New BOOSTER for ya !!!!

[Dragonfly]

I haven't read through all four pages of posts, but I wanted to add my 2cents.

I built it up a week or so ago and I liked it, but I wasn't as impressed with it through my workbench test amp (a Vox AC1!)

Then I took it downstairs to try it through a Fender Blues Deville 4x10. I LOVED it. It made that amp sound so much better I was starting to wonder why Fender wouldn't build a circuit like that into the input of the amp!

For the record, I have tried j201, 5457 and MPF102 in the circuit, rebiasing for wach one. I think I like the 201 best, but the 5457 sounded very similar to me. The MPF102 needed to be biased at the extreme end of the trimpot and never sounded as powerful.

Roger

glad its working out for ya....ive had great luck with the sparkle/deville and sparkle/jmp combos ...it kills with an old marshall !

thats good to know about the jfets...ive tried the NTE458 (best IMO...more output, better breakup when turning the gain knob up, but stays nice and clean with the gain knob down)...the j201 (similar to the 458, less output, slightly less mids, to my ears)....and the mpf102 (less output than either, brighter sounding)....i havent tries the 5457, but early reparts say it sounds a bit "trashier" sounding than the 201 when the gain knob is up....


andy
dragonfly fx

[Dragonfly]

Dragonfly, i was just looking @ the schematic, and noticed the 100K res in parrellel with the 100k log pot. was there a reason for this? If your looking for a high pass filter, i dont think it will affect the guitar frequency range, and it will add a strange taper to the pot, so if you must have a parrelleled 50K resistance there, a 50K log pot would be better, and have a smoother action....

i havent noticed any "strange taper" to the volume pot, and havent heard any build reports mentioning it....but its worth a try, and i think i have a couple 50k pots handy....

one thing i would suggest for future builds, however, is running a 2k resistor to ground from the gain pot lug 1....the 5k pot, as it stands, has quite a bit of "clean" travel before it starts to breakup, and this should help make the taper a bit smoother and more usable...

[bigjonny]

one thing i would suggest for future builds, however, is running a 2k resistor to ground from the gain pot lug 1....the 5k pot, as it stands, has quite a bit of "clean" travel before it starts to breakup, and this should help make the taper a bit smoother and more usable...

A 25kΩ linear pot in parallel with a 6.2kΩ resistor will work nicely to a give 5kΩ range of resistance with a reverse-audio taper:

RED: linear
GREEN: reverse-log
BLUE: 25kΩ pot || 6.2kΩ resistor

See me struggle to realize this in another thread.

[col]

I built a sparkle boost last night out of components I already had and couldn't get any output on my test rig. Then I noticed that the earth wire wasn't connected and nearly blew out my eardrums with the headphones! :shock:  This is LOUD and bright. Now I have to find something to house it in.

Col

[Dragonfly]

I built a sparkle boost last night out of components I already had and couldn't get any output on my test rig. Then I noticed that the earth wire wasn't connected and nearly blew out my eardrums with the headphones! :shock:  This is LOUD and bright. Now I have to find something to house it in.

Col

[GreenEye]

If anyone feels so inclined, drop in a 0.47uF tantalum capacitor for the input cap....I just did and I swear I heard some magic going on.

Best diode combos after the output cap:  2 germaniums & 1 silicon.   Two red LEDs rocks too.

[Alpha579]

If anyone feels so inclined, drop in a 0.47uF tantalum capacitor for the input cap....I just did and I swear I heard some magic going on.

Best diode combos after the output cap:  2 germaniums & 1 silicon.   Two red LEDs rocks too.

cool, it wont do anything to the frequency resonse, but perhaps this is one of the few circuits tants sound really good in...

[RjM]

Could I sub the 1M for a 2.4M? Would it still sound good?

[R.G.]

Yes, it's fine.

[Outlaws]

Would someone be so kind as to post a PCB layout with all of Dragonflys parts for the original?  I see the Sparkster one, but I don't know exactly what goes where.  ANd the other one that is all colorful doesn't show what connects to what.

(sorry, I am a total newb)

[Dragonfly]

Would someone be so kind as to post a PCB layout with all of Dragonflys parts for the original?  I see the Sparkster one, but I don't know exactly what goes where.  ANd the other one that is all colorful doesn't show what connects to what.

(sorry, I am a total newb)

heres a perf layout for the DGS version./....

[Outlaws]

Would someone be so kind as to post a PCB layout with all of Dragonflys parts for the original?  I see the Sparkster one, but I don't know exactly what goes where.  ANd the other one that is all colorful doesn't show what connects to what.

(sorry, I am a total newb)

heres a perf layout for the DGS version./....

You are my hero.

Thank you.

By the way, while I haven't looked very much, 2K7 isn't the same as 2.7K, is it?

[RjM]

Would someone be so kind as to post a PCB layout with all of Dragonflys parts for the original?  I see the Sparkster one, but I don't know exactly what goes where.  ANd the other one that is all colorful doesn't show what connects to what.

(sorry, I am a total newb)

heres a perf layout for the DGS version./....

You are my hero.

Thank you.

By the way, while I haven't looked very much, 2K7 isn't the same as 2.7K, is it?

2K7 is indeed the same as 2.7K.

[Dragonfly]

You are my hero.

Thank you.

By the way, while I haven't looked very much, 2K7 isn't the same as 2.7K, is it?

yep....


btw....ive found its easier to connect my grounds through the board...

in other words, where the perboard has the blue "ground wire along the bottom, run a wire from lug 2 of the output jack to it....a wire from lug 3 of the input jack to it....a wire from the "center" pole of the 3pdt switch to it....a wire from the dc jack "ground" to it...lugs 1/2 of the 5k pot to it...and finally, lug 1 of the 100k pot to it.

it makes everything neater and easier to deal with, not to mention that its easier to trace your grounds and make sure there are no issues...

if you need a diagram, i can probably draw on up.....just lemme know...

andy
dragonfly fx

[bwanasonic]

btw....ive found its easier to connect my grounds through the board...

in other words, where the perboard has the blue "ground wire along the bottom, run a wire from lug 2 of the output jack to it....a wire from lug 3 of the input jack to it....a wire from the "center" pole of the 3pdt switch to it....a wire from the dc jack "ground" to it...lugs 1/2 of the 5k pot to it...and finally, lug 1 of the 100k pot to it.

The alternative (which I prefer) is to ground everything to a jack and only run ground wires from the jacks to the board.  This is kind of the *Tonepad* style that I've adopted.

Kerry M

[Outlaws]

The alternative (which I prefer) is to ground everything to a jack and only run ground wires from the jacks to the board.  This is kind of the *Tonepad* style that I've adopted.

Kerry M

So far that is how I have been doing it too.




Quick question on adding a SPST toggle switch into the connection between the batter ground and the TRS input ground.  That would effectively kill my ground and kill the battery for me without unplugging the intrument correct?  Then I can also still just unplug the instrument and kill the battery too?

Just looking for a double fail safe because I have a horrid tendancy to leave pedals plugged in since I hate unplugging my guitar.

[bwanasonic]

Just looking for a double fail safe because I have a horrid tendancy to leave pedals plugged in since I hate unplugging my guitar.

For me, the best treatment for this is to use a power supply. I wonder how feasible it would be to have an auto-off function in a stompbox? After an set interval of no signal, it shuts off.

Kerry M

[Outlaws]

ok so there are a few different items at Radio shack that I purchased today.  I haven't opened them yet so I can take them back.

So far this is what I got.  Please let me know if something won't work.  lol

Caps.
10uF 35v
1uF Electrolytic cap 50v
.022 Polyester-Film cap - Radial leads - 50WVDC max

Trimmer.
100k Micro-sized Potentiometer - 50VDC - 0.1W


They didn't hjave many of the resistors except the 100k ones.  I already have the 1M, so I am good there.

For the 2.7k resistors, would 4.7k work?  I already have 4.7k lol.  Call me cheap.  :lol:  (But seriously, would I notice a difference?)

Still need the 2.2M, the Tranny, and the pots.

So is the rule that (within reasonable amounts) you can go over the value, but not under?

[Outlaws]

Also, what would be the best way to rig a "pedal is using power" LED from both the battery and/or the AC adaptor?  I want the LED to be on full time when it is using power.  I will still have a different color LED for the effect on/off.

Also I wonder the best way to rig a SPST toggle to effectly kill the power from both the battery and the AC adaptor?

The AC adaptor isn't ground to the wall, so if I rig the round from it into the ground from the battery, and send those to my SPST switch that will control the on/off power function for the pedal for both sources.  Correct?

[Outlaws]

ok so there are a few different items at Radio shack that I purchased today.  I haven't opened them yet so I can take them back.

So far this is what I got.  Please let me know if something won't work.  lol

Caps.
10uF 35v
1uF Electrolytic cap 50v
.022 Polyester-Film cap - Radial leads - 50WVDC max

Trimmer.
100k Micro-sized Potentiometer - 50VDC - 0.1W


They didn't hjave many of the resistors except the 100k ones.  I already have the 1M, so I am good there.

For the 2.7k resistors, would 4.7k work?  I already have 4.7k lol.  Call me cheap.  :lol:  (But seriously, would I notice a difference?)

Still need the 2.2M, the Tranny, and the pots.

So is the rule that (within reasonable amounts) you can go over the value, but not under?

Anyone?

The 1uF is non-polorized.  Is that a problem?