Grounding Q

[Snuffy]

Using this as an example
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/toctsc_body_mod.gif

All of the ground arrows...
my understanding thus far is that I would connect all of them together (at one point would be ridicoulous.. so in a line?) and then connect this to part of the metal enclosure?

I built a pedal from a kit and the grounding somehow went to the jacks, which.. could make sense I guess.

Am I on the right track here? sorry I'm young and stupid

[gez]

Yes they all connect (to ground, which is also the negative terminal of your battery).

If your box is metal and your jacks are metal, then there's no need for a separate ground wire for the enclosure to ground it (though paint can isolate the connection so make sure there's conductivity from the inside of the box to your jack's ground wire).

[gez]

PS  In high gain circuits it's possible to get oscillation if, inadvertently, a fraction of the output is fed back to the input (and if there are enough phase shifts throughout the circuit), so it might be wise to provide a separate ground path for the transformer at the output (give it a separate trace to the rest of the circuit and connect them up at the point where the power supply connects to the board).  Probably isn't a problem in this circuit though (doesn't look as though there are enough stages).

[Gilles C]

The arrows for the grounds in drawings are just an easier way to draw schematics to make them easier to read. It's the same for the +9V symbols. It just means they are all to be considered as the same line.

The way you connect the things on a pcb and in the box is something else and should not be based on the way the schematics are drawn, even if many times you can build a circuit that will have the parts placed almost like in the schematic. A wiring diagram is normally what should be used as an aid to wire everything, and this is "normally" where the designers will indicate the details that should be followed, like where to connect the grounds and where to place the wires.

That's in a perfect life, of course. In a less perfect life, it's only when the box is built that people realise the problems caused by how the box was wired. That's where people get experience and can share their experience with other builders. And IMHO, these details should show in the wiring diagram,like a map that shows how to drive from point A to point B with your car.

Gilles