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PROJECT NAME
MAELSTROM
BASED ON
®
Darkglass
Microtubes
EFFECT TYPE
Bass overdrive / distortion
PROJECT SUMMARY
A CMOS-flavored bass overdrive with tones spanning across decades, from vintage warmth to modern
bite and aggression.
This documentation is for the kit version of the project. If you purchased the PCB by itself, please
use the
PCB-only version
are completely different due to the specialized parts and assembly methods used in the kit.
MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE
®
B3K
VOLUME
BLEND
MAELSTROM
BASS DRIVE
IMPORTANT NOTE
of the documentation instead. The circuit is the same, but the instructions
BUILD DIFFICULTY
Intermediate
DOCUMENT VERSION
1.0.0 (2022-11-11)
9V
LOW
DRIVE
HIGH
TONE
1
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Table of Contents
Related Manuals for aion MAELSTROM
Summary of Contents for aion MAELSTROM
- Page 1 This documentation is for the kit version of the project. If you purchased the PCB by itself, please use the PCB-only version of the documentation instead. The circuit is the same, but the instructions are completely different due to the specialized parts and assembly methods used in the kit. MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE...
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Page 2: Table Of Contents
21 Enclosure Layout: Main & Footswitch PCBs 22 Enclosure Layout: Input/Output PCB 23 Final Testing & Assembly 24 Schematic 25 Full Parts List 26 Troubleshooting Information 27 Support & Resale Terms 28 Legal Information & Document Revisions MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 3: Introduction
INTRODUCTION If this is your first pedal, welcome to the hobby and thank you for choosing Aion FX. You’ve just joined a community of over 40,000 people around the world with a passion for building homemade noise machines using obsolete electronics technologies, and we’re glad to have you! If you’ve done this before, it’s great to see you again and we’re confident you’ll find this build experience... - Page 4 200k NAME 330k 47uF 470k 100uF 220uF Diodes MLCC Capacitors NAME NAME 1N5817 22pF (marked “220”) 1N914 220pF (marked “221”) 680pF (marked “681”) 100n (marked “104”) NAME TL072 Transistors CD4049UBE NAME 8-pin socket J201 with PCB adapter MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE...
- Page 5 4-strand wire assembly, 122mm DC jack 3-pin wire assembly header Input/output jack 4-pin wire assembly header Mounting nut, jack, 0.54" Outer washer, jack, 0.6" Lock washer, jack, 0.5" (thin) Enclosure Enclosure screws PCB, main circuit PCB, footswitch PCB, input/output/DC MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE...
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Page 6: Tools Needed
The tip should used to tighten the dress nut to avoid lot of pedals! be no more than 0.1” (2.5mm) wide. scratching or denting it (which can happen with metal tools). MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 7: Component Identification
Some voltage regulators The pins will be soldered to the also look like this. They may also look like this. adapter during kit assembly. have more than 8 legs. WIRE ASSEMBLY WIRE ASSEMBLY HEADER DC JACK LED BEZEL MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 8: Hardware Identification
MOUNTING NUT DRESS NUT LOCK WASHER DIAMETER: 0.36” / 9.1mm DIAMETER: 0.375” / 9.5mm DIAMETER: 0.4” / 10.1mm FOOTSWITCH MOUNTING NUT DRESS NUT LOCK WASHER DIAMETER: 0.6” / 15.2mm DIAMETER: 0.77” / 19.6mm DIAMETER: 0.6” / 15.2mm MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 9: Overview
6. Transistors 7. Electrolytic capacitors Not all of these component types are included in each kit, so skip them if they aren’t applicable. Some types of film capacitors are taller than electrolytics, so those can be done last. MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 10: Resistors
Turn the board upside-down to keep the components held in place while you solder. Don’t try to do all of the resistors at once. You’ll want to stop periodically flip the board and solder everything, then cut the leads using the wire snippers to make room for more. MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 11: Diodes
VALUE 1N5817 1N914 1N914 Next, you’ll populate the diodes. Diodes are polarized, so make sure to identify the polarity band (which indicates the “cathode”, or negative side) and match the band to the footprint on the PCB. MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 12: Sockets & Ics
ICs may have two different orientation marks: either a dot in the upper-left or a half-circle notch in the middle of the top side. Some ICs have both marks. This shows which way the IC should be rotated when inserting it into a socket (the socket also has a half-circle notch). MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 13: Transistors
Once the pins are installed, the JFETs can be soldered to the PCB like any other normal component. Be very careful to line up the D-S-G labels with the markings on the PCB or the effect will not work. The component side of the PCB adapter should face upwards toward the toggle switches. MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 14: Capacitors (Non-Polarized)
C8, C10, C14, and C16 are blue MLCCs taped to cardboard. The value is written on the cardboard. C26 (100n MLCC) is always yellow. It can be hard to read the code since it’s so small, so it’s easier to identify this one by color. MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 15: Wire Headers
They do fit pretty tightly in the holes, though, so press firmly. There’s also a 4-pin header on the I/O board that we will do in a later step. MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 16: Capacitors (Polarized)
The longer leg is positive and fits in the square pad. These are the last of the on-board components. Now is the time to go back to page 12 and insert the ICs into the sockets. MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 17: Footswitch Pcb
BLUE MARKING Once all three wire assemblies are soldered, set the footswitch PCB aside. We’ll solder the actual footswitch and LED in a later step. MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 18: Input/Output Pcb
PCB. There’s not a lot of clearance between the bottom of this board and the top of the main PCB once everything is in place, and you don’t want the pins to short against anything on accident. MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 19: Enclosure Layout: Panel Mounts
You’ll need to hold the bezel in place when OUTER WASHER tightening the nut. Be aware that the bezel is fairly MOUNTING NUT sharp. Try using a rubber band for grip instead of just pressing your finger against the bottom. MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 20: Enclosure Layout: Panel Mounts (Cont.)
MOUNTING NUT LOCK WASHER MOUNTING NUT The dress nut acts as a mounting nut, unlike the footswitch dress nut. Use flat- BEZEL & LED nose pliers on the flat sides of the nut to tighten securely. FOOTSWITCH 125B MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 21: Enclosure Layout: Main & Footswitch Pcbs
However, Aion FX projects are designed to be extremely easy to remove from the enclosure for troubleshooting, with no desoldering required—so with these kits, it’s actually much easier to “box it before you rock it”. -
Page 22: Enclosure Layout: Input/Output Pcb
Note the use of two mounting nuts on each of the jacks, one inside and one outside. The inner nut acts as a spacer to set the DC jack flush with the outside of the enclosure. The inner nuts should be threaded as far down as they can go. MOUNTING NUT OUTER WASHER LOCK WASHER MOUNTING NUT 125B MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 23: Final Testing & Assembly
Last, just close the panel on the back using the four screws. Before that, though, grab a permanent marker and write your name and the completion date on the inside of the back panel. This is an accomplishment! MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 24: Schematic
CD4049UBE IC3E CD4049UBE IC3F CD4049UBE 220n J201 IC2A TL072P 200k 470k IC1A 220pF J201 100k TL072P HIGH 330k 220n 22pF GND GND 22pF 470k IC1B TL072P 680pF IC3A IC2B TL072P 100kB CD4049UBE 100k IC4A TL072P IC4B TL072P MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 25: Full Parts List
22n film 100n MLCC 100n film 2n2 film Transistors Potentiometers Switches PART VALUE PART VALUE PART VALUE PART VALUE TL072 J201 Drive 100kC SPDT on-off-on (2) TL072 J201 Tone 100kB 3PDT stomp CD4049UBE Blend 100kB TL072 Volume 100kA MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... -
Page 26: Troubleshooting Information
4.64 9.32 9.31 9.32 Note: The pins not listed for IC3 do not have any electrical VOLTAGE VOLTAGE connection to the rest of the circuit and do not need to be 4.95 9.32 tested. 0.28 4.95 4.42 MAELSTROM BASS DRIVE... - Page 27 “goop” the PCB or otherwise obscure the source. In other words: you don’t have to go out of your way to advertise the fact that you use Aion FX kits, but please don’t go out of your way to hide it.
- Page 28 These kits are intended to be built by the customer. Aion FX is not responsible for language that may be used by the customer in the marketing or resale of the finished product.
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