Human Gear Animato (fuzz)

[Travis]

Hey guys! This seems like an interesting fuzz to try. I just saw John K's cool build which piqued my interest. Out of curiosity I did some quick research and came across this schem posted at DIYSB very recently

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Lx-E88bAtEY1A1NG91dWRpbkU/preview

There's a PCB layout on there, but for us guys that don't etch I'm sure many of us would like to do this on vero

Thanks for reading
-Travis

[Alex]

Hi Travis.
I should make one for myself in a couple of days.
I'll post it as soon as it's ready if nobody else does it.
This is the link to the latest confirmed schematic:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Lx-E88bAtEUG1zSDBsSXVSUWs/view?usp=sharing

[Travis]

albru80 to the rescue!

Thanks!

[ξεναγος νεκροπολης]

sorry albru!of course it's not a race for me, but i just didn't have anything else to do today with my day-off!
hope you don't mind!

it's not verified but you guys can be the first!
hope you'll enjoy it.
animato.pdf

[IvIark]

Nice job buddy

[rocket88]

awesome, thanks man. i hope this gets verified, seems like a cool pedal to have.

[ξεναγος νεκροπολης]

thanks guys!
yes it's a good one rocket!
i just don't have any dual gang pots right now...
but i could build it anyway with two normal pots and have one more fuzzzzzzzzzz...!!!
but no...no....i just have others in the line first...Freppo did blow my mind with the last layouts he posted...!!

ah!!!!!!

AND VOLUME 2 TO OUTPUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i've forgot that!
sorry...

[Alex]

Don't need to apologise! Great job! I'll try to build it as soon as I find the time.
Thanks!

[paul69]

Just ordered all the components! Anyone build this yet?

[paul69]

Just finished it. Works great with 2N5087/88  SI transistors.
Only the switch doesn't work. When its open I get great distortion. And closed : no sound at all. All signal is drained to ground.
Are sw1 and sw4 suposed to be connected?
Any thoughts?

[ξεναγος νεκροπολης]

hi paul!
glad you've build it.
as i see in the schem,the switch is ok.
i'll take an other look when i'll go home.

[ξεναγος νεκροπολης]

i've found it man...
1and4 on the switch must be grounded.
i've forgot to write it as a note.
please try this and report!

[paul69]

1 and 4 are connected to ground on the vero?

[ξεναγος νεκροπολης]

in any ground. board, jacks, dc jack.wherever it's easier for you.

[Daemons]

ξεναγος νεκροπολης wrote

sorry albru!of course it's not a race for me, but i just didn't have anything else to do today with my day-off!
hope you don't mind!

it's not verified but you guys can be the first!
hope you'll enjoy it.

I'm sorry but this layout will not work as drawn. I just spent the last two evenings, and most of today trying to debug my board, and couldn't find anything wrong vs the layout.

I foolishly thought it would be better to use C2240s as listed, but it is not, as that was the issue all along!

2SC2240s have a pinout of ECB, not CBE as this layout suggests.

I know, I know.. I should have checked the pinout of the transistors myself, but since it had been verified... even if it was with different transistors, I assumed using the listed transistors would not require a different pinout.

Now there is no way I can twist the legs on my C2240s to make them fit this already assembled layout, so I swapped them all out for 2N5088s put in backwards.. and it worked.

So please, add a note to your layout or just remove the C2240.. because there is no way it will ever work.

Dae.

[rocket88]

Hey dae, a couple of things you need to know and think about when looking at a layout.

1- which is most important is that the pinout of the transistors on the board does not mean that's the pinout for the transistors themselves, it is showing you where those legs of that transistor goes. This is incredibly important with PNP Ge builds.

2 - if a layout is verified it WILL work if done correctly. So in your case, the build matched the layout, but since you put the transistor in without checking the legs, you put wrong legs of transistors into each spot your build did not work due to your error.

3 - as mentioned, it's always important to check the pinout of your transistors and IC's before installing them. 99% of issues are caused by wrong insertions.

Trust me when I saw that if a layout is marked verified it will always work if made correctly. If there are some changes made to make it work correctly the layout will reflect those changes. Btw, really happy you've got it working and you like it.

[Daemons]

rocket88 wrote

2 - if a layout is verified it WILL work if done correctly. So in your case, the build matched the layout, but since you put the transistor in without checking the legs, you put wrong legs of transistors into each spot your build did not work due to your error.

I agree with everything else, except there is NO physical way to make an ECB fit in a straight (inline) socket where the pins are CBE.
This is totally different from using 2N5088s where the pinout is simply reversed.

I just saw Alex80's layout in another thread, and the pinout is correct so, no.. sorry but this was not MY error. If C2240 is listed, then they should fit. When listing other compatible models, thats when I expect to have to change the pinout.

rocket88 wrote

Btw, really happy you've got it working and you like it.

So am I.. just wished I would have used 5088s like paul69 did from the start...

[rocket88]

Daemons wrote

I agree with everything else, except there is NO physical way to make an ECB fit in a straight (inline) socket where the pins are CBE.
This is totally different from using 2N5088s where the pinout is simply reversed.

You actually are 100% incorrect that they will not fir in the pinout. You would need to twist the pins, it's not uncommon. Most common example, the layout for Si fuzzface.

As to a whether or not there is another verified posted layout, just saying that if this layout is marked as verified it is, and needs to be followed. By not following the pinout of the transistor you made an error in the build. Again, nothing against you or anything, just saying don't blame the layout for human errors. You have to pay attention to the pinout, and not got blindly thinking you just stick the transistor in as it is.

Side note, I don't see the layout here marked as verified, so it would be a build at your own risk until it's verified.

[Beaker]

You can always make any transistor fit a layout. you just need to carefully twist the legs around each other using a pair of needle nosed pliers. It's not pretty, and it's not an ideal solution, but it works.

It works when when you don't have the specified transistor, but you do have something similar, and it works when you want to experiment with different transistors.

The alternative is to do multiple layouts for all possible leg orientations - and that's not viable.

This is where metal can versions of transistors come in handy.

And yes - ALWAYS check the pinouts, especially on un-verified layouts. There are layouts on the main page that name the original transistors, but are orientated to use more common replacements. Using the originals (should you be able to find them), will involve leg twisting!

[Daemons]

Beaker wrote

It works when when you don't have the specified transistor, but you do have something similar, and it works when you want to experiment with different transistors.

Yes but I had the specified transistor. That's my issue here. Anyways...

Beaker wrote

There are layouts on the main page that name the original transistors, but are orientated to use more common replacements. Using the originals (should you be able to find them), will involve leg twisting!

As long as it's listed in the layout notes, I have no problem with that. You have to remember that many builders are not experienced in electronics, but mostly musicians wanting to build something they like. So IMO, it needs to be clear and straight forward as much as possible. Otherwise you'll lose a lot of people and turn them off to this hobby.

Anyways, that's my opinion, and I'm just gonna leave it to..   Yes, I was wrong to not check.. but I want others to know so that they don't make the same mistake I did.

Dae.