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
Another one requested by a few people. I did a tagboard layout a couple of years ago but it was based on an incorrect schematic so I pulled it and have been meaning to do this one for a while now.
Any tonal differences between the two layouts? Decided to sell my Drag'n'fly (early one - number 16) and might well ask Melx if he'd consider building me one :)
There could be some tonal differences in any two Drag'n'Fly's because of variations in the component values in two builds. Some people (me included) do think there can be slight tonal differences in different cap dielectrics, but both these layouts are shown with the same dielectric type of cap (poly and electrolytic) whether they're axial or radial box or whatever, so I suspect any audible differences will be down to component tolerances more than anything else.
Have you got a front and back pic of your build Timmy? I haven't built it but the layout certainly seems to match the schematic. As a checklist: Transistors in the correct orientation? Electrolytics the correct polarity? All cuts in the right place? No slivers of copper or solder creating bridges on the vero? Solder flowed well?
Hey Ivark, I just built your COMPACT Version and can't get any sound out of it. Is this thing verified? I've tried everything and can't get it to work. Strange...
I'm not sure which version timmy made, but it's a simple circuit so I'm fairly confident about both the layouts. What transistors did you use, and are you sure the pinouts are right?
Are you sure you're getting 9V on the top rail? There's only a 10K resistor between the 9V rail and the collector of Q1 so there's no way that you shouldn't be getting any voltage there. Try reflowing the solder for that 10K resistor. Plus the base of Q2 is connected directly to the collector of Q1 so I can't see why you are getting a reading there. Very strange.
Post a front and back pic if you like and i'll have a look.
Well nothing is jumping out at me, the components look to be in the right places (or at least the ones I can tell) and the cuts appear to be in the right place. That voltage on the collector is nothing like it should be though which is the concern. Just try reflowing that resistor and see if it affects the reading.
Hmmm, okay, one thing I noticed. If you look (really closely!) at the 10uf cap next to Q1, you actually have a blue dot on the positive side of the cap right under where it is placed (in front of C of Q1, and then an additional lead to right in front of B of Q1. Is that correct? Because I just have the two outer connection and not the one next to C of Q1. Hope thats clear!
That's just part of that cap symbol and is supposed to signify where the lead comes out of the bottom of the cap, there's one at the other side too but it's obscured by the white "-" mark. It's probably unnecessary to even see that in most instances but it is quite useful sometimes to show the pitch of the cap. It's just the two outer connections that matter and so that cap should be between the base and Filter 3 wire.
Actually I think I see what the problem is. You've used a trimmer with a 5mm pitch between the two outer pins, but only a 2.5mm pitch up to the wiper instead of 5mm shown in the layout. So at the moment you have the wiper attached to Q2 emitter instead of the row with the 1K resistor and 10n cap.
To fix it you'll either have to remove the trimmer and maybe use another one with the wiper bent up and back out again to give you the correct 5mm pitch, or if you don't mind hacking it, put a cut to the right hand side of Q2 emitter (and so separate the emitter from the trimmer wiper) and then put a little link in at the far right hand side between rows 4 and 5. That will make the required connections for you. It may be a bit fiddly to get that cut in because you have solder round there, but if you're careful with a drill bit you should be able to clean that out to break the track.
Works beautifully! Thanks so much for your help! I had another trimpot that had the correct spacing. What a killer sound. I'll send some photos when she is all painted and full of knobs. Thanks again!
Which hfe is recommended for the OC140? This is an expensive trannie, so I'll try to get a checked and hfe selected one. No way buyin' ten unchecked ones at 5 euros each and find that no one works. Prefer pay 9 euros for selected to specs one.
People are saying that ~120-130 hFE could be at the butterzone... You could definitely try something a lot cheaper instead of OC140. You can get tested AC122 or AC128 from musikding for 2,50€. +m
Can try with an AC 128 (have a copuple hfe 110 at home), but after dealing with Rangemaster clones, I seen that while nearly all pnp AC germaniums cand be replaced by other AC's or even russian o japanese ones with no problem, just a few bias tweaks.
But dealing with OC's is not the same in my opinion (Rangemaster example), and if we're talking about a D.A.M. pedal.... . Being a David's creation, if he decided to use an OC140 there must be a reason.
If it was another brand, would replace the trannie with no problem, but in this particular case I think will fit the specification :)
Doesn't cost you too much to try AC128 in it... It might sound good or it might not. But as you have those, then build the first one with sockets and try it out.
There could be something magical about OC transistors, but personally.. I think that's a myth. +m
I'll try the AC128s for sure, but shall order too an OC140 120hfe, have plenty of time to get it, as I'll build no other pedal in a month or so.
Last builts (Klon Centaur, King of Tone, Deep Blue Delay, Triple Wreck and Meathead in an 1590A) have been exhausting so I'll have a break before facing the DAM Fuzzes series :)
Well, it sounds great, but as an usual fuzz, so, all knobs kranked up, not many options. Volume an attack work great... in a similar way to a classic Fuzz Face. Attack rom 3 o'clock onwards and controlling it with guitar volume.
Filter knob behaviour is not by any means similar to the demos you can see on youtube, when you turn it CCW it starts to sound weak and no musical at all.
Built it with a BC337-25 290hfe (tried a BC-337-16 180 hfe and a 2N3904 180 hfe) and a nos OC140 115hfe.
Will have to check it more in deep, but I'm a bit frustrated as is no even close to the behaviour I was expecting.
There was an classic Benny Hill gag; Benny as a teacher wrote to the blackboard: "assume" and said "Don't you ever assume boy! When you do, it makes an Ass out of U and Me!" +m
Have to retract from my previous words. After a careful biasing by ear (it finally showed 4,3v on the Q2 collector) and replacing the 100k filter pot (seems that the original one was not totally OK) have to say:
This effect is truly awesome, and yeah, it works exactly the same that you can check on youtube demos.
Tried it with some AC180 NPN germaniums that I have at home, rated about 90-100 hfe, and the result was not satisfactory, but the OC140 from Mommoth Electronics, really rocks and wakes the beast on this little effect.
Really the Meathead and the Drag'N'Fly have been two really socking effects. I LOVE fuzzes, but nothing until I built the Meathead seemed better to me than my classic germanium Fuzz Face (previously with AC128 and now wirh GT308B).... now the Meathead and the Drag'n'Fly are glued to my pedalboard, and the FF and the Fuzz factory are enjoying a long rest :)
Will see the Grease Box (I have selected three GT308B for it (60-65-9 hfe), if it sounds just similar to the demos, and having red the Miro's opinion) I think i'll need some extra space on my pb.
Yes it's a parallel reverse polarity protection diode. If you reversed the polarity on that extremely expensive pedal it would blow a hole in the bottom of the board because it isn't fused, so I omit them or use series protection instead sometimes :)
I have an OC140 that is a 118 hFE, I hope that value is good enough for this pedal. Also a few BC337 and other NPN Si transistors to test. Waiting on a couple caps and then I will make this one!
I finished this one up and it sounds awesome. I had to roll my own resistor for R5 'teepee d' a 47k & 10k. I used a 22uF for C5. NOS Mullard Tropical fish caps for C3 and and C6 for some mojo and BC / Phillips axial electro's. BC337 for Q1 and a CV7112 for Q2 - I have Q2 collector biased at 4.5v and that seems to sound good to me... also metal film resistors and I did not have a metal film for the 820r so I used a CC type I had laying around :-/ Not sure what the bias is suppose to be set at but it is just at the verge of sputter land but tighter... For sure this is a cross between a Vox tonebender and a fuzz face... best of both imo Thanks |V|ark! This one is a keeper!
Not sure if anyone has made the mojo layout but I'm not getting a sound from it. I've been over and over it and everything is correct so I'm guessing it was a faulty component but just thought I'd mention in case there was an error on mojo layout.
Today I was helping a friend build one of these from the "mojo" layout and we came upon a real head-scratcher. The pedal oscillates like crazy unless I physically touch both the germanium transistor case and the and the collector lead. Then it sounds great. I reflowed all the solder joints, checked the pinouts and polarities, searched for solder bridges, and tried different power supplies and outlets and transistors, all to no avail. Any idea what might cause this?
Any tonal differences between the two layouts? Decided to sell my Drag'n'fly (early one - number 16) and might well ask Melx if he'd consider building me one :)
ReplyDeleteThere could be some tonal differences in any two Drag'n'Fly's because of variations in the component values in two builds. Some people (me included) do think there can be slight tonal differences in different cap dielectrics, but both these layouts are shown with the same dielectric type of cap (poly and electrolytic) whether they're axial or radial box or whatever, so I suspect any audible differences will be down to component tolerances more than anything else.
ReplyDeleteThe axial layout looks much cooler though! :o)
tried. not working as it should. sounds circuit bent.
ReplyDeleteHave you got a front and back pic of your build Timmy? I haven't built it but the layout certainly seems to match the schematic. As a checklist: Transistors in the correct orientation? Electrolytics the correct polarity? All cuts in the right place? No slivers of copper or solder creating bridges on the vero? Solder flowed well?
Deletegot it! this bad boy is REALLY sensitive to the right gain transistors. like, really really sensitive.
ReplyDeleteExcellent, glad you got it sorted. Out of interest what gain worked well in it?
DeleteHey Ivark, I just built your COMPACT Version and can't get any sound out of it. Is this thing verified? I've tried everything and can't get it to work. Strange...
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure which version timmy made, but it's a simple circuit so I'm fairly confident about both the layouts. What transistors did you use, and are you sure the pinouts are right?
ReplyDeleteWhat voltages are you getting at all the pins?
Yeah, thats the weird thing, its a simple circuit. Don't know what I'm doing wrong.
ReplyDeleteQ1
c 0
b 0.59
e 0.91
Q2
c 0.7
b 0.91
e 0.7
Are you sure you're getting 9V on the top rail? There's only a 10K resistor between the 9V rail and the collector of Q1 so there's no way that you shouldn't be getting any voltage there. Try reflowing the solder for that 10K resistor. Plus the base of Q2 is connected directly to the collector of Q1 so I can't see why you are getting a reading there. Very strange.
ReplyDeletePost a front and back pic if you like and i'll have a look.
Thanks for helping! I don't know how to embed a photo, so here are two links! Also, yes, I get 9V on the top row.
Deletehttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0gjtN5gWUBA/T4XlayeqM4I/AAAAAAAAAbA/PhNYadYZVqw/s512/photo-1.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zNgMRlZbuEM/T4XlarrGKEI/AAAAAAAAAbE/_XYsmgV1uSE/s640/photo.JPG
Well nothing is jumping out at me, the components look to be in the right places (or at least the ones I can tell) and the cuts appear to be in the right place. That voltage on the collector is nothing like it should be though which is the concern. Just try reflowing that resistor and see if it affects the reading.
DeleteYeah, pretty strange. Perhaps I'll just start from scratch with some new vero and see what happens.
DeleteAlso, just build your layout for the Gainster today. Works beautifully! Thanks! Crammed it into a 1590A as well.
DeleteExcellent, if you take any pics send me the links. I like to keep a collection of builds done using my layouts. Cheers
DeleteHmmm, okay, one thing I noticed. If you look (really closely!) at the 10uf cap next to Q1, you actually have a blue dot on the positive side of the cap right under where it is placed (in front of C of Q1, and then an additional lead to right in front of B of Q1. Is that correct? Because I just have the two outer connection and not the one next to C of Q1. Hope thats clear!
ReplyDeleteThat's just part of that cap symbol and is supposed to signify where the lead comes out of the bottom of the cap, there's one at the other side too but it's obscured by the white "-" mark. It's probably unnecessary to even see that in most instances but it is quite useful sometimes to show the pitch of the cap. It's just the two outer connections that matter and so that cap should be between the base and Filter 3 wire.
DeleteActually I think I see what the problem is. You've used a trimmer with a 5mm pitch between the two outer pins, but only a 2.5mm pitch up to the wiper instead of 5mm shown in the layout. So at the moment you have the wiper attached to Q2 emitter instead of the row with the 1K resistor and 10n cap.
To fix it you'll either have to remove the trimmer and maybe use another one with the wiper bent up and back out again to give you the correct 5mm pitch, or if you don't mind hacking it, put a cut to the right hand side of Q2 emitter (and so separate the emitter from the trimmer wiper) and then put a little link in at the far right hand side between rows 4 and 5. That will make the required connections for you. It may be a bit fiddly to get that cut in because you have solder round there, but if you're careful with a drill bit you should be able to clean that out to break the track.
Holy moly, you are right! I never would have seen that. I'm on it...
ReplyDeleteWorks beautifully! Thanks so much for your help! I had another trimpot that had the correct spacing. What a killer sound. I'll send some photos when she is all painted and full of knobs. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteHi Mark,
ReplyDeleteWhich hfe is recommended for the OC140? This is an expensive trannie, so I'll try to get a checked and hfe selected one. No way buyin' ten unchecked ones at 5 euros each and find that no one works. Prefer pay 9 euros for selected to specs one.
BR
Check this:
Deletehttp://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=83401.0
People are saying that ~120-130 hFE could be at the butterzone... You could definitely try something a lot cheaper instead of OC140. You can get tested AC122 or AC128 from musikding for 2,50€.
+m
Thanks Miro, I'll check this thread.
ReplyDeleteCan try with an AC 128 (have a copuple hfe 110 at home), but after dealing with Rangemaster clones, I seen that while nearly all pnp AC germaniums cand be replaced by other AC's or even russian o japanese ones with no problem, just a few bias tweaks.
But dealing with OC's is not the same in my opinion (Rangemaster example), and if we're talking about a D.A.M. pedal.... . Being a David's creation, if he decided to use an OC140 there must be a reason.
If it was another brand, would replace the trannie with no problem, but in this particular case I think will fit the specification :)
BR
*stick to the specification, i mean
DeleteDoesn't cost you too much to try AC128 in it... It might sound good or it might not. But as you have those, then build the first one with sockets and try it out.
DeleteThere could be something magical about OC transistors, but personally.. I think that's a myth.
+m
I'll try the AC128s for sure, but shall order too an OC140 120hfe, have plenty of time to get it, as I'll build no other pedal in a month or so.
DeleteLast builts (Klon Centaur, King of Tone, Deep Blue Delay, Triple Wreck and Meathead in an 1590A) have been exhausting so I'll have a break before facing the DAM Fuzzes series :)
BR
Miro, by the way, could not try the AC128, OC140 is NPN. I tried some AC180 but they're too weak.
DeleteBR
Just built this circuit.
ReplyDeleteWell, it sounds great, but as an usual fuzz, so, all knobs kranked up, not many options. Volume an attack work great... in a similar way to a classic Fuzz Face. Attack rom 3 o'clock onwards and controlling it with guitar volume.
Filter knob behaviour is not by any means similar to the demos you can see on youtube, when you turn it CCW it starts to sound weak and no musical at all.
Built it with a BC337-25 290hfe (tried a BC-337-16 180 hfe and a 2N3904 180 hfe) and a nos OC140 115hfe.
Will have to check it more in deep, but I'm a bit frustrated as is no even close to the behaviour I was expecting.
BR
Hah. True. I didn't take notice of this being negative ground, so my assumption was wrong.
Delete+m
There was an classic Benny Hill gag; Benny as a teacher wrote to the blackboard: "assume" and said "Don't you ever assume boy! When you do, it makes an Ass out of U and Me!"
Delete+m
Hehehehehehehe, setting different bias to the germanium now, seems to be better when getting 5,5-6 volts on the collector.
DeleteWill keep on checkin!
Well, box was ready, so.... pedal finished!
ReplyDeletehttp://img22.imageshack.us/img22/2805/dragnfly.jpg
BR!
Have to retract from my previous words. After a careful biasing by ear (it finally showed 4,3v on the Q2 collector) and replacing the 100k filter pot (seems that the original one was not totally OK) have to say:
ReplyDeleteThis effect is truly awesome, and yeah, it works exactly the same that you can check on youtube demos.
Tried it with some AC180 NPN germaniums that I have at home, rated about 90-100 hfe, and the result was not satisfactory, but the OC140 from Mommoth Electronics, really rocks and wakes the beast on this little effect.
Really the Meathead and the Drag'N'Fly have been two really socking effects. I LOVE fuzzes, but nothing until I built the Meathead seemed better to me than my classic germanium Fuzz Face (previously with AC128 and now wirh GT308B).... now the Meathead and the Drag'n'Fly are glued to my pedalboard, and the FF and the Fuzz factory are enjoying a long rest :)
Will see the Grease Box (I have selected three GT308B for it (60-65-9 hfe), if it sounds just similar to the demos, and having red the Miro's opinion) I think i'll need some extra space on my pb.
BR!
I listen good tones form this pedal but what is the diode on the original circuit? http://www.flickr.com/photos/terekhova/4933822855/lightbox/
ReplyDeletewhy is not on this layout, it can make diferent sound or is to protect the reverse polarity??
Im begginer sorry my noob question :-)
Yes it's a parallel reverse polarity protection diode. If you reversed the polarity on that extremely expensive pedal it would blow a hole in the bottom of the board because it isn't fused, so I omit them or use series protection instead sometimes :)
DeleteThank you man!!!
DeleteI have an OC140 that is a 118 hFE, I hope that value is good enough for this pedal. Also a few BC337 and other NPN Si transistors to test.
ReplyDeleteWaiting on a couple caps and then I will make this one!
Thanks IvIark!
I finished this one up and it sounds awesome. I had to roll my own resistor for R5 'teepee d' a 47k & 10k. I used a 22uF for C5. NOS Mullard Tropical fish caps for C3 and and C6 for some mojo and BC / Phillips axial electro's.
ReplyDeleteBC337 for Q1 and a CV7112 for Q2 - I have Q2 collector biased at 4.5v and that seems to sound good to me... also metal film resistors and I did not have a metal film for the 820r so I used a CC type I had laying around :-/
Not sure what the bias is suppose to be set at but it is just at the verge of sputter land but tighter... For sure this is a cross between a Vox tonebender and a fuzz face... best of both imo
Thanks |V|ark! This one is a keeper!
Not sure if anyone has made the mojo layout but I'm not getting a sound from it. I've been over and over it and everything is correct so I'm guessing it was a faulty component but just thought I'd mention in case there was an error on mojo layout.
ReplyDeleteToday I was helping a friend build one of these from the "mojo" layout and we came upon a real head-scratcher. The pedal oscillates like crazy unless I physically touch both the germanium transistor case and the and the collector lead. Then it sounds great. I reflowed all the solder joints, checked the pinouts and polarities, searched for solder bridges, and tried different power supplies and outlets and transistors, all to no avail. Any idea what might cause this?
ReplyDelete