As requested. It isn't verified yet but certainly seems to match the schematic to me, so if anyone builds it then please let me know so I can log it as verified.
It will fit perfectly in a 1590B, but you could even shave a column off the left hand side if you don't mind taking the link over the Gain 3 and Input wires.
Anyway, enjoy!
Thank you, I built one on a tagboard but I had to put it in the chassis of a 5F1. I'll get going on this and tell you what the results are when I'm done.
ReplyDeleteExcellent, thanks
ReplyDeleteWhoop whoop, I have a free day this Saturday. The wife is taking the little man out for the day & I get to build this bad boy (I'll submit a build report too). Could I ask though, is the 470p cap a silver mica variant? If it is s.m. Is the circuit ultra dependant on it or will a ceramic suffice? Great website, love it!! Thanks, milkit!
ReplyDeleteJust use anything you've got. I put a silver mica in there because I've got a lot and they're a good fit for the space, but a ceramic will be fine. Good luck with the build.
ReplyDeleteSweet, thanks man. Really appreciate your reply. I'll let you know how it goes. 'appy days!
ReplyDeleteA little later than promised but, you can officially label this big bitch as VERIFIED!! Built it this afternoon & it sounds sweet, I'm really pleased with the tone. Used a few substitute parts due to availability on a saturday afternoon & the fact that Maplin is useless & expensive, but that's by the by. Well chuffed bud, excellent work. Can't wait to try some more of your layouts. Thanks, milkit. :0}
ReplyDeleteExcellent, glad it worked out for you. If you can could you post a gut shot somewhere? I collect pics of builds people have done with my layouts and will do a blog post of them at some point in the future. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteSure thing! I'll get onto it sometime this week. I must warn you though, as it was a test run, it's not the neatest of builds!
ReplyDeleteHi Ivlark, I have taken some gut shots like you asked, but I have nothing to host them on. Do you have a sacrificial email address I can mail them to you at? I promise to only use it to send you these shots (& future shots should you require them) any other correspondence will be sent to you via this site! Milkit.
ReplyDeleteHey i was just wondering if these layouts are with the copper side facing downwards as i've found a few on the net where the copper is facing the same way as the components and i didnt realise at first.
ReplyDeleteThanks for having this blog up it is an excellent resource!
If possible i would love to see an OCD type layout.
Thanks
Toboy
These are (I think all of them on here are, but don't quote me) "copper" side down. The tracks & cuts you can see are an x-ray view. Components laid as per layout!
ReplyDeleteHi Milkit, sorry I missed your post about the pics. You can email me anything at turretboard at hotmail dot co dot uk. Cheers mate
ReplyDeleteNo worries bud, I'll get it over to you ASAP dude. ;0)
ReplyDeleteHi Mark,
ReplyDeleteGreat layout!!!
Do you know how can I convert this to Zvex Distorton?
Thanks for your great job!!!
Hey,Im a little confused by the pot wiring,do I connect gain 1 and 2 together,and connect this to vol 1?Or do I have to connect both to the ground lug of the output jack
ReplyDeleteGain 1 & 2 and Volume 1 all need connecting to ground. Connect them all together, along with the input and output sleeves, negative lug of the DC socket and any grounded lugs on the switch:
Deletehttp://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/2012/02/offboard-wiring.html
Finished this last night. Works really well, but the gain sounds flubby. I checked all the solder points and components. How would I go about getting rid of this flubbyness. Is it in the voltage to one of the Jfets?
ReplyDeleteDo BS170's need matching?
ReplyDeleteHi,just built this as my first project. Really pleased with results but the tone gets very harsh, very quickly. Any suggestions welcome??
ReplyDeleteHey Alison, you are the first with this complain. I've build several Bors and Distortrons and they all sound harsh, very harsh to me! I wonder if the schematic is correct because no single buyer of the Zvex Bor is complaining about this. I have tried several mosfets, jfets and even 2n5088. They all work but you loose the great sound of the Bor. Then I put a cap 1nF between the input and ground. That took away the harsh high end, but also the beauty of the sound! The next I placed a 470pF between the Drain and Gate of the first gain stage mosfet over the 1Mresistor. That solved the problem. Big great fat sound with just the good amount of high frequenties. Modded all my Bor pedals. The strange thing is that the SuperHardOn do not suffer of harshness. But it is a slightly diff circuit. It is far away the most beautiful toneshaper that I have build. It is not a distortion or overdrive for soloing. For that you need a middy overdrive. I use my diy Dumbloid clone for that.
Deletehi, after comparing this to the full BOR layout should the 10n cap to tone 3 be 100n.? Maybe that's why mine has too much treble. Any suggestions welcome
ReplyDeleteYes well spotted. Definitely should be 100n
DeleteCheers, that will hopefully sort things. Great site , keep up the great work.
DeleteCan I just wire a 5kB pot backwards for the gain pot?
ReplyDeleteThis is probably a dumb question but here goes. I did a search for 9.1v zener and got 1N4739A as a result so that is what I ordered for the diode. The question is, should they measure 9.1 when tested on the diode setting on my DMM? It actually measures .71 on the diode setting of the DMM. I'm guessing that 9.1v is what is the result of using the diode but just wonder about the measurement. Little OCD - I measure everything before soldering to the board...
ReplyDeleteThanks
Found this on the webz:
DeleteTesting
Zener diodes can be tested like a normal diode with a multimeter with diode-range. The zener function can not be checked with a multimeter.
To test the zener function or to find out the zener voltage of an unknown zener diode a test setup with a power supply and a series resistor has to be build up.
It is always wise to check the zener diode function when the electronic board is under voltage. With the minus lead of the voltmeter at ground the plus lead is connected to cathode. The measured voltage must be the zener voltage.
I don't have any 2n dipped ceramic capacitors, but I do have two 1n caps. So My question is that can I just put the two 1n caps in parallel? and if so, how would I go about doing that in this layout
ReplyDeleteToday I had a chance to compare my build with the original.. They are quite symmilar, but the original is a little brighter (more presence?) mine is a bit darker/duller. Any idea what can be changed to make it bit brighter?
ReplyDeleteDo I absolutely need a 5.1k resistor? or would a regular 5k work just as well?
ReplyDeleteI bet you won't hear any difference with 5K.
Delete+m
Perfect! thats what I want to hear
Deletejust curious, can anyone here layout the circuit for tone on this? as in "input >tone component 1> component 2 > ETC....." I'm new and having trouble reading the layout so to speak
ReplyDeleteQ3 drain > 1u cap >
DeleteThen you have 47K > 22n > ground + Tone 1
and 100n > 82K > ground + Tone 3
Tone 2 > output
It's a classic Big Muff tone stack. So in the counter clockwise position the signal is routed through a low pass filter (and so highs are cut), in the clockwise position the signal is routed through a high pass filter (and so lows are cut), and the positions in between are a variable blend between the two filters.
Just did this, but i get very weak output and a volume pot that's working backwards. Only thing that's different from the schematic is that i used a polar cap for the 1u position instead of a film cap like drawn. Could that make a difference?
ReplyDeleteA polarised 1u is fine as long as you have the polarity correct. Which side did you connect where?
DeleteIf the volume pot works backwards then you must have muddled up your wiring or the lug numbering. With the board output going to Volume 3, Volume 2 then the main output, and Volume 1 grounded, it has to be silent in the counter clockwise position and full volume clockwise. Check your lug connections against the pic shown on this page
http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/offboard-wiring.html
Thx for the swift reply! Great site, BTW, really love it. I've built a couple of sweet sounding stomps from these layouts already.
DeleteI have the negative leg towards the bottom, closest to the 10K resistor. I followed the pot numbering according to the page. If i swap the wires around it works normally but i still get a very weak signal (when i engage the effect at full volume and gain i still get a dramatic drop in volume). I do however use a 4K7 pot for gain, but that should be ok, right?
Yes your polarity is correct then and 4K7 is fine, but the rotation definitely isn't so something is definitely wrong somewhere. What voltages are you getting at all the mosfet pins?
DeleteAh I think I might have the 5k1 resistors mixed up with 5k1's...
Delete51k, damn you autocorrect
ReplyDeleteHaha
DeleteRevisted this build this weekend. Was tweaking a few circuits and had never been super happy with this one. I jumpered the 330r source resistor on Q3. Added more gain ( a goodly amount...) and it even seems a little less dark. With the gain maxed out now, I get a nice thick distortion even with my single coils. VERY happy with this mod.
ReplyDeleteI have build several Bor's and Distortrons but they all sound harsh to me. Earpearcing high frequenties when you build it as above or as in the schematic that's going round. Why is nobody complaining about this or are my ears high sensitive? Complete useless in this way, and it is not what I hear on You Tube. Maybe the schematic is not complete and there must be a cap of 470 pF between the drain and gate of the first gainstage mosfet. Try it and be suprised.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I just could not get this one going , built it twice still no luck, then I found another schematic of this pedal ( Clon del box of rock para los avanzados ) sounds great .
ReplyDeleteJust completed the bOX oF rOCk sounds really good , Need some help . How would i go about lowering the bass a little ... what Caps need changing .
ReplyDeleteThat 100n on the right should be a 10n, that should lower the bass a tad.
DeleteHi everyone, i just build this and everthing works so far. There are only 2 minor things
ReplyDeleteA massive volume drop when the pedal is turned on.
And the gain doesnt work that well.. (I used 25k instead of 5k)
I hope somebody could help me out.. Dont be too harsh with me this is only my third pedal 😅
The way mosfets bias means that the gain pot has to be smaller than the top resistor, so you could change the 5.1k to 27k and it will function the same as the 5.1 and 5K pot arrangement. There was a guy on one of the forums who tested making them with regular radio shack parts. The other option is to run another resistor from gain pot lugs 1-3 to lower your 25k to 5k. There are parallel resistor calculators online that can help.
Delete