Tech tips

Some Basic Technical Tips Related to Pedal Making

Wiring It Up

• Switches, Bypass, Etc...

• NPN 3PDT Wiring

• PNP 3PDT Wiring

• DPDT Wiring

• Using A DC Jack And Battery

• Preventing Popping from an LED

Batteries

• How much current drain is normal
• How to Calculate Battery Life

Transistors

• Some Transistor Basics

• How to adjust gain in FET based circuits

• Testing Germanium Transistors (further down the article)
• Why Germanium Transistor Leakage Matters

Gain Devices

• FET vs MOSFET vs TRANSISTOR vs TRIODE

Capacitors

• Testing, Discharging and Related Info
• Old and Bad Electrolytic Caps

Switch Tricks

• SPDT Diode Switching Trick

• DPDT Input Cap Switching

Adding An Expression Pedal

• Easy Mod To Add A Rocker Pedal

Potentiometers

• Secret Life Of Pots
• Volume Pot Values

Input Impedance

• See Niftydog's 2nd to Last Post

• Diminishing Returns

Creating Original Effects

• Cook Your Own Distortion
• How To Design A Pedal By Zachary Vex
• Simple Mods
• TZF: Excellent discussion on TZF techniques

Tone Controls

• Stupidly Wonderful Tone Control

Rules Of Thumb

• What Matters and What Doesn't
• What Have You Learned?

Layout Techniques

• Perfboard Laytout Techniques