Looking for a high gain veroboard in 1590A box

[Alex]

The 1/8 watt was in place of the standing resistors. It's not necessary but some people don't like them (the standing ones).
The MXR wouldn't need them anyway:

[fx-fidden]

Thanks for the layout.
It's small, but not very small. Maybe I can squeeze a little bit this layout, I'm going to try. I have to see a bit the schematic how to get more distortion.

I'll use this parts:
- DC jack:
https://www.taydaelectronics.com/dc-power-jack-2-1mm-enclosed-frame-with-switch-external.html
- Jack open frame. A cheaper model, same dimensione of the Rean or Switchcraft, but less beefy. About the same
- A common blue footswitch 3PDT.
- LED 3mm in a plastic bezel
- 9mm pot

Do you know some tricks to squeeze all the stuff? Position, special small parts...
I guess the hardest thing is that a big board risks to go on the jacks.

[Silver Blues]

fx-fidden wrote

I'll see if I can try it. ;)

I'm going to build something on veroboard or perfobard. I never used the small 1/8w resistors. Is it really necessary? The sapce depends from the holes of the boards and 1/4w resistors are small enough, sometimes I place "stand up", so the 1/8 will safe just a little bit of space, but I have to use box film cap, and probably a 100uF or 47uF I usually find in the shops has an height of 11mm about.

Silver Blues, do you mean two JFET mu-amp stages? Probably I'll need more space.

(I drawn a Golden Dragon Overdrive with a SHO in front, but I guess it's too much big.
I just drawn the schematic and the layout, I didn't try even the Golden Dragon Overdrive stand alone, but it could be a nice pedal.)

Yep the 1/8 W resistors span 3 holes at their smallest vs. the 1/4 W ones that span 4, they will save you standing resistors in a build that would otherwise need them; 1/8 W is plenty of power dissipation for the vast majority of pedal builds. You could try and super-compact a layout using all 1/8 W resistors, that might be something to consider. (edit: apologies for repeating this, it was already said above.)

And hmm that's a good question  I didn't have anything specific in mind I just thought you might be able to get more gain out of say a JFET booster into some other gain stage if you used a mu-amp for the first stage, but you're right, that mightn't save a whole lot of space.

You can save a teeny bit of space if you forego the LED bezel and just drill a 1/8" hole and superglue your LED into the enclosure. I do most of mine this way because I like the minimalist look, but if you need to save a couple of millimetres, that's something to consider too.

[fx-fidden]

Honestly, I don't care so much about standing resistors, I don't think that 1/4w standing resistors need more height than caps, IC and transistors. So in the most of the time those are ok for me.

I don't have glue because I didn't use it, I don't like it too much. I have to say it's never happen I had to change or move the LED once it is in its place. But to fix like that something... I don't like it.
Someone makes the LED hole just slightly smaller than 3mm and stuck the led, I tried but my 3mm drill makes the LED too much loose.
Maybe if I use its legs or some solid core wire I can make it a bit more fixed in its place.
I never tried but I guess I see around, if I don't use the large white plastic washer of the footswitch I can place the 3mm LED on its side.

[Alex]

The MXR layout is  even smaller than the one I've done for the Acapulco Gold (which plenty of people built in a 1590A box).
The limit for a 1590A box is 11 by 16.
If you check pictures on Google (1590a clone) it will give you plenty of ideas on how to place all the parts.

[Pavlos]

regarding LED mounting, I use 3mm LED's and drill the enclosure (With a drill press) before spraying. This causes a little bit of build up of paint in the hole which gives a nice snug interference fit when the LED is pushed through. It maybe helps a little bit that I use shortes runs of solid core hookup cable that I can get away with so possibly a fraction more rigidity than stranded cable? either way works for me and not had any problems or needed any additional glue so far.

[fx-fidden]

Thank guys, for all your replies!

Ok, Alex. Thanks for the information about the size of the board. Of course it depends from how much space take the footswitch, the input and output jacks, and the DC jack. This is just about the shape of the board. Under the board there are one of more pots, 9mm, to see how muche space we have in height of the board. I think that the shop where I buy doesn't have short 47uF or 100uF. I need it, you know, as noise filter in the power supply section.
In my next message I'll write the position, we can understand if I cant fit the board inside this mall box.

Pavlos, I use natural box, I don't use to buy painted box for my built to save some money. I don't care about it. But I can't use paint at home for "location problem", I can't spray or paint. Now I can't use your method, but I'll remember it.

Maybe if I can find some drill slightly thinner than 3mm, and act with it to make a right hole for the 3mm LED. Is it possible? We'll see.

Do you know this?
https://www.edaboard.com/showthread.php?262864-Metal-simplex-%96-simple-guitar-effect
Maybe I can put it in my list.

[Pavlos]

no worries, we all have different circumstances so what is fairly easy for some, might not be possible for others I would think that if you are able to us a hand drill (powered or manual) then perhaps a 2.8mm drill bit might give you a just about the right sized hole and then use a round needle file to get a perfect fit? Main thing though is that you end up with something that suits you, and hopefully inspires you to make great music

[fx-fidden]

I drawn some layout of the Metal Simplex.
I'll see if I have all the parts to try it on the breadboad.

[fx-fidden]

Sorry, I forgot to link my layouts:
http://guitar-fx-layouts.42897.x6.nabble.com/Metal-Simplex-New-layout-tp48666.html

[HamishR]

If you don't mind PCBs then Fuzz Dog has some 1590A friendly ODs, fuzz and distortions. And if you don't mind buying an actual pedal check out One Control's BJF range.  Some of them are great pedals.

[fx-fidden]

Thank you HamishR.
Well, I'd like the idea to build something by my own. Surely I don't want ot buy a pedal.
Instead, I bought sometime PCB, but only whane I didn't find any veroboard or protoboard alternative.

I find (again) the Blue Clipper, probably I had put it out because it's "classified" as fuzz. But it's more or less the thing I want to try, one opamp stage with hard clipping. But it doesn't have the VB in the power section.
I don't know why it should sound fuzzy, maybe beacuse it seems to has a low impedance? Or because it can sound high gain?
This is another one I can try it. It has the possibility to insert a gain pot in the feedback resistor, for example.

Layout here:
http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/2012/10/dan-armstrong-blue-clipper.html

[HamishR]

Well I don't know of any true overdrives which would fit into a 1590A, but I have built these fuzzes into a 1590A with great success. In fact the Marshall Supafuzz is my fave Tonebender circuit. I built it using NPN Ge trannies - specifically Russian MP38s - and if you sort through a few trannies you can end up with a killer fuzz. Another which should fit is the Meathead - and that is very high gain.

[induction]

The Purple Plexi is pretty high gain. I wouldn't say 'modern', more 80's hard rock (kinda GnR-ish). It's a 386 circuit, but definitely not a fuzz.

[fx-fidden]

Thank guys.
I put in my collection the Supafuzz.
Acapulco Gold, I know it, but I don't know if I'll build it. Not for this project, maybe later.

I know the Purple Plex 800i, but I didn't try it. That kind of distortion be could be ok, to me. I have another little LM386 circuit built already, the Smash Drive, it's close enough.
The Purple Plexi 800 has three pots, maybe I'll try next time to have something more versatile, even if I would like it had even less gain setting. (Pre-Gain control? )