DIY effect design process?

[coldfoot_luke]

A question for all the individuals that build effect pedals- How do you design the circuits? Do you use software to design and simulate the circuits, and if so, what program?

I just found a program on my university's computer system that can model circuits called Simulink... I only know the basics of electronics but now I'm temped to open up a basic pedal and try to re-create it electronically... as if I don't have enough schoolwork and random dissected music equipment laying around.

[smllsnd/bigsnd]

a breadboard!

starting with circuit snippets, building blocks, drawing block diagrams, referencing component appnotes and datasheets are all good starting out points.

[PhiDeck]

Originally Posted by coldfoot_luke

A question for all the individuals that build effect pedals- How do you design the circuits? Do you use software to design and simulate the circuits, and if so, what program?

I just found a program on my university's computer system that can model circuits called Simulink... I only know the basics of electronics but now I'm temped to open up a basic pedal and try to re-create it electronically... as if I don't have enough schoolwork and random dissected music equipment laying around.

Which simulator is appropriate would depend on whether the effect pedal is analog or digital.

The most popular analog circuit simulator is SPICE. Cadence Design has a free student edition of their P-Spice. It limits the quantity of components, but that quantity suffices for simple circuits.

Digital circuit simulators abound. Selecting the appropriate one(s) requires knowing more about the design.

Simulink is a system simulator.

[KarateKid25]

Breadboard

[UncleFluffy]

Initial noodling and getting the numbers right with LTSpice.

Verifying the numbers and getting the sound right on breadboard.