Hondo Fuzz Board Help

[heisnoelvis]

Hondo Fuzz Board Help

Postby heisnoelvis » less than a minute ago
I just recently won an auction for a "Hondo Longhorn" Fuzz Circuit. I got it cheap and thought it could be a cool project (a first project for me). I could use help form you experts so I wire it up correctly. I would love an LED and true bypass switching. Power supply is not necessary, but if its possible for a beginner then why not.

I have included pictures of both sides of the board, hopefully it helps.

Thanks in advance!
Paul.
heisnoelvis@yahoo.com

[Craiz]

I always think that BeavisAudio's offboard wiring is super easy to read. Here:

http://www.beavisaudio.com/techpages/StompboxWiring/

Do tell us how it sounds when you're done! And if you have the time, do you think you could trace the circuit? I'd love to try this one out on the breadboard. Thanks, and good luck!

Edit: Oh, and looking at the pic of the backside of the board, it looks like you might have a solder bridge going on there at the top right. Meybe check that before your wire it up.

[Jdansti]

Cool!  I had a Hondo II LP copy as a teenager.

I think the Longhorn guitar had the fuzz mounted in the guitar. I looked around the web and couldn't find a schematic.  Do you know which leads are in, out, and ground and whether it had a pot to control the amount of fuzz?

[LucifersTrip]

And if you have the time, do you think you could trace the circuit? I'd love to try this one out on the breadboard. Thanks, and good luck!

I think a clear closeup pic of the top so we can see the resistor/cap codes would be cool enough...or you could just tell us.

probably more of an overdrive/distortion since only 1 transistor

[tca]

Probably something like this?!

[heisnoelvis]

Thanks so far for the help. I just won the auction last night right before I made the post asking for help. which is why the photos are not good, they are from the e-bay auctrion. As soon as it arrives I will take better pictures and run a meter over it to test the components. In the mean time I took the pictures into Photoshop and tried to enlarge them a bit. I thought it would be a good beginner project.

Any input is much appreciated!

[LucifersTrip]

Thanks so far for the help. I just won the auction last night right before I made the post asking for help. which is why the photos are not good, they are from the e-bay auctrion. As soon as it arrives I will take better pictures and run a meter over it to test the components.

you will not be able to take accurate measurements with components in circuit

In the mean time I took the pictures into Photoshop and tried to enlarge them a bit.

...if it's easier you could just tell us the color codes...though, someone with good eyes might be able to see em now

I thought it would be a good beginner project.

definitely...might I suggest you breadboard an identical one at the same time. It will make troubleshooting much easier

[heisnoelvis]

Arrived today so, here is a better Picture and the info as I can tell.

Am I right that Black Wire on the board is GROUND, Green Wire on board is INPUT, looks like the Clump of solder in the middle/bottom on the trace side could have been the OUTPUT?



From Left to right on the Resistors.

Blue, Blue, Orange, Gold
Brown, Black, Yellow, Gold
Gold, Orange, Black, Brown
Red, Violet, Brown, Gold
Yellow, Violet, Yellow, Gold
Yellow, Violet, Orange, Gold

Capacitors From Left to right
Tk 50v 1 uf
Tk 103k
Tk 50v 1 uf

Transistor is a C1327
NPN silicon
Vce = 25V P = 500mW F=250MHz
Package    TO-92
Vcb Max    35V
Vce Max    25V
Ved Max    5V
Ic Max    50mA
Tj Max    150C
Hfe    360/700

[tca]

I always wanted to make an image like this.



A mirrored image of the components on top of the PCB (done with gimp).

I'm going to try and get the schematic. The transistor and the upper cap  are not right, but it is easy to see where they fit.

[heisnoelvis]

The clump of solder I was referring to was indeed where the output wire was soldered. I could see the ever so fain "ou-clump of solder" so I lightly scraped and it fell right off and Indeed says OUT just like it says IN right on the board.

[heisnoelvis]

Does this seem right to anyone?
Green wire = INPUT
Black wire = Ground
Output = one side of jumper wire near middle of board?
Red wire (the cut one) = ?no idea?
White with orange stripe on trace side looks to be added, what purpose does it serve?

Sorry, I am very new at this. Could someone hold my hand through this?

thanks

[RandomGlitch]

This is what I've got so far... I am a bit confused about what's happening at the top with the small jumper wire and the electrolytic and the 100k.

I think the orange and white wire was added to bypass the circuit as maybe it stopped working and the previous owner "fixed" it.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Anyway I hope this helps a bit.

[heisnoelvis]

thanks for the image. That helps a lot. I am questioning the Output only because on the board there is a distinctive OUT that was underneath the glob of solder next to the bare jumper. I agree that the white/orange wire looks to be added after the fact.

here is an image after the glob of solder was picked off.

 

[RandomGlitch]

Yes I think you are right about the output...

I am suspicious of that whole area in fact. The jumper that jumps nothing as it's connected on the other side.  The mystery red wire! 

The soldering in that area looks more blobby and different to the rest of the board.  I'm thinking that it has been used to bridge something.  I'd be tempted to remove the blobby solder to see if the board is actually separate pads.  Then it might start to make more sense.

[heisnoelvis]

okay... it's been a little while and this board got set aside and forgotten about. I came back across it today and was wondering if there is anyone that could shine some light on this little project before I get started. I've been informed that it is most likely not a fuzz but more of a preamp boost type circuit, still I plan to try to get it to function and then maybe try to get some input to mod it to be a more crazy type fuzz.

Any input?

[RandomGlitch]

Well did you try to clean up the blobby solder just right of the center top?

I understand your curiosity, but I think you'll find it quicker and easier to build a known working fuzz design.

I think rather than mess with the board, maybe try to copy the circuit on breadboard to try to figure out what is supposed to go where.  Have you considered that maybe the reason the board was effectively bypassed by a previous owner is that it stopped working.  You could be working on it for ages and be doing all the right things but the transistor is kaput so all in vain.

I've got pedals that are broken, that I mean to fix... but lately I've come to the conclusion that if I can't quickly determine the cause of the problem then it's quicker to find a schematic and build a new board.  With a bit of organization one can do a board in an hour or two, but fixing stuff can take forever as you've found out.

Good luck whatever you do! 

[LucifersTrip]

is this what you have so far?

[heisnoelvis]

okay, I've placed an order for some parts including a few new Transistors. Just in case and also possibly to play around with (2N5088, and a BC109B).

Randomglitch

I appreciate all your help thus far, I have not tried any de-soldering as of yet. It may come to redoing the circuit on a bread board as you suggested, I'm new at this whole thing and that seems a touch daunting (I could be wrong).

[LucifersTrip]

okay, I've placed an order for some parts including a few new Transistors. Just in case and also possibly to play around with (2N5088, and a BC109B).

Randomglitch

I appreciate all your help thus far, I have not tried any de-soldering as of yet. It may come to redoing the circuit on a bread board as you suggested, I'm new at this whole thing and that seems a touch daunting (I could be wrong).

well, you have a schematic (correct hopefully, someone please check) and definitely breadboard as I suggested a while back...you can't lose

I wonder if the 66K was used across a volume pot

[heisnoelvis]

Well... finally got this put together. Output at the jumper from the 100k.

Haven't gotten a chance to play it through my Twin Reverb yet, but it sounds pretty good through a Marshall MS-2 (as good as it could anyway).

How could I wire in a gain control? I'm guessing the Red wire on the board coming from the 66k and 100k would be the volume control, am I right?