Aion Electronics L5 Preamp Manual

WARNING / DISCLAIMER
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE PURCHASING OR BUILDING THIS PROJECT!
1. NO DIRECT TECHNICAL SUPPORT: This project has been verified to be working, and I have done my
best to provide extremely thorough documentation, including information to help you troubleshoot. But on a
project this size, I have to reiterate that Aion Electronics cannot provide direct technical support for this
project or others. I love helping people bring these circuits to life, but my availability is very limited. If you post
your question on one of the DIY forums and send me a link, I will do my best to chime in. Just know before
purchasing this PCB that there is no implied guarantee of the final product, because the biggest factor is
outside my control: you! Your experience and your attention to detail are the most important ingredients in
making sure this works. My role is to provide the recipe and some cooking utensils.
2. IT WILL TAKE AWHILE: Be prepared to invest some hours into putting this together. You'll want to be
doubly careful when populating the board since it'll be much more difficult to track down a problem if you were
to make even the most basic of mistakes (for instance, accidentally using a 10k resistor somewhere instead of
a 100k). You can't be too cautious. I'd recommend measuring each resistor with a multimeter before putting
it into place. Triple-check your wiring. The more time you spend on the initial build, the less time you'll have to
spend troubleshooting.
3. IT'S COMPLICATED: As of this writing, this is the largest PCB in the DIY guitar pedal scene. While it is not
a technologically complex circuit—no BBDs, clocks or LFOs like in vintage EHX modulation effects—there
are still a lot of things that can go wrong. Hopefully it goes without saying, but if you've never built a guitar
pedal before, this shouldn't be your first. If you haven't successfully built at least ten, including drilling the
enclosure accurately with a template, you may not be ready for this one yet.
4. YOU'VE GOT TO BUILD IT AS IT WAS INTENDED: I approached the project as though I was designing a
completed product for market. Everything has been designed to be built using methods you'd see in a high-end
pedal (for instance, PCB-mounted pots & switches and components with specific sizes and characteristics) and
a full bill of materials has been provided so it's very easy to order all the parts from Mouser. We all build pedals
in our own style, but with this one, if you try to "freestyle" by doing your own enclosure layout or using parts
other than the ones specified, you might back yourself into a corner. Please do things my way—you'll end up
with a very professional and durable end product and you might even learn a few things in the process!
5. IT'S NOT CHEAP: Between the PCB, enclosure, hardware, potentiometers, and the on-board components,
expect to spend a minimum of $100 USD and probably closer to $125. Please don't try to cut corners on the
parts selection by using poor-quality components or by substituting "close enough" components that you have
laying around. You're putting a lot of time and effort into this build, so it's worth a few extra dollars to use the
right parts. Expect to order from more than one web store to get everything you need.
6. IT USES A NON-STANDARD ADAPTER: This pedal requires an adapter that puts out 9V AC, not DC. This
is the same type of power supply used by Line 6 for their large digital modeling pedals such as the DL-4, and
they are readily available from Line 6 or from other manufacturers who advertise Line 6 compatibility. Just
know that this adapter will destroy any pedal that is not designed for AC power. By having an AC-output
adapter laying around, you run a very high risk of this adapter getting plugged into a non-AC pedal, either by
you or someone else, since it says on the label that it's a 9 volt adapter and the "AC" part is easy to overlook.
I recommend using some colored heat shrink or electrical tape near the barrel tip of the adapter as a reminder
that it's different.
Now that you've been properly warned: on to the fun stuff!
L5 PREAMP 1