Calling All Orange Squeezer Experts. :)

[ayayay!]

I realize my other thread was a "before a build thread" so it may not be getting the attention I would like.    

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=77591.0

The OS I built works, but I don't have that squish an OS should have, and the trimpot seems to do practically nothing.  Can anyone else verify my layout for me please?  Thanks one and all!!!

http://www.geofex.com/FX_images/orgsqz.gif

[bobp1339]

It looks like on Q1 you have the Gate and Source legs swapped.
The 2k4 resistor should come between the Source and Gate, hanging off the Source, not the Gate.

Looks the same with Q2.  In your layout, the trimpot should connect to the middle leg (source), not the left leg (Gate)

BobP

[ayayay!]

Thank you!  Man, I swear I'm not drunk, but for some reason the way I'm reading the schem... I've built lots of stuff w/ JFETs before and haven't been confused like this.  Brain fart/lack of sleep/stressful job...  I'll swap legs tonight and reply back.  Thanks again. 

...I'm gonna go check the pictures thread to relax me...

[Mark Hammer]

FETs have just three pins.  What I still can't figure out is how there are so MANY ways to mis-identify them.

[ayayay!]

Haha     Yeah I'm not the only one to do this from time to time. 

[ayayay!]

I'm at a loss.  I swapped the source & drain pins, on both FETs, which should have given me what I wanted.  It did make the trimpot begin to work.  But overall the pedal would barely get above unity gain, and added a horrible midrange hump.  Like a weak LPB.  ... and still, no compressed squish. 

So then I put just Q1 back like the drawing above.  That gave me the volume back, but overall the thing was still muddy.   Still no squish.  The trimpot is fine, but something around Q2 is hosed.  I can't tell what, even with the audio probe. 

As drawn, the pedal sounds REALLY good and is, well, an excellent booster, but no compression really.

Still thinking...

[cab42]

I experienced exactly the same as you did, a great booster, but not really any compression, so I put it in my box with unfinished circuits and used the trannies and IC for other builds.

After a year or so I pulled it out again, and put in a TL072 and two new 2N5457, fiddled with the trimpot and now it worked like a dream! I don't know if it was the IC or that the transistors were matched better, but the result of just changing the components were dramatic. I used Torchys vero layout BTW.

Regards

Carsten

[ayayay!]

Dear lord, I finally saw what I did wrong.  On most every schem, I'm used to seeing the arrow for the FET pointing to the right, and on this one it's pointing to the left.  I took it for granted!!!!  So yes, my drain & source are reversed.  Silly mistake. 

So now that being said, I think I'll have to kype this thing into working and redraw another one.  Reversing the gate & source pins didn't do the trick, so it requires a redraw.  Oh well. 

The reason I'm not so pissed about this is that in my error I've discovered one helluva booster!  This thing is awesome as the very first one in the chain!  I'll hack it a little more, take some voltages, and see what I can arrive at.