Zvex - Box of Rock  [traced]

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Ed22
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Post by Ed22 »

Just finished my Box of Rock. cool pedal!

Ed.
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BoxOfRock.jpg
BoxOfRock.jpg (213.38 KiB) Viewed 3627 times

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themainevent
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Post by themainevent »

hey guys, when i turn on the pedal there's a big drop in volume and i can't seem to match or go over unity volume. i've checked all the trace cuts and tracks and they all seem fine. does this mean that my bs170s need replacement?

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sliberty
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Post by sliberty »

Do all of the pots work as expected with the exception of overall volume? it could be a transitor, but there are lots of other things it could be as well. Check all of your resistor values - maybe you substitued too low of a value for a resistor to ground, or too high of a value for a resistor in series with the signal.

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themainevent
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Post by themainevent »

sliberty wrote:Do all of the pots work as expected with the exception of overall volume? it could be a transitor, but there are lots of other things it could be as well. Check all of your resistor values - maybe you substitued too low of a value for a resistor to ground, or too high of a value for a resistor in series with the signal.
at first all of the pots worked except for gain really. when i had volume at its highest setting and gain at its highest setting everything sounded about right. but when i would lower gain i could only barely hear anything and with no gain whatsoever i could barely hear the clean signal. after trying to fix this i've only made things worse and now with volume at it's highest setting i can still only barely hear the pedal. i checked all resistors, caps, etc to see if i used the right ones and i did. so i'm not sure what the problem is.

actually i just realized my 1M resistors are 1/2w rated. would that make a major difference over 1/4w?

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sliberty
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Post by sliberty »

When I build pedals, I always solcket the transistors for just such a situation. If you have socketed yours, you can try swapping them as a first step, but if not, I would suggest you check, double check, and triple check the wiring and circuit construction. Make sure that you have built it corrcetly, and that every solder joint is good (not only that it makes contact, but that it DOESN'T make contact where it shouldn't). If everything is OK, then change out the transistors one at a time, and socket them as you go for any future swaps.

For a more deliberate approach to finding your problem - the technique I use for troubleshooting a pedal (or an amp for that matter) involves using an audio probe (you can also use a ocilloscope if you know how - I am no expert on o-scopes). You check the output of the circuit at various points starting with the input, to determine where in the circuit the volume drops. Once you know where the circuit begins to misbehave, you can focus on that section and avoid being distracted by other parts of the circuit. I built my probe according to the instructions in one of Weber's amp books.

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themainevent
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Post by themainevent »

thanks i'll give it a try.

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5thumbs
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Post by 5thumbs »

+1 on everything sliberty said. On top of that, check your transistor pinouts to make sure they match that of the layout. If they don't, strip some insulator from spare wire and place it over the transistor legs before you bend them into the correct orientation (the insulator will keep them from shorting against one another or other components.)

Oh, and please make sure you didn't install the transistor(s) backwards. (That's what I did with the Boost MOSFET in my BOR build. I had low/garbled output problems as well, but I suspected a flipped tranny because it was only with the Boost part of the BOR (and the fact that I still seem to install at least one transistor backward per build. :slap: ) I flipped that BS170 around and all was groovy. :) )

Good luck!
Modding a DS-1? Please read 'Build Your Own DS-1 Distortion'.

"Other than a good first-in-line buffer/booster, using other FX to improve bad clean tone is like gift-wrapping garbage."

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themainevent
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Post by themainevent »

Thanks guys for all the help. I rechecked the board and turns out one of my resistors had a cold solder joint, so after fixing that joint everything started working fine. It's funny that there's a simple solution for this problem and in the end it's true that once you finish a pedal you really have to quadruple check the board to make sure everything is right. Thanks guys for a great thread.

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r4vi4n
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Post by r4vi4n »

Hello,

I'm new to this stuff, but very excited to try this out myself!
I'm already investigating the Klon Centaur clone, but I'm also interested in the Zvex Box of Rock.
What and/or where are the most recent files (like schematic layout, PCB layout (both component layout as transfer layout))?

Thanks and keep up this work, it has to be fantastic to step on your footswitch and turn on your effect that you made yourself! :D

Rock!

Greetz,
Bart

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5thumbs
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Post by 5thumbs »

r4vi4n wrote:...
I'm new to this stuff, but very excited to try this out myself!
I'm already investigating the Klon Centaur clone, but I'm also interested in the Zvex Box of Rock.
What and/or where are the most recent files (like schematic layout, PCB layout (both component layout as transfer layout))?
...
Madbeans did the PCB layout I used (with only slight modification to make it work with the smaller PC-mount pots I used.) I've attached the info I used in my build. The attached PDF doc is the summing of the images Madbeans posted in this thread, but you'd have to check with him to see if those are still the latest versions. The other JPG is one of the vero layouts I saved from this thread, but did not use. (I don't know who made the vero layout, so I can't give author credit there.)

Good luck!
Attachments
Vero layout for BOR clone.
Vero layout for BOR clone.
Krankosaurus - B.O.R. Clone.pdf
Madbeans' layout & info for BOR clone.
(226.52 KiB) Downloaded 410 times
Modding a DS-1? Please read 'Build Your Own DS-1 Distortion'.

"Other than a good first-in-line buffer/booster, using other FX to improve bad clean tone is like gift-wrapping garbage."

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r4vi4n
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Post by r4vi4n »

5thumbs wrote:
r4vi4n wrote:...
I'm new to this stuff, but very excited to try this out myself!
I'm already investigating the Klon Centaur clone, but I'm also interested in the Zvex Box of Rock.
What and/or where are the most recent files (like schematic layout, PCB layout (both component layout as transfer layout))?
...
Madbeans did the PCB layout I used (with only slight modification to make it work with the smaller PC-mount pots I used.) I've attached the info I used in my build. The attached PDF doc is the summing of the images Madbeans posted in this thread, but you'd have to check with him to see if those are still the latest versions. The other JPG is one of the vero layouts I saved from this thread, but did not use. (I don't know who made the vero layout, so I can't give author credit there.)

Good luck!
Awesome! Thanks!

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shugs81
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Post by shugs81 »

using http://gaussmarkov.net/wordpress/though ... p-a-1590b/ for wiring up the 3pdt switches...

anyone know how to hook them up? i've built it but only the LED's work... tested the builds before putting them in the box too... I seemed to leave an output off the main one cause the output goes to input of boost... or have i answered my own question?

is it a case of wiring the output of the main (on the switch) to the input on the boost(on the switch)?

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dap9
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Post by dap9 »

Just finished reading through the thread. Good stuff, but given the span of time all these posts encompass, I can't tell if the BSIABOX vero above is verified or not. Is that the one Torchy did that people used? Which would mean it is verfied.

There are some good tips to get some Bass Cut, but can't tell if there is a "best" one (all relative, I know, but figured I'd put it out there) - I'll be breadboarding this so I can try the different ideas, but so far my favorite idea is adding the 10k pot at the input as found in the "Fabulous Woody w/ Bass Cut" as drawn up by Mr. G (w/ help from igloo and Madbean).

I'm making this pedal for a friend who's getting a Fender PRRI and he wants some Bass Cut feature and that pot seems like a good idea. Since I don't have a PRRI, I won't really be able to tell which Bass Cut mod is best - any suggestions from you Fender experts?

Thanks to everyone for the hard work. I'm really looking forward to building this thing and A/Bing it w/ my OCD V3 and DLS clone.

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Post by distortion_gfx1 »

Valoosj wrote:This pedal is so amazing that I decided to redo my finished one. It deserves a nice enclosure.

Image
Image
Image

killer look!! :shock: nicely done :applause:

do you have a layout of the design? wanna make one too! tnx :lol:

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Jaicen
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Post by Jaicen »

Duude, that looks awesome!!
Where did you get those knobs? What size are they?

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themainevent
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Post by themainevent »

hey guys, i'm having a problem with the gain stage mosfet blowing up. i finished this build a while ago and a week ago the mosfet blew so i replaced it and today the same mosfet blew up again. any ideas on what would cause this?

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Post by TheLemon »

themainevent wrote:hey guys, i'm having a problem with the gain stage mosfet blowing up. i finished this build a while ago and a week ago the mosfet blew so i replaced it and today the same mosfet blew up again. any ideas on what would cause this?
are you using a 9v1 zener diode across the source and gate?

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themainevent
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Post by themainevent »

TheLemon wrote:
themainevent wrote:hey guys, i'm having a problem with the gain stage mosfet blowing up. i finished this build a while ago and a week ago the mosfet blew so i replaced it and today the same mosfet blew up again. any ideas on what would cause this?
are you using a 9v1 zener diode across the source and gate?
yeah im using the 1n4148 but i guess i should make sure that the diode didnt blow.

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rogeryu
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Post by rogeryu »

themainevent wrote:
TheLemon wrote:
themainevent wrote:hey guys, i'm having a problem with the gain stage mosfet blowing up. i finished this build a while ago and a week ago the mosfet blew so i replaced it and today the same mosfet blew up again. any ideas on what would cause this?
are you using a 9v1 zener diode across the source and gate?
yeah im using the 1n4148 but i guess i should make sure that the diode didnt blow.
1n4148 is not a zener diode Sir. 1n5239 if I can recall correctly is 9.1v zener

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themainevent
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Post by themainevent »

rogeryu wrote:
themainevent wrote:
TheLemon wrote:
themainevent wrote:hey guys, i'm having a problem with the gain stage mosfet blowing up. i finished this build a while ago and a week ago the mosfet blew so i replaced it and today the same mosfet blew up again. any ideas on what would cause this?
are you using a 9v1 zener diode across the source and gate?
yeah im using the 1n4148 but i guess i should make sure that the diode didnt blow.
1n4148 is not a zener diode Sir. 1n5239 if I can recall correctly is 9.1v zener
you're right i just reread your post and was going to post this. however, i used the vero layout by lovepedal detective on page 5 of this thread and the only diodes used are the 1n4148 and the 1n5817.

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