aion Azimuth User manual

AZIMUTH DYNAMIC OVERDRIVE 1
PROJECT NAME
AZIMUTH
BASED ON
EFFECT TYPE
PROJECT SUMMARY
DOCUMENT VERSION
Hermida / Lovepedal Zendrive
The first overdrive that attempted to replicate the tone of the legendary Dumble amplifiers. A favorite
of blues guitarists, and with its low parts count, a great project for beginners.
Overdrive 1.1.0 (2020-01-07)
BUILD DIFFICULTY
Beginner
Actual size is 2.3” x 1.86” (main board) and 2.3” x 0.86” (bypass board).

AZIMUTH DYNAMIC OVERDRIVE 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1Project Overview 7Enclosure Layout
2Introduction & Usage 8Wiring Diagram
3-4 Parts List 9Licensing
5Schematic 9Document Revisions
6Drill Template
INTRODUCTION
The Azimuth Dynamic Overdrive is a recreation of the Hermida Zendrive, first released in 2004 and
taken over by Lovepedal in 2013. The circuit has changed very little since its inception, with the only
major change being the op-amp which happened after Lovepedal took over.
The Zendrive can be seen as a stripped-down Tube Screamer. It starts with a standard Tube Screamer-
style clipping section, followed by a variable R-C treble cut and a buffer. The bass is adjustable via the
“Voice” control, which varies the corner frequency of the filter coming off the op-amp. This also has the
side-effect that the available gain increases as the Voice control is turned up.
Despite the legendary stature of the Zendrive, the circuit has among the lowest parts count of any Aion
FX project and is a very good starting point for new builders.
USAGE
The Zendrive has the following controls:
• Drive controls the amount of gain in the op-amp feedback diode clipping stage.
• Tone controls the treble response of the effect. It’s a simple passive filter that only cuts.
• Voice controls the amount of bass while also changing the gain structure. As you turn it up, the
available gain range also increases.
• Volume controls the overall output.

AZIMUTH DYNAMIC OVERDRIVE 3
PARTS LIST
This parts list is also available in a spreadsheet format which can be imported directly into Mouser for
easy parts ordering. Mouser doesn’t carry all the parts—notably potentiometers—so the second tab lists
all the non-Mouser parts as well as sources for each.
View parts list spreadsheet →
PART VALUE TYPE NOTES
C1 470n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 3.5mm
C2 100pF MLCC capacitor, NP0/C0G
C3 100n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm
C4 3n3 Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm
C5 470n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 3.5mm
C6 100uF Electrolytic capacitor, 6.3mm
C7 47uF Electrolytic capacitor, 5mm
C8 100n MLCC capacitor, X7R
R1 470k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R2 1k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R3 1k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R4 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R5 1k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R6 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R7 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R8 100R Metal film resistor, 1/4W
RPD 2M2 Metal film resistor, 1/4W
LEDR 4k7 Metal film resistor, 1/4W
D1 1N5817 Schottky diode, DO-41
D2 BAT41 Schottky diode, DO-35
D3 BAT41 Schottky diode, DO-35 Some versions of the Zendrive use a 1N34A germanium diode here.
D4 BAT41 Schottky diode, DO-35
Q1 2N7000 MOSFET, N-channel, TO-92
Q2 2N7000 MOSFET, N-channel, TO-92
IC1 NE5532P Operational amplifier, DIP8
LED 5mm LED, 5mm

AZIMUTH DYNAMIC OVERDRIVE 4
PARTS LIST, CONT.
PART VALUE TYPE NOTES
GAIN 500kB Potentiometer, 16mm right-angle LED current-limiting resistor. Adjust value to change LED brightness.
TONE 50kB Potentiometer, 16mm right-angle
VOICE 10kB Potentiometer, 16mm right-angle
VOL 100kB Potentiometer, 16mm right-angle
IN 1/4" stereo 1/4" phone jack, closed frame Switchcraft 112BX or equivalent.
OUT 1/4" mono 1/4" phone jack, closed frame Switchcraft 111X or equivalent.
DC 2.1mm DC jack, 2.1mm panel mount Mouser 163-4302-E or equivalent.
BATT Battery snap 9V battery snap Optional. Use the soft plastic type—the hard-shell type will not fit.
FSW 3PDT Stomp switch, 3PDT
ENC 125B Enclosure, die-cast aluminum Can also use a Hammond 1590N1.

SCHEMATIC
GND
VA
2M2
100uF
500kB
100kB
GND
10k
10k
47uF
VB
GND GND
NE5532
NE5532
GND
470n
470k
VB
2N7000
2N7000
BAT41 1N34a
BAT41
100pF
50kB
1k
1k
10kB
100n
VB
10k
3n3
470n
1k
GND
GND
1N5817
VA
+9V
100n
100R
IN
OUT
RPD
C6
GAIN
1
2
3
VOLUME
1
2
3
R6
R7
C7
IC1A
2
3
1
6
5
7
IC1B
84
C1
R1
Q1
Q2
D2 D3
D4
C2
TONE
1
2
3
R2
R3
VOICE
1
2
3
C3
R4
C4
C5
R5
D1
C8
R8
GND
AZIMUTH DYNAMIC OVERDRIVE 5

AZIMUTH DYNAMIC OVERDRIVE 6
DRILL TEMPLATE
Cut out this drill template, fold the edges and tape it to the enclosure. Before drilling, it’s recommended
to first use a center punch for each of the holes to help guide the drill bit.
Ensure that this template is printed at 100% or “Actual Size”. You can double-check this by measuring
the scale on the printed page.
Top jack layout assumes the use of closed-frame jacks like the Switchcraft 111X. If you’d rather use
open-frame jacks, please refer to the Open-Frame Jack Drill Template for the top side.
LED hole drill size assumes the use of a 5mm LED bezel, available from several parts suppliers. Adjust
size accordingly if using something different, such as a 3mm bezel, a plastic bezel, or just a plain LED.
x: -0.65, y: +1.71 x: 0.65, y: +1.71
ø9/32” ø9/32”
x: -0.65, y: +0.41
ø9/32”
x: 0.65, y: +0.41
ø9/32”
x: 0, y: -1.20
ø15/32”
x: -0.775, y: -1.20
ø5/16”
CENTER (0,0)
125B
ø3/8” ø1/2”
0.385”
0.625” 0.625”
ø3/8”
OUT DC IN
VOLUME GAIN
TONE VOICE
FOOTSWITCHLED
0 1 2
CM
0 1
INCH

AZIMUTH DYNAMIC OVERDRIVE 7
ENCLOSURE LAYOUT
Enclosure is shown without jacks. See next page for jack layout and wiring.
125B

AZIMUTH DYNAMIC OVERDRIVE 8
WIRING DIAGRAM
125B
IN +VGND N.C. N.C. OUT
PCB
IN
GND +V +V JACK GND JACK
OUTIN
GND GND PCB
OUT
Shown with optional 9V battery. If battery is omitted, both jacks can be mono rather than one being stereo.
Leave the far-right lug of the DC jack unconnected.

AZIMUTH DYNAMIC OVERDRIVE 9
LICENSE & USAGE
No direct support is offered for these projects beyond the provided documentation. It’s assumed
that you have at least some experience building pedals before starting one of these. Replacements and
refunds cannotbe offered unless it can be shown that the circuit or documentation are in error.
All of these circuits have been tested in good faith in their base configurations. However, not all the
modifications or variations have necessarily been tested. 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 specifically noted. 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 without prior arrangement, 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 industry needs more transparency, not less!)
DOCUMENT REVISIONS
1.1.0 (2020-01-07)
Added C8 and R8 (improved power filtering) for consistency with other boards.
1.0.1 (2018-08-14)
Minor formatting adjustments.
1.0.0 (2018-07-04)
Initial release.