The Bazz Fuss is one of the best beginner projects out there (it was maybe my second or third build). Maybe too simple to need a PCB layout, but hey, I had time on my hands. The layout is for the deluxe version from home-wrecker.com, including the transformer. The layout allows you to skip the transformer, if you don’t feel the need. Lood guck with it.

I happened to notice a thread on diystompboxes.com started by Aron about Joe Davisson’s JFET Vulcan. You can listen to some mp3 clips that Aron posted in that thread. I had a layout for the BJT Vulcan from several years back so I decided to update it and convert it to the JFET version. This layout has not been verified yet, but I am confident that it is correct. If you do verify it, please let me know. You should be able to fit it into a Hammond 1590B enclosure.

Note that no power supply filter is included. Depending on your power source, you may want to add one. And the output comes from the middle lug of the LEVEL pot.

You may want to breadboard your build first in order to get the bias right for the JFETs. Choose values for the three 100K resistors that give you JFET drain voltages of 4.5V to 5V. Also, check out Joe’s notes about component values for higher gain.

The Noomerang is a wah pedal by B Tremblay of runoffgroove.com fame. It’s a variant of the Maestro Boomerang wah, which itself is a nice alternative to the usual Cry Baby clones, with some added goodies. Unfortunately, the schematic seems to have slipped by without receiving much attention (having only been mentioned once on diystompboxes.com – here’s the link). It’s not terribly different to the standard Boomerang circuit, the most important differences being the addition of a Q trimpot and a 33k resistor added to the board so that a standard 100k wah pot can be used instead of the 25k pot found on the original Boomerang. But both additions are clearly improvements on the original.

The layout has been designed to fit a standard wah shell of the kind sold by Smallbear. I’m very happy with the sound of the Noomerang – a bit smoother and richer than a standard wah. Initially I used 1uF film caps for C2 and C5, but I got DC leakage that resulted in a crackling noise, like a bad pot, at the treble end of the wah’s range. It seems that the polar nature of electrolytic caps is an advantage here (perhaps tantalum caps would work even better, but I haven’t tried them).

Yo. Here’s a layout I did for the Hornby Skewes Zonk Machine. I used the schematic from the Fuzz central website. I put an extra pad for the .47 cap since I couldn’t find a package big enough for the Xicon greenie .47. I also added some GND pads. I usually just connect my footswitch ground to the input jack ground lug but some people might need those extra pads.

I built one up using this layout the other day and I love it. Finding transistors that bias up in it is a total pain though … Be sure to check out R. G. Keen’s good info on biasing the Zonk Machine.

I have various reasons for putting this one together. My interest was peaked when the Voodoo Lab Overdrive was associated recently with the Fulltone OCD. I was also looking for a relatively simple circuit with op-amps that I could use for an Eagle layout tutorial that I plan to write. In addition, I have been working up my understanding of op-amps through writing a series of tutorials and the divided negative feedback tools are really useful with this circuit.

There are a bunch of mods to consider with this circuit, all of which have been applied to other stompbox circuits over the years. And if the reports are accurate, similar mods appear in the OCD as well. If you want to try mods on a breadboard, I have prepared a basic breadboard layout and posted it in the IC-Based Overdrive project on Aron’s forum as Voodoo Lab Overdrive. The mods are listed on my version of the schematic.

Slow gear volume swells with a special trigger option made the PAiA Gator a unique gate. This work-alike uses updated and more common components than the original unit, which is no longer available. If you look at the date on the PCB, you will see that this was finished back in July. Somehow I completely lost track of putting together this project for gaussmarkov.net. I wonder what else I have forgotten. I’m sure there must be something …

This is the first octaver for gaussmarkov.net. If you have a steady soldering hand, or are seeking a challenge, this is a good one: a Pearl OC-07 clone. I used SMD ICs and a two-board arrangement to get everything (except a battery ) into a Hammond 1590B. My build is pictured above; you can see the daughter board standing vertically at the bottom of the enclosure.

Because I laid everything out in Eagle it seemed natural to make everything available on gaussmarkov.net. Check out my website if you would like to see my small tube amp projects. And see my original posts on Aron’s diystompboxes forum: search for posts by zeta55 with the word “pearl” in them. You can find more discussion and some sound clips there.

/Krister

I just revised this one, after noticing some needed improvements. It just shows how layout design improves with practice. Because I use Eagle, the verification of the first version is adequate for this one. Here’s my original comments.

Frank Clarke designed this 4049 circuit. If you like the Red Llama, you will like this one, too. 9 volts verified on the Aron’s forum that this layout works. To see my source, consult this post by stm on the forum.

Also, check out Daniel’s gorgeous build on his site, DSM Noisemaker, and don’t miss Frank Clarke’s new site, GuitarPedalsEffects.com.

I have revised the Hot Tubes clone. As it turns out, there was a capacitor missing from the factory schematic and another capacitor has a much larger value in actual builds. According to several reports on Aron’s forum (electrobuster, Bernardduur), the changes improve the sound tremendously.

Here’s the text from my original post:

First ever: stobiepole and gaussmarkov teamed up for this one. It’s coming out of the blocks verified, with no hum or oscillation issues in stobiepole’s build (pictured above).

So now we need a new picture!

This is a meticulous reproduction of the Electric Mistress by markusw on Aron’s forum. See his post. Markus kindly sent his Eagle files for inclusion on gaussmarkov.net. Dig the way Markus converts solder lug pots to PCB mount on his build pictured above. His original project file can be found on diystompboxes.com here. Markus also designed a board to accompany the Electric Mistress for TZF. See this post.