aion Flare User manual

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 1
PROJECT NAME
FLARE
BASED ON
EFFECT TYPE
PROJECT SUMMARY
DOCUMENT VERSION
ZVEX Fuzz Factory™
A glitchy silicon/germanium hybrid fuzz known for its dizzying array of controls and untamed sounds.
Fuzz 1.0.0 (2022-01-21)
BUILD DIFFICULTY
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.
IMPORTANT NOTE
Intermediate
FUZZ MACHINE
9V
VOLUME GATE DRIVE
STAB COMP BODY
TONE SOFT

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1Project Overview
2Table of Contents
3Introduction
4Packing List
5Packing List (Cont.)
6Tools Needed
7Component Identification
8Hardware Identification
9PCB Assembly Overview
10 Resistors & Diode
11 Silicon Transistor
12 Capacitors (Non-Polarized)
13 Wire Headers
14 Capacitors (Polarized)
15 Germanium Transistors: Introduction
16 Germanium Transistors
17 Footswitch PCB
18 Input/Output PCB
19 Enclosure Layout: Panel Mounts
20 Enclosure Layout: Main & Footswitch PCBs
21 Enclosure Layout: Input/Output PCB
22 Final Assembly & Testing
23 Usage
24 Schematic
25 Full Parts List
26 Troubleshooting Information
27 Support & Resale Terms
28 Legal Information & Document Revisions

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 3
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
an enjoyable one.
Aion FX kits are designed to empower anyone to build a high-quality pedal, no matter the skill level.
The pedalbuilding hobby has traditionally had a steep learning curve, but don’t be overwhelmed—we’ve
done all the hard work for you. All you need to do is follow these instructions and you’ll be on your way
to transforming your tone.
There are a few things to go over before you get started.
• You’re going to have to get your hands dirty—there’s no way around it. Nothing here comes
preassembled, and you’ll have to learn the skills to put it all together. This document will walk you
through everything you need, but be prepared to learn a few things along the way.
• This will take time. Plan on about two hours start to finish. It may take even longer if it’s your first
time building. Don’t rush it. If you find yourself getting frustrated or overwhelmed, take a break and
come back in a couple of hours or the next day.
• No direct technical support is offered. There are several DIY forums and Facebook groups with
thousands of members who enjoy troubleshooting and teaching. But please be sensitive to the fact
that the staff at Aion FX is minimal, and every minute spent helping individuals in private is time
that can’t be spent on new project development.
• There is no implied guarantee of a final product. Aion FX provides the ingredients and the recipe,
but you are responsible for putting everything together to make it work. We’ve tried to make the
process as clear and accessible as possible, but it must be expressly stated that purchasing the kit is
not a guarantee that you will end up with a working pedal.
It’s recommended to read through all of the instructions before you start, particularly if you’ve never
built a pedal before. If you familiarize yourself with the entire process ahead of time and you know what
the goal looks like, each step will make more sense.
Now, on to the fun stuff!

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 4
PACKING LIST
This is a list of all the parts that are included with the kit, grouped by value. For a list of all the parts
based on their PCB part numbers, please see page 25.
If you find that any parts are missing or damaged, please fill out the Missing Parts form.
Film Capacitors
NAME QTY
10n (0.01) 1
18n (0.018) 1
Electrolytic Capacitors
NAME QTY
10uF 4
100uF 2
MLCC Capacitors
NAME QTY
100n (marked “104”) 1
Diodes
NAME QTY
1N5817 1
Resistors
NAME QTY
100R 1
470R 1
4k7 1
5k1 1
10k 1
47k 1
120k or 121k 1
220k 1
2M2 1
Transistors
NAME QTY
2N3904 1
Transistors, germanium, matched for
Fuzz Factory
2

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 5
PACKING LIST (CONT.)
Potentiometers
NAME QTY
5kB 1
10kB 5
100kB 2
Dust cover 8
Knob, 1/2” 8
Mounting nut, potentiometer, 0.44" 8
Lock washer, potentiometer, 0.5" 8
Outer washer, potentiometer, 0.475" 8
Other
NAME QTY
LED bezel 1
LED, blue 1
DC jack 1
Input/output jack 2
Mounting nut, jack, 0.54" 4
Outer washer, jack, 0.6" 2
Lock washer, jack, 0.5" (thin) 2
Enclosure 1
Enclosure screws 4
PCB, main circuit 1
PCB, footswitch 1
PCB, input/output/DC 1
Switches
NAME QTY
Stomp switch, 3PDT 1
Mounting nut, stomp switch, 0.6" 2
Lock washer, stomp switch, 0.6" 1
Dress nut, stomp switch, 0.77" 1
Wiring
NAME QTY
3-strand wire assembly, 70mm 2
4-strand wire assembly, 122mm 1
3-pin wire assembly header 2
4-pin wire assembly header 1

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 6
TOOLS NEEDED
SOLDERING IRON
Temperature-adjustable is
recommended. The optimum
soldering temperature is 700-725º
F (371-385º C) for leaded solder, or
750º F (400º C) for lead-free.
WIRE SNIPPERS
Also called nippers or wire cutters.
The Hakko CHP-170 is the best you
can get for less than $10.
SCREWDRIVER (PHILLIPS)
Used for the enclosure screws. Get a
powered driver if you’ll be building a
lot of pedals!
SOLDER
Preferably 63/37 or 60/40 leaded
solder. Lead-free is more difficult to
use, so if that’s the only type you can
get, it’s best to watch tutorials that
are specific to lead-free solder.
NEEDLE-NOSE PLIERS
These are used for bending leads on
components and other general uses.
Use the smaller type with a tip that’s
approximately 0.05” (1.25mm) wide.
FLAT SCREWDRIVER (SMALL)
This is used for tightening the set
screws on the knobs. The tip should
be no more than 0.1” (2.5mm) wide.
DIGITAL MULTIMETER (DMM)
Most cheap ones in the $10-30 range
are fine for what we’re doing. Make
sure it has audible continuity testing
(i.e. it beeps at the lowest resistance)
and transistor hFE measurement.
FLAT-NOSE PLIERS
Many general-purpose uses, but par-
ticularly tightening the nuts of pots,
switches and jacks. Quicker than
changing out sockets on a ratchet.
RUBBER BAND
Yes, a plain old rubber band. This is
used to tighten the dress nut to avoid
scratching or denting it (which can
happen with metal tools).

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 7
COMPONENT IDENTIFICATION
If you’ve never built a pedal before, you’ll need to know what all the components are. These are shown
actual size. (Not all of these types of components may be part of this kit.)
RESISTOR TRIMMER POTENTIOMETER
FILM CAPACITOR
SILICON DIODE
ZENER DIODE
LED
DC JACKWIRE ASSEMBLY HEADER
LED BEZEL
WIRE ASSEMBLY
ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITOR
GERMANIUM DIODE
OP-AMP / IC
TANTALUM CAPACITOR
SCHOTTKY DIODE
IC SOCKET TRANSFORMER
MLCC
RECTIFIER DIODE
TRANSISTOR OR JFET
Not polarized. Color may
vary by brand and type.
Not polarized. MLCC stands for
“multi-layer ceramic capacitor.”
Some Schottky diodes
also look like this.
These are very fragile, so be
careful when handling them.
Polarized. The positive side
is marked.
Polarized. The negative side
is marked.
Charge pumps and delay chips
also look like this. They may
have more than 8 legs.

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 8
HARDWARE IDENTIFICATION
The hardware comes unassembled, so you’ll need to sort & identify each of the pieces. The diagrams
below are actual size, so you can set them against the printed page to identify them if needed.
I/O JACK
TOGGLE SWITCH
POTENTIOMETER
(SINGLE)
FOOTSWITCH
POTENTIOMETER
(DUAL)
MOUNTING NUT
MOUNTING NUT
MOUNTING NUT
MOUNTING NUT
DRESS NUT
OUTER WASHER
DRESS NUT
OUTER WASHER KNOB
LOCK WASHER
LOCK WASHER
LOCK WASHER
LOCK WASHER
DIAMETER: 0.54” / 13.7mm
DIAMETER: 0.36” / 9.1mm
DIAMETER: 0.44” / 11.2mm DIAMETER: 0.5” / 12.7mm
DIAMETER: 0.6” / 15.2mm
DIAMETER: 0.375” / 9.5mm
DIAMETER: 0.475” / 12mm
DIAMETER: 0.5” / 12.7mm
DIAMETER: 0.4” / 10.1mm
DIAMETER: 0.6” / 15.2mmDIAMETER: 0.77” / 19.6mmDIAMETER: 0.6” / 15.2mm

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 9
PCB ASSEMBLY OVERVIEW
Now it’s time to start building!
The first thing you need to do is snap apart the PCBs
into 3 separate boards (if needed) and break off the
tabs from each using needle-nose or flat-head pliers.
You should be left with the PCBs shown to the right.
The general principle for PCB population is that you
want to work in layers from shortest components
(i.e. lowest-profile) to tallest so that when the PCB is
upside-down, everything is making contact with the
work surface and is held in place.
Generally speaking, you should populate the
components in this order:
1. Resistors
2. Diodes
3. MLCC capacitors
4. Film capacitors
5. Transistors (silicon)
6. Electrolytic capacitors
7. Transistors (germanium)

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 10
RESISTORS & DIODE
PART VALUE
R1 120k or 121k
R2 10k
R3 47k
R4 470R
R5 5k1
PART VALUE
R6 220k
R7 100R
RPD 2M2
LEDR 4k7
D1 1N5817
Using the parts list above, populate the resistors and diode by pushing them through the holes and
bending the leads outward at an angle to hold them in place. Resistors are not polarized, so they will
work in any direction, but note that the diode is polarized and must be installed with the silver band
lining up with the band on the PCB silkscreen.
Turn the board upside-down to keep the components held in place while you solder.
You’ll use this same technique for most of the other components as well.
If this is your first time soldering, watch tutorial videos on YouTube and make sure you get it down
before you begin. You don’t want to practice or experiment on this board!
Note: R1 may be either a red 120k resistor or a brown 121k
resistor depending on availability. In this position, the 1%
difference in value won’t have any impact on the circuit.

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 11
SILICON TRANSISTOR
PART VALUE
Q1 2N3904
Now we’ll do the silicon transistor. If the legs are not already bent into 0.1” spacing, use your needle-
nose pliers to bend the outer two legs as shown.
Bend the outer leads of the transistor to hold it in place on the board. Then, solder it and clip the leads.

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 12
CAPACITORS (NON-POLARIZED)
After the silicon transistor come the box film and MLCC capacitors. As with previous components, bend
the leads at an angle to hold them in place.
MLCCs and box capacitors are not polarized and will work in any direction. To keep things neat, though,
it’s best to put them all facing the same way so the values can easily be read.
Note: C2 is sometimes a blue box film capacitor and C6 is sometimes white. These capacitors have the
value printed on the top, while the more common red capacitors have the value on the side. The text on
the side of the blue and white capacitors is not related to the value and can be ignored.
PART VALUE
C2 10n (0.01)
C6 18n (0.018)
C9 100n MLCC

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 13
WIRE HEADERS
Install the two 3-pin headers (wire connectors) as shown above. These have a polarity pin, so as long
as they are pressed all the way down, there’s only one possible way to install them. 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.

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 14
CAPACITORS (POLARIZED)
Populate the electrolytic capacitors. They are polarized (i.e. they will only work in one direction), so note
the vertical mark that indicates the negative side. The longer leg is positive and fits in the square pad.
PART VALUE
C1 10uF
C3 10uF
C4 10uF
C5 10uF
C7 100uF
C8 100uF

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 15
GERMANIUM TRANSISTORS: INTRODUCTION
Next are the germanium transistors. These are very different than modern electronic
components, so they need an introduction before we cover how to install them.
Silicon vs. germanium
Compared to silicon, germanium transistors are imprecise and inconsistent, even among
the same part number. As a result, when classic fuzz circuits use germanium transistors,
it’s not the part number that’s important, but the specifications of the individual device.
Two transistors of different part numbers with identical gain and leakage will sound
exactly the same. Conversely, not all transistors of the same part number will work in a
particular circuit.
Because of this, be aware that this kit may include any of several different part numbers. In this
document we will refer to them as Q2 and Q3, not by specific part numbers such as AC125 or MП16Б.
Matching
The transistors included in the Flare kit have been measured and matched for best performance in
the Fuzz Factory circuit. There are two bags stapled together, with the first one being marked “Q2” in
the top-right corner and the second marked “Q3”. The numbers in the center are the gain and leakage
measurements and can be ignored for the purposes of this kit.
It is extremely important that the transistors are not removed from the bags until it’s time to
install them, and only one at a time, to avoid inadvertently mixing them up. They are not visually
distinguishable from each other, and outside of the bags there is no way to tell which is which. The pedal
won’t sound right if the transistors are used in the wrong positions.
Temperature sensitivity
Germanium is a delicate semiconductor material and very sensitive to overheating. If the transistor is
overheated, it could be permanently damaged. It’s recommended to mount the transistors so they are
elevated above the PCB by about 3/8” (9.5mm) to allow some of the heat to dissipate before it reaches
the body of the transistor. If it takes longer than two seconds for the solder to form a good joint, move to
a different component and let the transistor cool a bit before trying again.
Old-stock precautions
Germanium transistors are not manufactured today except for some expensive industry-specific
applications, so nearly all of the germanium transistors used in guitar pedals are old-stock. The
transistors in this kit are at least 30 years old, and sometimes 50 or more.
While age has nothing to do with performance of the device itself, the leads may be corroded and solder
may not adhere well unless they are cleaned first. If you notice any corrosion on the leads, use medium-
grit sandpaper or a fine metal file to remove it, and ensure the leads are shiny before soldering.

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 16
GERMANIUM TRANSISTORS
Now that we’ve covered the basics of germanium transistors, it’s time to install them. Remove Q2 from
the bag. As mentioned on the previous page, it’s important to leave Q3 in its bag until Q2 has been
soldered so they don’t get mixed up.
Insert it into the pads on the PCB, being mindful of the “V” pattern of the pins. Keep it raised about 3/8”
(9.5mm) above the PCB, then bend the legs on the bottom side to keep it attached. Turn the PCB over
and let it hang down while you solder it in place. Be quick and make sure the transistor casing doesn’t get
too hot or the transistor could be damaged.
Now, repeat the same step with Q3 .
PART VALUE
Q2 Germanium
Q3 Germanium

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 17
FOOTSWITCH PCB
Next, it’s time to finish up the footswitch board. You should have done most of the on-board components
on this board in a previous step, but if not, go back and do those.
There will be one longer assembly with 4 wires and two shorter ones with 3 wires. The longer one goes
in the middle and the shorter ones go on the left and right sides. The wire assemblies should then be
soldered to the footswitch board as shown.
Once all three wire assemblies are soldered, set the footswitch PCB aside. We’ll solder the actual
footswitch and LED in a later step.
PARTS
3-strand wire assembly (2)
4-strand wire assembly
STEP 3
Then, solder the wires from the top.
This is the trickiest part of the whole
build. You want to solder the pads
without touching the iron to the
wires themselves and risking burning
through the insulation. It helps to
use a sharp or narrow tip on the
soldering iron.
STEP 2
Next, bend the wires back upward
and fit the ends of the wires into the
solder pads.
On the top side of the PCB, bend the
exposed wires backward so it holds
the wire in place. Pull the header
back up through the slot partway.
STEP 1
First, thread the wire through the
strain-relief slots, with the blue
side facing outward and the PCB’s
previously-installed components
facing up.
For now, pull it through as far as it
can go.
BLUE
MARKING

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 18
INPUT/OUTPUT PCB
Almost done! Get the two input/output jacks, the DC jack and the wire header and snap them in place.
The PCB is designed for them to fit securely, so you can do them all at once before flipping and soldering.
After you’ve soldered everything, make sure to snip the leads on the I/O jacks as close as possible to
the 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.
PARTS
Input & output jacks
DC jack
Wire header
9V battery snap

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 19
ENCLOSURE LAYOUT: PANEL MOUNTS
Attach the hardware to the enclosure as shown. (The I/O board is done in a later step.)
MOUNTING NUT
MOUNTING NUT
DRESS NUT
LOCK WASHER
MOUNTING NUT
LOCK RING
MOUNTING NUT
OUTER WASHER
LOCK WASHER
DUST CAP
FOOTSWITCH
BEZEL & LED
The dress nut fits over the top of the mounting nut and is for aesthetic
purposes only. Wrap a rubber band around it to use as a grip when tightening.
Do not use metal tools on it or you run the risk of scratching or denting it.
You’ll need to hold the bezel in place when
tightening the nut. The top of the bezel is fairly
sharp, so try using a rubber band for grip instead
of pressing your finger against the bottom.
The LED will just
sit loosely inside
the bezel for now.
POTENTIOMETERS
Drive: 10kB Stab: 10kB
Volume: 5kB Soft: 100kB
Comp: 10kB Body: 100kB
Gate: 10kB Tone: 10kB
125B
FOOTSWITCH BEZEL
& LED
100kB 10kB
10kB 10kB 5kB
10kB
10kB100kB

FLARE FUZZ MACHINE 20
ENCLOSURE LAYOUT: MAIN & FOOTSWITCH PCBS
Why solder everything inside the enclosure before testing it?
“Rock it before you box it” is conventional wisdom in pedalbuilding, and you’ll often hear it
recommended that builders should test the circuit before putting everything inside the enclosure.
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”.
If you’ve read the documentation carefully and followed all the instructions, there’s a good chance you
will get it right the first time!
125B
After all the components are affixed to the enclosure as
shown on the previous page, place the main PCB on top of the
potentiometers as in the diagram to the left.
You may need to adjust the position of the potentiometers
slightly if they are not aligned straight. There are a lot of them,
so it may take some trial and error. You can try bending some of
the pins very slightly to compensate.
Once all of the pins are through their holes and the PCB is laying
flat, solder each of the pins from the top. Be careful not to touch
any of the surrounding components with the soldering iron.
After you’ve finished soldering the pots, clip the leads as close
as you can to the main PCB. This is more important with the
three uppermost pots because the input/output PCB overlaps
them and you need to avoid any of the components shorting.
Next, move to the footswitch board and solder the 3PDT switch.
The LED is last. Before soldering the LED, double-check to make
sure the flat side of the LED is facing to the right, as shown in
the diagram, and that the short leg is coming through the pad on
the right. It won’t work if it’s turned the other way. Then, clip the
leads of the LED.