Lithium Grim Fuzzy Joe Instruction Manual

Fuzzy Joe
Building instructions
v1.1

Fuzzy Joe v1.1
Manufacturers 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
PCB layout ............................................................................................................................................... 3
Components ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Power section.......................................................................................................................................... 5
Battery only......................................................................................................................................... 5
Switchable Voltage Inverter................................................................................................................ 5
Build sequence ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Off board wiring ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Potentiometers.................................................................................................................................... 7
Battery only wiring .............................................................................................................................. 7
Voltage Inverter wiring........................................................................................................................ 8
Biasing ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
Fixed resistors...................................................................................................................................... 9
Transistors and resistors ......................................................................................................................... 9
Troubleshooting .................................................................................................................................... 10
Schematic .............................................................................................................................................. 11
Read this entire manual thoroughly before you start building the effect! There are some available
options and you should choose which one you want to incorporate before starting your build.
Last update: 26-10-2019

Fuzzy Joe v1.1
Manufacturers 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
PCB layout
Dimensions: 44 mm x 38,6 mm
1.73 inch x 1.52 inch

Fuzzy Joe v1.1
Manufacturers 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
Components
Name
Value
Comment
Name
Value
Comment
C1
100u
Electrolyte
Q1
MP39Б
C2
100n
MKT
Q2
GT308B
C3
10u
Electrolyte
R1
1M
1% metalfilm
C4
47u
Electrolyte
R2
100k
1% metalfilm
C5
2u2
Electrolyte
R3
20k
1% metalfilm
C6
10n
SMF
R4
332R
1% metalfilm
C7
22u
Electrolyte
R5
3k16
1% metalfilm
D1
1N5817
R6
10R
1% metalfilm
D2
1N4001
R7
4k7
1% metalfilm
IC1
ICL7660S
SW1
SPDT
P1
B1k
Fuzz
VR1
B10k
Sag
P2*
A470k
Volume
VR2
B25k
Bias 1
VR3
B10k
Bias 2
* 470k logarithmic pots maybe hard to find or expensive. You could just get a A500k and ask your
vendor to get one of around 470k as most pots are rated +/- 10% or more.
Note that the original uses 400V axial electrolytes for C5 and C7 capacitors. They will fit in an upright
position, but I advise you use radial electrolyte capacitors and choose the good ones like Elna, Fine
Gold Panasonics etc. that will fit. C6 is originally a foil capacitor (eg. Mallory), but a 10n SMF sounds
great.
Also note that the resistors R2 to R6 in the original are carbon film ones (eg. Piher). They will not
directly fit, but you could put them in an upright position and then they will fit.
Lastly, R1 is not in the original. It is a pull down resistor used to prevent the pop when switching the
true bypass switch and can be left out without any problem. Also R7 is added as offset for the sag
(see the chapter “power section”). You should not waste an expensive carbon resistor on them!
A=Log, B=Lin, C=Rev. Log

Fuzzy Joe v1.1
Manufacturers 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
Power section
Ok, let’s first address the elephant in the room, the power section. As almost all vintage fuzzes, this
one also uses positive ground (yes, yes, technically there is no such thing as positive ground). All
purists say you should only use a battery preferably one that is close to death. For them the
consistent -9V kills the fuzzy sound. Well… this effect has a surprise for them!
This effects power section is designed to accommodate all sorts of power. Let’s take a look at all the
possibilities.
Battery only
Do not solder IC1,C1 to C4,D1,D2,VR1 and R7 and SW1. That should save you money! Instead you
should solder the BLACK wire of the battery to the octagonal pad of SW1 and the RED wire to the
Ring of the stereo input jack. Also the status LED needs to be reversed! Take a good look at the off
board wiring section!
Switchable Voltage Inverter
The PCB incorporates a built in voltage inverter so you can daisy chain it with other (negative ground)
effects. It has a nice extra feature that can simulate a dying battery by using a sag pot (VR1). You can
use this as a “set and forget” by installing an internal 6mm trim pot or as an extra external 16mm sag
pot so you can easily adjust the sag during play. With the current R7 at 4k7 you can turn down the
voltage to approximately -3V. If you want to go down to 0V you can just solder a jumper instead of a
resistor in R7. If you want a higher minimum voltage then you can install a higher resistor in R7 (eg.
10k will result in approximately -4,5V). PS my personal favorite voltage setting is around -4,6V.
By installing SW1 you can switch between -9V and the sag voltage. Make it an external switch so you
can use it during play or leave it internal to “set and forget”. You can also leave out SW1 and only use
the sag as an external pot. If you turn the pot all the way to the left it will give you the whole -9V and
if you turn it to the right it will give you the sag (amount dependent on the resistor used in R7 as
mentioned before). If you want to do this then do not forget to solder a jumper between the right
pad of SW1 and the center octagonal pad.
Also you can choose to use the inverter just to deliver a constant -9V. To do so, just leave out SW1,
VR1 and R7 and solder the left pad of SW1 to the center octagonal pad.
NEVER let the outer 2 lugs of SW1tough each other and also never connect all 3 pins of SW1
together. If the IC gets hot then there is a short in the power section and you must disconnect the
effect immediately from the adapter and find the fault.

Fuzzy Joe v1.1
Manufacturers 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
I strongly suggest you install the “Sag”. My best tones came from using it and at -9V some transistors
from the batch just could not produce a good sound at all! And it is switchable so if you do not agree
with me… switch it off or turn the pot all the way to the left to produce -9V!
Build 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. The trick to soldering a PCB is to work from
small to big components. My building sequence suggestions in this section are based on the parts I
used myself. Sometimes some components are smaller (or bigger) so always use your own common
sense and change the order accordingly. Usually capacitors can differ a lot in size depending on their
rating and value.
Note: Do not blow on your solder in an attempt to cool it down. That can result in a bad join that
might corrode!
Start by soldering the resistors and jumpers (if needed). Next come the diodes, IC socket. If needed
you can create a jumper using a spare piece of lead from a resistor or diode. If you want to
experiment with other transistors then you could socket them instead of soldering them to the
board. You’ll need a some 20 SIL sockets, break off the sockets and solder them to the board. Now is
the time to solder these sockets on the PCB as well as the socket for the IC. Place the transistors and
IC once you are finished with all soldering and off board wiring!
Now continue by soldering the SMF and MKT capacitors then solder the internal trimpots (VR). Now
finish with soldering the transistors (if not socketed) and the electrolytes.
I suggest you now drill the holes in your enclosure so you can use it during the off board wiring.
Note: Really take some time to determine where to place the pots, switches, jacks and PCB in the
enclosure before you start drilling. Measure twice, drill once.
You are almost ready to rock, well… not really. The difficult part starts now.
Besides the components mentioned in the components table, you will need:
•2 mono input jacks.
•1 x 3PDT footswitch (9 pins)
•2,1mm DC jack (isolated).
•9v battery clip (optional).
•22 gage stranded hook-up wire.
•LED holders. This enables you to mount the LEDs in the enclosure.
•1 x LED (3mm or 5mm depending on your taste)
•Hammond 125B case (or similar) in your favorite color.

Fuzzy Joe v1.1
Manufacturers 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
Off board wiring
Potentiometers
In the pictures below you see the correct pin numbering of the pots (Alpha 16mm style).
Solder the wires accordingly and it is always a good idea to twist the wires together to create some
extra shielding against external noise. VR1 is labeled on the PCB with the correct pin numbers so you
can use an external pot as mentioned in the power section chapter.
You can break off the pin I marked with the yellow circle with a small pair of pliers.
Battery only wiring
Ring
Sleeve
Tip
Tip
Sleeve
Cathode (short leg)
Anode (long leg)
R led1
Input
Output
1 2 3
1 2 3
P1 Fuzz
P2 Volume
VR1 Sag

Fuzzy Joe v1.1
Manufacturers 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.
8
Voltage Inverter wiring
Note that R led1 is 4k7 resistors. You can change this value depending on the type of LED you use but
4k7 is safe enough for almost all LEDs for (-)9V.
It is now time to place your transistors and IC in the sockets if needed. Connect everything, build it in
your enclosure and enjoy your effect!
The sleeve on the output jack is not connected on purpose. Make sure the output jack is in good
electronic contact with the enclosure else you can try and connect the sleeves of the input and
output together. If you test the unit outside of an enclosure you need to connect the output sleeve
to ground!
Ring
Sleeve
Tip
Tip
Sleeve
Cathode (short leg)
Anode (long leg)
R led1
Input
Output

Fuzzy Joe v1.1
Manufacturers 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.
9
Biasing
The transistors need to be biased. The best way to do this is by using the bias pots VR2 and VR3.
Start by using the following settings:
VR1 : all the way to the left (or switch SW1 to -9V = connect left and middle pad)
VR2 : all the way to the right
VR3 : all the way to the left
Fuzz : max
Volume : max
Now move VR2 and VR3 more to 12 o’clock and test it with different fuzz levels by turning the fuzz
pot. Stop when you found your sweet spot. Remember that germanium transistors are very sensitive
to temperature changes and will need to be re-biased every now and again.
Fixed resistors
If you have trouble biasing or just do not want it, you can replace R3 with a 33k resistor and R5 with a
8k2 resistor and leave out VR2 and VR3. You will then also need to short pad 1 and 2 on VR2 and pad
2 and 3 on VR3.
Transistors and resistors
As you might have concluded from the schematic, the effect is a basic positive ground Fuzz Face with
some small changes. You can adjust any value resistor you want to make it sound any way you like.
You can also use any type of PNP transistors instead of the ones mentioned in the components list.

Fuzzy Joe v1.1
Manufacturers 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.
10
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). Pay special
attention to the polarity.
•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. A likely sign of
incorrect capacitors and/or orientation is when an effect is sputtering, rumbling or
“motorboating”.
•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 and/or transistors, one 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, audio capacitors, vintage diodes and transistors) so be careful
that you source your parts from reliable suppliers.

Fuzzy Joe v1.1
Manufacturers 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.
11
Schematic