Saturday 8 September 2012

Vero Layout Guide

From Schematic to Stripboard
September 2012 © http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com
Updated 23rd September 2012

A lot of people have asked me if I could do a guide to show the methods I use to convert a schematic to a layout so I thought it was about time I came up with one.  I've always been of the opinion that the more the merrier when it comes to layouts.  The more people that are doing them, the less I may have to do myself and I do have a social life that I'd like to keep! :o)

There are a few people out there who have produced fantastic layouts, going back a few years we had Torchy who was the first person to get me into vero layouts, and shortscalemike really inspired me when he was coming up with layouts for popular effects.  But I have major OCD with pedal building and only started doing these layouts in the first place because I want everything to be perfect for me.  So my criteria for the perfect layout would be:

1) No standing axial components.  EVER!  I hate them with a passion.  Some people like timmy on here can make standing components look elegant by the effort he puts into the build, but it never turned out that way for me, and most of the time I see them I think they look awkward and haphazard.  It's not just the look that makes me want to avoid them though, or the fact they look susceptible to being knocked and bent.  I love to have a board in a vice, stuff all the resistors in one go and then lock them down, turn the board over and solder them all in, and standing components stop that from happening.  I'm sure plenty of people disagree with my philosophy here and I've been criticised in the past because my layouts were slightly larger than someone elses (although that isn't always true, there are a lot of layouts on here where mine are the most compact of the ones available), but my OCD has given everyone almost 300 verified layouts to choose from thanks to some wonderful people on here, so those complaining can't moan too much.  If they prefer to save a couple of rows in some effects where I have sacrificed compactness for form, then I won't be upset if they use someone elses, and it's not like I can offer them a refund.

With the above in mind, I'm not interested in the slightest in reducing a 17 x 9 vero down to 15 x 7.  They'll both easily fit in my most commonly used box and so why make something compact that doesn't need to be made compact?  I'd prefer the extra board space to make it easier to build, fault-find and/or mod.

2) Despite point 1, depending on the number of pots and switches I like to keep the board down to a size that would allow it to fit in the most appropriate box.  4 pots and less I want to make sure it can fit in a 1590B, anything more than that (or when it has switches as well which take up just as much room) then I want to make sure it can fit comfortably in a 1590BB.  Virtually all of the layouts on this blog (with the exception of some of the earlier tagboard layouts) will fit in a 1590B. So that means the absolute maximum width is 22 vero columns (tight fit and needs filing down at the sides slightly) but most of the time I will aim for an absolute maximum of 21 columns wide and preferably narrower to allow more of a gap for wires.

3) The number of rows doesn't bother me as much.  If you're mounting the board on the back of your pots with the components facing upwards then the sockets can limit you, but if you turn the board round and mount it with the components facing downwards as you look in the box then you have much more room, especially if you haven't left space for a battery.  You can easily get 22 rows in a 1590B and even more if you're careful about the placing of some components to physically avoid offboard sockets.  So a Klon may be a struggle (although I bet it could still be done with my layout on here and by a determined builder) but I think everything else around 24 rows should fit in no problem.

There are other things but I don't want to write 'War and Peace' about it, so I'll leave it with the most important three criteria to me.


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I didn't want to choose a small circuit like a Super Hard-on for this because it's too simple and wouldn't give me enough of an opportunity to explain why I do certain things.  But likewise I didn't want to choose something too big where people would lose the will to live before we got to the end.  So I thought a good example for something like this would be something like the Lovepedal Eternity.

So this is the schematic I'm working from:




And an overview of the IC pinouts:




Firstly I look at the schematic and see if I can estimate the final width to determine how many columns and rows I'm going to need.  With some effects like the Big Muffs there is a long row of cascading stages and so I know with something like that I'm going to have to do it in two levels to keep it 1590B friendly, left to right at the bottom for the first half of the circuit, and then right to left at the top to finish off the second half.  With the Eternity though there are no buffers and the circuit is fairly simple so I know that it will easily fit on a board with 21 columns or less meaning I can do this simply enough on a single level run from left to right.  With it being an IC circuit I tend to estimate 11 or 12 rows depending how many additional components I'm going to have to add, so here I have a board starting off at 16 columns by 11 rows to start off with, and place the IC in an appropriate place. 

I always use the bottom row as a ground rail so it is easily available to take components to ground from anywhere on the board, and so put a link in from the bottom row up to IC pin 4 to make the required ground connection to the opamp.




Next I put in the components required for the power side of things.  There is a 390R resistor in series with the supply and so I put that in up to pin 8 of the IC so make the V+ connection.  From V+ there is a 47uF capacitor to ground to filter out noise from the power supply and smooth ripple, I have put in a radial capacitor here but would probably actually use an axial capacitor myself for this because there are much better suited to this sort of span of rows than the radial caps are.  There is a 10K resistor from V+ to Vref (half supply voltage), and from there another 10K goes to ground to finish off the voltage divider.  In line with my philosophy, I always choose the location of the Vref row so that a resistor can lie flat to V+, and flat to ground.  The voltage on that row would now measure 4.5V as required.  Another 47uF filter cap to ground from this row and then a link up to IC pin 3 via a 1M resistor and that is the power side of things finished with.




So this shows the supply rows as the layout currently stands, black is ground, red is V+ and pink is the Vref 4.5V row.  Incidentally, that ground rail from pin 4 of the IC comes in really handy sometimes if you want to ground components from one of the rows above the IC without having to go all the way down to the bottom row.  You'll see that done on a few of these layouts.




I always start the signal path on the left and finish on the right, then the input and output wires are the correct side of the board when the vero is mounted on the back of the pots in the conventional way with the components facing up.  So from the input we have a 1M pulldown resistor to ground and a 55nF cap up to the non-inverting input (pin 3) of the IC (you'll notice I've changed the numbering from the schematic so I've swapped pins 1 to 3 around with pins 5 to 7 which allows me to run the circuit from left to right as I prefer.  This is a dual opamp and there's no issue with using the left hand channel first or vice versa).  I use Panasonic or polyester box caps most of the time which have a 5mm pitch, so ideally I want a 3 row span from the capacitor.  I place the cap accordingly and under the IC I put in the 1M pulldown resistor.  I put that in position under the IC basically because it will go there and so not interfere with any components that I need to place on the left side of the board.  Putting a cut after the top of the 1M means I have 3 holes further up the same row which I can use later if I need to.  Remember that just because the schematic shows the 1M first, it doesn't mean you have to put it closest to the input wire on the board.  This is electricity which moves pretty fast and so you can make the connection anywhere on the row and it will perform its intended function perfectly well.




From the inverting input (pin 2) there is a high pass filter to cut some bass before the gain stage so things don't get flubby.  This is a 1K resistor followed by a 220n cap to the Vref row, and because I'm using 5mm pitch caps (and want to stick to a 3 row span where possible) I need to place the bottom of the 1K resistor 2 rows away from Vref.  So they go in the only place that can meet that criteria as shown, with a cut again put to the right hand side of the series connection so I can use the same row further down for something else. 




Next there is a 10K resistor that goes between the inverting input (pin 2) and lugs 2 and 3 on the drive pot, so this goes in an appropriate place with the usual added cut.  This resistor sets the minimum gain available from the Drive pot in its far counter clockwise rotation, so if you want more gain in the lowest setting increase it, if you want less gain decrease it.  Lug 1 of the pot connects to the output of the first opamp channel (pin 1) and so I can add the connections for the Drive pot.




I now add the asymmetrical clipping diodes.  D1 and D2 make a series pair which go in the feedback loop between pins 1 and 2 so those connections are easy enough to make using the top row as the series junction, again with a cut to isolate it from the rest of the row.  D3 however needs to go between 1 and 2 on its own which would mean having a standing component.  No thank you, so I add a small link between pin 1 and the row above so I can keep the diode lying flat.  This gives me an added advantage which I will come to in the next section.




The schematic shows a 1K resistor between the output of the first opamp channel, and the non-inverting input of the second.  This causes an issue because they are on opposite sides of the board and so I can't use a single component to make this connection unless I mount the resistor over the top of the IC.  But that little link that I used for D3 has given me exactly what I need, a connection to pin 1 from the right hand side of the board, so I can just take a 1K resistor from the second row down to non-inverting input (pin 5) and that connection is made followed by a 150nF capacitor to ground (again this shows a 5mm pitch Panasonic type cap but they have long leads so there's no problem spanning multiple rows using them, or you could use an axial cap of some sort if you prefer).  When I use links they often have two functions like this which actually goes to make things easier in the long run.  The 1K resistor followed by the 150n cap to ground is a passive low pass filter to cut some high end after the gain stage.  It starts attenuating at 1061hz, and so all frequencies below that are allowed to pass, frequencies higher are rolled off at 6dB per octave, meaning the signal amplitude is reduced by half every time the frequency doubles.




You can see that the outer lugs of the Tone control are connected to the inverting and non-inverting inputs of the right hand channel and so I place those wires in the layout.




Lug 2 of the Tone control connects to a 150nF capacitor and then a 470R resistor to ground, and as I have no need to continue the Vref row, I can place them as shown and put a cut between the top of the 470R and bottom of the 10K (obscured by the 150nF cap between them).  The 150n and 470R combination to ground attached to Tone 2 creates a 2.2kHz RC network and rotating the tone pot to the extremes either "attaches" it to the inverting or non-inverting input.  When at the non-inverting input (pin 5) frequencies above 2.2kHz are dumped to ground and so some high end is rolled off.  When at the inverting input (pin 6) feedback frequencies above 2.2kHz are dumped to ground giving a treble boost by countering the roll off created by the 1K/150n low pass filter at pin 5.




Nearly finished now, you can see that a 1K resistor is required between the right hand channel inverting input and output (pins 6 and 7).  Again this would require a standing resistor and so I can make use of those 3 free holes mentioned earlier and put the 1K from 7 with a link up to 6.




The only thing left is the output capacitor, so I can take that from pin 7 up to the top row making sure the negative leg is to the top, and then add the wire connection for Volume 3 lug to the right hand side of the row.




And that's your layout finished.  Just add any notes required about the components or additional connections, remove any unrequired cuts if you want to (the Drive 2 & 3 cut isn't needed but I just left it anyway), and you are done.




I may add additional layout guides in the future to show other things that haven't been covered with this layout, such as the Big Muffs or some of the popular JFET effects to show how I tend to deal with transistor circuits.  If you have something that you think would be useful to cover in this kind of guide then let me know and I can get a consensus of what people want to see.

164 comments:

  1. Thank you very much !
    François

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  2. Woah! Thanks for listening to my prayers! :)
    You are the best!

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  3. It's now more clear for me, I will try previously to make one! I wish to make one for the Vorg Filter, but I think is too difficult for a first try!

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  4. It's going to be a sad, sad day when you retire from this. You're quite the master. Thanks for this incredible guide!

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  5. Thanks Mark. What would be the best way to make the cuts?

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    1. This is the proper tool:
      http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220509678716
      or you could just use a drill bit

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  6. This is fantastic. Thanks for taking the time to map it out and make it understandable.

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  7. Wow, fantastic post! Thank you very much Marc!

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  8. Excellent Work Mark, what layout software do you use?

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    1. Hey, Ivlark, congratulations to your vero projects! They are very easier to mount than the traditional corroded boards, even more to a beginner like me. Let me ask you, can you send me a link to download (or an copy by e-mail) of DIY Layout Creator 2? Because I can´t found any copy of this version to download, only the 1.23 and the 3.x versions.

      Thanks in advance (and for the blog and his amazing projects),

      Edson - Brazil.

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    2. http://code.google.com/p/diy-layout-creator/downloads/detail?name=diylc2_beta.zip&can=4&q=

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    3. John, thanks for the link, but when I download the file, I can't found any .EXE file, only .class Java files or .jpg, how can I run this program?

      Thanks in advance,

      Edson - Brazil.

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    4. You need to install the Java Runtime Environment first, then you start it with the DIYLC.jar file.

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    5. GREAT, Ivlark! Now the DIYLC Works! VERY thank you!

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  9. Thanks so much for this fantastic guide. I'm new to building pedals so i think i'll be re-reading this guide quite often.

    Great job, i really like the way you structure your layouts as well.

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  10. Thanks for this, Mark. I've been wondering for a while about the thought process that goes into the vero layouts that you, and others do. Very generous of you to share - I appreciate your " the more, the merrier " philosophy in terms of passing your knowledge forward.

    I found myself going back and re-reading sections of my Brian Wampler DIY Effects books that I bought from Brian Wampler about 7 or 8 years ago, to understand a few of the technical points here. I would suggest these to any beginners, like myself, if Brian still sells them.

    Thanks again!

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    1. Yes Brian's books are excellent, particularly if you don't necessarily want a broad electronics guide and would prefer something more specific to effect pedals.

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  11. Forgive my ignorance, just trying to learn. But I don't see the v+ connection to pin 8 on the schematic. Is this a constant on all op amps?

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    1. Yes with these common dual opamps, they always need a V+ connection to pin 8 and a ground connection to pin 4.

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    2. I've seen some that have v+ going to pin 7. Are those typically single op amps. Or am I misunderstanding something or reading something wrong.

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    3. I've seen some that have v+ going to pin 7. Are those typically single op amps. Or am I misunderstanding something or reading something wrong.

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    4. Yes, most (if not all) single opamps that I've used in any of these layouts like the LM308, CA3130 etc have the V+ connection to 7, and 4 to ground. The JRC4558 compatible dual opamps are always V+ to 8 and 4 to ground, and the quad opamps I've used are always V+ to 4 and ground to 11.

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  12. Great and really useful as always! And thanks for mentioning me. I think it's a case of student turned master though here, your layouts have far eclipsed anything I ever did in this field!

    - Mike Livesley

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  13. Cheers Mike and everyone else who has commented

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  14. This (and the other Guides on here) is just brilliant! I have been hunting the Net to find scraps of info on how to do this and coming up with, well... scraps. I hated going back and forth between pages and finding conflicting information. Here's an approach I can get my tiny brain wrapped around. Thanks a million!

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  15. Just noticed my shout out :cheers:

    When possible i use axial correctly, but sometimes they just need to stand up to fit!

    Great read Mark!

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  16. wow, what a great guide for layouts. I think i learn something new each time i stop on your site. Thanks. Love this place.

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  17. What software you use to design the vero?

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    1. DIY Layout Creator version 2 (the one he doesn't recommend using :o) I've got V1 and the latest V3 installed too but I just think the output looks much nicer with version 2 and I'm used to all it's annoyances now.

      http://diy-fever.com/software/

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    2. Ok. Thanks!.
      You can add the "*. diy" files?

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  18. Excellent step by step guide on using vero. Thanks for this and all the time you spend sharing these. Ive built several pedals with fabricated and etched boards but have never tried vero cause I didn't quite understand it good enough. Really look forward to your jfet guide. Also sharing a step by step layout like this on how you match or test your jfet or transistor gains. I'd there a donation link anywhere? I'm new to this site or blog.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  19. New to builds. This is a GREAT site! One question. What are the red and white squares representing on your diagrams? Everything else seems to be making sense to me. I am excited to try a few of these designs!

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    1. They're just cuts in the copper to isolate sections of the track. You can do them by twisting a drill bit in the hole to remove the surrounding copper.

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  20. I have another new builder question:

    The black lines are just a lead line, right? Like a jumper? I could a use spare component lead to connect two sections, right?

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    1. Yep! They connect the points of the same electrical potential.

      For short jumpers that's exactly what I use, component leads from previous projects. Once in a while a longer jumper is needed so I just use regular hookup wire.

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    2. Thanks so much Goran! That's exactly what I needed to know.

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  21. Hi,Ive got a question regarding capacitor values.
    What is the importance of cap voltages? They dont always appear listed. I saw on the above layout it mentions 16v electrolytic but there is no value attached to the metal film caps. Is it because they are the same value or is it because it doesnt matter?
    Also I am struggling locating capacitors of 150nF. Can a cap of similar value work instead if I cant find them? and also will it have any affect on the sound of the unit as opposed to using the exact part if i did that?
    Sorry if this is a bit remedial but I'm new to all this and hope you can help.
    Thanks for any help in advance
    Dan

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    1. Based on all the caps I've ever used, voltages is only really an issue with higher value electrolytic or tantalum caps. The lowest value ceramic caps I've come across is 25V, and the lowest poly or metal film cap is 50V, common Xycon greenies are rated at 100V for the ones I have but some are rated even higher. As long as you remember that for 9V pedals you wants caps to be rated at least 16V to be on the safe side, and if you're running an effect at 18V then go for at least 25V.

      A cap of similar value will certainly work but it will often change the frequency response. 150nF caps should be easy enough to get hold of though, like these:

      http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160966943383

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    2. Thanks a lot for your speedy response and helpful answer. That's cleared things up for me.; Hope to be able to get under way now. :)

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  22. Thanks for the tutorial, it really helps. Just a question: I have followed the tutorial above and based on my understanding I think that drive 3 should replace drive 1 in relation to the connection to Pin 1 of the ic: therefore drive 2 and 3 should be drive 1 & 2. Am I mistaken?

    Thanks
    Pier

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    1. The only reason I can think of for replacing pins 1 and 3 would be if you think the pot operation (direction) isn't according to your perception of "proper" operation (more/less of something).
      Otherwise one should just follow the schematic and wire pots as noted.

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  23. Thanks for the article. Very usefull for beginners like me. Red marker with dot inside of a square means cut? (For example on the last image)

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    1. That's right. Cuts on the copper side, components on the other.

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  24. on some of your newer ones there are these little blue dots on the links... solder points?

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  25. yep, that's where two links connect together.

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  26. Guys, just exploring DIYLC and I was positively surprised that it has an opion to draw schematics as well. I was looking for a simple app to draw my schematics, not a complete CAD solution with all the components to draw PCBs too, but only schematics. I tried both V2 and V3, and both have some issues... V2 does not have an object for MOSFETs while V3 does not have the schematic object for pots. Is there a way to fix either of them? Or do you have any other recommendations for simple schematic drawing programs? Thanks!

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    1. Local synth guys around here use ExpressPCB. It's free.
      +m

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    2. Thanks miro, I'll give it a try

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    3. This is worth checking out too. I've used sPlan for every schematic I've drawn and this is really easy to use, just a drag and drop. Certainly worth checking out sPlan

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    4. Thanks Mark. Checked it quickly, but since it is not free I think I'll stick with ExpressPCB. First I was happy that I could have my PCBs etched by them, but then I saw their prices, plus I'm not living in the US, so the shipping would cost me a fortune too... I think I'll have to learn how to create vero layouts, and then I hope I can share some of them with you and the community here too ;)

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  27. Hi, I'm wondering how to wire the led lights in the circuits also how to wire in the true bypass footswitch that turns the effect on or off.

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    1. specifically for the wampler paisley drive

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  28. Thank you so much for this!!! This is epic, and seriously a game changer for me. It helped answer so many questions, and has helped start to close the gap between schematic and layout reality! LEGEND!

    -upthepunxxx!!!
    Los Angeles

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  29. what program do you use to make your layouts?

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  30. mark... how do you get these icons and this whole theme? its a bit different on the layout creator

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    1. I use DIY Layout Creator V2 beta and created a lot of new components that resemble what I intend to use in the build, and if you're using V3 then it does look different.

      If you are using V2, then you can download my library from here:
      http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=81887366826976817646

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    2. this is awesome thank you!! i was trying to edit everything myself and needless to say... it wasn't happening. i was trying on v2, but im on a mac so maybe that made things difficult. but thank you so much! i've just decided to try to really understand schematics and design my own layouts, so i appreciate your help on here. any additional resources you may have that may help me in understanding all the physics or just designing some schematics is very welcome :)

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  31. Hello,

    First time builder and looking to get into this hobby. What do the red squares with red circles mean? sorry for my ignorance

    -andrew

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    Replies
    1. They're cuts in the copper tracks which you can make using an oversized drill bit or a tool like this one.

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  32. I am confused as to wiring this to the pots? how are they represented here?

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    1. http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/offboard-wiring.html

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  33. Sorry for the stupid question. I'm a little bit confused. To make the cuts properly i have to mirror the copper side image. That's right?

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    1. Yes that's right. The image shows the front of the board looking down at the components, and so when doing the cuts if you don't want to have to follow it backwards just mirror the empty board image

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  34. Where could I post my contributions ? I made using the pencil and I do not know how to transform to the website graphic design. Maybe for any administrator's Email ?

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    1. Check the Forum tab on the top of this page.
      +m

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  35. Thanks for the guide, IvIark. I've been messing around with version 2 of the DIY Layout Creator ("the most recent v2.x release"), and I have a couple of questions.

    How do you change the font on components (like resistors, capacitors)? I like the font on your layouts much better, but I don't see any options to change it.

    How do you get text for the electrolytic capacitors to be horizontal? Whenever the legs on the capacitor are up-to-down (which they are, most of the time, as opposed to side-to-side), so is the text.

    When you have two or more rows of text, do you manually line them up yourself? By default, with "snap to grid," they rarely tend to line up, so you have to uncheck "snap to grid" and move each one individually.

    When I change the page size (to fit a smaller layout, before exporting) and save the file, the page size always goes back to the default when I close the file and open it back up. Does this happen to you, too?

    The program seems to have its quirks, but I like it, overall.

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    1. I edited the library files so that the symbols looked and formatted more to my liking. For the text I added a second text option which aligns the text to the left instead of centre. That's the one I use for the notes. I shared my library a while ago which you can download here: Mark's Library

      I may have made more changes since that was done to little things, but that will cover the ones you mention. Just be careful because some of the symbol names will have changed from the stock library to accommodate other similar things like the different types of resistors I've got symbols for. So if you replace your library completely with this one, you may not be able to open layouts you've done previously, or it will let you open them but some components will be missing. So it may be worth adding a second install of DIYLC, just called Mark Library so you know which is which.

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    2. Could you share your library again? Links are down!

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  36. Hey Ivlark...love this place...I am reading thru this guide now and I'm wondering how you knew drive had wires going to 2 and 3. I'm not seeing it on the schematic. Is this a given? Like number one is going to drive 1. I assume this is a given?
    Thnx:)

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  38. I'm not really getting that. So, in this case when bread boarding one doesn't need to connect the pot? If so, where would you have to connect a pot? I'm not seeing it on the schematic...thnx much...greatly appreciated!!!!

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  39. Sorry I'm a little confused. Are you asking how Mark knew which lug is 1 and which is 3?

    Or are you asking about the two linked together lugs?

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  40. Yes, how did mark know from looking at the schematic...

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  41. Sorry bud, my first answer probably confused you because I thought you were asking about something else.

    To be honest that's kindof a grey area in reading schematics. Sometimes the pots are labelled, sometimes not. If they're not labelled then there isn't really a definite rule as to which way they go

    In a case like this you could reference another tube screamer schematic or layout to be sure

    Sometimes you just need to make your layout from the schematic, test it, and if the pot works backwards then flip the wires going to lugs 3 and 1

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    1. Most of the time now you can easily work out which lugs you need to use based on the functionality of the pot. If the pot is acting as an attenuator like a volume pot then you know that lug 1 always needs to be connected to ground, then more signal is dumped as you rotate the pot counter clockwise, and so volume is reduced. This also applied for gain control as you will see in a Big Muff which is basically just an attenuator between the first and second stages.

      For gain control with an opamp you know that the gain increases as the resistance increases between the inverting input and output pins of the opamp. So all you have to do is work out which lugs need to be connected to ensure the higher resistance is in the clockwise position, and the gain control will function as expected.

      For something like a tone control in the Timmy for instance. The resistance of the pot creates a filter with the following cap to ground. You can use a filter calculator to work out the corner frequency based on the pot adding zero ohms and it's full value to the filter (to simulate full counter clockwise and clockwise rotation) and then just use the lug pot that will give you the lower frequencies in the counter clockwise position.

      Some I'm not sure about because I may not completely understand what the pot is doing in a more obscure circuit, and then it's a case of try it and see. You can test pots quickly in a breadboard without committing to soldering.

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  42. Wow! thnx for the detailed info...I will chew on that:)

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  43. Hello everybody. I'm completely new at this DIY pedal things.
    First of all i just want to thank for this lovely forum, where i've learned so much.

    Second, i don't understand a couple of things in this particular explanation, and hope someone can tell me where am i seeing things wrong.
    I understand the ground wire to the pin 4 of the IC (JRC in this case). Assuming both schematics and vero board are ok, can someone explain please, why can't i see any 150nf cap connected to pin 3 (JRC) on the Vero layout? It seems it comes (on the Vero layout) from pin 5. Where am i failing?
    Other thing. At the Schematic, the diodes are making a kind of a "bridge" between pins 6 and 7, and at the vero, i think they are between pins 1 and 2. What am i doing Wrong?
    Thank you guys in advance!
    Kind Regards

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    Replies
    1. Or is it just the first ground link that is connected to pin 5 instead of pin 4? Should i see the IC c(JRC) circuit flipped in reverse? I am very confused about this...
      I am sure tis is a very dumb question, but i need your help please.
      Kind Regards

      Delete
    2. Mark swapped the reference of the pins around to suit. Pins 1 to 3 on the schem were swapped for pins 5 to 7. See the diagram of the IC at the top of the build guide. You're not doing "anything wrong" in your reading of the layout :-) You just skipped the small detail that was mentioned in the text after the layout drawing with the coloured rows indicating the power and ground rails.

      Delete
  44. New to find this site and it's amazing. Such a great idea and alot of work has been put into it by the admin peoples. I have a small understanding of electronics but I'm not confident on what all the symbols represent. I understand which are caps and which are resistors and IC's etc etc. Just not sure on what type of caps the symbols are. Is there a legend on this site that I haven't come across yet? I just want to make sure I order the correct components. I believe the circular purpleish coloured symbols are for electrolytic caps but thats about as far as my visual knowledge takes me.

    Regarding resistors are 1/4w 5% type sufficient?

    Hope these aren't stupid questions. And if there turns out to be no legend for the symbols perhaps one could be made?

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most caps are likely gonna be polyester box caps or greenie types, either one doesn't really matter unless you're a nerd. Smaller caps in the picofarad range (ie 220p) are likely going to be ceramic caps. Larger circular caps with the white part denoting the negative side are going to be electrolytic caps.

      Re: resistors, yes 1/4W 1% to 5%, no big deal. Sometimes you'll want to be really close to the stated resistance, but most of the time it doesn't matter too much.

      If you check the last picture in the series above, you will see it has all the required information you need to build the effect without need for any sort of legend.

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  45. For anyone who is experienced with DIYLC3, I am trying to import Mark's Library (I guess I just got used to the look of his veros and the stock images look 'wrong' to me) but the DIYLC3 Library folder contains a single 'jar' file, while Mark's is full of XML. I am guessing that the software was updated and so the two are incompatible, but if anyone has a solution I would be very appreciative. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can't import them into V3 unfortunately, I use V2 and the library will only work with that version of the software.

      Delete
    2. Thanks for the reply Mark. By the way, if I haven't said in another post, I am HUGELY appreciative of the work you've done on this site.

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  46. You can use creately for the same purpose. I used it for wireframes and mockups and it works in all major 3 platforms as well.

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  47. Great work Mark - as a newbie to DIY Layout I really appreciate the time and effort you have put into this. However I don't have the nous to incorporate your library into my v2. Is there a blog I've missed giving this info?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Just unzip the contents to the "library" folder, and all the parts should then appear in the components library in the software

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  48. I must be missing some detail. I keep thinking that the 1M resistor connects to pin 5 from Vr (right after 10k and 47micF) in the power circuit. What have I missed?
    Apart from that, this article is really helpful. I hope I missed something obvious...

    ReplyDelete
  49. Hello I DIY pedal first time. Could anyone teach me how to offboard this ?
    Where I link output to 3PDT?
    And how to offboard to SPDT?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/offboard-wiring.html?m=1

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  50. Is there a tag board guide? :D

    ReplyDelete
  51. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  52. hi m.
    i understand getting what you pay for BUT. is it worth it to pay .75 cents for 1 silver mica cap vs less than a penny for a poly box? Same for Xicon e- caps vs 100 for a dollar caps. I've built ~~100 'working' pedals that sound very good. How sharp does your ear have to be to appreciate a silver mica vs. a dirt cheap ceramic disc?? When you're not super busy let me know about this issue. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  53. hi m.
    i understand getting what you pay for BUT. is it worth it to pay .75 cents for 1 silver mica cap vs less than a penny for a poly box? Same for Xicon e- caps vs 100 for a dollar caps. I've built ~~100 'working' pedals that sound very good. How sharp does your ear have to be to appreciate a silver mica vs. a dirt cheap ceramic disc?? When you're not super busy let me know about this issue. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  54. I IvIark,
    sorry for my english. i'm italian.
    I have built many Lovepedal like you to explain.
    No one does.
    When I active pedal starts a buzz.
    I'll place the layout of my work with the Eternity.
    [IMG]http://i67.tinypic.com/3520hzn.jpg[/IMG]
    Thank you and sorry for the trouble.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://i67.tinypic.com/18gec2.jpg
      http://i65.tinypic.com/358e0ih.jpg
      http://i64.tinypic.com/21aa4k9.jpg
      http://i68.tinypic.com/24cgzzo.jpg

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  55. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  56. Mark, could you upload your library again please?

    ReplyDelete
  57. Hi, sorry for the stupid question but... is the view of the bord from the insulated side? and are cuts & links on the other side like it was a transparent board?

    ReplyDelete
  58. How do I recognise what kind of capasitor I should use? Is there some picture which explains the difference between cap images?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Read up on capacitors. The blue circled ones are polarized. Which means one side goes to ground. These are usually aluminium electrolytics. The others (red ones) are non polarized. The bigger values (uf) are usually polarized. The smaller values (nf and pf) are usually non polarized. On these layouts the little light notch on the electrolytics is the ground side or negative.

      Delete
    2. I have to say don't go by the color of the components on the board, as some of us admins that make the layout use different colors for components, so go by their values. Typically you want to use ceramic caps for anything below 1nF, polyester 1nF-1uF (non-polarized), and anything 1uF and up will typically be electrolytic. One thing you can do is use multilayer monolithic ceramic caps for the same range as polyester caps, as well as the normal pF range you'd use traditional ceramic caps for.

      Also, avoid tantalum capacitors, which are polarized and sometimes used in place of electrolytics. They are very finicky and can be problematic.

      Delete
  59. It would be very pleasent if there would be a guide how to get a proper version of DIY Layout Creator V3 (or even V2) and how to install it. Then were to find that library... Ive already spent hours trying to find some decent instructions. Happily I started a project on the breadboad. Thanks this blog is a treasure!

    ReplyDelete
  60. Can you explain what the symbols in your diagram are supposed to mean? The white box with the red border and the red dot in the middle is not explained anywhere that I can find it. Is there a legend somewhere on this site?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a cut in the track. If you have a look at Greeny's build guide it should help alongside this guide

      http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/vero-build-guide.html

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  61. I'm new at vero and would like to know what the blue circles on a jumper are. I think they connect there as well but I would like to be sure. Thanks, CJ

    ReplyDelete
  62. Hey Mark,
    love what you did for all of us diy'ers around the globe!
    I'm from belgium btw ;)
    I was wondering if you're still using the DIYLC V2 or can you recommend another, maybe better (read less buggy) program to create you're layouts?
    And if you are still using DIYLC V2, would you mind sharing your library once again?
    for us?
    pwetty pwease? :p

    ReplyDelete
  63. HEllo can you pls.. damn.. explain how you create that breadbord?? are you use a photoshop?? or drawoing?? or any koind of program?? amd if is a program pls.. can you give me link.. i have a manny my own mod aor efect with avr to.. but iicant draw this shit wothout any help.. plllls save my soul... Ninty

    ReplyDelete
  64. Hey Mark and the other guys, first of all thanks for the amazing work and clarity of the instructions.
    I have the suggestion that if you have a pot ground that you dont lead it back to the board, instead tell people to put it to ground on the dc jack. since in bigger builds it gets messy fast (at least for me) a few ground lines put offboard might be better.
    I have just build the Super Tone Control and this method safes 5 cables to the board. I still dont understand a lot of the electronics but it seems that a solid ground seems to be important for noise issues. For the layout of the STC you take 5 different ground points?
    I thought there is just two good ways of doing ground: star or circles? I am sorry dont want to piss you off, just thinking and i dont know if it makes a difference or not.
    Cheers and thanks for this awesome site. Cheers from Berlin Tanne

    ReplyDelete
  65. My hard drive crashed recently and I am trying to reload all of the programs that I used to have. What is the name of the vero/strip board program that everyone uses? If I remember, it was a free download.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. https://www.experimental-engineering.co.uk/download/5624/

      Delete
  66. Hi, thank you for your advises it's very helpful !
    I see sometimes two differents types of caps, red ones and yellows ones, with same capacity (100nf for example). What's the differnce between those ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rectangukar ones are "box type" and the rounder ones, usually red, are poly film caps. You can use one or the other, but sometimes you want a box type cap, if your board is already too crowded, since they are physically narrower/smaller than other film caps they'll fit better.

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. Oh ok i've checked on internet and see the difference, thanks !
      I've looking for the MidFi electronics clari(not) delay. On the layout the red ones (rounded) are poly film (it could be replaced by the box type ones) and the yellows (rounded too but smaller) are just ceramic disc capacitor ?

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    4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  67. Ciao, scrivo dall'Italia. Quando scrivi driver 2&3, intendi che va collegato ai pin 2&3 del pot?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Grazie!!! E complimenti, è davvero fantastico questo! Saluti dall'Italia!!

      Delete
  68. hi,

    Possibly a stupid newbe question but the two diagrams that are supplied with layouts i.e. one showing links and cutouts and the other showing components placement. is one with the board flipped or do the both show rows unflipped. The reason I ask is by counting rows the seem to be unflipped? Apologies if this is answered elsewhere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey man. Not all of the layouts have both views, but if it does it’s viewed from the top (non-copper) side of the board.

      Delete
  69. Thanks Zach, couldn't find that info but it's possibly there somewhere .

    ReplyDelete
  70. Great tutorial. Not sure if this has been asked before. How do you go about showing just the board along with the cuts and links on the same page, as you do in yours? I am using V3.57 and if i copy paste the board, it does not carry over the cuts and links.

    ReplyDelete
  71. on the brian setzer clone pedal, how is the footswitch wired into the
    circuit please?

    ReplyDelete
  72. on the brian setzer clone pedal, how is the footswitch wired into the
    circuit please?

    ReplyDelete
  73. Which tool do you guys use to create the vero/stripboard layouts?

    ReplyDelete
  74. I'm working on a layout in DIYLC v3 and I like the way you have the black circles for the pinouts of TO-92 packages – the schematic I am working from uses a LM7812 voltage regulator and I wanted to lay out IGO the way I've seen in your layouts but I can't figure out how to do that. The TO-92 icon just puts a "Q1" symbol without pins on the board. How do I do the black circles with letters? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry I've only just seen this. I use separate text for I, G and O and just make the text white and place it over the appropriate pin. Then where it says Q1 there is a little blue dot near it, and if you click that you can drag the Q1 label anywhere else, and so I usually move the label somewhere to the side so it's still obvious which transistor on the board the label refers to.

      Delete
    2. What do the black half circles labeled "IGO" represent? Specifically I'm looking at the D-verb build layout

      Delete
  75. Hi. I'm a french guitar man born in babyboom and playin ( not to bad!!!)stones and all this one who play guitar well and LOUD (of course I'll try Hendrix too). I discover your site. Wonderful world !!!. Many thanks for that

    ReplyDelete
  76. I cannot find veroboard in my country.. can u make a layout so i can etch copperclad into ver9board? Wud be a geart help

    ReplyDelete
  77. hey IVIark, first off, THANK YOU to you and all the other layout contributors for this INCREDIBLE site!!! Second, how do you get your layouts to look like they do? I use DIY Layout Creator 4.20.0, and I cant seem to find how to change the look of the layout. Of course, I'm assuming you're using that program, based on what Ive read on the comments here, but I don't fully know. I only ask because, the way the layouts look on this site is a lot better looking than what I can find on DIYLC. I'm not sure if there is a setting on/in it to change the look of it or not, but I would greatly appreciate it if you told me how you get yours to look the way they do. Thank you in advance, and apologies if this has been asked before.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Hi, Yes a big thanks for this and other posts. Very helpful when designing. I also use DIYLC and wonder if you use that same tool. Your layout tool looks different and I would like to try as alternative in case it can do a few things differently than DIYLC.
    Many thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Sorry for not checking first. Thought of deleting, but since others also asked: It seems that DIYLC V2 was used mostly, and @Ivlark had some package of components that could be loaded into the V2, but not in later DIYLC version (V 3.x).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I always use V2 and Alex too I think but the other guys used the latest version. You can get my V2 component library here:

      http://guitar-fx-layouts.238.s1.nabble.com/file/n36206/IvIark_Library_Items_updated.zip

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    2. Thanks IvIark.
      When you say V2, do you mean DIYLC Gen4 v2.0 ?
      Thanks in advance because I'm trying to import your xml files with "import building blocks" menu but it fails with this version. :-)

      Delete
  80. I understood. Download diylc 2 beta: https://code.google.com/archive/p/diy-layout-creator/downloads?page=3 and unzip your library items to library/ folder of the app.

    ReplyDelete
  81. IvIark, do you first draw the schematic, export the netlist and then import them into DIYLC in order to create the veroboard?

    Or do you directly draw the veroboard in DIYLC ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes the library works with 2 beta.

      I just use a board template and start placing components following the schematic. I've never used netlist or imported anything into DIYLC. Seems like too much hard work to me :o)

      Delete
    2. Thanks a lot for your quick answer. You're good without schematic then. Well done. As you said, thanks to OCD X-D.
      Do you share your layout diy files in a git repo or elsewhere? That would be great for versionning. I can help you with that if you want.

      Delete
  82. Thanks Ivlark!
    In the lib of components you shared, the transistor is black with small blue dots. It's not the one that looks nice on your boards, with C, B, E pins.
    Could you share you latest version of components pleeeaase? :-) :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry I've only just seen this. There isn't a library transistor with the pinouts. I have a standard template that I use when starting all layouts and it has my most frequently used things in it but grouped so the transistors and text labels don't separate

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    2. Thanks Ivlark for your answer. By any chance, would you mind sharing your starting standard template with us? We may then contribute more easily with harmonized layouts. Do you agree? :,)

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    3. I've shared before but the links are probably dead by now. The last version I used and my library items can be found here:
      https://we.tl/t-MZzt663PgO

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  83. Hi Ivylark,

    I'm just here to thank you for all of your sharing. As a new beginner, I'm trying pedal schematics on breadboard and I always do fail. Because I dont have any education about electricity. Now I'll try it on veroboard, hope I can get some sound eventually :)

    Would be amazing the upload the files somewhere like google drive that never expires which you shared via wetransfer and dead again.

    Thanks again ^^ I'm glad to see this site still alive after decade.

    Cheers.

    ReplyDelete