My first Fuzz Factory

[Elijah-Baley]

My new building is a Fuzz Factory. I used this layout: http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.it/2012/10/zvex-fuzz-factory-compact-layout.html. No mods.

The circuit (without footswitch and led) sounds. This pedal is a little bit difficult to setting and I never tried the original, so I don't know if it really works correctly.

Volume: Works, and there's a ton of volume!
Drive: It's also ok.
Stab: I have to set it close to 0. If I set it higher I lose volume and gain.
Gate: More or less like the Stable.
Compressor: I have to set it to 0 for play normally. When it is to 10 I have almost no sounds, just the peaks.

I really don't have the famous noise and oscillating sound of the pedal (I tested it with low volume). I replaced the Q1, 2N3903 with a MPSA14, but no changing about that features.
I had sockets for every caps and transistors.

Thanks guys!

EDIT: Weird thing... I have a bit more gain and volume playing my stratocaster combining the pick up, position 2 and 4.
And I think I have no much gain.

[Kipper4]

This one is nice but you need to spend some time with it to find some differant sounds.
There's a page somewhere with the settings from Zak's user manual

[ode2no1]

seems like the stab knob is wired backwards. it should get brighter and louder the higher you turn it. something is weird though if you're not getting oscillations with most settings. generally the only way to get a fuzz tone with no gating is to have stab way up (or down in your case) and keeping the drive lower.

[Elijah-Baley]

Thanks!

The layout is verified and I trusted on it.
But now I'm looking other layout and schematics, and I see different wiring for the pots. Gate, Stable and Drive too.

For example this: http://i.imgur.com/tB7UTc6.jpg.
I think the pot lugs are: 3 | 2 | 1.

I see a different wiring for gate, stab and comp. I don't know what difference make.

I add the schematic of a kit, this version is sold and verified and wathing some demo on youtube seems work good enough.
http://diy.musikding.de/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/factoryschalt.pdf

This one is nice but you need to spend some time with it to find some differant sounds.
There's a page somewhere with the settings from Zak's user manual

I tried to follow the setting of some video demo of the original, but I can get the oscillation and "8 bit sound". Something wrong I'm pretty sure there's.
The orientation of NPN transistor is clear, no mistake. So the caps orientation.
Early, I was wrong the orientation of PNP transistors, indeed I had very low gain, those are right now, after reading bettere the datasheet .

(I was going to build the vero layout of "Factory de Fuzz", the link above, then I opted the tagboard layout beacause it had the pulldown resistor and a 100R resistor on the 9v, but I forget the it does. )

[hymenoptera]

then I opted the tagboard layout beacause it had the pulldown resistor and a 100R resistor on the 9v, but I forget the it does. )

The 100 ohm resistor is normally the PSU current limiting resistor. In this circuit it sets the minimum setting of the Stab knob at ~ 100ohms. Max setting becomes ~ 5100 ohms. Strange arrangement.. I guess it acts as a battery sag?

[Elijah-Baley]

Thanks for your explanation.
I'm considering to build another layout. Is there something else I can do?

[FUZZZZzzzz]

You can build the Red Witch Fuzz God 2 instead and take the bias trimpot outside 
http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.nl/2015/09/red-witch-fuzz-god-ii.html

[Elijah-Baley]

Thanks Fuzz with a lot of Z! Very cool pedal!

I saved the layout in my stock, but I prefer build the Fuzz Factory, now.
Because it is a classic pedal, famous and it is a must. I really wanted one. Maybe is a wrong reason, but I don't really need it, only I wanted to play it for fun time.

[FUZZZZzzzz]

I know.. it's a modern day classic. The Fuzzgod just reminds me a lot of the FuzzFactory, so I just thought I'd give you a heads up. Since my adventures in DIY took off.. I've never been able to settle on a pedalboard. I just build things on vero and breadboard and decide it doesn't really blow my mind and build something else instead.

[Elijah-Baley]

Thank you FUZZZZzzzz , Fuzzgod is a good alternative, similar to Fuzz Factory and more versatile I think.

I would rewire the Stab pot, and maybe the gate, and take off the 100R resistor, but I could be that the problem?

Had someone built the veroboard layout by tagboard?

[Elijah-Baley]

Solved!
Sorry, I had two spots in contact for mistake. Now it works much better.

Maybe I'm gonna change the pots wiring or some components. And I wanted to do a Fat Fuzz Factory, that one with the switch.

Thanks!

[Elijah-Baley]

I didn't want want a new topic. I hope I can get help here.
I forgot this circuit for a while, and now i test it again.
I think the circuit work, the sound is fuzzy, the oscillations is crazy, but not with the "right" settings.

Just a thing. I don't know why my fuzz factory seems have not enough attack, it is a bit sputting. I can't low the volume of the guitar, nor low too much the pot drive or I get worst the things. My ac128 hfe is about 90 and 110.

Suggestion?

[lethargytartare]

Post your voltages at the pins of the trannys.

[Elijah-Baley]

Thanks for reply.
I link again the layout: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4Px8WQV5YD4/UQ0I73d9oxI/AAAAAAAAEuw/Z9plaUkyW-c/s1600/ZVex+Fuzz+Factory+-+compact.png

Gate: Max; Gain: Max: Comp: Min; Stab: Max. With this setting I can get no oscillating. I got an effetc kind of a Bazz Fuzz with a 2N5088 instead of a MPSA13.

I got these:

2N3904
C: 0.64
B: 0.57
E: 0.00

Q2 - AC128
E: 1.52
B: 1.35
C: 0.58

Q3 - AC128
E: 0.70
B: 0.59
C: 0.69

Indeed, could be something wrong

I had a mistake early, then solved, I had B and C of Q3 in contact. Damaged something?
I'm using sockets for all caps and the 220k resistor.

[lethargytartare]

Next you can google "fuzz factory clone voltages" and compare yours to others.  I'm not the best at this part of the debugging, but here's what I find odd:

- In the layout you're using, the 9v goes through a 100 ohm resistor before getting to the stab pot -- I checked a few schematics and don't see that resistor.  Is that something custom to the layout you're using?
- IF (big if) the Qs are numbered the same in the threads I found and in yours, the 9v seems to have the shortest path to the emitter of Q2, and in the other voltage lists I saw, they were showing nearly full current there (~9 volts) and you're only showing 1.5.  So maybe check your solders between that 9v wire and that tranny.  Maybe look for any shorts along the way too?

[Elijah-Baley]

That resistor is something mentioned somewhere from zvex, kind of instruction or inormation about some zvex pedal. Anyway I thinking of take it off.
And thanks for your advice, I'll check the 9v path.

[Elijah-Baley]

I checked the board, again. I really can't see anything wrong. It appears pretty clean

(That 100R is still there, but this layout is verified, anyway).

The 100 ohm resistor is normally the PSU current limiting resistor. [...]

I measured all resistors (without caps on the board), all correct. Just something strange, my multimeter show me the correct value of the 47k resistor if I take off Q2 AC128.
Transistors oreientation is corrected.
I can't measured the hfe of the germanium transistors, some time is 110 sometime 150.

I read some voltage of some user here.
NPN transistor should be ok, maybe.
The voltage of my germanium transistor are rather low.

I could use some other layout, but I'm pretty sure this should work. My afraid is about the germanium transistors, I wish those are ok.

[Elijah-Baley]

I'm going ahead with this circuit. I'm pretty sure the board is ok, the contacts are ok, the wiring is ok.

My AC128s should be ok, I tried BC558 silicon, and I still have a sputterring sound. I hope the pedal is not right so. I thought fuzz face (this fuzz factory should be alike it) had a good touch sensitive, and if I get low volume of my guitar I can get a clean sound, but in my case I got just more sputterin effect.
Myabe the wiring of this project is bad, I can see different wiring of stabe pot and sometime gate pot.
I tried to take off the 100R resistor, but no changing. Tried to reverse all the transistor, tried to "un-socket" the caps, but this pedal never sound right to me.

It's strange, the board is verified, and it works, but is this the right sound? Sputtering the notes I hit easy and softly? And I can get low the volume's guitar?

This issue is like a Bazz Fuzz with a 2N5088.

Should I change layout?

[Elijah-Baley]

seems like the stab knob is wired backwards. [...]

So my board is corrected. One point for me. The stab is backward. Less ten point for me.
With the Stab at min the circuit sounds "regular".

Now the circuit is out of the box, with high drive settings there's much constant noise, like a engine rumble. It is normal? It will fade away when the board will be into the box?

[Elijah-Baley]

I'm wiring the Fuzz Factory into the box.

After some tests I still got some noises in stable seting with drive to max. And these noise change when I connect in different spot the ground wires.

So, I have a ground wire from the board, one from the volume pot and one from the gate pot. Plus one from the DC jack.
If I connect these wires all together I get an intense noise.
If I put the wires from the DC jack and that from the board on the input sleeve and the ground wires from the two pots on the output sleeve I cancel the noise, but I get another noise like a whistle. A 100uF cap as filter from the power supply doesn't solve fully the problem.

This whistle is loud especially in "two single coil combined" positions with my guitars.

I suspect there's something wrong with the ground wires.

I can cancel every noise if I set sligthly lower from the max the drive pot.

Need help for finish this pedal.

Thank you!