Bring out yer Diptrace

Those TH/SMD transistor patterns look great. Tempting to migrate to something similar myself.

Damn all your symmetry on your designs!! I keep trying to convince myself that the Blohm & Voss BV 141 is a beautiful design..
The fixation with layout symmetry is quite bemusing to me, it works against a lot of what I've been taught by a few pro audio gear designers. One more reason I may not post that many gut shots, I'm definitely a form follows function sort. Or maybe just lazy! ;)
 
The fixation with layout symmetry is quite bemusing to me, it works against a lot of what I've been taught by a few pro audio gear designers. One more reason I may not post that many gut shots, I'm definitely a form follows function sort. Or maybe just lazy! ;)
Same, symmetry is cool when you can do it and when it makes sense from a circuit perspective, but I'm more utilitarian in my layouts. I don't think my layouts are ugly, I still try to keep them organized, but I care more about optimized routing and reduced noise than I do about actually making it look nice.
 
The fixation with layout symmetry is quite bemusing to me, it works against a lot of what I've been taught by a few pro audio gear designers. One more reason I may not post that many gut shots, I'm definitely a form follows function sort. Or maybe just lazy! ;)
I tried to start that way, then moved to the “follow the audio path” approach and try to keep the audio traces as short as possible. Followed closely by build practicality (a pot surrounded by a mountain of caps? No way!).
 
I tried to start that way, then moved to the “follow the audio path” approach and try to keep the audio traces as short as possible. Followed closely by build practicality (a pot surrounded by a mountain of caps? No way!).
Yeah, since mods and SMD board rework are such a big part of my workflow I'm still learning those lessons on practicality a lot! And my recent change in focus from onboard preamps and fairly compact bass amp builds to pedals is obviously going to bring some substantial changes to my priorities. But that's what keeps it fresh and fun too!

Same, symmetry is cool when you can do it and when it makes sense from a circuit perspective, but I'm more utilitarian in my layouts. I don't think my layouts are ugly, I still try to keep them organized, but I care more about optimized routing and reduced noise than I do about actually making it look nice.

Killing noise when I can will always be job one, I reckon. I hate, hate, hate white noise with undying passion. If I can even tell a device is on when it's at idle it sucks hard, in what passes for my world. Just another thing I am going to have to let go of a little as I transition back to higher gain guitar widgets and things like modulation effects though. ;)
 
Killing noise when I can will always be job one, I reckon. I hate, hate, hate white noise with undying passion. If I can even tell a device is on when it's at idle it sucks hard, in what passes for my world. Just another thing I am going to have to let go of a little as I transition back to higher gain guitar widgets and things like modulation effects though. ;)
You can have your cake and eat it too, at least to a degree. I do a couple high-gain designs, and that's one of the things that pushed me to make 4-layer boards the rule rather than the exception. A solid internal ground plane and split power plane and super spaced out signal traces makes a big difference. I still can't claim that they're dead silent, but I feel like the noise floor is pretty damn low.

Diptrace says the free version is limited to 2 signal layers, which makes me think you can do internal plane layers, not positive though as I'm not a Diptrace user (anymore).
 
You can have your cake and eat it too, at least to a degree. I do a couple high-gain designs, and that's one of the things that pushed me to make 4-layer boards the rule rather than the exception. A solid internal ground plane and split power plane and super spaced out signal traces makes a big difference. I still can't claim that they're dead silent, but I feel like the noise floor is pretty damn low.

Diptrace says the free version is limited to 2 signal layers, which makes me think you can do internal plane layers, not positive though as I'm not a Diptrace user (anymore).

Diptrace can do at least 4 in the premium versions (I imagine even more, but I’ve only played with 4). With JLCPCBs recent price drop on 4 layers I’ve been meaning to try a board like that. Do you still do ground flood pours on the signal layers?
 
You can have your cake and eat it too, at least to a degree. I do a couple high-gain designs, and that's one of the things that pushed me to make 4-layer boards the rule rather than the exception. A solid internal ground plane and split power plane and super spaced out signal traces makes a big difference. I still can't claim that they're dead silent, but I feel like the noise floor is pretty damn low.

Diptrace says the free version is limited to 2 signal layers, which makes me think you can do internal plane layers, not positive though as I'm not a Diptrace user (anymore).
I'm on KiCAD, and already looking at that solution when I go to some DSP based builds. I used to build and/or work on some pretty high gain tube guitar amps, and also have experience with digital SONAR stuff, so I do have some decent tricks up my sleeve already. Typical pedal routing is interesting, especially the I/O side, and brings some new challenges for me. Just have to know when good enough is good enough, I reckon.
 
Diptrace can do at least 4 in the premium versions (I imagine even more, but I’ve only played with 4). With JLCPCBs recent price drop on 4 layers I’ve been meaning to try a board like that. Do you still do ground flood pours on the signal layers?
Nope, with a ground plane as a reference you don't need ground pours on signal layers, I just leave them as traces. Extra pours when you don't need them can actually lead to more noise.
 
any recommendations for board to board spacing for v cuts for panelization for JLPCB?
I always just let JLC handle the panelization, they make it pretty easy. Design it like you're doing a single board then check "panel by JLCPCB" during ordering. Tell them how many you want in your panel and boom, you're done.

Unless of course you have two separate PCBs you're putting as one file like a main board and daughter board, in which case disregard everything I just said.
 
...
A smart relay breakout board. Two relays and a single footswitch. Holding the footswitch turns on the (optional) second relay which you can use as a DPDT for whatever your heart desires.
View attachment 49977
So, if I'm understanding this correctly, one can press the footswitch a "normal" duration to toggle the first relay (e.g. a bypass), and then press and hold the switch to toggle the second relay (e.g. a channel switch), but then go right back to a short press to toggle the first relay?
 
So, if I'm understanding this correctly, one can press the footswitch a "normal" duration to toggle the first relay (e.g. a bypass), and then press and hold the switch to toggle the second relay (e.g. a channel switch), but then go right back to a short press to toggle the first relay?
You can set it up as you want, short press for both channels, or short for pedal and long for hold, or any mix you want. But what you described is my default coding.
 
You can set it up as you want, short press for both channels, or short for pedal and long for hold, or any mix you want. But what you described is my default coding.
iu

I might be in for a couple of these when they're available!
 
iu

I might be in for a couple of these when they're available!
Sure thing, just need some down time to work on the code. Interested if there are particular use-cases you're looking at.

My initial thoughts are the following modes:
  1. Two independent channels with a footswitch each. Hold to temporarily change state whilst you keep the switch down.
  2. Two channels with one footswitch. Hold to turn on/off second channel. (Good for boost or voicing).
  3. Two channels with one footswitch. Hold to change channel.
  4. Two channels with one footswitch. Double tap to turn on/off second channel. Hold to temporarily change state.
 
Yeah I'm sort of imagining a two channels with one footswitch kind of deal for a far-away project idea, and the more I think about it the more it might make sense to have short press to change channels and long press to bypass, that would be cool. No hurry at all, I'm just spitballing here!
 
Does anyone have tips for laying out IC heavy designs? I feel so much more challenged by them than transistor based ones.
 
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