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Tuesday, 14 August 2012

Dwarfcraft Great Destroyer

As the schematic recommended trying different values for the 22K resistor, I've included a 22K trimmer instead so you can experiment for yourself but you might want to use a 50K so you can tweak with higher values too.  If you aren't bothered just solder a 22K resistor between pins 4 and 6 instead.

Info from the manufacturer:

Is it a fuzz? Is it an instrument? Is it a rogue angel bent on audio revenge?

Rhythmic oscillation and industrial fuzz in a true bypass package.

Handmade in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Powered by 9v “Boss style” power plugger.

The Great Destroyer has found it’s way into the hands of Alan Sparhawk, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Korn, K O Y L, and Pussy Makes Three.







at

118 comments:

  1. mirosol14 August 2012 at 12:04

    This will get done once i get home from work. I suppose 25K trimmer will do the job. Or maybe even 50K :)
    +m

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. IvIark14 August 2012 at 12:36

      Use anything, the difference is it will sound shit, or shitty. You could even solder a banana in its place and it won't sound much worse! :o)

      Delete
  2. Anonymous14 August 2012 at 13:14

    Verified.

    Firstly, Thanks a million Mark for doing the layout.

    Secondly, I'm sorry I suggested it. You're right, 'shit' is a perfect description. This is the only board that will go straight in the bin quicker than my failures! ;o)

    ReplyDelete
  3. mirosol14 August 2012 at 13:32

    Dudes come on...

    Sick noise freaks will love this. Not everything is supposed to sound like tonebender I! Besides, this with couple more sicker circuits will make perfect noise console.

    These are just the kind of circuits i'll need when recording. Doubling last 7 notes of a solo with this - then mix it out of the stereo picture... Stuff that makes you s* bricks when you hear them with your headphones on.

    But yeah. You won't sound like David Gilmour with this one :)
    +m

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. IvIark14 August 2012 at 13:53

      I've got an Console and Bitcrusher in the to do list

      Delete
    2. mirosol14 August 2012 at 14:00

      I've got a big white electronics box from work that was going to the trash. I'm thinking about building the ultimate noise console, so bring them on! :) Like i don't have enough projects already :D
      +m

      Delete
  4. Anonymous14 August 2012 at 13:38

    I don't expect everything to sound like a Tonebender. And I like 'noise' pedals. This however is not musical in the slightest. I'd get the same sound by plugging my guitar cable into a toaster.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mirosol14 August 2012 at 15:41

      Too bad the toasters are so big.. But it may be a good idea to take one apart and use those heater wires as resistors :)
      +m

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14 August 2012 at 16:29

      lol.. could even wire up the kettle as a booster ;o)

      Delete
    3. splashsplish15 August 2012 at 05:19

      haha- if this has your panties in a bunch- i have a feeling you havent the faintest idea of true "noise" devices- this is 1000x more musical than a real deal noise box- you can actually hear your guitar's notes through it, and it actually passes signal

      Delete
  5. IvIark14 August 2012 at 13:52

    Ha ha, that's the best thing about noisemaker layouts, they're verified even if you got it wrong :o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mirosol14 August 2012 at 15:38

      Mark! You're two layouts behind! It's already 14th, and you've only released 12 this month! :D
      +m

      Delete
    2. IvIark14 August 2012 at 15:40

      And I go on holiday on Thursday so it's going to be a really disappointing month! :o)

      Delete
  6. Anonymous14 August 2012 at 15:58

    going into withdrawals already....

    ReplyDelete
  7. rudeez14 August 2012 at 17:07

    This was a great addition to the collection Mark! Definately doing this asap! Been looking for some noise pedals and this is perfect! Putting a order on Tayda tonight so i'll get the IC from there as well if they stock it. Now, back to boxing the russian green muff :D
    Thanks a ton!

    ReplyDelete
  8. mirosol14 August 2012 at 17:24

    Whoah! It's amazing!

    Starve is in reverse (9V to starve 1 instead of 3). I put in B10K for starve, but i think i'm upping it for A20K, because all the real synth sounding stuff happens at over 5K, and A-taper, because the 0-2K needs to be slower on the taper in my opinion. That trimpot is best to take outboard and use B20K. For the gain pot, i'm suggesting 39K resitor in series with lug 1. That would stop the gain pot silencing the effect when it's on zero.

    The sounds are something completely new with cutting and gating oscillations. First noise design that makes my guitar sounds completely like lo-fi synth. I'm going to build another one of these with the mods from above..

    Rudeez: They have 'em, and they are cheap. And you can use for Llama too!

    Thank you Vince for suggesting this! Thank you Mark! This is awesome circuit!
    +m

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mirosol14 August 2012 at 17:25

      Oh. This isn't for everybody, but i like it a lot :)
      +m

      Delete
    2. IvIark14 August 2012 at 17:32

      Is the trimpot useful then would you say, how does it affect the sound (just wondering what to call the pot! :o)

      The Llama uses the unbuffered 4049, this is buffered.

      Delete
    3. mirosol14 August 2012 at 17:53

      I'd call it Gain (in addition to drive:)). That has to be reversed too, if it's viewed from point of view that the trimmer is. So it would be Gain 1 to positive lead of 1µ and gain 2 to drive 1.

      Also, a tad smaller resistor could do for drive lug 1. Something ranging from 21K to 39K.

      Heh. I used 4049UBE, but it works like a charm here :)

      Rudeez: The ones at Tayda are only buffered!
      +m

      Delete
    4. mirosol14 August 2012 at 18:54

      Hold on guys.. I'm still modding.. :)
      +m

      Delete
    5. splashsplish15 August 2012 at 05:22

      mark- above you say the llama uses unbuffered 4049 and that this is buffered... but the layout says 4049 (buffered)0- i only have 4049's- i'm guessing i dont need to do anything to make it work with the 4049's?

      Delete
    6. mirosol15 August 2012 at 05:48

      There are CD4049UBE (which is unbuffered) and CD4049BE (Which is buffered). Llama needs CD4049UBE, but this wants CD4049BE, although this works well with unbuffered as well.

      Which ones you have?
      +m

      Delete
    7. Unknown5 May 2018 at 00:25

      Hello mirosol, I love my TGD and would like to build another. Your mod sounds awesome, i've always thought that the pedal could be tweaked a bit. How hard would it be for me to try and build a second one of these, with your tweaks, keeping in my that I have only a little understanding of what you are explaining. I've only built a few pedals (from kits) so I have almost no true understanding of the process. THANKS! - Jason 619-952-8554

      Delete
  9. mirosol14 August 2012 at 19:49

    Behold! "Adam of Destruction!!!"

    Ok. Bear with me... Ditch the trimmer. Everything else on the board can stay.

    Pots: Starve A20K, Input Cut B10K, Pregain B20K, Gain B1M, Tone B5K & Volume A100K

    Starve, Gain (Drive), Tone and Volume are wired as is.

    Input to Input Cut 2, Input Cut 1 to board input, Input Cut 3 to 82K resistor and other end of that resistor to ground.

    Pregain 2 to 18K resistor and other end of that resistor to Gain 1. Pregain 3 to positive lead of that 1µ cap.

    These mods are made with/for buffered CD4069UBE.. Should and probably could work just as well (or badly, depending on the person) with unbuffered 4069.

    With Input Cut you can mimic the guitar's volume pot and can be used to dial in the resistance for taming down some of the oscillation. Thus making the guitar's volume pot setting just a bit more permanent. 10K doesn't change the real guitar pot's usability. It just adds a bit more of it.

    With Pregain you can smooth the oscillation even more without losing the crushed sound.

    So. There you have it. 6 knobbed noise monster, that has almost good basic fuzz in it with Starve and Input Cut at zero, Pregain, Gain and Tone at max. Adjust volume to taste :) Starve and Pregain are the ones that do most of the magic, so once i'm boxing this, i'm using smaller knobs for all the others :)

    --

    I was supposed to do something completely different tonight :)
    +m

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. IvIark14 August 2012 at 20:22

      Excellent, I'll do a modded layout

      Delete
    2. mirosol14 August 2012 at 20:37

      My pleasure :)
      +m

      Delete
    3. rudeez14 August 2012 at 23:38

      Wow, amazig research miro! I love that you made it even more nasty haha, this will def be a priority to build for a bassist i know who was asking for a gnarly noise maker. Maybe a need for changing input caps when used with bass? Can't wait for the new layout Mark!
      In the meantime, look what i've been doing tonight :)
      https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2828668/russian_revenge.jpg
      boxed up that green russian muff, think it turned out really really good :)

      Delete
    4. mirosol15 August 2012 at 05:38

      Really cool looking box! But then again. All your boxes look real good :)

      I don't think it would hurt if you changed both on board caps for something like 220n. Other is input cap and other is at output. It has lot of bass by default though..
      +m

      Delete
    5. rudeez15 August 2012 at 09:59

      Def gonna play with them for bass, this could def the one effect hes been looking for!

      Delete
    6. rudeez5 September 2012 at 00:09

      so i finally got around and built this thing with the mods you suggested above miro, and... im dissapointed :( might be me that have done something wrong but it sounds like a good classic fuzz to me, not like the monster in the demo video that can make crazy sounds. any ideas? i tried swapping the ic as well but still the same nice kitty cat. i used cd4049ube.

      Delete
    7. IvIark5 September 2012 at 00:23

      It should be the buffered version, CD4049BE. I've read someone else on FSB saying it was quite mild with the unbuffered IC, although Miro said his sounded good. Still I'd always recommend using the IC used in the pedal first and then experimenting from there.

      Delete
    8. rudeez5 September 2012 at 00:31

      hmm, and where on earth to find the buffered one now :(
      HEF4049BP and NTE4049 are no options or?
      but yeah, that's the word, it's very mild and far from as crazy as in the video. although it actually sounds like a great fuzz!

      Delete
    9. IvIark5 September 2012 at 01:54

      http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280828101567

      Delete
    10. mirosol5 September 2012 at 05:38

      I just grabbed a few buffered ones from banzai. But it's nowhere near classic fuzz you've mentioned with unbuffered...
      +m

      Delete
    11. laky7 September 2012 at 03:18

      Hello Mirosol!

      I tried the "Adam of Destruction" on my breadboard with a 16-pin 4049UBE. Just wanted to run a few things by you to check if I got your mods. That is, if you don't mind.

      1. You mentioned 4069UBE - is this the 14-pin IC? If so, I assume the vero would need some changes? Or at least use http://www.runoffgroove.com/6949.html to get the right pinout?

      2. Running through the pots:

      Starve 1: 9v
      Starve 2: pin 1
      Starve 3: (nothing)

      Input Cut 1: 100n Cap (last row in vero layout)
      Input Cut 2: Input
      Input Cut 3: 82k leg A (leg B to ground)

      Pregain 1: (nothing)
      Pregain 2: 18k leg A
      Pregain 3: pin 4

      Drive/Gain 1:18k leg B + pin 5
      Drive/Gain 2: pin 7
      Drive/Gain 3: (nothing)

      Tone/Toin 1: Volume 3
      Tone/Toin 2: pin 3
      Tone/Toin 3: (nothing)

      Volume 1: ground
      Volume 2: 100n cap and subsequently output
      Volume 3: pin 2 + Tone/Toin 1

      Are the above correct?

      3. I found that with Starve fully on (ie full 9v), there is little fuzz - just a louder slightly distorted signal. Once we start to starve the circuit, magic happens. Is this what you got too?

      4. Pregain seems to be used for finetuning - takes good ears to notice the differences along the sweep. Is this right?

      5. Should Input Cut be up to say 50k? At full cut, I still get oscillations.

      This is a fun circuit. I got gurgled fuzz, crazy synth decay, ghosts in my amp and looks from my wife thinking I am mad.

      Good mods.

      Delete
    12. mirosol7 September 2012 at 05:46

      Good morning :)

      I used CD4049UBE, which is 16 pin DIP.

      2. Pots seem to be right, but i'm a bit hazy just waking up..
      3. That should be it. But if wired like you said above, the starve pot should give out 9V at CCW..
      4. I need to check this, as i can't remember right off..
      5. I got it tame down with different drive and starve settings. But why not use 50K.. That would be closer to guitar's tone pot.

      You're right.. It is fun circuit. And easy to mod :)
      +m

      Delete
    13. laky8 September 2012 at 07:07

      Thanks for that, M.

      I keep wondering what else I can do with the pins on the other side of the IC... Double Destroyer?

      Delete
    14. erik3 March 2017 at 05:43

      Is there an image/schematic of the "Adam of Destruction" mod version of this?

      Delete
  10. jokersmile3214 August 2012 at 23:17

    that tone control seems very odd, does it vary the resistance between pins 2 and 3 to change the tone or is it somehow using that 1uf capacitor? im just curious, i make circuits with the 4049 often and never considered using a pot in that way.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Travis15 August 2012 at 02:04

    I've had one of these before and the tone control doesn't really work as a conventional tone control at all

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mirosol15 August 2012 at 06:22

      True. It's more like "Toin", as in traditional tone and gain combined.
      +m

      Delete
    2. Fingaauuz6 November 2015 at 12:54

      Its more like a second volume knob for me... but still have to compare with the original. definately an odd Tone knob.. or Toin.. whatever

      Delete
  12. jokersmile3215 August 2012 at 23:52

    very interesting, thanks for the info guys. i love 4049 circuits, it may be time to go back and customize some old projects.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jacob16 August 2012 at 19:31

    Awesome Mark!! Now please do the Shiva :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nicholas18 August 2012 at 22:43

    where can i get a buffered 4049? every time i see them for sale, they're "UBE"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. johnk19 August 2012 at 01:52

      mouser.com has them, and NTE's NTE4049 is also the buffered version.

      Delete
    2. Nicholas19 August 2012 at 03:18

      I just checked mouser, both 4049s they have are UBE

      Delete
    3. johnk19 August 2012 at 05:32

      they stock 16 different types and more than half of the are buffered. http://www.mouser.com/Semiconductors/Integrated-Circuits-ICs/Logic-ICs/Buffers-Line-Drivers/_/N-6j78c?P=1z0z63x&Keyword=4049&FS=True

      Delete
  15. Ross20 August 2012 at 01:59

    Oho! The NTE4049 is the buffered one! My local electronics shop sucks and only stocks NTE components. I was going to build either a Red Llama or a Great Destroyer, but now I know what I must do.

    ReplyDelete
  16. jgoulds20 August 2012 at 14:43

    Can someone put up a link for a buffered IC at mouser, tayda or jameco? I'm not sure how to tell whether buffered or unbuffered unless the BE/UBE is in the model number..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicholas20 August 2012 at 17:22

      i'm guessing UBE is unbuffered and everything else is buffered. kind of like how all milk is whole unless denoted otherwise.

      Delete
  17. jgoulds21 August 2012 at 03:47

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  18. jokersmile3221 August 2012 at 17:51

    is CD40106BE a buffered version? ive used it too make a lot of distortions before, I have the datasheet but it does not blatantly say buffered anywhere. Here is a link to the details on the IC.
    http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/schs097d/schs097d.pdf

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mirosol21 August 2012 at 18:45

      CD4049BE or CD4049UBE are DIP-16, while CD40106BE is DIP-14.
      http://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/26882/TI/CD4049.html

      So the internal configuration can't be a match.
      +m

      Delete
    2. jokersmile3221 August 2012 at 21:30

      oops i made a mistake, i was looking at the wrong breadboard. i have been using CD4049UBE. the CD40106BE was for another pedal.

      Delete
    3. jokersmile3221 August 2012 at 21:31

      ordered from here
      http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-x-CD4049-4049-Hex-Buffer-Converters-IC-TEXAS-/220710920552?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3363656168

      Delete
    4. mirosol21 August 2012 at 22:37

      Picture says UBE, so those should be unbuffered.. If they work with Red Llama, then they are :)
      +m

      Delete
  19. joserech17 September 2012 at 04:18

    Is there a new version? I would like to build one of these to use with a Bass.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Bearded Curmudgeon24 September 2012 at 03:39

    Built it. Love it. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  21. mirosol1 November 2012 at 19:19

    Just built this with minimal mods.. 470R in series with "starve", 50k trimmer and 120K resistor in series with "drive".

    http://mirosol.kapsi.fi/varasto/boxes/destroy.JPG

    This was not for myself, but once i played with the finished box for some time.. I think i need to build one more...

    I don't know what happened to the one i built and modded earlier. Couldn't find it anywhere...
    +m

    ReplyDelete
  22. Gc6612 November 2012 at 02:52

    I was not expecting a cool usable distortion, that was a pleasant surprise. I would have been ok with noise. While I am sharing pics:

    http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y413/glenncohen/_DSC0089.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  23. johnk17 November 2012 at 18:54

    i just got some MC14049MCP's today but it's uncontrollable, hissy, and just plain noisey and unusable. i tried a few others too, but the NTE4049 is the best one for me in it, and i actually really like it with that chip in it.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dudave17 January 2013 at 20:12

    I've just done mine, it sounds epic...gnarly, and crazy
    If you want a none typical pedal, you want to be the slave of your DIY pedal, that's the pedal.

    Here is mine :

    http://img11.hostingpics.net/pics/586627Capturedu20130117210956.png

    http://img11.hostingpics.net/pics/221325Capturedu20130117211026.png

    ReplyDelete
  25. shkntc15 July 2013 at 10:38

    Just built one using 4049UBE, as mentioned before I only got a classic fuzz tone, no glitchy synth tones at all? Powerstarve does nothing much but lower the overall volume a touch

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mirosol15 July 2013 at 11:55

      Yup. This one needs buffered CD4049BE to function "correctly". You could try upping the trimmer value, but it won't sound like the original with UBE chip.
      +m

      Delete
  26. TheMediocreBassist13 February 2014 at 08:23

    If the CD4049UBE is unbuffered, then Tayda has it mislabeled, or I'm misunderstanding something.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. IvIark13 February 2014 at 10:29

      UBE is unbuffered, BE is buffered. If Tayda have UBEs listed as buffered then yes they either have the part number or description wrong.

      Delete
  27. J Hadl18 February 2014 at 17:50

    Can anyone recommend where to get a buffered 4049. I can't seem to find one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. IvIark19 February 2014 at 00:40

      http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251146520063

      Delete
    2. mirosol19 February 2014 at 07:04

      Got mine from musikding.de
      +m

      Delete
    3. J Hadl19 February 2014 at 17:56

      Mark, in the picture of that listing the chip is a 4049UBE. This is the same problem I am finding almost everywhere.
      I bought one from this listing http://www.ebay.com/itm/220710920552?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
      But what showed up was a 4049UBE and the seller is telling me that there isn't such a thing as a 4049 without the UB designation.

      Mirisol, the only one I can find on that site is a cd4049ub.

      Delete
    4. IvIark19 February 2014 at 18:17

      The picture isn't necessarily representative of the actual item with many eBay auctions. If you have concerns send him a message before buying, but it does explicitly say buffered so I suspect you'll be ok.

      Delete
    5. TFletcher18 March 2014 at 01:02

      I've had the same problem J Hadl has had. Anyone want to give me one!?

      Delete
    6. IvIark18 March 2014 at 01:32

      As the actress said to the bishop
      Or "That's what she said" for our US friends. :o)

      I've supposedly got 10 of each type so I'll check in the morning to see if the same thing has happened to me. This obviously needs clarifying because when I stop to think about it, for a product called a Hex Buffer it wouldn't make much sense if UBE stands for unbuffered. An unbuffered bufffer? Unfortunately sometimes you just take the information you get from schematics for granted but that may not always be wise. I'll check it out.

      Delete
    7. TFletcher18 March 2014 at 11:48

      Thanks Man. I've got a 4049UBE in right now and it works fine but I'm not getting any of the rediculoussness that this pedal should deliver.

      Delete
  28. Unknown1 May 2014 at 21:06

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. IvIark1 May 2014 at 21:19

      You'll also need to connect the centre pin of the DC socket to ground and the stomp switch. You do mean 4049BE and not 4040BE don't you? I just don't want you to order the wrong IC.

      Delete
    2. Unknown2 May 2014 at 01:21

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. Unknown14 May 2014 at 09:45

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  29. JaviCAP7 July 2014 at 19:16

    Hello!

    Just to comment:

    I have right now an original Great Destroyer at home (is not mine,but to be serviced for a friend, it doesn't work and sending it to the states and back with tracked priority is about 60 euros. The problem was that the Starve pot was blown, so no voltage could get to the circuit).

    Well, I traced it, and is 1:1 correct with this layout, but there's no 100nf caps. The 3 ones are electrolitic 1uf 160volts. Just in case you want to try these values.

    My friend did purchase another MC14049BCP as he supposed that it would be the problem, so i'll try to get this new IC as "payment" for the repair, and will build one for me. The pedal is shcking and weird, but is a 5 minutes build if you have the ic :)

    J.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. IvIark7 July 2014 at 19:49

      Thanks for the info matey, I'll update the layout

      Delete
  30. Anonymous27 October 2014 at 04:41

    Hi, I was checking the kit that Dwarfcraft was selling years ago and I see that there are 2 3k3 resistors instead of 1.

    Is the layout posted here a different version of the kit I'm talking about? What would be the other differences if so.

    Thanks!

    Pictures of the kit:
    http://i.imgur.com/YOzg5Xl.jpg
    http://oi48.tinypic.com/izrbyo.jpg
    http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdcpxay6Ot1qixyczo1_500.jpg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mirosol27 October 2014 at 08:27

      The second 3k3 has to be the resistor for the LED. As you can see, the anode is connected to the board and cathode to the switch, so the resistor for it has to be on board.
      +m

      Delete
  31. The Great Gaze2 December 2014 at 06:37

    Finished this pedal today. Perfect! Very interesting fuzz, I used a 50k trimmer, lots of different sounds in this box.
    If you unplug your guitar, and touch the cable with your finger, it picks up radio! (WJPA Transmitter is 1-2 miles away...)
    Absolute madness, especially coupled with my Supersonic Fuzzgun. Noise heaven!

    ReplyDelete
  32. The Great Gaze7 December 2014 at 21:42

    Bit of an update, I HIGHLY recommend using 1 uF capacitors in place of the 100 nF!!! Makes it sound much more similar to the original, as the original used them.
    You must get them in the right polarity though. The negative of the first 1 uF electrolytic should face the input wire, and the second should face the output wire. Worked great for me!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Squirrels18 December 2014 at 02:18

    Is it possible to put the starve pot on a separate stomp switch? The fuzz with the full 9V is great, but so is the glitchy-ness, I'd love to be able to switch between both tones on the fly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Squirrels3 January 2015 at 04:25

      I just realized that when the starve pot is turned down it makes two of my pedals behind it buzz horribly when bypassed. Is there any fix to this? I'm guessing that can't be normal.

      Delete
    2. Squirrels3 January 2015 at 04:38

      Oh yeah, I'm using an eight plug One Spot. to power it

      Delete
    3. mirosol3 January 2015 at 13:34

      Yes it is a feature. If you don't have isolated power supplies for each effect that will happen. The unfiltered oscillation will bleed back to the supply and disrupt the function of other pedals in the same daisy chain.

      As an nearly unrelated hint, i wouldn't recommend 1Spot to anyone. About 90% of all pedal power noise issues i've seen have been due to use of 1Spot supplies. I've bought a number of "defunct" pedals that had nothing wrong with them, just that they wouldn't play nice with 1Spots.
      +m

      Delete
    4. Squirrels3 January 2015 at 17:27

      Thanks, I'm going to take it off my board for now until I can get an extra power supply. The Great Destroyer is nice, but I can't use my Black Forest with it on there due to the noise. I appreciate the help.

      Delete
  34. Synsound8 January 2015 at 22:29

    My son just finished this up as a first pedal build. I thought this was about as easy as it gets for an 8yr old. When we plugged it in it sounded like garbage then blew the ic. I had built one in the past and loved it. In the original I used a NTE4049. For this we used the MC14049.
    We swapped it out for the cd4049ube and adjusted the starve to 25k and we were in business.
    Just thought I would share if it may help someone in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Unknown11 August 2015 at 23:51

    Hey, This is the first proper pedal I built from any of the layouts on here and it went smoothly! I wanted to point out something that made me think I built it wrong at first until I figured it out.

    Pretty much as soon as I start fiddling with the starve knob on the pedal, it seems like I need to fiddle with my guitar's volume pot to get controllable sounds. (I've noticed the comments above about adding a volume pot to the pedal at the input stage, I just didn't realize how insanely important the volume pot is to getting musical sounds out of this beast.) (It reacts like crazy to the guitar's tone pot as well.) I've never seen a pedal this dependent on the guitar's passive pots: going from useless , unresponsive noize - sounding the same no matter what you play - to being musical and sensitive to pick attack just by rolling the volume back a little. I don't know if this is standard practice on this board, but perhaps something about this should be put as a disclaimer up top?

    (Also, this pedal seems to want isolated power more than most. Odd rubbish will happen if you daisy chain it with other pedals being fed from a same suply.)

    Anyway this was super fun, and I'm already addicted to this outstanding website. Thanks for the great work!

    ReplyDelete
  36. GORENOISE22 October 2015 at 07:27

    Hi everyone. I build recently this one.

    I only have the unbuffered ic but i decided to build it anyways.. and i have no fuzz or anything, just a clean guitar signal processed by the pots. Starve do nothing, tone an volume work fine and drive is like a second volume pot. I remove the ic and test it without and i have the same sound.

    Wiring is fine like the layout sais and i'm using a dpdt switch.

    I think the ic is broken or there is another thing i needto check? If it help i can post pictures about my build.

    anyone can give me a hand on this?
    Cheers from Argentina.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Fingaauuz6 November 2015 at 12:44

    I also recently built this project. Only instead of a trimmer I used a 50K Pot for more bias settings options.
    It seems to work fine (so far with the unbuffered IC.. still waiting for the post to come with the buffered IC)

    I got a similliar thing that the one above me have with the 2nd volume put. Only mine is the Tone knob for some reason. I used the 1uf caps and not 100n as stated in the scematic according to this comment here:

    The Great Gaze7 December 2014 at 21:42
    Bit of an update, I HIGHLY recommend using 1 uF capacitors in place of the 100 nF!!! Makes it sound much more similar to the original, as the original used them.
    You must get them in the right polarity though. The negative of the first 1 uF electrolytic should face the input wire, and the second should face the output wire. Worked great for me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown22 February 2016 at 21:29

      That's great! i'm going to try doing it again, with your advices. If you have pics, can you send me a few?

      Delete
  38. jokersmile3223 October 2016 at 02:01

    I just made this its a lot of fun to play around with, I had to sub the 1uf with a 2uf because that's all I had but still functions fine. I'm probably going to make a few more :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NHTMF31 October 2016 at 01:55

      I just finished one myself with a few cool mods.
      Mostly subbing the trim pot as recommended above, however if you add in a 1uF cap from lug ONE of the pot to ground (I put in a DPDT to turn it on and off) you can get some really crazy controllable oscillation . I'm using the Unbuffered 4069 chip.

      I'll be doing a youtube video on it soon so I'll come back and post a link when I am done!

      Delete
  39. Unknown6 May 2017 at 16:11

    You guys think a TL074 Ic would work?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mirosol7 May 2017 at 09:02

      Nope. That's a quad opamp, while the CD4049 is CMOS hex converter array. These have nothing in common except for the package. Think of these two like a carton of milk and a carton of apple juice. Same box, but the insides are completely different.
      +m

      Delete
    2. Unknown31 July 2017 at 18:52

      Can I add an MPSA18 transistor somewhere the circuit for extra gain?

      Delete
  40. Unknown25 July 2017 at 00:21

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Unknown25 July 2017 at 22:11

    Can I add an MPSA18 transistor to the circuit for extra gain?

    ReplyDelete
  42. Unknown15 September 2017 at 05:41

    Anyone have a source for the buffered version?

    ReplyDelete
  43. Unknown1 November 2017 at 01:28

    I used this one:

    https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Texas-Instruments/CD74HC4049E/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMv4BkFy%252bbL2aH46LA2pMXOAw1yE2eADd50%3d

    Works as expected.

    If that part isn't listed anymore, this search should work:

    https://www.mouser.com/Semiconductors/Logic-ICs/_/N-4s5z6?Keyword=4049&FS=True

    ReplyDelete
  44. txe10 February 2018 at 09:12

    suena muy bajo y las perillas no son muy lineales, pero esta bien para jugar y hacer ruido gracias

    ReplyDelete
  45. Unknown25 February 2018 at 19:49

    Can I add an MPSA18 transistor to the circuit for extra gain?

    ReplyDelete
  46. 0friendsrecordings26 April 2018 at 22:00

    I've tried building this circuit a few times but only this last one with the buffered chip. It's a effin mess for sure but that's surely the point. There's a ton of stuff to be got out of it and it varies loads with very minor adjustments. There are definitely settings that seem to be offlimmits if you want to avoid bleedthrough even if it's turned off. But my wiring might not be totally right. I used 2.2uf caps in place of the 100nf and a 50k trim pot. No other changes. Also I have an sg type guitar with 50's wiring with alpha pots all round and it does "clean" up very effectively on some settings whilst still giving some rough and tumble tone that I very much like myself. I've found also that it behaves much better when fully boxed up, the grounding being kind of crucial. I reckon there must be some cap that can be put in somehow to stop the bleedback but need to work on that.

    ReplyDelete
  47. The Great Gaze12 December 2018 at 12:58

    To add to my comment from about 4 years ago, I've made some more discoveries. One thing to try is grounding some of all of the unused pins of the chip. It seems to make things louder and more reactive, but it probably varies greatly between builds and chips (it's a stupid, unstable circuit). I have no idea if the originals grounded the pins, but I prefer them grounded.

    The other thing I found was the volume pot/capacitor placement on the great destroyer kits is different from the schematics you'll find, as well as this layout (they may have updated the schematic for the kits, thus making it TGD version 2.1, or just as likely, the schematics were wrong).

    Basically, you remove the center capacitor (going to the output wire) un-link Volume 3 and Tone 1, and put a 1uf cap between Volume 3 and Tone 1 (polarity didn't change the sound, but I put negative leg to the volume lug).

    Then, you remove the Volume 2 wire and the old output wire and rewire Volume 2 straight to the footswitch. The kits also use a 10K resistor, but the trimpot is definitely the best option. All caps are 1uf, and orientation kinda matters (see my 2014 post) The circuit now should match the kit/newer circuit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Great Gaze17 December 2018 at 16:50

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. The Great Gaze17 December 2018 at 20:11

      Missed this thread - this sums it up and will produce the most accurate clone. http://guitar-fx-layouts.42897.x6.nabble.com/Dwarfcraft-Great-Destroyer-v2-td5695.html
      You can actually leave out the pins on the right side, and use only the ones on the left, as the layout on this site does, to make a hybrid layout, which saves space and should sound 100% the same. That's what I did. Just make sure you have an extra row above the chip for the output capacitor.
      The kit Great Destroyer only used the right side inputs because it was on a PCB and it was more convenient to.

      Delete
  48. NoisyBen15 January 2019 at 12:39

    Very nice super simple layout !
    I gifted it to a friend so I can build the big brother Robot Devil for myself though \o/

    https://imgur.com/a/UKZGz9y

    ReplyDelete
  49. Unknown22 March 2019 at 15:02

    circuit worked great for years. stopped working one day and led is dead. Flipped the IC knowing Only one half was in use and pedal is back up (no led easy fix.) I love this pedal. I honestly wouldnt call this a drone noise machine. Its a highly controllable wall of fuzz with some softer sounds and sputter. Fuzz factory covers a much larger range but something about the sound of this effect keeps me coming back.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Old and Ignored 27 September 2020 at 00:46

    After reading all the reviews here and seeing the microscopic part count, how can I resist? Breadboard first. Need to determine if this is worth the cost of an enclosure. Maybe I’ll do one of those hipster biscuit tin pedals and sell it on Etsy. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  51. Unknown19 November 2021 at 10:07

    any Ideas about, when I touch the pcb board It gets louder and works fine. The ground is soldered correct, checked with volt meter. Dunno what choud be wrong.Bypass works.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Puzzlebunker11 January 2022 at 19:09

    For anyone still trying to source parts to build one of these, the following might save you from some of the wild goose chases I've been on. Basically a lot of the stuff posted in various forums about "buffered" and "unbuffered" variants of the CD4049 is simply wrong. The crucial characteristic is that some chips are INVERTING and some are NONINVERTING.

    The "U" in the part numbers refers to inverting versions.

    The variant apparently needed for The Great Destroyer is the CD4049BE or equivalent ie. NONINVERTING

    Good luck finding one though as they seem to be no longer in production.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chris3 February 2023 at 14:58

      so, am I right in saying this chip is the 4049BE?

      https://www.bitsboxuk.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=140_158&products_id=3367

      Delete
  53. Daniel Odland25 October 2024 at 20:01

    Could this be modded for use with 4049UBE? I realize it will work with UBE but as I understand from the comments here, not like the original. So, if I only have UBE, can this be modded to act as if I used BE?

    ReplyDelete