Adding a power-on led to a fuzz face

[Electric Eel]

Hello everyone,

After succesfully building a fuzz face, i'd like to add an extra element. I'd like to add a power-on led that goes on when the circuit is completed (by plugging in the input (or output) jack). However, i'm not sure where to best put it in the circuit without it draining/taking away V's or A's from the main circuit.

Here is the layout of the circuit i  used:



Thanks.

[dthurstan]

Most pedals use a stereo jack as the input so when you plug in the battery - connects to the circuit ground, this helps prolong battery life. Having an led in the circuit means you need an extra pole in your switch. This could be a 3pdt switch or using millenium bypass switching circuit. Here are so layouts from GeneralGuitarGadgets for 3pdt & millenium switching;

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/switch_lo_3pdt_tb_battery.gif?phpMyAdmin=78482479fd7e7fc3768044a841b3e85a

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/switch_lo_dpdt_mil.gif?phpMyAdmin=78482479fd7e7fc3768044a841b3e85a

Using either of these ways I haven't found the voltage/current drain noticable. An led will always drain some voltage & current, but it shouldn't have  any significant impact on the circuit.

I hope this answers your question.

Dave

[smallbearelec]

Hi--

Congratulations on getting your FF working! The previous poster's suggestions for power and LED switching are good. Are you happy with the tone? The unmodied and un-tweaked silicon FF tends to sound kinda harsh. This tutorial:

http://www.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/BreadboardSiFF/BreadboardSiFF.htm

picks it apart and discusses biasing, alternate transistors and a few mods. The follow-up article:

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Projects/FurFace/FurFace.htm

shows how I went from the basic circuit to a complete pedal with power switching and in-use LED.

Happy Experimenting!

SD