Sunday 20 July 2014

Perf Boosters

Just a bit of a bonus utility layout really.  I quite like perf with some things, and there's no doubt you can get circuits more compact than with stripboard.  I do find as a building medium it's more of a pain with larger circuits as making the tracks as you go and trying to keep it all neat can get old pretty quickly for me.  But I did a couple of compact boosters in an effort to minimise the required space that I can use in dual effects or maybe with those quiet circuits that need a bit of an extra push.  So as I've done them I thought I may as well share them in case they come in handy for anyone else.



23 comments:

  1. I love perf layouts.
    mmmm....compact....elegant....yummy

    Thanks

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  2. A great thing about perfs is that you can make a true point-to-point layout, and if you push the envelope a little you can even use pcb-mounted pots and reduce wiring to the absolute minimum!

    A con, on the other hand, of such perf layouts is they make debugging practically impossible. You're better off making a new layout from scratch than fix the bugged one!

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    1. This is Jack Orman's YAFF on perfboard. Straight pin pcb pots can be used to mount the board vertically inside a standard B size box.
      http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p659/petalakia/Si%20Fuzz%20Perf%20Layout/SiFuzzMOJO_zpse7843185.png

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    2. Nice job, thanks for sharing

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    3. I don't mind perfboard for really small circuits, it's what I started out with. But the layout has to be REALLY CLEAR (like your boosters here). However, looking at that Jack Orman's YAFF on perfboard, I'd rather have Jack Orman just punch me in the face.

      FYI, I tried building the Cardinal Tremolo on perf. My therapist says I should be over it in 10 -12 more sessions.

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    4. You should see Amp 11 !!!

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    5. How do you mount the straight-pin PCB pots to perf? I've tried but never had any success.

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  3. Aren't there two diodes in the Super Hard on?

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    1. There was in the SHO V1. In the V2 he used a single 9V1 zener from gate to ground instead. It performs the same function, and is just there to protect the mosfet from static which can kill them pretty quickly.

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    2. Didn't know that. Thanks for the info!

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  4. Awesome compact layouts! This is a fun post. Got any eyelet or tagboard layouts that you've done lately? (since we're on the subject of non stripboard layouts and all)

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    1. Not recently but there's loads here:
      http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Tagboard

      If there's anything you fancy then let me know. You are very restricted with tagboard to smaller circuits if you don't want to mount it in an amp chassis, but it means a lot of the classic are suitable.

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  5. I've been following your site for quite a while :) I've seen all those!

    You're right, and honestly I have too much fun making my own layouts for tagboard and now eyelet.

    I'm pretty drunk right now dude. It's almost 4am here, just got back from drinking and smoking. Really wishing I could fire up the FZ-1A I just got today. It sounds freaking incredible.. You should build one. The eyelet layout would be easy to copy, but it's pretty sloppy

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    1. I was pretty drunk last night, and have just woken up with a hangover to a wife making me do jobs around the house when I just want to lie on the sofa. Bloody wives!

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  6. Got a question. Perf seems to be sort of "wild west" when it comes to rules. If you would not mind clarifying:

    - the black lines (as opposed to blackened adjoining circles), are they or are they not connecting to the copper circles they pass over? I see the little blue dots within some of the black lines, but I am unsure what they are representing.

    Thanks! I've had these perfboards sitting around forever. Time to put them to use!

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    1. The blue dots are just the connection points in DIYLC when I've needed to use more than one track to make a bend etc, and so can just be ignored. The circles are just showing a connection point, and the black lines at the tracks you make between them all.

      I think It's easiest to just place and solder all the components and then put the track links in afterwards.

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    2. But do the track links actually connect to all of the copper circles they pass over (ie. buswire + a touch of solder at each copper pad) or just the beginning and end points? I'm confused because I've seen so many different perf methods.

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    3. Yes, every circle is a solder point where the components or wires connect to the trace you're laying down

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  7. When i first started (one year ago) i embarked on a UNIVIBE build ON PERFBOARD. Can you believe it.. It was massive. I still have it somewhere and, i will definitely get around to troubleshoot it one day. It was all carbon comp resistors too! Ahahahaha

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    1. Wow, I bet that one was a laugh a minute to build!

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  8. Dumb question: are the LPB1 transistor leg labels correct?

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    1. No. They are not, for 2N5088. Flip it. Mark will probably update the layout soonish.
      +m

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