Aion Electronics Nebula DS-830 Distortion Master Manuel utilisateur

1MAXON DS-830 DISTORTION MASTER / NEBULA DISTORTION

Nebula

Maxon DS-830 Distortion Master

Nebula Project LinkOverview

The Nebula Distortion is a clone of the Maxon DS-380, a

relatively new addition to Maxon’s line of pedals but one that

maintains the spirit of their innovations in the 1980s.

Despite being a relative late-comer, the circuit is a very worthy

addition to Maxon’s product line and retains the spirit and

character of their classic designs: a JRC4558D op-amp with

feedback-diode clipping like the Tube Screamer, plus some

interesting twist that makes it unique. In this case, it’s a two-band

gyrator tonestack (not dissimilar from a Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal)

that offers a great deal more exibility and imparts a very different

tonal character than the typical amp-like passive tonestack.

Controls & Usage

• Gain controls the amount of gain from the op amp that is fed through the feedback clipping diodes.

• Level is the output level of the effect.

• Bass allows you to adjust the low-end response of the circuit via a gyrator-based tone control.

• Treble allows you to adjust the high-end response of the circuit, also via a gyrator tone control.

Modications

This is a tight layout, so you won’t nd any of the “standard” Aion modications such as a clipping diode switch.

However, there are extra pads for the soft clipping diodes clipping diodes (D2 through D5) in case you want to

stack two diodes in series—for instance, two 1N914s or one 1N914 and one BAT41 on each side. The stock

unit only uses one in each direction.

For the hard-clipping diodes, I’ve included the “Soft” trimmer which is on most of my other hard-clipping

circuits. This allows you to put some resistance in series with the hard-clipping diodes which reduces their

effect and softens the hard-clipping somewhat. When turned all the way down, it’s fully removed from the

circuit, so I recommend including it.

Any other standard-pinout dual op-amps will work in this circuit as well. Try a TL072 or OPA2104.

Like a Tube Screamer, you can adjust R7 + C5 to change the gain structure and the low-end rolloff frequency.

The stock corner frequency is 408 Hz. Just keep in mind you’ve got a bass control further along in the circuit so

you can dial out whatever you don’t like.

2MAXON DS-830 DISTORTION MASTER / NEBULA DISTORTION

Parts

Resistors, cont.

R4 10k

R5 100k

R6 2k

R7 390R

R8 1k

R9 10k

R10 100k

R11 3k9

R12 220R

R13 10k

R14 10k

R15 560R

R16 10k

R17 22k

R18 3k

R19 510k

R20 10k

R21 100k

R22 470R

R23 10k

R24 10k

RPD 2M2

LEDR 4k7

Semiconductors

Q1 2N5457

Q2–Q4 2N5088

IC1 JRC4558D

D1 1N4002

D2, D5 1N914

D3–D4 jumper 1

D6–D7 1N914

LED 5mm LED

Potentiometers

Gain 250kA 2

Level 100kA

Bass 25kB 4

Treble 10kB

Soft 10k trim (3362P) 3

Capacitors

C1 100n

C2 3n9 4

C3 1uF lm

C4 10pF

C5 1uF lm

C6 10uF electro

C7 470n

C8 220n

C9 3.3uF electro

C10 47n

C11 100n

C12 3n3

C13 10uF electro

C14 100n

C15 10uF electro

C16 100uF electro

C17 47uF electro

Resistors

R1 10k

R2 1M

R3 10k

Build Notes

1Extra pads have been provided in case you want to double up on diodes in the feedback clipping section. For

a fully stock unit, jumper D3 and D4.

2The original uses a linear (B) taper for the Gain control, but I prefer an audio (logarithmic) taper here.

3If you want to exclude this control, jumper pads 1 & 2. I recommend including it because it’s out of the circuit if

turned all the way down. Extra space has been provided in case you want to use the larger 3386 trimmer.

2Prior to February 2017, all versions of the DS-830 schematic had C2 at 39n and the Bass pot at 5kB. C2

should instead be 3n9 and the Bass pot should be 25kB.

Additional Part Notes

• Capacitors are shown in nanofarads (n or nF) where appropriate. 1000n = 1uF. Many online suppliers do

not use nanofarads, so you’ll often have to look for 0.047uF instead of 47n, 0.0056uF instead of 5n6, etc.

• The PCB layout assumes the use of lm capacitors with 5mm lead spacing for all values 1nF through

470nF. I prefer EPCOS box lm or Panasonic ECQ-B/V-series.

• I recommend using these dust covers / insulators from Small Bear to insulate the back of the pots from

the board and prevent shorts. If you don’t use these, use some electrical tape or cardboard to act as

insulation. The right-angle pots will make direct contact with the solder pads otherwise.

3MAXON DS-830 DISTORTION MASTER / NEBULA DISTORTION

Schematic

GND

+9V

7k42M2

5MM

1N4002

100uF

250kA

100kA

GND GND

25kB

100n

10k

GND

47uF

GND

2N5457

+9V

10k

GND

3n9

1uF

100k

JRC4558DJRC4558D

10pF

2k390R

1uF

GND

470n

10k

100k

3k9

220n

3.3uF

2N5088

GND

220R

+9V

10k

GNDVA

10kB

2N5088

560R

+9V

10k

22k

GNDVA

100n

3n3

47n

GND

100n

510k

2N5088

+9V

10k

GND

100k

GND

470R

10uF

10kB

10uF

+9V

OUT

RDELDPR

LED

C16

GAIN

LEVEL

BASS

R23

R24

C17

IC1A

IC1B

R6R7

R10

R11

R12

R13

R14

TREBLE

R15

R16

R17

C11

C12

R18

C10

C14

R19

R20

R21

R22

C15

C13

SOFT

4MAXON DS-830 DISTORTION MASTER / NEBULA DISTORTION

General Build Instructions

These are general guidelines and explanations for all Aion Electronics DIY projects, so be aware that not

everything described below may apply to this particular project.

Build Order

When putting together the PCB, it’s recommended that you do not yet solder any of the enclosure-mounted

control components (pots and switches) to the board. Instead, follow this build order:

1. Attach the audio jacks, DC jack and footswitch to the enclosure.

2. Firmly attach the pots and switches to the enclosure, taking care that they are aligned and straight.

3. Push the LED1 into the hole in the enclosure with the leads sticking straight up, ensuring that the at side

is oriented according to the silkscreen on the PCB.

4. Fit the PCB onto all the control components, including the leads of the LED. If it doesn’t t, or if you need

to bend things more than you think you should, double-check the alignment of the pots and switches.

5. Once you feel good about everything, solder them from the top2as the last step before wiring. This way

there is no stress on the solder joints from slight misalignments that do not t the drilled holes. You can

still take it out easily if the build needs to be debugged, but now the PCB is “custom-t” to that particular

enclosure.

6. Wire everything according to the wiring diagram on the last page.

1For the LED: You can use a bezel if you’d like, but generally it’s easier just to drill the proper size of hole

and push the LED through so it ts snugly. If you solder it directly to the PCB, it’ll stay put even if the hole is

slightly too big. Make absolutely sure the LED is oriented correctly (the at side matches the silk screen) before

soldering, as it’ll be a pain to x later! After it’s soldered, clip off the excess length of the leads.

2Note on soldering the toggle switch(es): It will require a good amount of solder to ll the pads. Try to be as

quick as possible to avoid melting the lugs, and be prepared to feed a lot of solder as soon as the solder starts

to melt. I recommend waiting 20-30 seconds between soldering each lug to give it time to cool down.

“RPD” and “LEDR” resistors

The resistors marked “RPD” and “LEDR” are generally not original to the circuit and can be adjusted to

preference. “RPD” is the pulldown resistor to help tame true-bypass popping, while “LEDR” controls the

brightness of the LED. I generally use 2.2M for the pulldown resistor and 4.7k for the LED resistor.

Sockets

Since double-sided boards can be very frustrating to desolder, especially components with more than 2 leads,

it is recommended to use sockets for all transistors and ICs. It may save you a lot of headaches later on.

5MAXON DS-830 DISTORTION MASTER / NEBULA DISTORTION

Drilling & Placement

Print this page and have an adult cut out the drilling template below for you. Tape it to the enclosure to secure

it while drilling. Note that the holes are shown slightly smaller than they need to be, so drill out the holes as

shown and then step up until they are the correct size for the components.

Parts Used

• Switchcraft 111X enclosed jacks

• Kobiconn-style DC jack with internal nut

Hammond 1590B

(bottom/inside view)

BASS TREBLE

6MAXON DS-830 DISTORTION MASTER / NEBULA DISTORTION

Standard Wiring Diagram

This diagram shows standard true-bypass wiring

with a 3PDT switch. When the switch is off, the

input of the circuit is grounded and the input jack

is connected directly to the output jack.

The SW pad is the cathode connection for the

LED. This will connect to ground to turn it on

when the switch is on. Usage of the on-board

LED connection is not required if you have

specic placement needs for your enclosure,

but’s incredibly convenient.

The wiring diagram also makes use of star

grounding principles where all of the grounds

connect to a single ground point (in this case the

sleeve of the input jack). This is best practice

to avoid added noise caused by improper

grounding. The sleeve of the output jack is

unconnected.

If using a painted or powdercoated enclosure,

make sure both jacks have solid contact with

bare aluminum for grounding purposes. You may

need to sand off some of the paint or powdercoat

on the inside in order to make this happen.

Make sure to double-check the markings of the

pads on the PCB for your particular project – they

are not always in the order shown here!

IN GND OUT SW

+9V

SLEEVE

TIP

License / Usage

No direct support is offered for these PCBs beyond the provided documentation. It is assumed that you

have at least some experience building pedals before starting one of these. Replacements and refunds will not

be offered unless it can be shown that the circuit or documentation are in error. I have in good faith tested all of

these circuits. However, I have not necessarily tested every listed modication or variation. These are offered

only as suggestions based on the experience and opinions of others.

Projectsmaybeusedforcommercialendeavorsinanyquantityunlessspecicallynoted. No bulk

pricing or discounting is offered. No attribution is necessary, though a link back is always greatly appreciated.

The only usage restrictions are that (1) you cannot resell the PCB as part of a kit, and (2) you cannot

“goop” the circuit, scratch off the screenprint, or otherwise obfuscate the circuit to disguise its source.

(In other words: you don’t have to go out of your way to advertise the fact that you use these PCBs, but please

don’t go out of your way to hide it. The guitar effects pedal industry needs more transparency, not less!)

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