Lithium Grim Dumbl'Ador Instruction Manual

Dumbl’Ador
Building instructions
V1.0

Dumbl’Ador v1.0
Manufacturer and product names are mentioned solely for circuit identification, and where applicable their trademarks are the
property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
2
Table of contents
Components ............................................................................................................................................ 3
PCB layout............................................................................................................................................... 3
Building sequence ................................................................................................................................... 4
Off board wiring ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Troubleshooting ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Schematic ................................................................................................................................................ 7
Read this entire manual thoroughly before you start building the effect! Especially the modification
part. Decide before building the effect which mods you want to try so that you do not need to
desolder parts later.
Last update: 02-02-2020

Dumbl’Ador v1.0
Manufacturer and product names are mentioned solely for circuit identification, and where applicable their trademarks are the
property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
3
Components
Name
Value
Comment
Name
Value
Comment
C1
47p
SMF/MKT/Wima
P1
B10k
Accent
C2
8n2
SMF/MKT/Wima
P2
A1M
Sensitivity
C3
220n
SMF/MKT/Wima
P3
B50k
Contour
C4
47n
SMF/MKT/Wima
P4
A100k
Level
C5
47p
SMF/MKT/Wima
Q1
2N7000
C6
2n2
SMF/MKT/Wima
Q2
2N7000
C7
100n
SMF/MKT/Wima
R1
33k
1% metalfilm
C8
1n
SMF/MKT/Wima
R2
2M2
1% metalfilm
C9
100n
SMF/MKT/Wima
R3
470k
1% metalfilm
C10
100n
SMF/MKT/Wima
R4
820R
1% metalfilm
C11
220u
Electrolytic 25V+
R5
8k2
1% metalfilm
C12
220u
Electrolytic 25V+
R6
820R
1% metalfilm
C13
6n8
SMF/MKT/Wima
R7
22k
1% metalfilm
D1
BAT41
R8
18k
1% metalfilm
D2
BAT41
R9
10k
1% metalfilm
D3
BAT41
R10
56k
1% metalfilm
D4
BAT41
R11
1k
1% metalfilm
D5
BAT41
R12
10k
1% metalfilm
D6
1N5817
R13
10k
1% metalfilm
IC1
TLC2272
SW1
SPDT
Depth
PCB layout
A=Log, B=Lin, C=Rev. Log

Dumbl’Ador v1.0
Manufacturer and product names are mentioned solely for circuit identification, and where applicable their trademarks are the
property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
4
Building sequence
Soldering this board can be very complicated for some people since the solder pads are very close
together. Use a magnifying glass to make the job easier.
Do not blow on your solder in an attempt to cool it down. That will possibly result in a bad join that
might corrode!
If you want to experiment with other diodes or transistors then you could socket them instead of
soldering them to the board. You’ll need a 20 SIL, break off the sockets and solder them to the board.
Note: Glass diodes are fragile. Do not expose them to heat for too long or they’ll break!
Start by soldering the resistors and then the diodes (if not socketed). Solder the IC socket next and
then the small SMF/MKT capacitators, transistors (if not socketed) and finish with the electrolytes.
Do not yet place the IC (and diodes/transistors if socketed). Wait until after you soldered the
potentiometers and switch.
The Depth switch (SW1) controls the range of the contour pot (P3). In the Off position it is as the
original (2n2) and in the On position it gives a bit different range (2n2+6n8=9n). Feel free to
experiment with the value of C13, to change the range even further.
Besides the components mentioned in the table on the previous page, you will need:
•2 input jacks. 2 mono jacks if you are not going to use a battery but only the 9V adapter. 1
mono (for output) and 1 stereo jack (for input) if you will be using both a 9V battery and the
9V adapter.
•3PDT footswitch (9 pins)
•2,1mm DC jack (isolated).
•9v battery clip (optional).
•22 gage stranded hook-up wire.
•LED and LED flange.
•Hammond 125Bcase (or similar) in your favorite color.If you need more space, use a
Hammond 1590BB.

Dumbl’Ador v1.0
Manufacturer and product names are mentioned solely for circuit identification, and where applicable their trademarks are the
property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
5
Off board wiring
The biggest challenge of this build is to get all the offboard wiring correct and fit it in a box. Take your
time measuring and testing before you start fitting everything in the box.
P1-P4 are PCB mounted potentiometers (Alpha). The rectangle pad marks pin 1 of a potentiometer.
The images below show how you can recognize which pin is which on a potentiometer. You can
break off the pin I marked with the yellow circle with a small pair of pliers.
SW1 is a regular DP3T (on-off-on) switch with solderlugs for external use or you
can use a small PCB mounted SPDT switch.
Place the potentiometers in the predrilled enclosure and then insert the PCB.
Once the PCB fits nicely and is not touching the enclosure, solder the
potentiometers to the PCB.
Now you will need to wire the footswitch, LED and DC jack:
S
Tip
Sleeve
Sleeve
Output Jack
Input Jack
Cathode (short leg)
Anode (long leg)
Footswitch
Ring
R led
Tip
The LED requires a resistor (R led in the diagram) depending on the type of LED you are using. An
ultra-bright red, green or blue LED requires a 4k7 resistor, diffuse green requires 680R. If you want to
be more exact then go here: http://www.muzique.com/schem/led.htm

Dumbl’Ador v1.0
Manufacturer and product names are mentioned solely for circuit identification, and where applicable their trademarks are the
property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
6
Troubleshooting
All PCB’s have been 100% factory e-tested and out of every batch I receive I build an effect to double
check, so there should not be a connection problem on the PCB itself.
The board is not working (at all), what now?
•Check if your 9V is plugged in correctly (and/or soldered correctly on the board).
•Check that you oriented the capacitors, IC’s ,transistors and diodes the right way. SMF, MKT
and ceramic capacitors as well as resistors do not need to be oriented.
•Check if you used the correct values of the components. For resistors you can look here:
http://www.diyaudioandvideo.com/Electronics/Color/
•Double and triple check your soldering! A loose or cold solder can be really bad for your
board.
•Replace the IC, it might be defective. Before doing that first unplug the 9V and wait for 5
seconds.
•Check that you have good/high grade components. A lot of Chinese sourced parts are fakes
(especially high end opamps, vintage diodes and transistors) so be careful that you source
your parts from reliable suppliers.

Dumbl’Ador v1.0
Manufacturer and product names are mentioned solely for circuit identification, and where applicable their trademarks are the
property of their respective owners who are in no way associated or affiliated with the author. No cooperation or endorsement
is implied.
7
Schematic