Lithium Grim StormBoost Instruction Manual

StormBoost
Building instructions
V1.0

StormBoost 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
Modifications........................................................................................................................................... 5
Onboard DIP switches ......................................................................................................................... 5
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

StormBoost 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
120p
SMF/MKT/Wima
DIP1
DIP2
C2
1u
SMF/MKT/Wima/Electrolytic
IC1
RC4558P
C3
10u
Electrolytic 25V+
IC2
LM386N-1
C4
120p
SMF/MKT/Wima
OP1
VTL5C3
original Vactrol NSL-32
C5
1u
SMF/MKT/Wima
P1
B100k
Boost
C6
10u
Electrolytic 25V+
P2
A100k
Limitter
C7
1n
SMF/MKT/Wima
P3
B1k
Level
C8
100n
SMF/MKT/Wima
R1
2K
1% metalfilm
C9
10u
Electrolytic 25V+
R2
1M
1% metalfilm
C10
100n
SMF/MKT/Wima
R3
2k
1% metalfilm
C11
10u
Electrolytic 25V+
R4
15k
1% metalfilm
C12
10u
Electrolytic 25V+
R5
1k
1% metalfilm
C13
10u/100u
Electrolytic 25V+
R6
10k
1% metalfilm
C14
100n
SMF/MKT/Wima
R7
10k
1% metalfilm
C15
100n
SMF/MKT/Wima
R8
2k
1% metalfilm
C16
10u
Electrolytic 25V+
R9
8k2
1% metalfilm
C17
100n
SMF/MKT/Wima
R10
2k
1% metalfilm
C18
10u
Electrolytic 25V+
R11
10R
1% metalfilm
C19
100n
SMF/MKT/Wima
R12
10R
1% metalfilm
D1
BAT42
R13
10R
1% metalfilm
D2
BAT42
R14
10k
1% metalfilm
D3
BAT42
R15
10k
1% metalfilm
D4
BAT42
R16
10R
1% metalfilm
D5
1N5817
PCB layout
A=Log, B=Lin, C=Rev. Log

StormBoost 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 (D1-D4) 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 jumper (if needed), resistors and then the diodes (if not socketed). Solder the
IC sockets next and then the small SMF/MKT capacitators, the DIP switch, and finish with the
electrolytes.
Do not yet place the IC (and diodes if socketed). Wait until after you soldered the potentiometers
and switches.
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.

StormBoost 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
Modifications
Onboard DIP switches
The original has 2 unconnected parts. First there is a RF filter cap (C1) and secondly there is an extra
electrolyte cap (C6) that controls the attack time of the boost. Both can be optionally engaged using
the Dip switches. If you do not want them, you can leave them out (Dip1, C1, C6).
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-P3 are PCB mounted potentiometers (Alpha). The rectangle pad marks pin 1
of a potentiometer. The image shows 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.
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

StormBoost 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.

StormBoost 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