DIY Chorus Pedals
Chorus is a modulation effect that creates a range of sounds. It is typically used on clean electric guitar signals to emulate the effect of depth and space. The internal processor delays the signal of the guitar and mixes it with the clean signal to replicate the sound of two guitars playing in unison. You dial in the depth of the effect and the delay rate to control the intensity of the effect. The integral processing component of a chorus pedal is a low frequency oscillator.
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Instructions
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Acquire the parts. You can order the necessary components as part of a DIY effect pedal kit. A DIY effect pedal kit comes with a wiring schematic and assembly instructions. The parts are all compatible and measured so you don't need to drill. You may need to order a separate perfboard if the kit doesn't include one.
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Set up a suitable workspace. You need access to a power source for your soldering and sufficient room to lay out all of your parts. The workspace should be well lit and well ventilated.
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Inspect your parts. Check the transistors and resistors for chips or cracks. Discard any that are damaged before you begin and contact the supplier to order a replacement. One faulty part can cause damage to the rest of the components when you power up the assembled unit.
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Read the schematic. It's essential to familiarize yourself with the layout of the circuit. The transistors and capacitors need to be put in the correct place in order to adequately govern the flow of the signal from the guitar.
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Construct the perfboard. The perfboard is optional, as you can just load the circuit on to the printed circuit board. The benefit of using the perfboard is that it makes it possible to test the circuit before soldering. Start by inserting the diodes, then the resistors, capacitors processors and transistors. These will slot in to the holes on the perfboard. Follow the schematic to ensure that the diodes are fitted the correct way up. Once the board is loaded, solder the 9-volt adapter jack to the board and fit the potentiometers, but don't solder them.
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Attach the jacks to the circuit. Solder these to the terminals as indicated in the schematic. Plug in your guitar and test the circuit. If everything works, disconnect the power and carefully remove the contents of the perfboard and solder them on to the printed circuit board. Make sure you keep everything in the correct order.
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Solder the input jacks to the bottom half of the pedal chassis. You've already soldered them to the circuit, so use the spare terminal on the jack to connect them to the pedal chassis.
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Connect the 9-volt battery and test the pedal to ensure the transfer from perfboard to printed circuit board has gone smoothly. Turn the potentiometer dials to check that they are functioning correctly. When you are happy with your pedal, screw the top half of the pedal chassis on to the bottom half.
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Tips & Warnings
Trim all of the connecting wires as short as possible to keep the pedal interior tidy.
Only solder in a well ventilated area.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit circuit board image by dwags from Fotolia.com
