LOOK THE NEW INSANE DISTORTION SCHEMATIC

[j0shua]

you can play whit caps .... imput or auput is ok.... 0.01 to 47Uf is ok! .... caps just help to avoid any bad noise ....

[larseko]

Just sort of completed the circuit, but of course I forgot to buy 500k resistors... dang. I'll have to wait 'till tomorrow then. It wasn't too difficult on perfboard. A couple of hours of newbie soldering.

Lars Erik

[j0shua]

it's ok, you can use 1M pot , and try other resistor

250k resistor and 1M pot por just 1M pot

[j0shua]

nobody wana do the PCb of this? :? :roll:

[larseko]

Ok, I just ordered some more resistors instead. But about pots... there is one called "insane" and one "volume". You say that the first, which adjusts gain on lm386, isn't really neccessary? I thought gain was important on a distortion unit, more important than volume, or am I getting something wrong here?

I'm planning to do the pcb during easter, I think. Will be my first pcb project. I wanted to do the perfboard first, so that I learn more from planning the layout myself

Lars Erik

[j0shua]

Insane = Drive, Distortion etc...

well LM386 can have Gain value 1k to 5k.... if you put more , you can overdistortioning the unit or fry the IC....

remember this unit have a FET (2n5457) N-Channel Silicon JFET
General Purpose Amp, Switch.

There is increased sparkle in the signal. The signal hits the 386 a little harder, due to more signal reaching the amplification stages of the 386. The buffer adds no gain, but there is a perceived increase. The gain control of the circuit is something else unseen this far with the 386 designs. It is simplistic. but funtional at 100%

[j0shua]

PCB for Insane distortion arrive , in 2 days ..... please guys if any one of you build tell us the results .....

[larseko]

Just "finished" the circuit, but it seems like I got something wrong; there's not much coming out from the transistor (2n3819, didn't have the 5457) and on. I can hear a faint signal, but nothing to speak of. Can this be the JFET, or is it more likely some ground connection etc? I have looked over the connections a couple of times, but I really suspect the transistor. Guess I'll have to get a 2n5457 to see...

[j0shua]

i se but the 2n3809 and 2n5457 are not match  my friend

The 2N3809 (NTE312) is an N-Channel silicon field effect transistor in a TO92 type package designed for use in VHF amplifier and mixer applications...

The 2N5457 ia N-Channel Silicon JFET General Purpose Amp, Switch ( NTE 457 )

the pins are not same my friend you can use those ones i write :

2N5458, 2N5459 AND 2SJ201

but remember you need read about transistor pins ( G D S ) are not same all the time
enjoy

[larseko]

Thanks, Joshua, that's what I suspected. I had the pinout correctly according to the datasheet, but I'm not quite into reading the other specs of the transistors yet... this NTE 457 you're speaking of, is that just another brand of transistors, or some standard? Probably a stupid question, but when I searched for "NTE 457" at my local electronics store webshop, I got a match, but it really didn't say so much, no datasheet or anything, just "TO 92 blabla" and the price (about $3). Is that worth a try?

Of course, I can't get any of the ones you mention as substitutions locally, except the 2sj201, but that costs about $20(!) so that's out of the question...

Thanks for all your help. Those soundclips of yours sounds amazing, so I have to complete this

[larseko]

Uhrm, I should try googling a bit before I ask these questions. I'll try the NTE457 then. Too bad the electronics store isn't open in the weekend...

Lars Erik

[j0shua]

Lars:

       the NTE especifications are come from a program called NTE
you can get the NTE program for free at http://www.nteinc.com/
wow $20.00 for 2sj201 ? ...... where you from ?

2sj201 coste here is RD$ 25.00 ( 1.25 US$ )

[larseko]

Lars:

       the NTE especifications are come from a program called NTE
you can get the NTE program for free at http://www.nteinc.com/
wow $20.00 for 2sj201 ? ...... where you from ?

2sj201 coste here is RD$ 25.00 ( 1.25 US$ )

I'm from Norway. It's expensive here yes, but there has to be some other reason this particular transistor is that expensive. After all, the other transistors are +/-$1. The NTE457 about US$2.

[j0shua]

oh Norway cool i got some friends there

well the NTE 457 works perfect

any question just put here

[j0shua]

ok guys this is 2 draw i made about this project ...enjoy!
http://photobucket.com/albums/v669/teknoblaster/PCB/?action=view&current=INSANEDRAW2.jpg



http://photobucket.com/albums/v669/teknoblaster/PCB/?action=view&current=INSANEDRAW.jpg

[j0shua]

new mod coming soon , the same insane distortion plus octave effect

[larseko]

Ok, let's face it, I'm not getting this thing to work. I'm getting a low, farty sound with a terrible distortion OK, but it's way lower than the amp just without the effect. I have built the thing on perfboard. Being a novice it doesn't look very nice, but as far as I can see all the connections are there (and I have looked quite some times now. At first I thought I had fried the NTE457 transistor because I oriented it the wrong way, but after having swapped it out with a J201, I have concluded it wasn't fried, since I got the same result now, without misorienting it. Here are the parts I have used:

Drive/Insane: 4.7K
Vol: 470K
Treble: 100K
Bass: 50K

The rest are according to the schematic. I have tried two different LM386, but no difference. Neither was never hot so I doubt there were any problems there.

I have to add that this is my second build after the Aron boost. I have also tried some other stuff without luck, so it's probably my total lack of understanding that is fooling me around.

Here are some voltages:

Drain: 7
Source: 0.22 (used to be 0.46 with the NTE457)

IC:
Pin1/8: 1.35
9v: 9v.
Pin5: 6.45 (before 270Pf cap, which replaces schematics' 250PF cap)
After 270Pf: 0. This I find odd...

I also tried the audio probe, and this is where it stopped. Could there be something wrong with the wiring to the pots, maybe? I have looked, but as far as I can see it's right too.

I have tried swapping the 270pf cap with a 220pf.

Any suggestions here?

LE

[j0shua]

Ok, let's face it, I'm not getting this thing to work. I'm getting a low, farty sound with a terrible distortion OK, but it's way lower than the amp just without the effect. I have built the thing on perfboard. Being a novice it doesn't look very nice, but as far as I can see all the connections are there (and I have looked quite some times now. At first I thought I had fried the NTE457 transistor because I oriented it the wrong way, but after having swapped it out with a J201, I have concluded it wasn't fried, since I got the same result now, without misorienting it. Here are the parts I have used:

Drive/Insane: 4.7K
Vol: 470K
Treble: 100K
Bass: 50K

The rest are according to the schematic. I have tried two different LM386, but no difference. Neither was never hot so I doubt there were any problems there.

I have to add that this is my second build after the Aron boost. I have also tried some other stuff without luck, so it's probably my total lack of understanding that is fooling me around.

Here are some voltages:

Drain: 7
Source: 0.22 (used to be 0.46 with the NTE457)

IC:
Pin1/8: 1.35
9v: 9v.
Pin5: 6.45 (before 270Pf cap, which replaces schematics' 250PF cap)
After 270Pf: 0. This I find odd...

I also tried the audio probe, and this is where it stopped. Could there be something wrong with the wiring to the pots, maybe? I have looked, but as far as I can see it's right too.

I have tried swapping the 270pf cap with a 220pf.

Any suggestions here?

LE

Hmmmm strange , and some wrong values

Here are My voltages:

Drain: 7
Source: 0.42

IC:
Pin 1= 1.35 , 2= 0 , 3= 2.2 4= 0 , 5= 6.22, 6= 9.11, 7=1.44 , 8= 1.29
Battery =9v

Pin5: 6.22 (before 100Pf cap
so i think you have to check your solder                                            



i hope my values help you

cheers!

[larseko]

Thanks Joshua. I'll just tro to freshen up the solder spots tonight. There is one thing I forgot to say, though, which is that the bass/treble doesn't seem to affect the sound, whereas the gain/vol does.

Lars Erik

[j0shua]

The treble works fine here , and you are corretc in Bass , mine don't work well i dunno why , sometimes work sometimes works a little , im going to check , Btw  Original pots works well, but if you change whit lower value can be unestable

i change the pots to your values and the LM386 is heat , please do not put more Bigger Cap on Drive 1K or 2 is ok .....