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You are better off putting a CLR for each LED.  There can be some differences in current draw between LEDs; using separate CLRs helps prevent them from burning out.

And sure, you can use multiple LEDs for a wah plate.  I did one a while back and I believe I had 13 LEDs on it.

For standard tweezers, there are many inexpensive options.  If lowest cost isn't a concern, these are my favorites that aren't super expensive:

http://www.amazon.com/Wiha-44527-Professional-Precision-Tweezers/dp/B002T1H5O2/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1397184200&sr=8-10&keywords=wiha+tweezers

As far as the SMT meter tweezers, I am still looking for an inexpensive pair myself...

Nice build, Jacob.  Really dig the clean insides.

I love this build.  A masterpiece.

fred "the dorf" dorfman?  welcome!

Fletch fans are most certainly welcome!

True, although I don't recommend lending any of them your towel, even  if their car has just hit a water buffalo.

And thanks for the kind words, everybody.

Man what a sweet build. I too am a fan of the TDK MLCC's. I've used them in place of film caps for size restraints in the past but I've wondered if they have the same "performance" as films do. I read a couple articles that suggested that they may have varying capacitance under certain circumstances. Of course I also could be completely mistaken.



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No, you are correct that some ceramic caps (not just MLCC) do vary with temperature and voltage, but there are some qualifiers.

1.) Dielectric type: C0G/NP0 are rock solid and basically don't vary with temperature or voltage.   Unfortunately, they are difficult to find in larger densities (and when you find them, they are usually pricier).  X7R/X5R are still usable caps provided you get them in a voltage level high enough above where you will use them.  As you get close to their rated voltage, their capacitance level drops.  Z5U and Y5V rated caps are basically rubbish and I don't use them anymore.

2.) Voltage rating: as mentioned above, you really want to give yourself some headroom if at all possible.  The other option is to put more capacitance in there and expect derating, but that gets a bit more complicated and predicting the level of derating might be tricky.

The whole conversation does bring up some important questions: If you look at a lot of vintage effects, many of them used cheap ceramic disc caps.  In addition to the changes with voltage and temperature, those types of caps were particularly sensitive to their capacitance drifting downward over time.  If tracing a build that sounds particularly good, you'd probably want to measure the actual components and not just read their value.

I've posted this before, but it's worth reading: it's a good article on MLCC construction from Johanson Delectrics.

http://www.johansondielectrics.com/technical-notes/product-training/basics-of-ceramic-chip-capacitors.html#.U0aTpVe9aKI

This is awesome Dave! Very clean and the black PCB looks killer. If only the 3pdt board were black! 

I agree, that would look much better.  Maybe I'll get some black switch boards in the future.

Pick, your just determined to get your font size under 10 points with that laser aren't you? lol

Yeah, I think it was an 8 point font.  Definitely too small.

Actually, don't you have the extra enclosure from that?

I somehow got the impression there was a third floating around ...

Ah, I have an early goof-up here, but that is most likely going to have the top sanded and it will be a clean slate.  The box you have was the alternate finished one.

That reminds me that I was going to make a board for that.  I just didn't get around to it.

Those knobs are bigger than the production version will have.  I'll post another picture later

It's also a different design than the Companion Fuzz box I did.  Actually, don't you have the extra enclosure from that?

Huh, Pickdropper's a Paladin. And here I was sure he was a wizard.

I'm a Manna of many faces.  :-)

H11F1 through-hole chips before they are impossible to get any more.

Is this a thing?!? I only recently discovered how cool they are : /

I think they're already marked obsolete. Plenty in SMD, though.

You might be right, but I'm unable to find any reference to the through-hole parts going EOL.

Their website seems to indicate Full Production:

http://www.fairchildsemi.com/pf/H1/H11F1M.html

H11F1M is listed as a standard through-hole part, so I think that's the one we want. I believe the H11F1VM should work as well and is significantly cheaper.  From what I can tell, the only difference is the V series is certified to be compliant with IEC60747-5-2.

That is so tight.  Layout, laser etch, so clean.....Love those little blue caps too, they look like candy!  What brand are those?

Those are TDK MLCC caps (stocked at Mouser).  I'm a really big fan of those.  Those are big ones, too: 10uF/25V

I haven't had much build time lately, but this board has been sitting around too long waiting to be boxed, so I snuck it in.

This is basically the first version of the EP Booster with the bass boost instead of the unity switch.  I added an internal 18V charge pump circuit as well as a switch to go between 9V/18V.  I think this will be useful for me for multi-builds as there is a switched 9V/18V output pad on the PCB for pairing it with another circuit.  I am planning on putting it with a Tube Screamer in a future build with the switch.





A couple of miscellaneous notes about the build:

1.)  If you can't read the text by the 9V/18V switch it's because the pedal is speaking in tongues NOT because I chose an absurdly small font.

2.)  I used a slightly lower CLR than I usually do with this type of LED, so when the pedal is turned on, you are blinded by a bright white light.