Zvex - Distortron  [traced]

General documentation, gut shot, schematic links, ongoing circuit tracing, deep thoughts ... all about boutique stompboxes.
User avatar
jfk1063
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 56
Joined: 15 Apr 2010, 17:18
Location: Amsterdam
Been thanked: 1 time
Contact:

Post by jfk1063 »

Mich P wrote:Hi, same problem here with this values
So i change for :
0.056uF parallel with 0,82uF = position 3 (BOR stock)
0.056uF parallel with 0,047uF = position 2
0,056uF alone = position 1.
It works better for me like this.
Mich P.
Yeah, this seems to work better! Thanks!

I will post pics in the Tagboard-Thread, because I made mine PTP.

User avatar
bucksears
Solder Soldier
Information
Posts: 172
Joined: 08 Sep 2007, 23:02
Has thanked: 16 times
Been thanked: 41 times

Post by bucksears »

So, on the Hi/Lo switch, is the 3rd MOSFET connected straight to ground (i.e. instead of going 330R --> ground) when in 'Hi mode?
Seems like Madbean's 'Boomstick' and these two mods would effectively be the Distortron.

User avatar
bucksears
Solder Soldier
Information
Posts: 172
Joined: 08 Sep 2007, 23:02
Has thanked: 16 times
Been thanked: 41 times

Post by bucksears »

Anybody know if the 'Hi' or 'Low' mode is the stock BOR gain? Trying to determine how that toggle is wired to the 330R resistor; does it add or remove 330R for 'Hi'?

Thanks,
Buck

User avatar
ShortScaleMike
Resistor Ronker
Information
Posts: 387
Joined: 12 Feb 2008, 14:36
my favorite amplifier: Marshall JCM800
Location: London, UK
Has thanked: 16 times
Been thanked: 93 times
Contact:

Post by ShortScaleMike »

Lo will be stock BoR.

Hi will short it to ground.

User avatar
mirosol
Resistor Ronker
Information
Posts: 292
Joined: 11 Mar 2012, 16:15
my favorite amplifier: Been on Bogner for quite some time now.
Completed builds: Over 1000 and counting.
Location: TKU, FI
Has thanked: 192 times
Been thanked: 449 times

Post by mirosol »

Drew up a layout and built it. Otherwise pretty much 1:1 when compared to PGS demo - but i can't really say about the subs switch. It feels little too subtle to me with 56n/56n+47n/56n+820n combo.

Anyway. Here's the layout. Verified according to current information...
Attachments
ZVex-Distortron.png
http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/
http://mirosol.kapsi.fi/
"No such thing as innocence" -Iron Chic

User avatar
bugg
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 144
Joined: 11 Feb 2013, 03:10
my favorite amplifier: Fender Twin
Has thanked: 51 times
Been thanked: 336 times

Post by bugg »

I have the stock pedal sitting here now, I'll measure the Subs capacitor values tomorrow at work and will post the readings.

Image

Image

Image

User avatar
bugg
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 144
Joined: 11 Feb 2013, 03:10
my favorite amplifier: Fender Twin
Has thanked: 51 times
Been thanked: 336 times

Post by bugg »

The values indicated appear to be fairly close to the stock values.

The 47nF measures around 43nF, so 47nF is probably correct.
The 820nF measures around 910nF, so it's either an 820nF (measuring high) or 1000nF measuring slightly low.

I can't get an accurate measurement of the 56nF in-circuit, since I'm borrowing the pedal I better not attack it with the hot air gun.


Image

User avatar
Intripped
Cap Cooler
Information
Posts: 670
Joined: 25 Aug 2009, 01:03
Location: Italy
Has thanked: 989 times
Been thanked: 305 times

Post by Intripped »

what about C7? does it measure 10n?
...i'm thinking about the BoR circuit: there are schematics around that indicate 100n (and 10n also) - i'm still not sure of which is the correct/best value

thanks for your nice work!

User avatar
bugg
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 144
Joined: 11 Feb 2013, 03:10
my favorite amplifier: Fender Twin
Has thanked: 51 times
Been thanked: 336 times

Post by bugg »

Doh! I totally forgot about C7! :oops:

I'll try to measure it tomorrow but I suspect I won't get a reliable reading in-circuit. If the pedal was mine I'd dissect it and measure em all out of circuit.

I've also seen conflicting values for C7, but here is a quote by Mark Hammer that might give a little insight.
If you are going by the old Boomstick document at the Madbean site, then there may be some issues with the parts values. The document I'm looking at has the components on the bass side as 47k and 22nf, yielding a treble cut starting around 154hz. On the treble side, the values shown are 100nf and 82k, which yields a bass cut starting around 19hz, which is pretty much no bass cut at all.

If you made that cap .01uf, instead of .1uf, that would shift the bass cut upwards, so that it starts around 194hz, which is complementary to the treble cut.
If we're extremely slow at work tomorrow I might try to pull the two capacitors in question.

User avatar
Intripped
Cap Cooler
Information
Posts: 670
Joined: 25 Aug 2009, 01:03
Location: Italy
Has thanked: 989 times
Been thanked: 305 times

Post by Intripped »

i think that 10n is the right value too - if you run the duncan simulator (big muff tonestack) you can actually see that with 10n the curves are better (no bass hump)
waiting for your confirmation anyway!
thx again

User avatar
Bill_Mountain
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 115
Joined: 27 Jun 2011, 11:50
Has thanked: 44 times
Been thanked: 2 times

Post by Bill_Mountain »

Intripped wrote:what about C7? does it measure 10n?
...i'm thinking about the BoR circuit: there are schematics around that indicate 100n (and 10n also) - i'm still not sure of which is the correct/best value

thanks for your nice work!
I believe they could be different values. I played a Distortron and BOR in the store. I bought the BOR because the sweep of the tone knob sounded much better to me.

User avatar
bugg
Breadboard Brother
Information
Posts: 144
Joined: 11 Feb 2013, 03:10
my favorite amplifier: Fender Twin
Has thanked: 51 times
Been thanked: 336 times

Post by bugg »

Okay, just did a little surgery on the pedal....

Referring to the schematic above, C7 is in fact 100nF and C5 is 22nF.

User avatar
mirosol
Resistor Ronker
Information
Posts: 292
Joined: 11 Mar 2012, 16:15
my favorite amplifier: Been on Bogner for quite some time now.
Completed builds: Over 1000 and counting.
Location: TKU, FI
Has thanked: 192 times
Been thanked: 449 times

Post by mirosol »

Huge thanks to bugg. Here's the layout with updated values.
Attachments
ZVex-Distortron.png
http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/
http://mirosol.kapsi.fi/
"No such thing as innocence" -Iron Chic

User avatar
deeno
Information
Posts: 46
Joined: 28 Sep 2011, 14:48
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 71 times

Post by deeno »

hi guys,
this is my contribution to the community, I love both the distortron and the box of rock, so I decided to create a hybrid that I baptized "SUPER HARD TRON"
simply the distortron and SHO together in a tiny little layout, so small that it goes into a Hammond 1590B box :)
resistors are mounted vertical, no jumpers
this is the complete project with template.
enjoy!

DR
Attachments
pcb mini 3 tracessmall.pdf
(733.19 KiB) Downloaded 268 times
template.jpg
LAYOUT CON PART LIST.jpg

User avatar
deeno
Information
Posts: 46
Joined: 28 Sep 2011, 14:48
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 71 times

Post by deeno »

and of course the schematic.
a correction, there is an error in the part list, the 47k resistors are R14 and R25, R26 does not exist, other hand the 5K1 resistors are
R3, R8, R12 and R24.
Attachments
schema con SHOjpg.jpg

User avatar
deeno
Information
Posts: 46
Joined: 28 Sep 2011, 14:48
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 71 times

Post by deeno »

hey guys!
this is now verified and works perfectly!
only one thing, if you use bs170 transistors you have to turn them, if use 2n7000 transistors they fit well as in my layout!
soon some photos of my BOX OF TRON :)
ciao!

User avatar
deeno
Information
Posts: 46
Joined: 28 Sep 2011, 14:48
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 71 times

Post by deeno »

and this is my SUPER HARD TRON super working! :)
enjoy!
Image
Image
Image
Image

bye!

User avatar
Brocko
Information
Posts: 1
Joined: 26 May 2014, 23:40

Post by Brocko »

Could anyone work out vero of how to add a switch to turn this into an SHO? The reason I ask is that the Double Rock is basically two of these cascaded, without the hi/lo switch, but with the option to turn each into an SHO.

User avatar
POTL
Resistor Ronker
Information
Posts: 335
Joined: 26 Sep 2016, 03:11
Has thanked: 58 times
Been thanked: 67 times

Post by POTL »

Can it work from 18 volts?
Can transistors withstand this voltage?

User avatar
tomtom1384
Information
Posts: 1
Joined: 04 Oct 2018, 17:53

Post by tomtom1384 »

Hello, is it possible to use a BS170 transistor instead of the mosfet (which is not available on the site I want to order :D )?
Thank you

Post Reply