Where to begin

[superjoe]

Ive built a Rangemaster from BYOC, but dont really understand how it works...and i would like to further my skills but im not sure where to begin. I have a hard time comprehending schematics. The part thats giving me the hardest time is how to take what you see on a diagram and put it into a pedal. Any help is welcome.

[petemoore]

  Excellent questions, well worded.
  Welcome !
  GEO, Technology of the Dallas Treble Booster [or is it Rangemaster...] and all the other articles there...browse at your own risk of picking up stuff you can use...are quite informative, but may take time to comprehend.
  Recomend print out the Germanuim booster article, great read tells story and how bias works on that transistor. Other biasing info available at this site also.
  I used to paste a schematic on a board, and drill holes where the nodes are, and that would be my circuit board.
  Basically circuits 'flow' just like on the schematic, most of the time I count holes from bottom to top [say 4 holes for a resistor, 3 for a transistor, 3 for a cap]...just start with 15 perfhole cut off the bottom of a large sheet...it can be carefully trimmed later, leave it long until you get the left to right measurement by populating it with parts...I have no trouble cutting down across a row of perfholes with wire cutters...it just snaps down the line...careful though...
   Or print perfboard templates, after looking at perfboard layouts at Runoff Groove and other places, and practice drawing layouts that 'lay the schematic on the drawing template. I don't recommend going 'tight', it gets very hard to follow connections through a tightly strewn board populated with parts.
  My personal cheat is to use the top of the board some, not too much so as to have the parts installed as a 'hanging garden' too much, sure makes following the circuit traces and placeing a DMM probe to the appropriate 'node' on the board/debugging much easier...lol use at your own risk.
 

[petemoore]

  I think perfboard or breadboard are the best 'tutors' of all the board types, PCB's for phasers for sure, more sure fire...but following a schematic to board population is linear enough to where you start picking up on...npn..emitter near gnd. .. maybe through small .. but not very large resistor ..  :icon_idea:this is gain stage type chops

[superjoe]

I planned on making a nice fuzzface clone next, do you think perfboard would be a good choice to use for that?

[troubledtom]

I planned on making a nice fuzzface clone next, do you think perfboard would be a good choice to use for that?

yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is all you need    http://runoffgroove.com/multiface.html
   peace,
       - tom

[Dragonfly]

I planned on making a nice fuzzface clone next, do you think perfboard would be a good choice to use for that?

absolutely !  if youre going to make a germanium fuzz face, i'd suggest getting the transistors HERE ....theyre gain tested, and will sound great !

[superjoe]

yeah thanks alot for the help everyone, and i had already planned on using small bear for parts needs. Does anyone have a site that gives a thourouh (sp?wtf) expanation schematics?

Also, a few quick ones: On schematics, how do you determince which lug on a pot to use? same question with input jacks too.

[Dragonfly]

yeah thanks alot for the help everyone, and i had already planned on using small bear for parts needs. Does anyone have a site that gives a thourouh (sp?wtf) expanation schematics?

Also, a few quick ones: On schematics, how do you determince which lug on a pot to use? same question with input jacks too.

LOOK HERE !!!!

[superjoe]

...wow, i cant believe i didnt see that, again thanks ALOT for your help.

[petemoore]

 1rst FF suggestions ?
Socket the transistors, you won't fry 'em with the soldering iron, good to have ability to 'interview' transistors for those two positions.
Also there are Recommends about input cap values as suggested by schematics, and are generally a great place to start with values of in/out caps, but socketting these caps allows you to tweek the FF to the guitar, your likes, amp etc. and decide what value or values you might want in those positions.
  I socket these anyway everytime I build one, I think sometimes I hear a different value through one cap or the next marked the same value...greenie and redcaps...not the lower %age tolerance and metal film types.
  Multi Face allows Mos and other transistor to be tried, but for a Ge FF, altering bias at Q2Collector resistor using a pot works great. Mostly or better all the other R values can remain as shown on schematic.
  Diodes, polarized caps, and battery polarities must be observed, use cheep grab bag 3906's or something for determining if a circuit is 'firing', so as not to expose polarized parts to polarity reversals...not that you're a newb, I do this anyway...
  You should make double certain of transistor pins Emitter, base and collector...on the transistor and to the board connects.
  And the electrolytic[s and battery polarities must be right.
  Reading through 'What do to when it doesn't work' is a good place to be, as well as FAQ. GEO has very complete "technology of the Fuzz Face' article...top recommendation for anyone wanting to read about what makes a FF tick.
  I strongly suggest choosing a Pos Gnd schematic for your PNP transistors, print that for reference and use it during build, post it with any questions, so well all know what were typing about.