Catalinbread LLC DIY Knight School Overdrive Kit Instructions
- June 15, 2024
- Catalinbread LLC
Table of Contents
Catalinbread LLC DIY Knight School Overdrive Kit Instructions
HELLO PEDAL BUILDER!
Yes, you, after finishing and executing the contents of these instructions,
you will have earned that title. The information contained herein will let you
know how we can go about accomplishing that goal.
YOU WILL NEED THE FOLLOWING EQUIPMENT:
- A soldering iron (not a “gun,” preferably one with a variable temp)
- Solder (lead-free or the standard stuff, it’s up to you)
- Wire cutters (nail clippers will work in a pinch)
- Sockets or a pair of pliers (for tightening nuts)
- A well-ventilated workspace (don’t breathe solder fumes)
OPTIONAL BUT HELPFUL:
- A “third hand” tool or PCB vise/holder (to hold the board, soldering is typically a two-handed job)
- A “solder sucker” (in case you make mistakes)
AND BEFORE WE GET INTO IT:
Neither I nor Catalinbread, LLC, will be held responsible for any personal
harm, property damage, or any other kind of liability stemming from the
assembly of this device from instructional materials found on this site or
elsewhere. This includes the included componentry as well as the use of tools
specified as necessary for the assembly of this kit, such as soldering irons,
ventilation devices, hand tools, etc.
SOLDERING: QUICK AND DIRTY
Before we start, I want to say that there are plenty of fine videos on YouTube that can cover this in great detail. However, in the interest of space, I will keep it quick.
- Whatever solder type you are using will dictate the temp at which you should run your iron. If you’re using leaded (standard) solder, you can keep it between 600 and 650 degrees. Lead-free solder requires a slightly higher temperature, between 650 and 700 degrees.
- Use your iron tip to heat the pad around the part and not the part itself. Heat the pad with one hand holding the iron and the other feeding the solder to the pad. With any luck, the solder will flow.
Make sure the pad is completely covered in solder but not bubbled over into a huge glob. Think concave, not convex.
ASSEMBLY VIDEO
PARTS LIST
ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
Generally speaking, when I’m assembling a board, I install components by height, so that when I flip the board over to solder the components, the board is relatively flat on my workspace, and then I don’t have to use a third hand/PCB vise. In many cases, this means that resistors and diodes are first, any ICs/chips are second, non-electrolytic capacitors are third, transistors are fourth (there are none in this build), electrolytic capacitors are fifth, and potentiometers/hardware are last. Lastly, you can assemble the components in any order you wish and it has no bearing on the final product. The instructions below will assume you are following my preferences.
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Insert the resistors into their indicated positions, and bend the leads outward such that they stay in the board when you flip it over to solder. Trim excess component leads off after soldering. The orientation of the resistors on the board does not matter. Resistors are measured in Ohms, “K” is shorthand for “kiloohms.” The values are written on the PCB itself, but unfortunately resistor values are not normally printed on the part. The color bands correspond to the value, and you are welcome to look up a decoder chart, but here’s the quick and dirty:
1K: brown/black/red/gold
10K: brown/black/orange/gold
82K: gray/red/orange/gold
150K: brown/green/yellow/gold
2M2: red/red/green/gold
68K: blue/gray/orange/gold -
Insert the diode into its indicated position, making note of the stripe on the part itself, and match it to the picture on the board. Unlike resistors, the direction of this does matter. Bend the leads out to secure them, solder them in, then trim off the excess.
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Insert the IC socket into its position, with the notch facing up, then solder all the pins. The pins are short, don’t worry about trimming them. Then insert the IC into the socket in the same orientation. These ship to us (and thus, you) with the legs slightly fanned outward, so they will not drop directly in without some coercion. To make this work, hold the sides of the IC (don’t worry, you can touch the legs) and then gently bend the pins inward. With some gentle shaping, the IC will drop right in. Make sure that each pin is in a socket, sometimes if an IC that isn’t properly aligned, it can smoosh the pins up onto itself rather than going into the socket. Verify that all pins are inside the sockets.
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Insert the capacitors into their indicated positions and bend the leads out. Solder them in and trim off the excess. The orientation of the non-electrolytic capacitors on the board does not matter. Capacitors are technically measured in Farads, but we work with very small values, typically in picofarads (p, pF), nanofarads (n, nF) and microfarads (u, uF). All nano- and microfarad parts will have the value printed right on them. The ceramic capacitors are usually small and so they rely on a code, which is printed upon them very small. On these, one three-digit number is printed. The first two numbers are, well, the first two numbers of the value, and the third is the number of zeros after, and the resulting number corresponds to the value of the capacitor, in picofarads.
47p: “47” with either no third number or “0” 100p: “101” -
Insert the electrolytic capacitor into its position, (shorter leg is negative, it is also printed on the part itself), bend leads outward, solder it in and trim off the excess.
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Add the hardware, which includes the LED (the shorter of the two legs is negative), the footswitch (make sure the flat footswitch lugs are parallel with the board’s bottom edge, not perpendicular), jacks, DC jack and ground spring. Solder them in and trim off the nubs.
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Solder the wires to the potentiometer lugs, then orient the other ends of the wires into the pads onto the board. Match the value (printed on the pots) to the writing on the board and with the potentiometer shafts pointing up, align them such that the lugs are pointing in the direction of the arrow pointing near each. On this particular board, the outer two potentiometers should be pointing down, and the center is pointing up.
At this point, you can try the pedal out without putting it in the enclosure.
If you followed these instructions exactly, it will work, and if it does,
congratulations, put it in the enclosure and let it
rip! If it doesn’t work, it’s not a big deal! But some fixes are easier than
others. If you own a disordering pump, you’re going to get some usage out of
it.
TROUBLESHOOTING
ISSUE: NO SOUND WHATSOEVER AND NO LED LIGHT
Potential problems: 1N4001 backwards, 47u capacitor backwards, footswitch
inserted with lugs perpendicular to bottom board edge Solutions: Make sure the
first two components are oriented correctly. If it’s the footswitch, you can
disorder it but it will be a challenge. Unfortunately it is emboldened within
the instructions for this reason.
ISSUE: NO SOUND, LED LIT
Potential problems: IC not inserted correctly, missing component Solutions:
Make sure the transistors are inserted in accordance with the shape printed on
the board, and make sure all component slots are filled (some boards for other
effects purposefully omit components but not this one).
ISSUE: LOUD, SOUNDS “OFF”, NOT MUCH GRIT
Potential problems: IC backwards, wrong parts in pads Solutions: Verify the
placement of each part and ensure they match the board footprint. Other
issues? Email us! [email protected]