Can you verify my Furry Sabertooth Layout? And other PCB layout questions…

[hday]

I'm pretty confident in working with Illustrator and I've been playing around with the TonePad layouts. I love the look they have, so I thought I'd have a go at making my own TonePad style layout. Because they use vectors, you can get a really good, high DPI transfer.

I know a lot more about Adobe products than I do about electronics. This layout is based off of Madbean's design. For the most part it's the same except for a few components that I've moved around to make the board a little more condensed. Did I do this right? These effects are DC, so the order of which they're on a PCB signal change shouldn't change anything, right?

Here's the PDF.

Here's the layout by Madbean for comparison.

What about common design elements? I tried to find more information on how to do a proper layout, but came up with very little. Did I follow the "standard" for PCB design? Other than the obvious lack of ground on the left side of the board. I wanted it to be able to fit in a 1590a.

My last question involves layout copyright/ownership. I don't want to take away from Madbean's great layout and want to give him credit where credit is due. But what makes a layout your own? Every design has almost the same components in the same order. What makes Madbean's design his own, and not just a "Bully Wammoth" clone? Because I made my own layout and moved a few parts around, does that make it my own? Even though I have no plans to, could I theoretically sell a product using this layout?

[The Tone God]

My last question involves layout copyright/ownership. I don't want to take away from Madbean's great layout and want to give him credit where credit is due. But what makes a layout your own? Every design has almost the same components in the same order. What makes Madbean's design his own, and not just a "Bully Wammoth" clone? Because I made my own layout and moved a few parts around, does that make it my own? Even though I have no plans to, could I theoretically sell a product using this layout?

I think the best answer might be just ask Madbean how he feels about it.

Andrew

[MikeH]

My last question involves layout copyright/ownership. I don't want to take away from Madbean's great layout and want to give him credit where credit is due. But what makes a layout your own? Every design has almost the same components in the same order. What makes Madbean's design his own, and not just a "Bully Wammoth" clone? Because I made my own layout and moved a few parts around, does that make it my own? Even though I have no plans to, could I theoretically sell a product using this layout?

I think the best answer might be just ask Madbean how he feels about it.

Andrew

or Zachary Vex?

[The Tone God]

or Zachary Vex?

Mr. Vex did not make the layout in question.

Andrew

[slacker]

The circuit is supposedly a Woolly Mammoth and it doesn't matter how you draw it that's what it is. Just doing a layout doesn't make the circuit yours.

As for copyright  regarding the layout have a read of this http://www.muzique.com/clones.htm or search here for copyright, it's been discussed quite a lot.

There's a couple of errors on your layout, the bottom of R4 and the emitter of the first transistor should be connected to ground and lugs 2 and 3 of the 500k pot should be joined together. Apart from that it looks good

[bumblebee]

The layout in question has nothing to do with chuck zwicky (the creator of this pedal) let alone zachary vex, its original artwork regardless of who designed the circuit originally.

All you guys with your tweed clones, TS clones, BMP clones, etc may have to rethink your contradictory point of view.

I'll check your layout after for mistakes etc.

[bean]

Design your own PCB (from scratch or by "significantly" altering an existing layout), change a couple of component values (or not), put your original artwork on the box...and you will be doing exactly what 95% of the other "boutique" builders out there are already doing.

Just don't call it the "Whoolly Mammoth" (or Furry Sabertooth, for that matter) and you are good to go.

Whether or not you SHOULD do that is another matter 

[slacker]

All you guys with your tweed clones, TS clones, BMP clones, etc may have to rethink your contradictory point of view.

I don't think there's anything contradictory being said.

My comment about it being a Woolly Mammoth was just in response to hday's question of " What makes Madbean's design his own, and not just a "Bully Wammoth" clone?"
I thought hday was taking layout design and circuit design to be the same thing, maybe I misunderstood. Like you said the layout is all Madbean's original work but it's still "just a "Bully Wammoth" clone". In the same way that a tonepad or GGG Big muff layout is just a Big Muff clone.

[MikeH]

I was just pointing toward the originator of the circuit, erroneously however- I forgot Chuck Zwicky designed the WM, not pointing out any illegality/malice/wrong doing.

[caress]

remember, though, it's a fuzz face at heart... 

[bumblebee]

I don't think there's anything contradictory being said.

No, not yet. Give it time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Yes it is just a beefed up face face with an added tone filter section, but I gotta hand it to chuck, he made all the right changes in all the right places on this circuit. Ive modded the hell out of this design over and over and come up with some cool effects that no longer resemble the WM, some of them include octave glitchyness and oscillatiing fuzz, big muff-esque fuzz etc.
Its a cool circuit and theres lots to be done with it so my advice is mess with it, come up with something original by using it as a basis to start with.

[hday]

Wow, I didn't mean to stir up anything. I was just curious about what makes a layout original. I guess there are a lot of different opinions on the subject, which actually is a great answer to the question.

Slacker, thanks for pointing out those errors. I've been looking at this for so long that I missed a lot of simple mistakes.

Madbean, thanks for your input too. If I work from your layouts in the future, I'll be sure to steal discreetly.

[jimbob]

The circuit is supposedly a Woolly Mammoth and it doesn't matter how you draw it that's what it is. Just doing a layout doesn't make the circuit yours.

I just finished cloning the Wooley Mammoth and this is different enough. (many diffrerent values) I had mad beans layout and I have some from ALL over the place (incl Matsumin) -lol- and I think there is enough difference to disreguard previous posts. Besides I assume this isnt for commercial use? Also ther are other sites that may appreciate it- just google Nice work.