PedalPCB Pastel Preamp/JHS Crayon

OD is Glorious

Well-known member
Build Rating
3.00 star(s)
Edit: there may be an issue with R 37 and R 38. I was just reading this thread. Just recently I started following the board unless there was a note somewhere saying it was incorrect. Seems there’s a disconnect between the Pastel board and the build docs but no note on the build docs.

I pulled this one off of the scrap pile. I had it populated but I lifted the board in one spot and it needed attention so I set it aside. I remembered when I started that a member here told me to save my non-working boards because I would gain the skills to figure them out later. That was good advice and I have saved two different boards so far.

I had this enclosure completed last month and it was a labor od love that turned out sort of ok. For the enclosure I primed and then painted with about 5 different colors. I then sanded and exposed alternating layers, and added decals... then I cleared over everything and then buffed with compound. Looks a bit like a ransom note, but you can get the flavor of what I was trying to do. Colors...like crayone or pastel. Luckily I had most all of this work done weeks ago. For what this pedal does, there are just too many components and the build is too tight. I guess too tight for a guy with one fully functioning hand.

Too many resistors and 22u caps. The end result is a crowded 125b with little room for maneuvering. My least favorite circuit here is the Fudge Round Fuzz and this I would add this one. It is flubby when you crank the preamp past 3:00. It gets hi/lo with switches and not too much else. It has some compressed distortion capability and some boost capability.

Beyond the paint, I added multi-colored buttons and colored switch caps. Inside the jacks are Lumberg and the LED is a 5mm Orange diffused. My deviation from build docs had to do with the hard-to-find 2N6429. I used MPSA18 in place of them and maybe that is the cause of the flub? I double checked all of my components. In any event it works and makes useable sounds.

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Great job on the paint — totally looks like crayon colouring.

You certainly are one of the most prolific builders on the forum, currently — mentored by @MichaelW ?
No, he is a great builder though. For me it is just because I am retired and keep myself busy with hobbies... this one is fun. I do watch Michael's work to see what I may like to build. These build reports posted by members are key for me to see pitfalls in builds.
 
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There may be a problem with R 37 and R 38. The pedal PCB board follows the schematic. But the build documents have the two resistors opposite the board and schematic.

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There may be a problem with R 37 and R 38. The pedal PCB board follows the schematic. But the build documents have the two resistors opposite the board and schematic.

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That won't make a difference because it just switches between the two values. Only thing it would change is the direction of the switch. It's ok to not like a pedal. Most pedals are disappointing.
 
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