New guy just saying hi with a few questions.

[Marc.yo]

Hey there. I'm really interested in designing and making effects. I've pieced together a few cool pieces I've found on the internet but I doubt they'll sound very good. Here's my favorite idea so far. I got most of the ideas from muzique.com in the lab notebook.

I have a few beginners questions. First of all if you could clear up the problems I have at the bottom of the page that would be great. (what resistors to use, what transistors, etc)

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j13/marcolberding1/circuit.jpg

Also to be totally truthful I really don't have much of an idea about how this will really sound I'm just taking Jack from muzique.com's advice.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
-Marc

[big bustle]

hey,

i'm new too. i just finished my second box this weekend and managed to get someone to pay me to build it (simple bypass/splitter).

i have neither the expertise nor the background to suggest any components for that schematic. but as someone who's just getting started and would like to design his own pedals

i'd say start off with a design that has clearly marked parts and has proven to work. one that folks have built before and where you can find build pictures and wiring layouts might help a lot.

i chose the shin ei fuzz clone from GGG as my first build. mostly because i didn't know exactly what i would be walking into and want to have my first one be a success. i knew it would drive me further into pedal building. 3 weeks later l now have sunk over $400 into parts and tools; student loans be damned!


if you're not easily deterred then i'd say go for it and learn as much you can.

------

this ends my attempt to add something positive to the board.

[Marc.yo]

Yeah, I've been searching for something that I like the idea of but I haven't found much. Either it's too complicated or it just looks like it's not for me. Oh the wonderful world of effects. 

[Marc.yo]

Bumpity

[pyrop]

Hi & welcome Marc.Yo

First of all if you are a complete newbie to electronics do your self a favour & build something small & simple.
Start of with say a Booster or Fuzz.
For a booster i suggest the booster project right here on DIYStompboxes.
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=763.0
or for some other options have a look in the gallery here.
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/
and look particularly at Dragonfly's & MarkM's layouts, they have some nice easy stuff in there.

pyrop

[petemoore]

  Hey Marc.yo ! Howya doin !
 Welcome !
 k here goes...
 the reads are where it's at.
 do a little and you should have more than just a few questions.
 they're all really answered in pages well prepared for comprehension, the best studies focus on these pages, finding and comprehending them.
 linx, GEO, AMZ, ROG, Layouts Gallery, Schematics. Spending time brousing/reading answers most all questions, it's a matter of time before you stumble on a particular answer...some of the technical/mathy stuff can be '*gotten to later' while you try to pick out the information you 'can assimilate.
 *pick a math or technical text you're stumped on, print that, then search for related texts on terminology etc., I've spent some times trying to comprehend on 1 paragraph.
 Pick a schematic to understand, and try to understand it, [something simple] try to figure out what the 1rst and last components do, besides work together as applied.
 LPB, RM, FF, Bazz Fuss, these single transistor amplifier stages [the FF has 2 Q's in a feedback loop amp]...see beginner forum.
 Just watching the 'don't work right' threads go through the debugging stages is quite informative.
 Even non-DIY can be tricky, you have to have a good battery, guitar to 'input'...etc., about half of the debugging processes are like that...just inside boxes...'N/C or connected wrong'.
 When building testing, get the data sheets/pinouts, observe polarities.
 Count the number of connections, make special notes for polarities or orientation marks, before preparing to solder those connections.
 Test for shorts across circuit PS [battery clip and/or DC Jack] before applying power.
 Take it easy on those Ge transistors...lol, I like having 'testout' Ge's [that work but leaky or not that good], so my 'special egg' ones don't get exposed to testing damage.
 

[GibsonGM]

Hey 'new guys', welcome to this forum 

This is an awesome hobby.  I've been doing this for a couple of years now...I find that building "some of each" is a good approach to learning the theory behind circuit design.  Like, starting with a simple transistor boost like the LPB-2 or one of the others teaches one about transistor biasing, input/output cap effect on tone.  So does building a fuzz face or similar fuzz unit.   Then moving into opamp circuits, like the MXR Distortion +.  Tremolo type circuits might come next.  Eventually you get to a phaser stage, like doing an Easy Vibe or other phaser.  There are no real rules, but that's one idea of how to start.  You build off of these blocks to make new things...having a fairly well-defined idea of what you want to end up with is very helpful to others trying to offer advice - what sound you're going for, for what type of music and so on.   

At some point, you start to understand what part values to use, WHY they are there, and what compromises are required when you do certain things. 

Your boost/fuzz with switchable tone stack idea looks cool, Marc.yo...what I'd do is start by building a 1 transistor booster (LPB-2, which I am a fan of, and which closely resembles your first transistor stage altho negative ground ;o).  Play with cap values and bias resistors to understand the possibilities there, audio probing to hear what's going on.  That gives you boost/amplification experience.  You could step it up a notch by going to the Dist+ or Big Muff after that...those ckts have the principles I think you're trying to learn about in your design - clipping with diodes and tone stack & recovery circuits.  Plus the mods you'll want to do to them.  You'll find TONS of information by searching the forum!!

Just because a simple circuit doesn't do what you REALLY want, you can still learn from it and use it as a step to get to where you want to go.  As you 'master' these simpler building blocks, things get much more simple to understand and it's easier to create new designs that actually do what you're going after.

So, keep reading, and learning, and enjoying DIY effects!  Post specific questions, and people will give you definite answers    As for your design, I'd check out the Big Muff Pi -- have a look at what's going on with it.....when you understand most of it, your design will begin to take shape! 

[Marc.yo]

I hreally hate boosts. I have no use for them. I would build them but it just wouldn't be worth what I get out of them. I realize I need to get the basics down but I have no use for a boost of all things.


Anyway, I like the last post the best. it's more encouraging than "just build a booster, after all who can't use a booster?"

I'll start out pretty soon here.

[KerryF]

^-Believe me, I was holding back from building a booster.  I was like naa, suggest me something else.  Well do it, its worth it, boosters are great.  I now have 2 of em, and 1 more that I designed.  If you want a beginner's challenge, do the Marshall BluesBreaker.  Its an overdrive and its GREAT.  I was so happy finishing that one, which kicked me into this whole building thing.

[Meanderthal]

 One way to look at a booster is as the first gain stage of... more elaborate effects(like the schematic you posted). Many effects have a booster(or at least a buffer) right up front. Step one. A basic building block for many circuits.

The reasons to build a booster as a first project include(among other things)- as a learning experience, even if you can't use it right now. If ya can get a boost up and running, you'll learn a lot and be more confident attempting something more interesting. And, you can always add onto that boost circuit later(like putting a fuzz after it) and turn it into something cool. It's not a waste of time at all, it's a great way to do what you say you want to- get started building and designing effects.

[markm]

I hreally hate boosts. I have no use for them. I would build them but it just wouldn't be worth what I get out of them.

Ya know, that's truly a shame as boosters are very useful tools. 

[Meanderthal]

 Oh, and about suggested values for the schematic...

R13 is a voltage divider. Larger value pots like 500k to 1m are nice for max versatility.

R14- Ehhh... 10k or so...

R21- better make this no more than 10k(I'd go about 5k), otherwise the useful range of the pot's sweep might be pretty limited.

Diodes- socket them. Find ones you like the sound of.

Transistors- 2n3906. Germanium might require a lot of bias tweaking.

[Marc.yo]

Thanks for the values BTW


Boosters are worthless. That's why I have a Boogie Nomad 100. I have no reason for a booster. I don't need that area of distortion. So, yes, boosters are worthless to me.

[Marc.yo]

Also what about the percentages on the pots?

[Meanderthal]

 Percentages? Hmmm...

Linear taper will work fine for all of them. I think that's what you mean...

[Meanderthal]

 BTW, the bit of schematic between input and sw1(first gain stage)... that's a booster... and stage 2... and stage 3... Ya might hate em, but ya can't avoid em. They're everywhere...

[boogietube]

That's why I have a Boogie Nomad 100

Three channels, Solo level boost on each channel, separate reverb controls for each channel (the reverb is tame)
No wonder you don't need a boost!
Kudos!
Sean

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

First, welcome to any & all new guys.

Second.... I think clean boosters are always useful! Because, one day... you will have a signal that is so wimpy, it won't struggle up to the noise floor of the effect you want to plug it into. You can do more with them than just overload an amp input stage.

[markm]

I think clean boosters are always useful!-------- You can do more with them than just overload an amp input stage.

My point exactly Paul! 

[Processaurus]

I'm really interested in designing and making effects.

If you're interested in knowing how to design your own circuits, save some time and take a class in basic electronics.  Then use the information around the internet for pedal effects specific stuff.  Some people just want to make some stuff and get to work, you can do that with an evening of internet reading, but the little tidbits you can piece together from random sources are a frustrating way to get a solid base for your goal.  So I'd kinda ignore places like this with a lot of varied views for the basics, get those from a single source, otherwise you could come away confused, like thinking your stuff will sound bad if you use opamps rather than transistors for gain, and ancient brown resistors are the way to a browner sound, etc.

Good luck