Bring out yer Diptrace

I thought I remembered diptrace taking jpeg and other image files directly and converting them on the backend, does it not do that?

Compared to diptrace, Altium's handling of graphics is actually a little clunky.
 
@Harry Klippton

Hopefully this helps, i.e. a few tips from my experiences:

1.) The ACTUAL silkscreen graphics look much better when the boards come

2.) The Trick that @Robert taught me is to start with a much larger image of the highest resolution then import that into Diptrace
 
benny_profane said:
How did this board end up turning out for you? The layout looks very slick.
Click to expand...
I was breadboarding it from my schematic and realized I left out a couple components and I haven't gotten back to it yet. Squeezing a few more things in isn't such an easy task. No promises as to when I'll do that yet. It's on my list.
 
A couple of recent activities.

After many attempts, I finally got this Klon derivative in a place I am happy with. Dylan159 Centaur Clown with clipping options. The LED give a wicked edge and the BAT41s sound like the magic ones.

1684789113470.png

An improved basic relay layout. Takes both footprints of the relay I like, and you can lay the 47u flat to reduce the height.
You can also attach the SPST with solid core and the LED will align with Robert's enclosure standards, or you can attach the relay to the PCB with pin headers and wire with a LED bezel. I like the look of a naked LED poking it's butt through an enclosure, but the header approach is a lot easier.

1684789205531.png
 
It's nice to see this thread still kicking at 10 pages. Obviously a lot of interest in taking DIY to the next step.

Here's what I've been working on:

Kaiju DIstortion.png
Kaiju in box.png
It's a modified Life/Parentheses. I've recently fallen in love with this circuit, after realising how nicely it can be used as a dirty octave boost into a cranked Rectifier for crushing, reptilian doom tones (hence the Kaiju name). I've switched in an op-amp boost and also modified both buffer stages. The Rat and Ringer portions of the circuit are pretty stock. Should be fun to build and I already have a mate asking for one when I've verified the circuit.

Edit: Only one major symmetry cheat this time. Robert has ruined me with this strategy of putting fake parts on the board to make the silkscreen symmetrical haha
 
Smrtokvitek said:
It does. You need to "save as" not export.
Click to expand...

Another dxf tip: in illustrator I use the “Add Points” function 5+ times before exporting as dxf. I’m not sure if it’s the dxf standard itself or diptrace’s handling of it but not doing this gives shitty results. Not sure what this function is called in other vector software but I gotta imagine it’s in the rest.
 
The Skewer fuzz: what you get when you combine a Meathead and a Doomstick II. (Meat + stick = skewer). I thought I would squeeze two one-knob fuzzes into a 125B and have them on a switch. I decided against 2 footswitches as I don't like 2 in this size enclosure. Using an on-on-on switch allows for a 3rd mode that combines the fuzzes. No symmetry cheats on this board for once.

Skewer Fuzz.png
 
I've been on a bit of a tear with PCB design lately. This one is a result of playing around with the El Sol/Acapulco schematic. I found something reasonably funny while looking through LM386 datasheets, namely that the Acapulco Gold - famed pedal "based on the sound of a cranked Sunn Model T" - is actually just two of the example circuits from the LM386 datasheet back-to-back with an RC filter between them and a voltage divider at the output. The marketing department's fun little story about an obscure tube amp that 99% of guitarists (including me) couldn't recognise in a blind sound test is a stroke of genius.

Kolossus Distortion.png

Anyway, I wanted to add a gain control to give texture options, so I put a pot in series with the 10UF cap in the first LM386's gain loop. This means I can move between a lower gain all the way up to the stock Acapulco gain of 200. I added bypass caps for the biasing section of each LM386 as this can help with power supply noise. I also added in a James tone stack and will fine-tune the values once I do a test build. Lastly I gave the second amplification stage a slightly higher output to offset the insertion loss from the tone stack and any less-than-full-bore gain settings from the first amplification stage. Should still be a loud, aggressive pedal, but one with more tonal options than the original.
 
Last edited:
Grubb said:
I've been on a bit of a tear with PCB design lately. This one is a result of playing around with the El Sol/Acapulco schematic. I found something reasonably funny while looking through LM386 datasheets, namely that the Acapulco Gold - famed pedal "based on the sound of a cranked Sunn Model T" - is actually just two of the example circuits from the LM386 datasheet back-to-back with an RC filter between them and a voltage divider at the output. The marketing department's fun little story about an obscure tube amp that 99% of guitarists (including me) couldn't recognise in a blind sound test is a stroke of genius.

View attachment 49825

Anyway, I wanted to add a gain control to give texture options, so I put a pot in series with the 10UF cap in the first LM386's gain loop. This means I can move between a lower gain all the way up to the stock Acapulco gain of 200. I added bypass caps for the biasing section of each LM386 as this can help with power supply noise. I also added in a James tone stack and will fine-tune the values once I do a test build. Lastly I gave the second amplification stage a slightly higher output to offset the insertion loss from the tone stack and any less-than-full-bore gain settings from the first amplification stage. Should still be a loud, aggressive pedal, but one with more tonal options than the original.
Click to expand...
There are so many reference architectures in pedals. Basically any pedal with a THAT chip is a good example.
 
szukalski said:
I guess that’s what the data sheet is there for, to show a reference architecture for people to implement and sell.

It’s always nice to improve on something or add a bit more value to the user though.
Click to expand...
It's not lost on me that some of my tweaks to the circuit came from the datasheet too. I wouldn't then claim that my variant of this circuit is designed to sound like an obscure and expensive amplifier. It's the exaggerated claims when all they've done is configure the part according to the manufacturer's suggestions that I find amazing.
 
Some more utility boards.

A splitter / blender. Jumper one side for a clean blend (no phase switch, let's see how this one works first).
1686052090517.png
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.
1686052190065.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Jiberjew
Diptrace question
2
Replies
22
Views
1K
Jiberjew
Jiberjew
MikeRamsey
DipTrace troubles with PCB
2
Replies
31
Views
1K
MikeRamsey
MikeRamsey
finebyfine
KiCAD Workflow Question (from Diptrace user)
Replies
18
Views
1K
ozmuth
ozmuth
flemming
Bring out the shame cube
2
Replies
20
Views
2K
Mentaltossflycoon
Mentaltossflycoon
slacjs
Diptrace Best Practices?
Replies
9
Views
3K
Grubb
Grubb
Back
Top