total noob seeking wisdom and advice

[sbgodofmetal]

so i'm new to the whole DIY fx pedal scene and i'm looking for useful knowledge and wisdom through out the start of my hobby. first i'd like to build a simple treble booster. judging from gutshots it seems there are some relatively simple desings out there, but alas i can't read schematics, and the only parts i know of for sure are the perfboard,50k potentiometer, LED, resistor(4LED), battery terminal, 3PDT, stomp switch, 2, 1/4" stereo jacks, housing, and lest we forget liberal amounts of solder and wires

[.Mike]

Hi,

Check out the beginner project here at the forum. It's a booster, but not a treble booster. Still, it is a great place to start. It's an easy build, it will introduce you to schematics, you will find that the other members are very willing to help you with any problems you might have, and it sounds great.

You can find information by going here, and reading/following the top four numbered topics:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?board=6.0

Good luck!

Mike

[sbgodofmetal]

thanks .mike i'll head over that way and take a look.

[CynicalMan]

To make the beginner project into a treble booster, replace the 0.1uF capacitor with a 4.7nF capacitor or a 1nF capacitor.

[Mark Hammer]

I regularly recommend building a loop selector box as first project.

Why?

1) There are few, if any, obscure parts to get (unless you consider the switch obscure)
2) There are no critical part values to be concerned with.
3) There are precious few layout issues to be concerned with (few concerns about audible ticking or oscillation risks).
4) Very little of the soldering involved desperately requires paying attention to heat
5) It can be built with or without the requirement of a battery and continues to work even if the battery is dead
6) It will always be useful, no matter how many pedals you acquire/build.
7) It will make whatever you presently own that much more usable.

Is it "sexy"?  Nah.  Is it likely to be successful, first time you fire it up?  I'd say the odds are about 80% first launch, 99% 2nd launch, and 100% 3rd launch.

[Philippe]

first i'd like to build a simple treble booster.

Here you go...a comprehensive explanantion of the Rangemaster circuitry/design + step-by-step instructions on how to build one by RG Keen. You can easily build one on a terminal strip like the original version.

www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/​Rangemaster/drm.htm

[sbgodofmetal]

thanks phillip thats one of the few i was concidering myself. i can't view the .pdf though. i'm on a psp which acts as a mobile device meaning my functions are highly limited. i'll try to get pc access soon to read and print it, thanks.

[sbgodofmetal]

To make the beginner project into a treble booster, replace the 0.1uF capacitor with a 4.7nF capacitor or a 1nF capacitor.

so far the schem shows a 5k pot if i ncrease its value to lets say 50k will that in turn increase the amount of (boost/gain) as well???

[lopsided]

so far the schem shows a 5k pot if i ncrease its value to lets say 50k will that in turn increase the amount of (boost/gain) as well???

ok, I am quiet a newbie myself, so someone might correct me. But i believe when the pot is connected to the emitter (the part of transistor labeled E) the smaller the resistance the bigger gain. So making the pot higher value won't add you any gain. Because highest gain is when there is no resistance.

[sbgodofmetal]

i've drawn the schematic for a quick reference when working on assembly

so i've replaced the .1uf for a 4.7nf to make it a treble boost, now to get more gain out of it lopsided said to 'decrease the resistance' so instead of a 5k it would have to be a smaller value right? so the question now is, what potentiometer is lower than 5k? i've not seen one that i can recall.

[Gus]

The circuit was designed so many small signal NPN silicon transistors will drop in and bias up and work.

Changing the 5k pot will not do anything but mess up the biasing.  The wiper is connected to a cap to vary the gain from about X2 on up.

[lopsided]

now to get more gain out of it lopsided said to 'decrease the resistance' so instead of a 5k it would have to be a smaller value right?

unfortunately no, again I hope somebody more experienced will confirm my claim, or prove me wrong, but the way i believe it to work is:
the 5k pot works as a variable resistor
when the pot is set to its maximum resistance (5 kiloohm) gain of the circuit is the smallest
when to the minimum (0 ohms) the gain is at its maximum
therefore giving a bigger pot will lead to possibility of setting gain even smaller - thats not what you want
giving a smaller pot , will not make bigger gain, it will only make the minimal possible gain of the circuit smaller.

now what are your possibilities?
you could add a volume pot at the output (you connect the middle lug of the pot to jack, and one side lug to OUT and one side to ground)
this will allow you to use the maximum gain of the circuit in smaller volumes, but the maximum gain will be still the same

the other way to set a transistors gain is to increase the resistor at the collector (C). But this is a matter of designing a good circuit as a whole and it probably can not be done ad libitum in this circuit.

My advice would be to build the circuit as it is. I did it myself as my first project, and I thing everyone can learn a lot from building the circuit and gain necessary skills for building more complicated stuff. I  haven't decided to put it in an enclosure and actually use it, but as much as I remember it is a semi-clean booster, whit a very slight distortion at its biggest gain. If you build it you can keep it or you  will be more experienced to search for something , which will fit you're taste more.

l_s

[sbgodofmetal]

The wiper is connected to a cap to vary the gain from about X2 on up.

so what will happen if i replace the 47uf cap and go to a higher value? going by a treble bleed circuit on a guitar volume pot you place a .001uf ceramic cap on both input and hot to output lugs, to keep the treble up at lower volumes. if i use the electrolitic equivalant will it work the same?

[sbgodofmetal]

ok what parts am i missing and where do they go in the schematic to make this a working stompbox with variable oscilation, depth and width???

[CynicalMan]

To tell the truth, most ring mods don't use that kind of circuitry. Op amps, OTAs, or analog multipier chips are used more often. Anyway, this thread has a good discussion of ring mods:
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=80559.0