Fuzzbox, Distortion, Phaser, Chorus, Echo and other Guitar Effects Info

Electronic Design magazine has an interesting article on clipping caused by simple transistor buffers:

http://www.electronicdesign.com/analog/avoid-clipping-emitter-follower-ac-coupled-resistive-load

         

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I found this old distortion project while searching through a magazine archive.

Back in the late 1990s, Thomas Henry and I collaborated on a number of articles for consumer magazines. One of those projects was a distortion pedal that was published in Radio Electronics in May 1997.

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This is the basic tone control section of the classic Boss SD-1 distortion pedal.
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After reading a recent forum post, I got interested in the basic frequency response of the SD-1 compared to the classic TS-808.
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Okay, maybe "good" is subjective, but they are FREE!

I have updated the band names page for the first time for 2017. Check it out!

AMZ Free Band Names Page

I encourage everyone to pronounced the names on the list out loud… especially if you are reading them in a public place!

For about the third time in less than a week, I have seen someone post in an online forum, the erroneous information that pedal circuits cannot be patented.

Yes, they can be patented, and many classic circuits started out being protected by patents. Tom Scholz, for example, had numerous patents related to his Rockman devices.

Here is a page with some pedal related patents:

50 Audio and Effects Pedal Patents

In 1957, Valvo-Berichte introduced the original OC81 germanium transistor (first source) which means that any other versions of the part are second sourced (Philips, Mullard, DSI, etc). It has long been a common practice for other manufacturers to offer their own version of parts, sometimes via a license but often just as an alternate work-alike.

Just because a part is second sourced does not mean that it is a fake, as mistakenly posted occasionally in online forums. Many semiconductors are made by companies other than the original producer, and more often than not, perform just as well.

Along that same line, in opamps, a Signetics NE5532 would be first source and the TI 5532 chip would be a second source. The 7660 charge pump is another example and there are numerous copies of it available. Also, the 4558 opamp is made by just about everyone, and no one says they are fake just because the specific 4558 is not produced by the company that first introduced it (Raytheon).

The spec of the OC81d is similar to the AC128, which is sometimes listed as a substitute.

http://www.muzique.com/misc/oc81data.jpg

Voltage Doubler assembled module
The charge-pump voltage booster module. Fully assembled and ready for installation in your pedal or project. Boosts 9v DC to almost 18v. Also provides −9v for PNP fuzz pedals and other circuits that require a negative voltage.

Order the module from the AMZ Catalog Page.

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