Help with FETs for MXR Phase 45/90 (I used the "Search" button!!!)

[frequencycentral]

I would guess the majority of forumites are guitarists with soldering irons.

I would guess that electronics engineers with guitars are in the minority.

I myself am a keyboard player with a guitar and a soldering iron. 

We just want our phasers to work without having to go to night school!

[jacobyjd]

I myself am a keyboard player

Everyone point and laugh!

[frequencycentral]

I myself am a keyboard player

Everyone point and laugh!

You may mock Josh, but without a keyboard player in the band how would you get through 'Are Friends Electric?' ?? Hah - answer me that smartypants!

[DougH]

We just want our phasers to work without having to go to night school!

As always, breadboard it first to test it and experiment. That way you don't tear up your pcb if it doesn't work.

I bought a tonepad pcb to build mine, but still breadboarded the circuit to make sure the JFETs and etc I had would work properly. As I mentioned above, I may have tried different zener voltages to dial it in better, but I don't remember.

If you get into an issue where your matched JFETs won't work with the Zener you have (or resistors you have etc) you may have to delve into the electronic design a little deeper to resolve it. But I'm guessing that 99% of the time that won't be necessary- if you are willing to experiment and try some things on the breadboard first.

[jacobyjd]

Additionally, if you have a PCB, you can still breadboard the critical parts--if anything is in question, I simply solder leads to each pad, then use my breadboard as a temporary socket bay for part swaps I want to test. If all goes well, I desolder the leads and pop in the parts

*edit* and Rick--that's a typical keyboardite assumption--that we actually WANT to get through 'Are Friends Electric?'. It's a worldview difference.

[gigimarga]

Thx a lot all for your help!
I hope I will be able to make it sound OK soon...