This is a second version of the Distort-O-Matic XI from stompboxology. You can read about the first versions here, and here. Distort-o-matic XI is described as a distortion box with an aggressive tone control. In more concrete terms it’s a diode clipper and octave fuzz with with a two band active tone control 30db of treble and bass boost/cut.
With this version I fixed some problems with the original board and rearranged the components for a better layout. The original schematic lacked power filtering which I added with this revision. My first version of the board used a regular 16mm pot where there should have been a trim pot. Another problem was with the footprint for the inductor which didn’t seem to match any of the inductors I had.
The footprint of the inductor from the BFFX Eagle Library didn’t match the actual parts I had. I added an extra pad positioned to fit the parts I had. This worked though it left the inductor a little off center of the silkscreen, which wasn’t a big deal.
I had these board manufactured at PCBWay.com. Luckily the price of prototyping PCBs at PCBWay.com is very reasonable!
Building the PCB
The build is straight forward. No special issues. The PCB is a little longer than usual.
The inductor is an odd part, not often seen in stomboxes. Luckily they are available at Stompboxparts.com for a reasonable $5. Small Bear Electronics has them also but the price is higher.
Making the enclosure
I milled a gloss black enclosure. These scratch so easily I think I should stick with matte finish from now on!
I flubbed the label on the Edge control, it’s sitting a little lower than the other labels. Otherwise the enclosure turned out well.
Wiring up the box
I used one of these 3PDT PCBs from LoveMySwitches.com and one of their 4 wire ribbon cables to cover most of the off board wiring.
Conclusion
At this point this board is working well. The PCB works well now but is pretty large. This pushed the jacks further toward the switch. I might be able to shrink this down in a future revision. Or maybe it should just go in a 125B?
The circuit sounds as good as other fuzzes. I suspect there could be a little more range of sounds available in this circuit with some adjustments. I’d recommend you build this if you like Electra, DS-1 and Super-Fuzz style fuzz and want more tonal control the bass and treble controls add.
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