Im trying to get into the world of pedal building and the main purpose of this post is to ask if anyone can mentor me in schematics and pcb building using kicad or other software. I just have too many questions and want some direction with what Im doing. I was hoping I can find someone to do zoom or skype calls with to ask questions. I would be willing to pay for the calls and time spent. My ultimate goal is a muff pedal so I can make my own but I plan to be focusing on an original fuzz unit first. I have questions regarding the schematic and offboard wiring for those specific pedals and pedals in general. I also apologize if this isnt the topic to put this post in. Send me a message if youre interested.
Read this and build a booster: http://www.super-freq.com/stompbox-studies-class-1/
I highly recommend new builders looking to get a solid footing in basic electronics take a real electronics class at a community college. There's a foundation that needs to happen that just isn't there with random bite size tidbits from around the internet. With a real class you get to do hands on labs, learn to solder, use a multi meter, etc, and be able to ask questions. If you do it, let your teacher know you have a personal interest in analog audio circuitry, chances are they'll be excited to have a student who is there for more than a grade. Good luck!
+1 to Mitchell and Ben's suggestions. If you have concrete questions that could be answered over the phone, you can just as well ask them here on the forum. This here is exactly the right place for that.
And welcome to the forum!
Andy
Welcome. You might start by learning how to read schematics - by exposure to them...and that is done easiest, perhaps, by getting a breadboard and a few parts and assembling some basic circuits. This reinforces what the symbols mean on the schematic. That knowledge transfers directly to KiCad or whatever program you use, and also will be used forever as you go forward into SMD or what have you.
Look at some of this: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-read-a-schematic/all (https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-read-a-schematic/all)
There are only a few basic and most-used components you need to know to get started. Resistors, capacitors, battery/power symbols/ground, wires cross or don't cross. Basic 8 terminal IC (what they do can come after comfort with the basics). LED/lamp, speaker, fuse...all you'll need is some simple schematics and TIME invested.
When I started, the old "Forrest Mims Circuit Scrapbooks" (and "Getting Started in Electronics") were INVALUABLE for learning, and had little projects you could do - cost to get going was very affordable, so it was very accessible to many people. Those booklets are certainly available on places like Ebay or as E books... :)
Don't worry if you're 'top notch' yet or not, just get going and have fun with it. Look at me, I've been around here for probably 15 years, and it's still just a hobby without my being some expert in physics or anything, ha ha! EVERYONE here will 'mentor' you in some way as you go. Ask questions.
Quote from: GibsonGM on April 27, 2022, 09:14:28 AM
Ask questions.
Especially the kind for which we have answers.. :icon_wink:
...or the kind we can look up in a text book, and then give a lecture about, pretending we already had the answer :)
Anything I know I've learnt from scratch (absolute zero background with electronics, schematics etc), with just internet, a breadboard and eBay for parts, so it is definitely possible. While I'm a fast learner it took me a few years before becoming somewhat comfortable and making my own circuits & pedals.
If you want to go faster you really should join a class.
Otherwise, an excellent site about all you'll ever need is here
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook
Check out Vol. V first and then Vol. III
A great many project articles in magazines have writeups that provide a stage-by-stage description/explanation of what that stage is doing. Many of us here cut our teeth on the books by Craig Anderton, which would also provide such analysis, and often tips for what mods would be possible and why they would work.
I find the projects themselves to be perhaps more complex than needed, but the Stompbox Cookbook and Stompboxology newsletters by the late Nicholas Boscorelli also do an excellent job of walking one through circuits in a way that also teaches how to read them.