Basic Signal Booster Pedal

334

04:44:31

AC source is the input, blue node is the output.
First off, some stuff you should know about me:
·I'm 16 years old and my knowledge of electronics is pretty basic. 
·I'm not good with the maths component of electronics. For that reason, pots and resistors were set to mimic the Electro-Harmonix LPB-1 pedal.
·I play (with?) a variety of musical instruments, and I enjoy building and modifying musical equipment.
·I'm starting a micro-business, selling home-brewed instruments and equipment, as well as modifying customers' instruments.
·I make everything out of cigar boxes, ammo boxes, jerry cans, steel pipe, shovels, et al.–whatever you'd expect to find in John Wayne's garage.
This is a schematic of the first (guitar/bass/violin/electrified bagpipes) stompbox I built, a signal booster called the 'Hotbox' that somebody actually wanted to buy. Unfortunately, the guy ended up nicking the stompbox from me, which I guess means it worked pretty well.

published 8 years ago

x35m95

8 years ago

Nice to see that youre starting young man, good luck with your adventures! Sorry to hear you got nicked, when you build something, add some sort of logo or watermark that gets removed from the product once you get full payment so no one does it anymore.

hurz

8 years ago

Im a little afraid about your business. The circuit looks strange.

paulvg01

8 years ago

@hurz Thank you for your suggestion, I'll make sure to keep that in mind in my future projects! So far, I've been operating under the assumption that a properly-functioning effects pedal, like the one I built, implied a proper circuit layout.

hurz

8 years ago

The power supply ground is connected to the external audio source. This cause a supply ripple of 2Vpp and does cause a DC current flow through the audio device. The coupling capacitor with 150mF is extremly high, you should try to bring it down by the factor of 1000. Below 150uF. I know, if you move the ground to the place were it suppose to be the effect is partly gone and doesn't look cool. But as it is now, it will not work for devices which will block DC, which almost all devices will do. Hope this helps.

hurz

8 years ago

So have this said, here we go. The supply voltage is modulated with the audio source and the audio source is still input of transistor amp. However, the DC current to the audio device is removed. Check it and have fun with it http://everycircuit.com/circuit/6531923798392832

paulvg01

8 years ago

@Hurz Thanks, that's quite helpful. I'll see about putting one together.

hurz

8 years ago

Yes, right, build it test it and see what it does for you! Keep it up!

paulvg01

8 years ago

@hurz I threw it together on a breadboard, plugged it up, and it sounds PFG. I appreciate your help!

hurz

8 years ago

You have a youtube video for us to listen?

paulvg01

8 years ago

@hurz I do not, unfortunately. I prefer to keep my face to myself. I have a very unique name, and I like to keep my privacy about me. It sounds very similar to the LPB-1, but slightly distorted.

zorgrian

8 years ago

Never let ones face be seen! Yet stoppeth not a performance of ones music I feel

zorgrian

8 years ago

You may use a pseudonym, paulvg010101. Hide behind it. Wear it as a mask

zorgrian

8 years ago

dont build guitar effects on one of those .1 inch space plasic breadboards. no! these are awful, they make horrible humming, lots of nasty inductance, capacitance and no ground plane