PARASIT STUDIO MK3 User manual

Parasit Studio
QUANTUM DEFRAKULATOR MK3
Build Document last updated june 2020
for PCB version 3.0
Make sure that you are looking at the correct version of the build document to
match the version of your PCB.
The Quantum Defrakulator is a drone synthesi er with 3 square wave
oscillators and one LFO (low frequency oscillator). Each oscillator has
independent controls for frequency and volume. With the LFO engaged,
oscillator 1 turns into a 3 or 4-step sequencer.
Have fun!

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Changelog MK3 (PCB 3.0)
•The circuit has been redone almost from scratch (again) to fix
an issue with the 2.0 PCB LFO, but also to add a couple of new
features. It has a few more components than the 2.0 PCB, but
is still a straight forward build. :)
•New feature: NAND modulation. XOR (ringmod) modulation
was added in the 2.0 version of the PCB. The 3.0 version also
adds NAND modulation for a different flavour. Both these
settings are modulating oscillator 1 (against oscillator 2).
•New feature: Manual stepping of the sequencer. Now you can
push a momentary button to manually toggle through the
steps of the sequencer when the LFO is off. If the button is
pressed while the LFO is on, it will temporarily stop the
sequencer.
While turning off the LFO, it will also stop on the current
sequencer step (unlike the old versions which always went
back to the first step) so that it's easier to tune each step of
the sequencer
Notes
•The Quantum Defrakulator output is meant to hook up to an
amplifier like a guitar amp or through a mixer to a PA system.
It can't drive a speaker directly If you want to drive a speaker you will
need to add an amplifier at the output, such as a LM386 or similar
There's plenty of simple 9v amplifier projects around if you do a
search :-)

Parasit Studio
General builds tips
•Solder the low profile components first, from short to tall.
Recommended order: resistors, diodes, IC socket, film-caps,
electrolytics, pots.
•CMOS chips are very sensitive to static charges and can be easily
damaged. It's a good idea to wear a anti-static wristband or at
least avoid wearing a wool jumper and petting your cat/dog while
building...
•Always use sockets for IC chips to avoid heating them directly. It
also makes it much easier to swap them out if needed.
•Pay special attention to the orientation of the diodes and
electrolytics.
•This PCB is designed for board mounted angeled pots, but if you
want to use regular solderlug-pots, the square holes represents pin
1 of the pot.
•Cover the backside of the pots with pot covers or tape, so they
don't short out anything on the PCB.
The Quantum Defrakulator MK3 prototype

Parasit Studio
Quantum Defra ulator MK2 Bill of Materials (BOM)
•* Current Limiting Resistor for the sequencer LEDs. They share a
single resistor since there's always just one LED engaged at the
time. Use the appropriate value for your LED type.
•I recommend using a 4.7K resistor for a diffused LED or a 15K
resistor for a clear superbright LED.
•I recommend using multilayer ceramic capacitors for the 220nF
caps to keep the si e down. For the larger values use electrolytic
capacitors as usual.
•** LED5 is not supposed to be external. It's just part of the filter
circuit, so just mount it on the PCB on the component side like the
rest of the components. The LED type/si e and colour is not critical.
Things not included in the BOM that you will also need:
1x Hammond BBDD/JJ enclosure, 1x DC jack, 1x 6.3mm mono jack for
the output, 12x knobs, 4x LED be els (optional), 2x 3.5mm jacks
(optional, for the CV inputs)
Resistors R21 47K IC's
R1 100K R22 CLR* U1 CD4069UBE
R2 2.2K Capacitors U2 CD4052
R3 22K C1 220nF U3 CD4046
R4 100K C2 47uF U4 CD4015
R5 100K C3 220nF U5 CD4093
R6 4.7K C4 220nF
R7 220K C5 220nF Potentiometers
R8 4.7K C6 100nF RATE C50K
R9 220K C7 100nF FREQ 2 C100K
R10 330K C8 2.2uF FREQ 3 C100K
R11 15K C9 220pF PORTAMENTO A1M
R12 330K C10 100nF FILTER B500K
R13 220K C11 4.7nF rest of the pots (x7) B100K
R14 100K C12 6.8nF Switches
R15 47K C13 100uF LFO/STEPS DPDT on/off/on
R16 220K Diodes NAND/XOR DPDT on/off/on
R17 100K D1 1N4001 1x Momentary push button
R18 100K
R19 100K LED5** 3mm normal red diffused LED
R20 100K 4x LED's (for the sequencer)

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Fitting everything inside the enclosure
Getting everything mounted inside the enclosure can be a bit tricky
because of all the pots, leds and switches. Here's what I do.
1. Solder the middle leg of the potentiometers to the PCB first
(that way the pots won't fall out when you try to insert the
board into the enclosure, but they will still have some
movement for adjustment).
2. Place the switches inside the enclosure.
3. Put the LED's in the PCB (without soldering).
4. Carefully put everything together and make sure that
everything lines up.
5. Solder everything in place.
In this picture example I put the top four pots inside the enclosure
first, since the DC jack was in the way, but it's much easier to
solder them to the PCB insted which I was doing on later builds
This shows the 2 0 PCB, but the same method goes for version 3 0
When using a pot cover I usually keep the legs of the pots a bit
liften from the hole so that the pot sits flush against the PCB.

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Offboard Wiring
•9V pad to DC jack positive lug (or battery clip +)
•G pad to DC jack negative (or battery clip -)
•O pad to output jack Tip
•G pad to output jack Sleeve
If you want to drive this effect from a 9 volt battery, I recommend using
an extra switch (like a SPST, or a SPDT using two of the pins) as an
on/off switch, to disengage the battery while not in use.
CV jac Wiring
•To hook up the CV (control voltage) input jacks, connect the CV pad on
the PCB to the tip of a 3.5mm jack (or jack of your choice). Make sure
that the sleeve of your jack is connected to ground (it usually is
connected to ground via the enclosure unless you have an isolated jack
type). If you use a stereo/balanced jack, just leave the ring lug
unconnected.
CV1 = oscillator 1 frequency
CV2 = filter cutoff
The CV input range is 0-9 volts, but 0-5 volts works great aswell.

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Drilling template (Hammond BBDD/JJ)
•Drill holes on the sides for the output jack and the DC jack to your
own preference
•Make sure your printer is printing 100% print si e and isn't doing
any scaling.
•Use at your own risk! This template is approximate.
•The pot and switch placements are exactly the same as PCB
version 2.0 (MK2), except one extra hole for the push button.
•Measure and confirm before drilling!

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Schematic

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Troubleshooting
There's always a chance of running into trouble. To minimi e error, follow
the BOM and general building tips carefully. Take your time and don't
rush. Take a break now and then. Use good solder, and it helps to have a
decent soldering station insted of a cheap iron.
If you are still having trouble, please visit the madbean forum Parasit
Studio subforum section and ask for help there.
http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?board=84.0
If you have bought the Musikding kit and have recieved a faulty or
missing component, please contact musikding directly.
[email protected]
Terms of use
PCB's from Parasit Studio are intended for DIY use only. Commercial resale is
not allowed. It's meant for personal use, which means that it's not allowed to
build many pedals and sell them for profit to strangers using public forums,
webshops or craiglist ads ect. However, it's totally ok to build a few pedals and
give to your friends and bandmates. After all, that's what this hobby is
about. :)
www.parasitstudio.se
[email protected]