Distortion For Cheap!

Step 7 Making your own

As you know, more diodes is less clipping, less is more. You can play around with those, or you can use a simulator (recommended).

Here is the simulator I used: http://www.falstad.com/circuit/. Let it launch and play around with it. If you want to import my design, press file>import, download the text file attached to this page, and enter the code from the file into the import box. You can then play around with it and see what the waves will look like coming out.

Play with the resistors, capacitors, and as many other things as you can think of. Since you know what clipping looks like in the wave, you know what to aim for. If you want others to look at your design before you build it, press file>export and copy and past the code into a comment below.

Some useful info:
-I suggest that you keep the input at 41 hertz because it is a note on the bass (a low E) and is easy to see because it is such a big wave.
-The average output for a bass or guitar is around .1-1 volts, so I used .325.
-The gain for the op amp is based on the resistor circuit underneath it. The actual equation for output voltage is Vin*(1+R2/R1). Since there are 4 of what would be R1, you would calculate the overall resistance, which is 133 ohms. R2 is 1K. R1s are all 100 ohms.
-The equation for resistors in series is R=R1+R2+R3 etc...
-The equation for resistors in parallel (like the 3 pictured on top of each other) is 1/(R1/1+R2/1+R3/1 etc...). In the case of this it is 33 ohms, then you add the 100 for the one resistor in series. That is 133.
-The LED should not go over 25 MW @ <2 volts or else it can explode. It smells really bad when it does.
-The LED must be at 15-20 MW to light up, and should not go over 2 volts.

If you do make one, though, post an instructable! Tell everyone how to made it, but it would be great if you could put a link back to this instructable if you used it much. Thanks!

Good luck!

Comments

[BlackClaw]

Hey, I know that this is a relatively old instructable, but I'll still comment this.
I still dont make it yet, but i've been messing with the simulator for a while.
I've attached a potenciometer and removed a couple of resistances, but i think this should go well.
The import code is here: http://www.pasteall.org/23731/ (dont mind the numbers on the left side).

But my question is, will it really work?

[sshhaauunn]

what are the sizes of the resistors is it 1/4?

[koopatroopa]

instead of messing with the bits could you just attach a knob i between the batteries and the rest to control distortion levels?

[heyzuphowsitgoin]

i guess so, but i don't know if i would do that... instead of controlling the actual gain you're limiting power... in which case you lose battery life (i would think). I figure since the chip is built to have gain control, there are probably other reasons too. but hey... try it out and tell me how it works... i'm gonna get a breadbox pcb... the ones where you don't have to solder and then i'll try stuff like that. even though the simulator works, you can't beat the real thing.

[sminc]

I'm a n00b at reading schematics, is the switch on there? Else whys, where would it go? Thanks! Hope this isn't too juvenile a question. Haha.