Newbie question about making a diode selector

[brightlight]

I wanna try adding a diode selector switch to D2 of an Appetizer PCB using a SPDT because that's all I have extras of right now. Pretend I know NOTHING (it's not much of a stretch lol). How would I wire this and then connect it to D2?

Thanks!

 

[Brett]

I'm not sure what you're going for exactly, but keep in mind that these are hard clipping diodes and it's not going to behave as gracefully as a soft-clipper when you start changing clipping thresholds. If you switch in something with significantly less Fv than an LED (which is pretty darn high relative to others), you'll notice a drastic reduction in headroom and volume.

If you decide to move forward anyways, the attached diagram might work for you. You'll want to remove both D1 and D2 on the board before wiring this up.

Good luck!

 

[DailyDovetails]

This article has lots of good info on clipping diodes. https://www.guitarpedalx.com/news/news/a-brief-hobbyist-primer-on-clipping-diodes

To add to Brett’s comment about hard vs soft clipping you could add soft clipping by placing diodes across either C5 or R5 and have them on a switch.

 

[brightlight]

I'm not sure what you're going for exactly, but keep in mind that these are hard clipping diodes and it's not going to behave as gracefully as a soft-clipper when you start changing clipping thresholds. If you switch in something with significantly less Fv than an LED (which is pretty darn high relative to others), you'll notice a drastic reduction in headroom and volume.

If you decide to move forward anyways, the attached diagram might work for you. You'll want to remove both D1 and D2 on the board before wiring this up.

Good luck!

Thank you for that! My intention was to leave D1 the same at all times, in this case a blue diode. I already have sockets soldered to the board so I dont need to remove any diodes. I've been experimenting with different convos of LEDs and diodes and you're right. For example a BAT46 in D2 makes for crazy amounts of distortion but almost no volume.

The switchable combo I was going for was a blue permanently in D1, but have D2 be able to switch between an orange and a green LED. It's not a huge difference between the 2, but enough to give someone a choice between a slightly softer feel and a more compressed feel.