really basic newbie question

[Dylfish]

ok, i want to understand circuts so im working out how things work and step by step doing basic things to make a simple circut.
i have a few little questions

Im just working out the basics of clipping and decided to breadboard the most basic clipping out.
below is what im doing, I know the diodes clip at approx 0.7v but i wasn't sure on how the battery going in would effect it. Im not looking to filter the frequencies or anything special yet.

Ive used a sim program to workout to see how it works. It is the most basic circut ever, but im wondering how the 9v going into it would go, where i put the battery and if i need anything else to get it to clip.



there isn't any switches or anything yet, im just unaware on how to breadboard this up properly, any suggestions and comments are more than welcome.

we tried without the battery and got nothing, so we assume the voltage by a guitar signal isn't strong enough to clip, what is the voltage of a guitar signal and does this diagram above require anything else to run. The only thing im confused with is where the battery would sit and the effects it will have

Thanks for any replys

[R.G.]

Good for you! It's some effort to get understanding, but it pays back the effort.

The circuit you show does not need a battery, and a battery will not do anything you're interested in. More on that later.

You are correct that a guitar does not provide a big enough signal. A guitar provides an initial amplitude after the pick transient of something like 100mV, more or less depending on whether it's a humbucker or single coil. This is too small to turn on the diodes.

In your simulator, change your input signal source to between 1V and 2V peak, and change the 100K to 10k. Then watch the output as you vary the pot.

The reason a battery might be needed is to power an amplifier of some kind to get the guitar signal up above the threshold of the diodes.

[albatross]

Hi,

Someone beat me to it..

I doubt the circuit would work like that but i could be wrong, without adding the amplifier stage with transistors or an opamp beforehand, then add the diodes to ground, just before the output, if you add more diodes in series, then the clipping with be louder.


Take a look here:
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/richardo/distortion/index.html
and http://www.diystompboxes.com/wiki/index.php?title=Simplemods#Simple.2C_Easy_Mods.2FTips_.26_Techniques

you could create the amz opamp buffer, and then add the diodes on the output, that would do the same thing, just increase diodes for loudness maybe add a control to control the clipping.

[Dylfish]

Thanks Guys!

In your simulator, change your input signal source to between 1V and 2V peak, and change the 100K to 10k. Then watch the output as you vary the pot.

Yeh i tried the circut on a breadboard and got only a clean signal, but that was using the 100k resistor, would dropping it to 10 make it work? due to the signal being less resisted, or do i need a tranny or opamp to amplify it above clipping threshold like albatross mentioned?

[dschwartz]

To make this work:
- cut the wire that goes from in to out.. your'e bypassing the circuit
- make the series resistor lower or non existant (less than 1k).. same for the diodes to ground resistors..
- To make it clip..2 options:
         - Make an opamp or transistor amplifier stage before the circuit to get more than 2v voltage swing...
         - use scotchky (or whatever it´s written) diodes with a really low forward voltage (the lowest you can find)

I strongly reccommend analyzing simple clippers as such as the easydrive or mxr dist +, or the blue clipper...
Read gefoex´s  "distortion primer" and "simple mods" on this forum´s wiki...