solder (Included in Kit)

Helping hands (Included in Kit)

Magnifying Glass

Work light

Needle-nose Pliers (Included in Kit)

Wire Cutter (Included in Kit)

Wire Stripper (Included in Kit)

Something to solder (Elenco Learn to Solder Kit)

Exacto Knife

Vice (Optional)

Small screwdrivers

Phillips head medium sized screwdriver

Crescent Wrench

Needle Nose Pliers

Fire extinguisher (make sure it’s rated for electrical fires. NEVER pour water on electrical fires).

This list is not comprehensive, but just a good starting point. Get these things together and organize

them however you like. I keep a toolbox nearby with most of my tools in it and the soldering iron is a

permanent fixture on my desk.

Soldering

Reading/Watching material The internet is full of guides on how to solder. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’m going to

point you to a guide that I think is top notch, on a site that is top notch (Guitarpcb). Read this guide two

or three times before you even open your soldering iron. Additionally, watch the video in the guide.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4

Forum Post: http://www.guitarpcb.com/apps/forums/topics/show/3074484-soldering-techniques-for-a-

single-sided-board

That post has a ton of information, and even links to decent soldering irons. If you bought my entry level

kit you’ll likely want to replace the iron you got at some point in time and the recommendations he

makes are pretty good.

Doing! Now that you’ve read all about it you’re ready to get started soldering. Pull out your soldering

iron. Don’t plug it in yet. Hold it in your hand and get a feel for it. Practice holding it up against one of

the elenco practice boards (or whatever you’re using for practice). Practice your soldering technique

cold, bringing the iron down with one hand and the solder with the other. It sounds silly, it will feel silly,

it will look silly, but it can’t hurt.

After futzing for a while, plug the soldering iron in and put it in its stand. Give it a few minutes to

warm up, and go get a sponge ready for cleaning the tip (if you don’t have a tip cleaner). Again, I don’t

see much point in reinventing the wheel. The elenco kit comes with some fantastic instructions, so

charge right on ahead and build away. If you get the first working, call it quits for the day and take a nap.

The next day, build the second kit. Sleep consolidates memories and will really help drive home those

new skills. Don’t worry too much about how all of it works, or what the components are. We’ll touch

more on that later. A few big tips to keep in mind:

1. Always Keep your tip clean

2. The metal is very hot; it will burn you instantly on contact. Treat burns like proper wounds. Do

not drop the iron in your lap.

3. Heat sink or use sockets for sensitive components.

4. Double check part values and orientation.

5. Leave solder on your tip when you’re done

a. Electrolytic capacitors (the big metal canister shaped ones) are polarized and can only

go one way.

b. Polyester film/Box/Ceramic capacitors can go either way. For more information on

capacitors, check out: http://www.beavisaudio.com/techpages/Caps/

c. Resistors can go either way

d. Diodes are polarized and can only go one way

e. Transistors have three leads and the leads must match the schematic. Sometimes

they’re called CBE, or DGS, just double check the documentation.

f. Generally, Positive=RED=+ wheras Ground=Negative=BLACK=- Switching these up

effectively makes most of those crucially oriented parts backwards and wreaks havoc.

g. IC’s are the little box like parts with 8/16/12/ or some other odd numbers of legs. They

have an orientation and usually have a dot on the corner of the one pin or a notch to

indicate the direction. There is typically a corresponding notch on the PCB or schematic

indicating the direction.

Troubleshooting If your device worked, amazing! You now have an annoying siren or other little doo-dad to piss

of friends. If it didn’t work, you’re probably all huffy and upset. Don’t worry, my didn’t quite work the

first time. It sounded super weird (I had the transistor backwards). Here’s how I trouble shoot

1. Take five minutes; go do something else with the iron off/unplugged. This prevents you from

trying to brute force fix it.

2. Come back and double check all the components. Run the resistor color codes through an online

color code reader; check the orientation of the transistors/diodes/IC/polarized caps. Make sure

you didn’t forget a part, or a jumper. Make sure you have a good battery.

3. Double check your soldering. Make sure you don’t have any accidental shorts from adjacent

solder points. Break them with the tip of your soldering iron if you do. You can use your multi-

meter to check for shorts.

4. To check for shorts with a multimeter, set it to a low ohm setting and put one probe on each of

the solder blobs. It should not read zero. If it does read zero, double check to make sure the

pads aren’t connected by a trace on the board. Use the schematic to see if the pieces are

supposed to be connected.

5. The opposite is true if you’re looking to make sure two parts are connected. Using the schematic

as a guide, ensure that the ends of parts that are supposed to be connected actually are. Probe

the two blobs and it should be zero.

6. For more info on how to use a multimeter: http://learn.adafruit.com/multimeters/

7. Still not working? Take a break and let it sit overnight. Double check everything again. It’s

possible you fried a sensitive part like the transistor/IC. The one down side to the elenco kit is

that it doesn’t come with sockets. Regardless, you learned how to solder and that’s the whole

point of this little exercise!

Build your very own first pedal! If you’re still uneasy about soldering, I recommend picking up the confidence booster from

BYOC. You can get it at the link below. It’s $15 bucks and is a working, real life guitar effect. It’s not in a

box, so you won’t get any real life use out of it… but It’s a great stepping stone between the elenco kits

and an actual pedal.

http://www.buildyourownclone.com/confidence.html

Now that you’ve learned to solder, you can start getting into building your own pedal. There are

three good routes to go, the first two will be covered in this guide.

1. Pre-made kit (Most expensive, Easiest)

2. Sourcing your own with a fabbed PCB (Middle expensive, middle difficulty)

3. Sourcing your own and making a vero PCB (most work, cheapest)

If you want to do vero, here’s a tutorial

http://diystrat.blogspot.com/2011/05/building-quick-brian-may-style-treble.html

Buying a pre-made Kit: If you’re looking to buy a pre-made kit you should certainly start with something simple. The

simplest of pedals are typically boosters, and you’d be surprised how much a booster can add to your

rig. Here are two great choices for first kits. If you pick up a pre-made kit, skip ahead to the construction

section.

Jack Orman Mosfet Boost ($45): Great DIY Classic, simple boost and sounds great

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/Jack-Orman-MOSFET-Booster-p/kit-jckrmn-mosfetboost.htm

Stage 3 Booster Guitar PCB ($48): Another awesome boost.

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/Stage-3-Booster-pedal-kit-from-GuitarPCB-com-p/kit-gpcb-

s3b.htm

Sourcing your own parts This is what you’ll mostly be doing during your pedal building experience. It’s a lot cheaper than

buying a kit, and as you accumulate other parts you won’t need all of the stuff that comes with most

kits. This is going to walk you through the seemingly confusing part of sourcing your own parts.

Choose a PCB

The first thing you want to do is to find a PCB that you’re interested in. For this example we’re going to

use a board that MadBeanPedals puts out, but you could conceivably adapt it to another board. I really

recommend starting with a simple build such as this one, because there is the least possible amount to

go wrong. The pedal is called the ThunderPuss and is based on Jack Orman’s Mosfet boost. It can be

picked up for $5 on www.madbeanpedals.com

Looking at the Bill of Materials (BOM)

At the top of the build document, is a list of materials and a picture of the PCB (in this case). This

contains all the information you need to know to order parts. It looks like this. Read the build document

three times. Then a fourth.

Buying Resistors

Eventually you’ll want to buy kits of resistors, so you have a lot on hand. Small bear electronics

has a great selection of Parts Kits. For pedal building you’ll typically want resistors that are ¼ or ½ Watt

rated, 1% tolerance, metal film resistors. If you buy your resistors from Smallbear, Mammoth,

PedalPartsPlus, or tayda you can’t really go wrong. The wattage rating is the amount of power than can

be dissipated. The percentage is the tolerance. When you buy a 3k3 resistor, it’s supposed value is 3300

ohms, but its actual value may vary. A 1% tolerance indicates that the true value is from 3267-3333

Ohms. 5% Tolerance, carbon film resistors will also work but the price difference doesn’t typically justify

it. Metal film resistors are cheap. Go to your favorite website. Taeda is dirt cheap but has a somewhat

limited selection and might take a little longer to ship. I’ve never ordered from them, so I can’t

guarantee anything. Mammoth is a little pricey but has a great turn around time and a super nice

website. Small bear electronic has a funky website but is well loved in the community. Browse all three

and figure out which of the three you’d prefer to order from.

Some notes about prefixes. M means meg. 1M = 1,000,000 Ohms. K mean thousand. A 3k resistor is a

3000 ohm resistor. Sometimes, the k is used like a decimal point for thousand. A 3k3 resistor = a 3.3K

resistor. Finally, R is used to clarify that it is not K or M, a 300R resistors is a 300 Ohm Resistor. In this

example, we need 1x 10M resistor, 2x 2.7K resistors, 1x62K resistor and 1x 100k resistor. Sometimes I

buy extras in case I botch something up. Anyway, visit these sites. Add the resistors you need to the

cart. One thing you can do is add your parts to carts in each of the websites, and compare prices

afterwards. Below are the links to the resistor pages.

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/resistors/1-4w-metal-film-resistors.html

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/1-4-Watt-1-Metal-Film-Xicon-Resistors-p/110-271-rc.htm

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Categories?category=Resistors+1%2F4+W+1%25+Metal+Film

Buying Capacitors

Capacitors aren’t as straightforward as resistors. The type of capacitor is going to depend on the value of

the capacitor, a great review of capacitors can be found here on the beavis audio page. Most pedals

require radial capacitors (both leads coming out the bottom). Double check the build materials, but this

is almost always the case. For voltage rating, it will need to be higher than the voltage of the pedal. A 9v

pedal can get away with 16V caps, but higher values (35V and 50V) are recommended. Sometimes, with

high value caps, like 100uF it’s best to go with 16V for size reasons. Large voltage rated capacitors are

typically larger, as are larger capacitance capacitors. Here are the general rules:

Conversion factor: 1uF = 1000nF = 1000000pF.

pF (picofarad values): These are the smallest values and you would order ceramic disc capacitors. In this

build example, we need one 47pF resistor, so we would add one to our shopping cart. Here are the

location of pF ceramic disc capacitors for each of the three websites we looked at earlier. Picofarad

capacitors are non-polar, so they can orient either way.

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/capacitors/ceramic-disc-capacitors/test-group-2.html

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/Xicon-Ceramic-Disc-Capacitors-p/303-50v.htm

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Categories?category=Capacitors+-+Low+Volt+Ceramic

n or nF (Nanofarad values): These are middle range values, and are also non-polarized so they can be

arranged either way. For these you’ll typically want to buy box film capacitors, though polyester film

capacitors will also work. Box film capacitors are typically smaller and look a little nicer. On this PCB, the

silkscreen (writing layer) indicates a rectangle shaped capacitor for C1, our nanoFarad capacitor. You’d

want to buy a box-film capacitor to make sure it fits. We need a 1nF value. Using conversion, that could

be listed as a .001uF or a 1000pF. If you’re in doubt, type the value into google and it will convert for

you. Go ahead and add a cap to your cart. Remember, these are non-polarized so they don’t require a

specific orientation. It’s worth mentioning that occasionally, box film caps can be in the low uF range,

such as 1uF. Check the document and the pictures on the PCB to determine if it’s a box-film or an

electrolytic capacitor that you need. The reverse is, very rarely, true.

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/capacitors/polyester-film-box-type-capacitors.html

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/Vikiin-Polyester-Film-Box-Capacitors-p/300b-mmk5.htm

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Categories?category=Capacitors+-

+Low+Voltage+Film%3ATopmay%3ATCM07+Box

uF (MicroFarad values): Low value (close to 1uF) can often be polyester film, Tantalum, or electrolytic

capacitors but higher values are always electrolytic capacitors. In this case, we can see the circle on the

board which indicates that electrolytic capacitors are needed. On the schematic, if one side of the

capacitor symbol has a + sign, or is curved it is an electrolytic or tantalum capacitor. If it is just two flat

lines, it is a disc or box capacitor. This build requires 1x 100uF, 1x10uF, 1x47uF capacitor. One other

caveat about buying capacitors… they’re usually listed in really funky ways on websites. Different values

are only available in different voltages so you might have to hunt to find the ones you want. Large value

(50-100uF) caps will need to be purchased in smaller voltage ratings (16V, 25V) to make sure they fit on

the board. Everything else can be 35V or 50V. Often, websites will mention if the capacitors are too

large. If you’re unsure, buy the part in a couple voltages and see for yourself.

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/capacitors/electrolytic-capacitors.html

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/category-s/51.htm

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Categories?category=Capacitors+-+Electrolytic

Buying Diodes: Diodes are pretty easy to pick out, just make sure the diode you’re looking for matches

the diode name called for. Zener diodes are a general term, so they might have a couple different part

numbers. In this case we need one 9.1V zener and 1 1N4001 diode. You might we well pickup a half a

dozen 1N4001 diodes… every pedal uses one.

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/diodes.html

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/category-s/79.htm

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Categories?category=Diodes+and+Rectifiers

Transistors: Transistors are pretty straightforward. As long as you stick to the guitar pedal supply sites,

just match the number. In this case we need a BS170. Since these are sensitive parts, I recommend

buying a couple. Also, you’ll want to make sure to pick up some socket material. It comes in a big strip

and you can break off a piece and solder it down where the transistor goes. Then you can plug the

transistor into the socket. The heat from a soldering iron can quickly ruin a transistor, so this avoids

soldering the transistor all together. If you don’t socket, make sure to use a heat sink

Sockets:

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/620-SIP36-36-Contact-SIP-Through-Hole-Connector-So-p/620-

sip36.htm

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Detail?no=101

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/30-pin-dip-sip-ic-sockets-adaptor-solder-type.html

Transistors:

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/BC550B-NPN-Silicon-Transistor-p/100-1016.htm

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/bs170-bs170rlrag-mosfet-n-channel-60v-0-5a.html

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Detail?no=302

Potentiometer/Variable Resistor:

Potentiometers have two qualities, their value and their taper. Their value is measured in ohms,

much like a resistor. Their taper is either Audio/log (A), Linear(B), or Reverse Audio /log(C). Occasionally,

other tapers (such as W) are required. They also come as either straight/smooth shafted or knurled, I

almost always buy straight shaft pots. The type of knob you choose should match the type of pot you

choose. You’ll typically want 16mm Pots, though 9mm pots might be necessary for mini pedals. This

pedal needs a 5kC pot. While often you’ll want solder lug terminal pots, this particular build has holes

for a PC-mount pot (which is nice… you don’t have to attach the board awkwardly to the enclosure).

Here’s a great guide about Pots:

http://www.beavisaudio.com/techpages/Pots/

Also http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/potsecrets/potscret.htm

Pot Links:

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Detail?no=692

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/RV16AF-41-15R1-C-p/210-100-c.htm

ICs

While there are no ICs (integrated circuits) in this build, they are often used. They have part

numbers much like transistors. If you stick on the pedal sites you should avoid winding up with the

wrong parts. These should certainly be socketed, and they sell sockets on each of the sites that have

different numbers of pins (8, 12, 16) corresponding to the number of the pins on the IC. If the IC isn’t too

expensive, buy a couple.

Other Parts:

Some parts aren’t mentioned in the BOM because they’re assumed (every build requires them).

LED

(Any color is fine, I usually use 5mm). LED’s also require a current limiting resistor; this is just like any

other resistor. A CLR is used to reduce the current flowing through the LED so it doesn’t burn out. Go

back to the links from the resistor section and add a 4k7 resistor to your shopping cart, if you can afford

it add a couple because you will use them. To mount your LED in the enclosure, it’s good to use an LED

bezel, make sure the size of the BEZEL matches your LED size.

LED’s

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Detail?no=332

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/category-s/66.htm

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/leds/round-leds/5mm-leds.html

Bezels

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/category-s/65.htm

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/leds/led-holders-bezels.html

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Detail?no=94

¼ inch Mono/Stereo Jacks

If you’re using a battery, you’ll need one mono and one stereo jack. The stereo jack uses a nifty trick to

disconnect the battery when the input cable is unplugged. Open frame jacks are standard, the mono

should have two lugs and the stereo should have 3. Neutrik and Switchcraft jacks are higher quality and

will last a little longer. If you can afford it, pick them up.

Mono:

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/hardware/6-35mm-1-4-plugs-jacks/6-35mm-1-4-mono-chassis-

socket-jack.html

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/4SJK100M-p/610-1000.htm

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/Neutrik-NYS229-Mono-1-4-Open-Jack-p/610-1011.htm

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/Switchcraft-11-Mono-1-4-Open-Jack-p/610-1012.htm

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Detail?no=558

Stereo:

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/hardware/6-35mm-1-4-plugs-jacks/6-35mm-1-4-stereo-chassis-

socket-jack-3-terminals.html

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/Neutrik-NYS230-Stereo-1-4-Open-Jack-p/610-1010.htm

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/4SJK100S-p/610-1001.htm

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Detail?no=568

DC Jacks/Battery Snaps

There are two choices for DC jacks, Internal nut and external nut. Internal nut can’t be removed from

the enclosure without soldering but look better, whereas external nut can be pulled out. I’d recommend

external nut for your first few builds, then moving to internal nut. A battery snap is necessary if you’re

going to use a battery.

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/hardware/dc-power/dc-power-jack-2-1mm-enclosed-frame-with-

switch-external.html

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/hardware/dc-power/dc-power-jack-2-1mm-enclosed-frame-with-

switch.html

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=battery+snap

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Detail?no=666

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/4SJK-101DC-p/600-1000.htm

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/4SJK-101DCXT-Round-External-Nut-DC-Power-Jack-p/600-1000-

xt.htm

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/4SJK-9VSNP-9V-Battery-Snap-p/610-1009.htm

Stomp Switch

This is pretty standard, a 3PDT (3 Pole, Dual Throw) switch that turns the effect on and off. It’s also kinda

pricey relative to other parts. You usually want solder lug terminal unless your board accommodates

PCB mount.

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Detail?no=20

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/3PDT-True-Bypass-Footswitch-p/800-1005-pr.htm

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/3pdt-stomp-foot-pedal-switch.html

Wire

There is a lot of debate about what wire to use. The wire on pedal sites will generally work great. My

favorite is Barry’s best (listed below). Getting a few colors isn’t a bad idea, debugging with one color

kinda sucks (but it looks nice).

http://www.guitarpcb.com/apps/webstore/products/show/2249043

Enclosure

Enclosures come in a lot of different sizes, I often order from mammoth electronics because they’ll do

drilling and painting for pretty cheap. Size wise, 1590A < 1590B < 125B < 1590BB. This pedal would

probably fit in a 1590A, but it would be tight. I would go with a 1590B or 125B. If you have them drill,

make sure to choose an option with one knob, LED, 1 Switch. If you choose to drill pick up an automatic

punch and stepped drill bit. Use the punch to mark spots, then drill a small pilot hole using a regular bit.

Finally, use a stepped bit to get to the depth you want.

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/4S1590B-p/500-1000.htm

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=1590B

Drill guides

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/tech-pages/45-schematics/249-drilling-enclosures

GREAT VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w6Nu5tMO88

Knobs

You gotta have something to twist. Take your pick of knobs from any of the distributors. Check the

dimensions against the build to make sure they’ll fit. Given that this is a one knob job, any knob should

work.

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/Guitar-Effect-Pedal-Knobs-s/25.htm

http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Categories?category=Knobs

http://www.taydaelectronics.com/hardware/knobs-16.html

Assembling the PCB Here’s a fabulous guide that should be read in conjunction with this one. If my guide gets confusing, look

at this guide too. He’s probably right if we disagree.

http://www.guitarpcb.com/PDF%20Files/Crash%20Course.pdf

Once your parts arrive you’re ready to start assembling your PCB. Since you know how to

solder, and you know how to add parts there isn’t too much to it that you don’t expect. Regardless I’ll

run through it a step at a time. If you bought a helping hand, use it now to hold the pedal in place.

1. Checking the values of each part (yes, learn color codes) push leads of the resistors through the

board such that the resistor is on the side of the board where the writing is. If it doesn’t sit flat, a

gentle tug with needle nose pliers might help. Solder each end down then clip the leads off.

2. Repeat this procedure for each of the resistors, then the diodes. A heat sink or socket might be a

good call with the diodes, as sloppy technique could burn them. Make sure you get the

orientation correct for your diodes! The line on the diode should match the line on the board.

Your board will look something like this (but a different board with different components).

3. Add the socket for the transistor, and any sockets for the diodes. Don’t put the transistors in the

socket yet.

4. Now add the box caps in the same way make sure to check the values.

5. Then add the electrolytic caps, being careful to check orientation. Many manufacturers put a

stripe down the side that is negative, or leave one lead longer to indicate the positive size. Check

and recheck your orientation.

6. Coat your soldering iron in a glob of solder, because it will be sitting for a little bit

7. Use some rubbing alcohol and a toothbrush to clean off the back of the board. You don’t need

to add much and you don’t need to clean hard. This will help you get rid of the left over flux,

which is acidic and will eat away at the board.

8. Now that you have all the major parts soldered to the board, get the pc mount pot ready to

install. I add electrical tape to the bottom of the pot to prevent it from shorting out. Don’t

overdo it, just cover it in one or two layers.

9. Solder the pot in place on the opposite side of the board, make sure to match your pin numbers.

10. Now cover your tip in in iron and take a break. Seriously.

11. When you come back you’re ready to wire stuff up. If you’re drilling your own, check the build

documents for a drill layout. If not… lay things out and make sure everything will fit with some

space. Measure thrice, drill once.

12. There are two routes you can take here.

a. Solder lengths of wire to the board, mount the board and all of the components in the

box and then solder it up according to the wiring diagram (use the one found on your

kit/board manufacturers website or just use the madbean board wiring diagram.)

b. Assemble it all outside of the enclosure then put it in, and tighten the screws.

13. I find I get better results with option A. I strip an 1/8th of an inch off of a 6” piece of wire and

solder it to the board just like any other component. Once I have all the wires connected to the

board, I add the other components to the box and tighten them down with a crescent wrench.

(Be careful not to scratch the paint). Don’t overdo it with tightening, you can break

jacks/switches/pots if you do. Just make sure everything is snug

14. After that, one wire at a time I clip/strip and make connections.

15. Once it’s all wired up… You’re done!

16. I always make a couple quick checks. I test the voltage across the tip (signal) and sleeve (ground)

of both the input and output jack with the pedal plugged in and switched on. This makes sure

that you don’t accidentally put 9v’s DC into your amp or across your pickups. It should be 0

volts.

17. Try it out!

Troubleshooting I was going to write a trouble shooting guide, but these two take the cake and cover everything I would

write. Give them a read if you’re having problems. Then post on a forum.

While this isn’t the pedal you’re building.. it has a great troubleshooting guide.

http://buildyourownclone.com/esvfuzzinstructions.pdf

Also, this guide has a great troubleshooting section

http://www.guitarpcb.com/PDF%20Files/Crash%20Course.pdf

Where to go from here? You built a pedal and you’re super excited but you’re not sure how it works. I can’t teach you

electronics theory but I can point you in some great directions. The easiest place to start is the tonefiend

series. They're excellent guides to breadboarding, learning how pedals work and building some simple

circuits. You can buy all the parts you need to build and box tonefiend projects on Mammoth

http://www.seymourduncan.com/tonefiend/tonefiend-diy-club-projects-resources/

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/category-s/127.htm

To learn general electronics theory, check out allaboutcircuits, read chapters one two and three.

Take your time doing only a little bit each night.

http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/

Beavis audio has a tone of cool breadboard projects and other articles that you should read and be

familiar with.

http://www.beavisaudio.com/

http://beavisaudio.com/bboard/projects/

Here’s a great article on designing your own Tubescreamer clone. Super good read:

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/richardo/distortion/index.html

Finally, read up on the anatomy of a tube screamer

http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/TStech/tsxfram.htm

By now you’re probably pretty obsessed with pedal building and know more than I do (If you read all the

links). Build pedals, have fun and tinker with a breadboard!

Happy heating!!!!

Links

Beginner’s Guides

Soldering http://www.guitarpcb.com/apps/forums/topics/show/3074484-soldering-techniques-for-a-single-sided-

board

Premade PCB’s http://www.madbeanpedals.com

http://www.guitarpcb.com

http://www.musicpcb.com

http://www.byoc.com

http://www.tonepad.com

http://www.olcircuits.com/

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com

http://www.toneclonepedals.com

http://www.muzique.com

Layouts http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/

Parts www.mammothelectrnics.com

www.pedalpartsplus.com

www.smalbearelec.com

www.taydaelectronics.com

http://www.4siteelectronics.com/

Electronics Theory http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/index.html

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/richardo/distortion/index.html

http://www.beavisaudio.com

Misc Drill templates:

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/tech-pages/45-schematics/249-drilling-enclosures