Dirty Little JCM

Building instructions
v1.0
 Dirty Little JCM v1.0
Table of contents

PCB layout ............................................................................................................................................... 3

Components ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Bill of Materials........................................................................................................................................ 5
Power section .......................................................................................................................................... 6
Modifications........................................................................................................................................... 7
Build sequence ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Off board wiring ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Potentiometers.................................................................................................................................... 8
(Foot)switch......................................................................................................................................... 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: 24-04-2017

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.
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 Dirty Little JCM v1.0
PCB layout

Dimensions: 50 mm x 61 mm
1.97 inch x 2.4 inch

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
 Dirty Little JCM v1.0
Components
All parts must be rated 25V+

Name Value Comment Name Value Comment Name Value Comment

C1 220n R1 470k D1 1N5817
C2 1n R2 33k D2 1N5817
C3 680n R3 820R D3 1N5817
C4 2n2 R4 1M IC1 ICL7660S Or LT1054
C5 2u2 R5 1M P1 A1M GAIN
C6 22n R6 1M P2 B25K MID
C7 470p R7 470k P3 A1M BASS
C8 47p R8 470k P4 B250K TREBLE
C9 470p R9 560R P5 B10k PRESENCE
C10 680n R10 100k P6 B250K VOLUME
C11 2u2 R11 1M Q1 MPF4393
C12 470p R12 1M Q2 MPF4393
C13 22n R13 56k Q3 MPF4393
C14 22n R14 1k Q4 MPF4393
C15 22n R15 1k Q5 MPF4393
C16 220n R16 47k
C17 100n R17 2M2
C18 220p R18 2M2
C19 470p R19 4k7
C20 47u R20 1k
C21 22u R21 33k
C22 270p R22 1M
C23 10u R23* 4M7
C24 10u SW1 SPDT Voltage
C25 100n SW2A SPDT
C26 100u SW2B SPDT
C27 Not connected SW2C DPDT
C28* 10n SW2D DPDT

* R23 and C28 are part of a mod. Do not place them if you do not want to use the mod!

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
 Dirty Little JCM v1.0
Bill of Materials

Capacitors Resistors
Amount Part Type Amount Part Type
1 47p Ceramic 1 560R 1% metalfilm
1 220p Ceramic 1 820R 1% metalfilm
1 270p Ceramic 3 1k 1% metalfilm
4 470p Ceramic 2 4k7 1% metalfilm
1 1n MKT 2 33k 1% metalfilm
1 2n2 MKT 1 47k 1% metalfilm
1 10n MKT 1 56k 1% metalfilm
4 22n MKT 1 100k 1% metalfilm
2 100n MKT 3 470k 1% metalfilm
2 220n MKT 6 1M 1% metalfilm
2 680n MKT 2 2M2 1% metalfilm
2 2u2 Electrolyte 25V+ 1 4M7 1% metalfilm
2 10u Electrolyte 25V+ 1 B10k 16 mm Alpha
1 22u Electrolyte 25V+ 1 B25K 16 mm Alpha
1 47u Electrolyte 25V+ 2 B250K 16 mm Alpha
1 100u Electrolyte 25V+ 2 A1M 16 mm Alpha
Semi conductors Other
Amount Part Type Amount Part Type
3 1N5817 3 SPDT
5 MPF4393 1 DPDT
1 ICL7660S Or LT1054 1 3PDT Footswitch
1 LED 1 Jack Mono jack
1 Jack Stereo jack
1 Box Hammond 1590B/BB
1 DC 2,1mm DC jack
4 Spacer Plastic PCB spacers
1 DIL-8 Socket for IC

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
 Dirty Little JCM v1.0
Power section

The effect has been designed to be able to operate on 9V or 18V. SW1 enables you to switch
dynamically between these settings. If you do not want to use the switch then do not forget to solder
a jumper between the middle pad and the desired voltage pad. NEVER let the outer 2 lugs of SW1
tough each other and also never connect all 3 pins of SW1 together. If your 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.

You can choose between 3 options for the power section:

1. No charge pump:
Do NOT install: C23, C24, D2, D3, IC1, J1, SW1
Extra jumpers: SW1 on 9V pad and middle pad
The effect can now be used with a standard 9V adapter or a 18V adapter

2. Charge pump using a ICL7660S:

Place all components as stated on the PCB and
connect a jumper between leg 1 and 8 of IC1.
Do not forget to place the jumper before placing the
DIP-8 socket of the IC.
NB. Only use the 7660S and not other
versions without the S.

The effect can now only be used with a 9V adapter and you can switch it internally to 9V or
18V.

3. Charge pump using a LT1054:

You can place all components as stated on the PCB just do NOT connect pin 1 and 8 of IC1!!
The effect can now only be used with a 9V adapter and you can switch it internally to 9V or
18V.

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
 Dirty Little JCM v1.0
Modifications

The effect can be perceived as dark and wooly. If you experience this, I recommend the following
mod (thanks to John Kallas & lvlark on tagboardeffects):

 C4: 220n
 C17: 22n
 C28: 10n
 Q1-Q5: 2N5457 (or J201)
 R9: 1k
 R15: 220R
 R20: 220R
 R23: 4M7

These parts are extra and not in the bill of materials (except for R23 and C28 which are on the BOM).

Switching between the “Super Lead” and “Super Bass” can be done by either soldering SW2A-D on a
single 4PDT or as mentioned in the off board wiring by 2 SPDT (SW2A and SW2B) and one DPDT
(SW2C and SW2D).

The MPF4393 are hard to find and expensive. You could replace them with PN4393, 2N5457 or J201.
I advise the 2N5457 for the pure subjective reason that I like the sound.

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
 Dirty Little JCM v1.0
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. Usually capacitors differ a lot in size depending on their rating.

Note: Do not blow on your solder in an attempt to cool it down. That will possibly result in a bad join
that might corrode!

Start by soldering the resistors, then the diodes and then the ceramic capacitors.

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 small MKT (<680n) capacitators then the rest of the MKT capacitors and
then 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.

Off board wiring

Potentiometers
In the pictures below you see the correct pin numbering of the pots.
Solder the wires accordingly and it is always a good idea to twist the wires together to create a sort
of extra shielding against external noise.

You can break of the pin I marked with the yellow circle with a small pair of pliers.

P1 P2 P3

1 2 3 3 2 1 1 2 3
P4 P5 P6

3 2 1 1 2 3 3 2 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
 Dirty Little JCM v1.0
(Foot)switch

Cathode (short leg)

Anode (long leg)
R led

Sleeve

Ring
Sleeve

Tip
Tip

Note that this wiring is using a sort of star grounding and the output connector must make good
electrical contact with the enclosure else the grounding will not work properly and the effect might
start to buzz loudly.

Also Note that R led is a 4k7 resistor. You can change this value depending on the type of LED you
use but 4k7 is safe enough for almost all LEDs for both 9V as well as 18V.

As mentioned in the beginning of this manual, you could combine the 2 SPDT with the DPDT switch
of SW2A-SW2D to one 4PDT switch. Make sure you connect all the 4 rows in the same way, making
the square pad always the left most pin on the switch.

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!

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
 Dirty Little JCM v1.0
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.

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
 Dirty Little JCM v1.0
Schematic

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