Pitfalls and Tips: Designing effects PCBs

[jubal81]

I think the thing about sig/gnd/sig/sig is that the bottom copper signal is quite far away from solid copper, so you're back to thinking about return currents on those traces and placing a bunch of vias where it jumps a trace on in.2

The return current for both sides would always be that Layer 2 GND plane. The only reason you'd need the extra GND vias to steer them is if you have two GND planes.

Granted, one signal layer is 0.2mm from the GND plane and the other is 1.5mm. If you're laying out a 2-layer PCB, the ideal would be a solid-uninterrupted GND plane on the bottom and all your traces on the top and 1.5mm away.

What I'm suggesting is a "3-layer" PCB is a foolproof approach that will give better results than a 2-layer design.

 

[YourGuitarist]

One hack I found a while back was to always short pins 2 and 3 of pots acting like variable resistors. That simplifies drop in replacements of different tapers should the initial taper not work.

Another recent hack was to create a footprint for the internal and external enclosure dimensions. Then I don't have to draw them every time for referencing internal clearances