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Pitfalls and Tips: Designing effects PCBs Intro Following up on my ‘Getting Started with PCBA at JLC’ document, I thought I’d create something similar documenting some of my big mistakes and learnings from creating these PCBs. This isn’t my job or my background, I’m just doing this for fun and it’s all about learning-by-doing (rather, learning-by-making-mistakes-and-starting-over). But hopefully some of my mistakes (especially my repeated mistakes) can become someone else’s learning...

This EQ pedal kicks ass. My breadboard is built pretty much per the build docs, but I subbed a few parts when I didn't have a few oddball values. A word of warning, this circuit does not take kindly to mods. Don't ask me how I know that. If I had to guess, this design is based on an earlier design that used 4558 opamps or something like them. TL072 opamps are much closer to an ideal opamp and don't need a bootstrapped bias circuit (C3) on the input. It works fine if you follow the...

This is a minimalist version of the Clapton Mid Boost. Instead of discrete transistors, I used an opamp. There is only one knob: MID BOOST. The freq response is similar to the Clapton Mid Boost, with a broad focus on the mids. With the component values shown, the midrange is a little more focused than The Clapton when MID BOOST is dimed. The max gain and filter tuning are easily tweaked by adjusting C4, C5, R6 & R7. The Clapton Mid Boost is pretty stingy when it comes to current...

Getting started with SMD PCBA(ssembly) at JLCPCB Also available as https://github.com/z2amiller/pedalfx/blob/main/JLCPCBA.md Disclaimer I'm just some guy who reads/researches stuff to a possibly-unhealthy degree. I don't even play guitar any more and never really did - I make effects for friends and family as a hobby. I am not a PCB designer or EE by trade. This guide assumes KiCad for some of the specific tooling, but there's lots of general advice that will be applicable to any CAD...

Want a nifty faceplate with an LED which shines though? Here's how I create faceplates for my builds.. There are probably much better approaches (take Bolt Audio as an example, not sure how he's doing those but they're really nice and uniform in intensity). My approach is to try to make it as easy as possible, which means standard 5mm LEDs.. Let's start with a PCB. Having a standardised layout is REALLY FUPPING HANDY. I follow the PPCB standards (25.4mm vertical gap between layers, 33mm...

Hello! This is my method for building a PedalPCB from start to finish. Is it the right way? Not necessarily. It's just what works for me and I hope it sheds some light on certain steps in the process along the way. I created this as a reference guide for anyone to use if needed. Thanks for reading! Step 1: Drill the enclosure. I recommend having this done before starting any soldering as it makes test fitting the fully populated board a whole lot easier later. fig. 1 *Key step* Always...

Hey Folks, If you've stumbled upon the new resource thread you're either a bit too nosy on this site or you're genuinely interested in designing your own circuit. If you're the former then go back and look at one of @fig 's contests and make sure you guess the right word or number. If you're still here then you've come to the right place. Designing Your Own Circuit First of all, congrats! You're taking a big leap into a new world where the possibilities are nearly endless! Now let's talk...

Here's the draft version of the Tayda UV Printing Tutorial I've put together. Please provide feedback and then I'll get a final version zipped up as a PDF. There's also a version on my blog - link will be at the end of the final part of the tutorial. Steggo Studios Tayda UV Printing Tutorial This guide is designed for individuals wanting to create enclosures using Tayda Electronics’ (https://www.taydaelectronics.com/) UV printing service using Adobe Illustrator. At this point, Illustrator...

So many folks at the PedalPCB forum have graciously given their wisdom, experience, and kindness to me any time I've needed it. In my own way of giving back, I'm making a lot of my graphic design assets publicly available and free-to-use for non-commercial endeavors. My graphic assets are organized according to category on my GitHub repository. The main categories are listed below. Click on the thumbnail image for a larger preview. UV Printing Starter Templates In this category...