Getting started in the pedal experiment field ;)

[kevilay]

Hey guys im gonnna start building and testing out pedals now. I have pretty good backround to build pcbs and test circuits and all that. Im ordering parts from small bear. I got pots, trim pots, jacks, stomp switches, caps, ele caps, resistors, diodes, 2 cases, and a few other small things. I also got a breadboard and a little pcb soldering mount. Is there anything else I should pickup to tryout some of the circuits I see on here? What IC's should I pickup?

Thanks for any advice in advance
Kevin

[Ice-9]

A handful of TL072 opamps won't go far wrong

[petemoore]

  Without preamble...
  Jfets, 2n5457's...boost, distortion, general purpose buffer etc. nice devices.
   CMOS if you wanna mess with tube-sound-fuzz...CMOS 'effects' can make tubish-smoothtones.
  Ge and Si and LED diodes. Red LED's for lighing, Green LED's for alternate color lighting and to try on some LDR surfaces [or buy vactrol, I like to make the photocell/light controllers, they're pretty easy, fairly easy, cool once they're made to work well in an application, and don't wear out].
   780_ voltage regulators [the blank digit would be the voltage code, ie 7809 is the 9v version] and perhaps an adjustable LM317.
   Obvious thing to mention is Ge transistors but the often overlooked facts are: they require messin around with to a sufferable degree, they bias drift, other parts do fine jobs that are so close and beyond that Ge probably is a good suggestion for something to try after everything else, instead of first.
   Then there are the OTA's, CA3080 and similar...for Dynacomp or Small Stone.
     ...Postamble...
   ALl that said as something to just say...the real deal is decide on the projects, then do all the logistic details about which parts to make available.
  ...Unless totally committed to sustaining an all out effort and expense is no object...[can't imagine how though really, time tells the story of how life happens when we're making plans], and buy 'em all ! !
  ...Because you'll probably want another speaker or to get some precision equipment [a scope] to go along with the circuits/experimentation.
   In any case, 2 mono 1/4'' jacks mounted into a testjig box, wired using testclip-ends over an insulated tray is a fine platform to pre-test, tweek and debug circuit boards, a battery clip w/basic supply [battery] or deluxe features [power supply with switchable or adjustable regulator[s, filtered DC] makes it easy to test and be delicate to the offboard wirings, and to debug the board and only the board.

[Pablo1234]

For the bench a cheap scope is a must I have a usb Stingray I couldn't live without and a bipolar regulated power supply, I use +/- 18 +/-15 +/-9 +/-7.5 and a 5Vdc (For my digital circuits). Also a panel to house 4 or 5 or more potentiometers wired to quick connects for bread boarding and also some switches, 1 or 2 4p4t 2 dpdt and probably 2-4 spst along with some audio jacks laid out on a front panel make hooking up this stuff very functional.

As for inventory it really depends on the types of stuff you want to work on. but most everything at some point uses tone stacks, buffers, and splitter/mixers I primarily use TL072's for most all of those circuits

LFO's I use low current Op amps Like TL062's

For distortion I would say find a common amplifying technique and play with different semiconductors like various diodes, leds , fets, and resistors.

anything else imho is too expensive to order without an application in mind. I always have some Parallax Propeller processors around also.

[kevilay]

  Without preamble...
  Jfets, 2n5457's...boost, distortion, general purpose buffer etc. nice devices.
   CMOS if you wanna mess with tube-sound-fuzz...CMOS 'effects' can make tubish-smoothtones.
  Ge and Si and LED diodes. Red LED's for lighing, Green LED's for alternate color lighting and to try on some LDR surfaces [or buy vactrol, I like to make the photocell/light controllers, they're pretty easy, fairly easy, cool once they're made to work well in an application, and don't wear out].
   780_ voltage regulators [the blank digit would be the voltage code, ie 7809 is the 9v version] and perhaps an adjustable LM317.
   Obvious thing to mention is Ge transistors but the often overlooked facts are: they require messin around with to a sufferable degree, they bias drift, other parts do fine jobs that are so close and beyond that Ge probably is a good suggestion for something to try after everything else, instead of first.
   Then there are the OTA's, CA3080 and similar...for Dynacomp or Small Stone.
     ...Postamble...
   ALl that said as something to just say...the real deal is decide on the projects, then do all the logistic details about which parts to make available.
  ...Unless totally committed to sustaining an all out effort and expense is no object...[can't imagine how though really, time tells the story of how life happens when we're making plans], and buy 'em all ! !
  ...Because you'll probably want another speaker or to get some precision equipment [a scope] to go along with the circuits/experimentation.
   In any case, 2 mono 1/4'' jacks mounted into a testjig box, wired using testclip-ends over an insulated tray is a fine platform to pre-test, tweek and debug circuit boards, a battery clip w/basic supply [battery] or deluxe features [power supply with switchable or adjustable regulator[s, filtered DC] makes it easy to test and be delicate to the offboard wirings, and to debug the board and only the board.

Do you know of any schematics of powersupplies I could make with multi taps for different voltages, 5, 9, 12? Or even some sort of dividing/regulating circuit for my 24v 1.2A regulated supply.

[petemoore]

  You can regulate a DC voltage to a lower potential using regulators [see data sheets...
   Regulators like 7809 [posistive supply, regulated 9v output] need 2volts to work, so for a 9vdc output regulated you need 11+ volts to start with, 12VDC measured is a good number. The larger the voltage drop the quicker the heat-up ramp of the chip will be. The current through the chip can make it scalding hot within seconds. If you're trying to drop say 15v...you'd better check the data sheets of the regulator and the power supply, expect the PS to be able to provide sufficient current to heat the regulator chips heat sink.
   Considering another 'way around' such as a wallwart with a measured voltage output of say about 12.2volts DC or 15vdc [unloaded] would probably make heatsinks unnecessary. When a load is applied to the PS, expect current to rise/voltage to fall a little, the 'rating' on the [unregulated] wallwart will be exceeded by the voltage measured [by some amount..which can be measured] with no load on it.

[DavenPaget]

J201 , 2N5457 , MPF102 from ratshack if you must . Boosts , Phaser ( a certain one ... from MXR )
CMOS Hex Inverters like 4049 , 4069 .
Germanium diodes like 1N60/1N34 and Si diodes like 1N4148 and 1N4007 and dozens of LED's , GET CLEAR ONES . Red for general purpose lighting , Green for a little special and Blue for what people always want to look at .
780X/790X regulators . You need them , unless you have been like me to get LM317 , LM337 ( that was a mistake ... though it was free ) , LD1117AV33 , 7805 , 7812 , 7809 .
I will never touch Ge devices most of the time , as they drift , get damaged easily by heat and have to be biased properly ( applies only to trannys )
OH and mosfets ( be very careful with them , don't zap them with your fingers ! ) , 2N7000 and BS170's .
A seriously cheap CRO or a usb scope is good , just make sure they have at least 10MSPS sampling rate . Usually this is only good for general audio .
Order from element14/farnell/newark if you have one nearby , they are cheaper by bulk , seriously .
RS ( not Ratshack but RS Components ) is good too .
Opamps : (JFET-input)You need to get TL072/TL082 TL071/TL081 Low power vs Low noise Choose one . (Bipolar input) 5532 or 4558 . Have a couple of 741's .
Chipamps : Usually you won't need them but they can be very nice to make a distortion that goes to '11   LM386

Here are the rundown on my equipment :
Seriously i do SMD so bear with me
switchable regulated linear power supply ( got it free )
SMD rework station
2x 936 Clone
Wavetek DM5XL , Really great multimeter on the same league as a fluke ( got it free )
Eye loupe , overhead lamp ( ikea's Tertial ) , A cheap lighted magnifier ( gooseneck type )
Vacuum pick up "pen"
Some liquid flux that seems to be drying up already ! ( damn , that flux sucks , i need to get a new one , it sort of creates a black stain ... )
Flush side cutters 1 small plier and a big plier . A handy sound system that i use to check my finished products instead of reaching for my amp .
I basically have everything except a capacitance meter( most of the time you wouldn't need this but i do ) and a 1GSPS 100MHz scope plus a adjustable PS which i am all buying soon .
Oh and remember to instead buy wire and heatshrink tubes by the reels . ( 100m , yeah )

[digi2t]

An understanding girlfriend, or wife (or both, depending on your situation). 

But, you'll probably have an easier time just trying to get that perfectly matched set of germ's for your Fuzz Face.

BTW, really nice setup Daven. I'm jealous.

Cheers,
Dino

[DavenPaget]

An understanding girlfriend, or wife (or both, depending on your situation). 

But, you'll probably have an easier time just trying to get that perfectly matched set of germ's for your Fuzz Face.

BTW, really nice setup Daven. I'm jealous.

Cheers,
Dino

No problems ! 
Thanks !