Here's a collection of vero (stripboard) and tagboard guitar and bass effect layouts that we have put together covering many classic and popular effects in growing numbers. Many of these have been posted on freestompboxes.org, so check that site out for great discussions on building your own effect pedals. Enjoy the builds and please also visit us on Facebook and Twitter
You can use any type of cap here, polyester would be preferable if you've got one that isn't too big, but if you do need to use a polarised cap then the positive leg should go to the BS170 drain.
Got it built, but had to use some new parts. Still not getting it to work quite right. I've got a full 9v at the Drain of the first transistor, but only .62 at the gate. If I put the input to this drain I get signal through the rest of the circuit, but anything before that I get nothing. The other transistors I'm getting 4.62 at the Drain and 2.6 at the Gate. Oh, and you may have the lugs of the volume pot labeled backwards. I had to reverse mine to get it to work right.
Oops, it's an older version of the layouts, many apologies about that. On that one the volume pot is the wrong way round, and the first diode needs turning so the cathode is connected to gate. I've posted the updated layouts above.
After discovering one minor component mistake and getting that diode switched around this thing is cranking. Pretty ghetto though. I'll post a pic at some point, but its looking really bad at this point.
Oh, and the drive is backwards as well. Or at least I had it backwards. Thanks for the help.
Hi there, Thanks for posting this layout. I just built the circuit without SHO (using 50V film caps) and am getting a very quiet signal out. I think it has something to do with the 1st FET. The tone and volume seem to be working as expected but the gain doesn't do much. Any suggestions for troubleshooting?
Thanks for your reply!! I figured out that I had a bad FET. i swapped it out and it sounds better. However, I am having some self oscillation when the gain is below 90%. Any thoughts on that? I'll post some pics if you would like.
Yes post some pics and I'll see if anything jumps out at me. Oscillation can be a pain sometimes though and it may need some power supply filtering to quiet things down. One thing that you could try is putting something like a 100uF cap somewhere between the 9V and ground lugs on the bottom row. The bottom of the 1M and 5K1 resistor just to the left of centre would be a good position to put it in with them being next to one another.
Thanks for sharing the pics. Nothing obvious is jumping out but it's quite hard to follow with compact builds using perf type boards. I'd just double check values and make sure there's no cold solder joints that could be causing your issue.
They need to be n-channel enhancement mode mosfets, so you could maybe use something like a 2N7000 instead. You should be able to source either quite easily on eBay.
I made the circuit with the SHO and i cant get the SHO to work. for the 10uf i was sent a bipolar cap. and for the diodes i used 1n4739a. i noticed i had the bs170 in wrong because i went by how it was faced in the picture and not how you had it marked. after i switched it around im still not getting much noise out of it. with the bor side on and cranked you can hear a faint distorted noise from the sho, but barely audible. what do you think i did wrong? thanks for any help, Lucas
Have you tried it with any other mosfets? They are susceptible to static damage and you don't know what may have happened when you had them in reversed. Worth checking that first. Failing that usual things like bad soldering joint could be the cause and so it's worth checking for continuity and/or reflowing the solder.
its working a little bit better now. its still quiet, but i dont have to crank up the bor side all of the way, but its quiet and hissy, but it has improved from almost dead quiet. i tried rechecking all of the solder joins. do you think it could be the bipolar cap?
one last thing. if i turn it up all of the way both the bor and the sho it has this high pitched squeal. what do you think that is? im really sorry for bugging you so much.
Not sure about that, is it like the oscillation you can get sometimes with silicon Fuzz Faces? I haven't played with the BOR much so maybe someone else who has one can confirm whether this has happened for them?
hey, I had this problem on a 1 knob fuzz I built ( not one of IvIark's layouts!) and fixed it by putting a 470pf cap across the base and emitter of the 1st transistor..
Not sure how to apply it to a JFET, but it may be worth experimenting...
I built the BOR and SHO separately, I will try them together and see if its the same. :)
thanks for the help. i dont think its the pedal anymore, i think that its my amp. i didnt have anything plugged into it and i adjusted the knobs and i started to squeal when i turned up the volume. so it just cant handle the loud. im going to try it on my friends 60 watt tube amp and hear what it sounds like. thanks again.
Just wondering if you have got a vero layout of the complete version with Super Hard-on? Did find a vero of both parts separately but had different resistor values and diodes to the one post above, so got confused. Also, was not sure where to connect switches and l.e.d's.
Hi James, sorry I missed your post. I had a particularly busy October and my hobbies took a back seat. I'll do a full layout with BOR and SHO if you want it, but it will end up over 22 columns wide so it wouldn't fit sideways in a 1590B size enclosure. If you're not bothered about that and you'll use a bigger box anyway then it's no problem. My layouts are very rarely the most compact, I do them because I hate standing resistors like you see with many other layouts, but the down side of that is that the final board usually take up more space. But it's worth it to me and feeds my OCD so I carry on! :o)
Yes this has been built several times successfully by a number of people. If you look at the tags of the post, anything that has a verified tag is known to be working.
Hello its me again :) i made one and its working really good but is there any way to increase gain so i dont have to volume it up so much to get it. Thanks again and sorry for bothering :)
I'm not sure what you mean, the Gain control controls the gain level, the volume control can then set the output level to whatever you need. So you can have it on full gain and roll back the volume so it's at the appropriate level.
I'd like to build the BOR only with no tone stack. Could you help me out? What do I remove to get the move the lug 3 volume portion in with the rest of the layout?
i just made it but i have a small question. the third FET is broken and i'm still waiting for a replacement. but when I connect a wire from the 2nd fet's drain to the 3rd fet's drain (in other words dont use the 3rd gain stage) I get almost no gain. i suspected to hear a distortion....
dont know if im stupid or i failed at making it but hope one of u can help me (A)
hey guys! im a bit confused with the 3pdt wirings of that version with the sho. could somebody paint it down quickly? i see a dark blue cable on the top (marked as "out") and a dark blue cable ob the bottom on the sho side. im stuck in my building here. pleeeze help me! :*
hey guys! im a bit confused with the 3pdt wirings of that version with the sho. could somebody paint it down quickly? i see a dark blue cable on the top (marked as "out") and a dark blue cable ob the bottom on the sho side. im stuck in my building here. pleeeze help me! :*
i think i got it! i checked the "complete vero" schematic. so the lower blue cable needs to be labeled "sho out" and everythings fine, right? i wired the upper and lower blue cables togethet so far. oops.
Finished yesterday the complete version. A beautiful classic distortion pedal with lot of tonal possibilities. The SHO is a plus, worth the effort with the double 3pdt wiring. I had a lot of fun with the tagboard... thank you for the precious content of this site..!!!!!
Good day to all! I did it some days ago and it works perfectly! Nothing problems, only a hiss rumour at zero level of guitar pot, and less when engaged the volume. For the rest it's sound really really good. Thank you so much!
What kind of Diode is D1?
ReplyDeleteOoh just noticed there are two D1s in the SHO versions! D1 in the top left hand side is a 9V1 zener, the diodes in the SHO side are 1N4148.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the help. One more question, is that 1uf cap electrolytic and which direction should it go? Well that's two questions.
ReplyDeleteYou can use any type of cap here, polyester would be preferable if you've got one that isn't too big, but if you do need to use a polarised cap then the positive leg should go to the BS170 drain.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm trying to build this out of found parts and extras. Only had to buy the transistors so far. I've built a Crackle Not Ok this way.
ReplyDeleteExcellent, let us all know how you get on and please post links to any builds you do, I like keeping a collection! :o)
ReplyDeleteGot it built, but had to use some new parts. Still not getting it to work quite right. I've got a full 9v at the Drain of the first transistor, but only .62 at the gate. If I put the input to this drain I get signal through the rest of the circuit, but anything before that I get nothing. The other transistors I'm getting 4.62 at the Drain and 2.6 at the Gate. Oh, and you may have the lugs of the volume pot labeled backwards. I had to reverse mine to get it to work right.
ReplyDeleteOops, it's an older version of the layouts, many apologies about that. On that one the volume pot is the wrong way round, and the first diode needs turning so the cathode is connected to gate. I've posted the updated layouts above.
ReplyDeleteAfter discovering one minor component mistake and getting that diode switched around this thing is cranking. Pretty ghetto though. I'll post a pic at some point, but its looking really bad at this point.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the drive is backwards as well. Or at least I had it backwards. Thanks for the help.
Excellent, glad you got it going.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Thanks for posting this layout. I just built the circuit without SHO (using 50V film caps) and am getting a very quiet signal out. I think it has something to do with the 1st FET. The tone and volume seem to be working as expected but the gain doesn't do much. Any suggestions for troubleshooting?
ReplyDeleteHave you got the diode's cathode attached to the gate of Q1 as per the updated layout?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your reply!! I figured out that I had a bad FET. i swapped it out and it sounds better. However, I am having some self oscillation when the gain is below 90%. Any thoughts on that? I'll post some pics if you would like.
ReplyDeleteYes post some pics and I'll see if anything jumps out at me. Oscillation can be a pain sometimes though and it may need some power supply filtering to quiet things down. One thing that you could try is putting something like a 100uF cap somewhere between the 9V and ground lugs on the bottom row. The bottom of the 1M and 5K1 resistor just to the left of centre would be a good position to put it in with them being next to one another.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for your reply! Here are some pics:
ReplyDeletehttp://kiphaynes.com/sell/IMG_4329.JPG
http://kiphaynes.com/sell/IMG_4331.JPG
http://kiphaynes.com/sell/IMG_4332.JPG
I did put a 47uF electrolytic between hot and ground (as shown on another schematic) but maybe I'll try the 100uF as you suggest.
Thanks for sharing the pics. Nothing obvious is jumping out but it's quite hard to follow with compact builds using perf type boards. I'd just double check values and make sure there's no cold solder joints that could be causing your issue.
ReplyDeletethe bs170 can be change for other equivalent?
ReplyDeleteor is there some other transistor can I use?
ReplyDeleteThey need to be n-channel enhancement mode mosfets, so you could maybe use something like a 2N7000 instead. You should be able to source either quite easily on eBay.
ReplyDeleteyou have the circuit of lovepedal amp 50?
ReplyDeleteand you have the circuit of lovepedal purple plexi 800??
ReplyDeleteI don't have a schematic for the Amp 50 but I've done one for the PP800. It needs updating slightly though but I'll post it when I get chance.
ReplyDeletethis blues wire at the bottom, is this the out from sho?
ReplyDeleteYes. I do miss the odd label sometimes! :o)
ReplyDeletethanks!
ReplyDeletelars
one more question do I need the MKS2 0,1uF (by WIMA) for the 100nF cap?
ReplyDeleteregards,
Lars
I made the circuit with the SHO and i cant get the SHO to work. for the 10uf i was sent a bipolar cap. and for the diodes i used 1n4739a. i noticed i had the bs170 in wrong because i went by how it was faced in the picture and not how you had it marked. after i switched it around im still not getting much noise out of it. with the bor side on and cranked you can hear a faint distorted noise from the sho, but barely audible. what do you think i did wrong?
ReplyDeletethanks for any help,
Lucas
Have you tried it with any other mosfets? They are susceptible to static damage and you don't know what may have happened when you had them in reversed. Worth checking that first. Failing that usual things like bad soldering joint could be the cause and so it's worth checking for continuity and/or reflowing the solder.
ReplyDeletealrighty then, ll try that. thanks again.
ReplyDeleteits working a little bit better now. its still quiet, but i dont have to crank up the bor side all of the way, but its quiet and hissy, but it has improved from almost dead quiet. i tried rechecking all of the solder joins. do you think it could be the bipolar cap?
ReplyDeletefor the hell of it i tried reflowing the joins again and now it works fine. idunno, but it is loud as heck. thanks for all of the help. you rock.
ReplyDeleteone last thing. if i turn it up all of the way both the bor and the sho it has this high pitched squeal. what do you think that is?
ReplyDeleteim really sorry for bugging you so much.
Not sure about that, is it like the oscillation you can get sometimes with silicon Fuzz Faces? I haven't played with the BOR much so maybe someone else who has one can confirm whether this has happened for them?
ReplyDeletewell until i know what it is i wont crank it all the way up. not that i ever need to.
ReplyDeletehey, I had this problem on a 1 knob fuzz I built ( not one of IvIark's layouts!) and fixed it by putting a 470pf cap across the base and emitter of the 1st transistor..
ReplyDeleteNot sure how to apply it to a JFET, but it may be worth experimenting...
I built the BOR and SHO separately, I will try them together and see if its the same. :)
thanks for the help. i dont think its the pedal anymore, i think that its my amp. i didnt have anything plugged into it and i adjusted the knobs and i started to squeal when i turned up the volume. so it just cant handle the loud. im going to try it on my friends 60 watt tube amp and hear what it sounds like. thanks again.
ReplyDeleteHey Lucas, thats a shame - I ran both mine together and had no squeal, just a whole lot of loud! If its a valve amp, it may be a bad pre-amp valve..
ReplyDeleteGood luck - hope it works out for you.
Any chance of getting this on a vero board?
ReplyDeleteYes I've got a vero layout somewhere. I'll dig it out and post it in a new thread.
ReplyDeleteHi Ivlark,
ReplyDeleteI'm really new to this so please excuse me.
Just wondering if you have got a vero layout of the complete version with Super Hard-on?
Did find a vero of both parts separately but had different resistor values and diodes to the one post above, so got confused.
Also, was not sure where to connect switches and l.e.d's.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Cheers, J.
Hi James, sorry I missed your post. I had a particularly busy October and my hobbies took a back seat. I'll do a full layout with BOR and SHO if you want it, but it will end up over 22 columns wide so it wouldn't fit sideways in a 1590B size enclosure. If you're not bothered about that and you'll use a bigger box anyway then it's no problem. My layouts are very rarely the most compact, I do them because I hate standing resistors like you see with many other layouts, but the down side of that is that the final board usually take up more space. But it's worth it to me and feeds my OCD so I carry on! :o)
ReplyDeleteHello, Is this the working layout above? Thanks
ReplyDeleteYes this has been built several times successfully by a number of people. If you look at the tags of the post, anything that has a verified tag is known to be working.
DeleteOk, ill try it! Thanks for quick reply! :)
DeleteCan u explain this 5kC pot? Is than 5Kohm rev log? thanks
ReplyDeleteYes the C taper is reverse log
Deleteso gain and the boost pot are same? "_
DeleteSame pot, same function. Both change the resistance between their respective Mosfet sources and ground.
DeleteOk :) sorry for bothering you but can u tell me the purpose of the D1? Thanks again :)
DeleteIt protects the mosfet against static electricity.
DeleteHello its me again :) i made one and its working really good but is there any way to increase gain so i dont have to volume it up so much to get it.
ReplyDeleteThanks again and sorry for bothering :)
I'm not sure what you mean, the Gain control controls the gain level, the volume control can then set the output level to whatever you need. So you can have it on full gain and roll back the volume so it's at the appropriate level.
Deletei wanted to ask can u make the pedal more gainy?
DeleteI'd like to build the BOR only with no tone stack. Could you help me out? What do I remove to get the move the lug 3 volume portion in with the rest of the layout?
Deletei just made it but i have a small question.
ReplyDeletethe third FET is broken and i'm still waiting for a replacement.
but when I connect a wire from the 2nd fet's drain to the 3rd fet's drain (in other words dont use the 3rd gain stage) I get almost no gain.
i suspected to hear a distortion....
dont know if im stupid or i failed at making it but hope one of u can help me (A)
nevermind fixed it
ReplyDeleteis there some way to get more gain out of it?
hey guys!
ReplyDeleteim a bit confused with the 3pdt wirings of that version with the sho.
could somebody paint it down quickly?
i see a dark blue cable on the top (marked as "out") and a dark blue cable ob the bottom on the sho side.
im stuck in my building here.
pleeeze help me! :*
hey guys!
ReplyDeleteim a bit confused with the 3pdt wirings of that version with the sho.
could somebody paint it down quickly?
i see a dark blue cable on the top (marked as "out") and a dark blue cable ob the bottom on the sho side.
im stuck in my building here.
pleeeze help me! :*
i think i got it! i checked the "complete vero" schematic.
ReplyDeleteso the lower blue cable needs to be labeled "sho out" and everythings fine, right?
i wired the upper and lower blue cables togethet so far. oops.
hello, all my pots seem to work as volume, can you help
ReplyDeleteFinished yesterday the complete version. A beautiful classic distortion pedal with lot of tonal possibilities. The SHO is a plus, worth the effort with the double 3pdt wiring.
ReplyDeleteI had a lot of fun with the tagboard... thank you for the precious content of this site..!!!!!
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI'm on a PCB conversion of this turretboard, if I post the schematic here you can check it and see if there's no mistake?
Thanks, you really rock! :)
FrK
Here's the link to my schematic :
Deletehttps://www.dropbox.com/s/yp5a17eheqri1f3/Zvex%20Box%20Of%20Rock%20TBE%20layout%20to%20PCB.pdf?dl=0
Good day to all! I did it some days ago and it works perfectly! Nothing problems, only a hiss rumour at zero level of guitar pot, and less when engaged the volume. For the rest it's sound really really good. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeletehello all, i have no gain at all and a low volume, can someone give me a hint on what coukld have been wrong?
ReplyDelete