Small Bear Breadboard Project

[audiobalm]

Hi All,

I'm trying to follow the step by step instructions on the following website to build a Silicon NPN Fuzz Face

http://diy.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/BreadboardSiFF/BreadboardSiFF.htm

I'm built it three times, and can't seem to get any sound whatsoever out of it except some crackle if I touch things, and a buzz if I remove the ground. I've tested the components and they seem fine, can anyone see anything in this layout that might indicate a fault? (Input will go to D1 and output D18, not currently connected)

Any thoughts? Many thanks!

DP

[audiobalm]

Here's another angle on attempt II

[blackieNYC]

Is nothing connected to that first transistor leg at the far left?
I just see two jumpers to nowhere

[antonis]

What blackie said..

Left jumper should go to GND and right jumper to VOL pot lug 1..
(the later isn't needed due to Vol pot lug 1 grounded via blue flying jumper but the former IS needed for Q1 Emitter grounding..)

[audiobalm]

Well that certainly changed things!! Thanks Folks.. Much appreciated!

After looking at it for 10 hours I just couldn't tell what was missing. Thanks for spotting it.

Yeah, there were a couple ways to build this and the right jumper was to facilitate the blue flying lead originally.

Thanks again. Quick Question while we're at it:

This is set up for Silicon NPN, if I want to switch it to germanium PNP, I switch around the polarity of the Electrolytic Caps and the Battery is that correct?

[antonis]

Quick answer is yes..!! 
(beware of it in a daisy chain..)

[iainpunk]

(beware of it in a daisy chain..)

i'd say that its a sub-par practice to daisy chain fuzzes period. fuzz faces and tone benders seem to sound smoother with batteries and the current consumption is generally low enough to not drain your 9v's like other pedals do.

cheers, Iain

[Big Monk]

(beware of it in a daisy chain..)

i'd say that its a sub-par practice to daisy chain fuzzes period. fuzz faces and tone benders seem to sound smoother with batteries and the current consumption is generally low enough to not drain your 9v's like other pedals do.

cheers, Iain

I’m sure, like most things in tone, that this is a subjective observation. I’ve never heard a compelling argument for batteries that was not overturned by my own listening tests.

I’ve run my current Tonebender with and without batteries and to me there was no discernible difference.

I do have a DC jack mountable charge pump and some OC75s on the way so testing will ensue!

[audiobalm]

Thanks for all the comments,

This doesn't have a jack for a power supply so it's batteries all the way I'm afraid.

I don't know where to fall on the Battery vs. Power supply thing but here's an interesting read from "Tone Manual" by Dave Hunter discussing Alkaline vs. Carbon Zinc with some wisdom from Zachary Vex. Whether you can hear this difference I suppose is still subjective, but the science says there's a difference.

[POTL]

funny.
4-5 years ago Fuzz Face was my first project in my life, I also collected it on a solderless breadboard and using the same link. Lol
I made several tries but Fuzz Face didn't work.
 I thought that the problem was in the board / accessories or just diy was not milking me and was ready to give up, but I went to collect Big Muff and it worked right away.
I assembled the first stage, but there was only pure amplification, no fuzz or distortion, this surprised me a lot and since then I started studying circuits.
If this is your first build, then congratulations!
my advice, now study it, change the components and understand how they affect the sound, this will help you a lot in the future.

[garcho]

Whether you can hear this difference I suppose is still subjective, but the science says there's a difference.

I know what you mean, but that’s not completely true. Whether or not you can hear a difference is very much provable with blind AB testing. This is why talking about audio is like dancing about architecture. It’s also why actual audio evidence is rarely (never?) presented along with those types of statements. Can “science” prove there is a difference? If you can’t perceive it with your ears, than it doesn’t matter. I think a real, professional, published scientist would go the blind AB listening test route, as opposed to the esoteric data plot argument. I’m only referring to sound, not EE concerns (can’t hear super sonic oscillations but they sure can cause problems).

Congrats on getting working!

[audiobalm]

Sure, I suppose what I mean is someone who is new to a certain kind of sound might not detect subtle variations in fuzz between a carbon zinc or alkaline battery as you can’t step into the same guitar playing twice (yes a looper would work, but then you’re definitely too concerned with A/Bing and not guitar playing)

Same as someone who might not detect different “notes” in a different wines at the beginning.

That’s more what I meant.