Radio Shack IC boards for Distortion + ??

[C Bradley]

Has anyone tried building a Distortion + on one half of those Radio Shack IC boards?

webpage is here:http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F011%5F002%5F002%5F000&product%5Fid=276%2D159
It's just easier for me to do one-off projects on these boards, and they're great for Fuzz Face builders.  :wink:

[casey]

i have used them for years to do all kinds of projects, and
love them for their simplicity.  they have performed
flawless for me..... :wink:

alot of people have probs with radio shack, but i think
that alot of their products have a decent quality to them.
some of their products are cheaply made, like some
of their switches and 1/4" jacks, but not all of what they
have is bad.  namely the tons of pics of radio shack knobs
on diy effects sites.

they (radio shack) are way overpriced!  that's the big prob.  but i notice
alot of pics of diy fx that use very conspicuous parts
from those who deny ever setting foot in a "rat shack."  

[Chill]

I drew up a layout for a son of screamer on one of the mini IC boards you linked.  It was a tight fit but I think it will fit, and that's using a dual opamp rather than a single opamp.  I think they will be easier to use for parts subs than building PTP on the back of a regular perfboard.

The other one I'd look at for that stuff is:


It looks like it might be a bit more flexible for making connections, and still has the advantage of the IC board over general perfboard.  Of course, it's also ~1.5x as long as the mini IC boards...

[b_rogers]

i guess cuz im a newbie i cant figure out how to layout stuff on those boards. there are a lot of pads that are connected, and that makes the final board look way different than the schem. i guess with expierience i will figure it out. i would love to see the son of screamer layout on one of those things. maybe it would help me figure it out if i actully saw one laid out with a schem to look at.

[Brett Clark]

That board is fine for a Distortion +. However, you'll find that soldering on a bare copper board is a pain compared to a tin-plated one. You will need to use an ordinary rosin-core solder (the kind you get at Radio Shack) - the no-clean and water-clean types sometimes don't work well on bare copper.

Be sure to remove all tarnish from the copper before beginning - it should be very shiny and pinkish - not orange or brown. Use very fine sandpaper (600 grit is good) or one of those green Scotchbrite abrasive pads. Do not use steel wool, as it sheds small conductive wires. I never use it around anything electronic/electrical.

After polishing, clean the board with alcohol (be careful!) and let it dry. Or clean it with soap and water and let it dry thoroughly (24 hrs.).

[javacody]

There is at least one layout at Runoff Groove using this board. I'm also a little too inexperienced with circuit layout to use this board in my own layouts.

[C Bradley]

I've used those boards to build simpler effects than the Distortion +. The Fuzz Face is a breeze to put on one; it's laid out just like the schematic. I've even used them for a single 741 distortion circuit of my own design, but I used up every pad, and I didn't have clipping diodes or some of the other things that the Distortion + has.

Is there a layout for the Distortion + using this PCB? That would help a lot.

Thanks,

Chris B

[Scott M]

I used one half of that board to build my first project, the Craig Anderton Tube Sound Fuzz. It looked ugly, and it was cramped, but it worked. I packaged it in a Radio Shack aluminum sheet metal enclosure, no stomp switch. It had a nice utilitarian kind of look to it. Lasted for a few years.

[Ansil]

chris. i will dig mine up for you.

[ExpAnonColin]

I did the first PU on one of those.  It was nice because the pedal was basically just 2 8 pin ICs... the problem was that with all of the caps, I could only have one side connected to board.

-Colin

[RDV]

I've used that IC board for: Distortion + , Blackcat OD, & Little Jem(s).
With a little pre-planning you can do a lot with them.

Regards

RDV

[C Bradley]

Ok, question:

Are you guys using the whole board or just one half? I always figured that RS meant it to be used as two seperate boards because of the break-away design. I've been using 1/2 of that board for my Fuzz Faces, so for $2 I get two boards. I don't know what having a board etched would cost, but that seems like a bargain to me.

Chris B

[casey]

yeah, for what it does, it is a bargain......

i usually use only half of it as well, but i think
they make it connected in case you need a larger
board in that format...... ?  :?:

[Chill]

The son of screamer layout I did is hand drawn and probably has some errors on it...let me see if I can take a legible pic of it tonight and email it to you.  The layout is a bit cramped but there are enough nodes on the board to do it.  For a single opamp circuit, that board would probably work great.

[ExpAnonColin]

C Bradley- I use half.

-Colin

[b_rogers]

well i went to rat shack and got each of the styles of boards to mess with. i came home and was moving some stuff and dropped a 35lb dumbell on my F(*&kn toes..i reset 2 myself and almost passed out. i am worried about my big toe as its purple and twice its size..no work for me (construction) this week. guess ill have time to figure them out. owwwww gotta find those pain pills...

[C Bradley]

well i went to rat shack and got each of the styles of boards to mess with. i came home and was moving some stuff and dropped a 35lb dumbell on my F(*&kn toes..i reset 2 myself and almost passed out. i am worried about my big toe as its purple and twice its size..no work for me (construction) this week. guess ill have time to figure them out. owwwww gotta find those pain pills...

Oooh, that sucks! Put some ice on it, and take it easy for a few days.  

[hodad]

re your big toe:  If you've got an accumulation of blood under the toenail, it's a good idea to pierce the nail in some manner to let the blood out to relieve the pressure under the nail.  It's about the only way to keep the nail from falling off at some future date.  I've just recently had a nail grow back & wish I'd known to pierce it back when I f'ed it up in the first place.

[C Bradley]

Has anyone noticed that the Distortion +'s distortion pot is about useless? Is it just me or is it only useful from between 7 and 10 (full on) on the dial?

Chris B

[Ansil]

yepp you can make it more usefull by forgoing the orignal layout and taking the dist pot and making it 1M and relpacing the resitor in the feedback loop