EPK Samurai User manual

Samurai Booster Kit
Building Manual

Effect Pedal Kits:
Samurai Booster
The Samurai Clean Booster is the perfect answer for anybody looking
for an ultra-clean booster, able to mirror your sound exactly without
adding any color to it. Even if the pedal is powered with a standard 9V
power source it duplicates the voltage internally. This allows the
Samurai Clean Booster to work at 18V, giving you a lot more of
headroom than other boosters. What does that mean? Simply that the
pedal will be able to replicate your sound without modifying it a lot
louder than the standard booster would!
Thanks to its high input impedance, the Samurai Clean Booster won't
load any gear placed before it, making it perfect to be placed just after
your instrument or other high output impedance devices. And if you
want an extra boost, you can turn on the "Boost" switch: this will give
you an extra amount of gain, making it perfect to help your amp
overdrive naturally. Get it on all the time, or just when you need this
little push for your solos!.

BOM (1/2)
Resistors (7)
Capacitors (10)
3 R1, R4, R7 1M
1 C1 100p (ceramic)
2 R2, R6 4.7k
3 C2, C4, C5 220n
2 R3, R5 680
3 C3, C8, C9 10u (electrolytic)
1 C6 15n
1 C7 1n
1 C10 100n

BOM (2/2)
Diodes, Transistors and ICs
Generic Parts and Potentiometers
1 U1 ICL7660
1 Battery clip
2 Q1, Q2 J113
1 DC Jack
2 D1, D2 1N60
1 RLED 1k LED resistor
1 LED Bezel
1 3PDT
2 IN, OUT 6.35mm Jacks
1 SW1, SW2 DPDT
1 250kB VOL

Component Placement

Board Layouts
3PDT PCB
Effect PCB

Building Tips
1- Pay attention to the orientation of the 3PDT! In the following picture
you can see how the 3PDT pins should be positioned (inserting the pins
in the holes can be a bit tight to avoid movement while soldering):
2- For a proper soldering you just have to apply the right amount of solder
wire. A right solder joint should have a concave shape around the joint
and look like this:
3- Don’t apply too much heat! When soldering, the time you hold the
solder iron against the joint should be as short as posible to avoid
damaging any part (a few seconds should be enough). If you can’t get a
solder joint right, let it cool a bit before trying again.
4- If having troubles with the building, checking the schematic in the last
page will help you find where the audio signal stops. When you find the
spot, check out that everything around that joint is ok (components
placed at their right place, solder joints…).

Building Tips
5- Pay attention to the parts that have a polarity and make sure they are
connected as in the component placement picture:
- ICs (they have a small dot or indication that must fit the indication in
the board
- Electrolytic capacitors (longer pin is connected to the “+” hole):
- Diodes (check for the mark and make it fit with the one in the PCB):
- Leds (longer pin is connected to the “+” hole)
- Transistors (inserted to fit the drawing in the PCB)

Building Tips
6- With the kit we include plastic PCB supports with an adhesive bottom. You
can use them to anchor the PCB to your enclosure for a better stability.
Just insert the PCB support tip into the 3.5mm holes and remove the
adhesive protective film.
To avoid any issue always check the latest building manual. Use the pictures
only as a reference! Colors/shapes of wires, PCB or parts can change slightly,
this doesn’t affect their functionality in any way.
Always double check part polarity, resistor and capacitor values,
potentiometer placement, IC orientation… before soldering.

Schematic