Aion Electronics Blueshift Chorus Manual Download Page 1

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BLUESHIFT CHORUS / BOSS DC-2 DIMENSION C

WARNING / DISCLAIMER

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE PURCHASING OR BUILDING THIS PROJECT!

1. NO DIRECT TECHNICAL SUPPORT:

 This project has been verified to be working. I have done my best 

to provide extremely thorough documentation, including information to help you troubleshoot. But on a 

project this size, I have to reiterate that 

Aion Electronics cannot provide direct technical support for this 

project

 or others. I love helping people bring these circuits to life, but my availability is very limited. If you post 

your question on one of the DIY forums and send me a link, I will do my best to chime in. Just know before 

purchasing this PCB that 

there is no implied guarantee of the final product

, because the biggest factor is 

outside my control: 

you!

 Your experience and your attention to detail are the most important ingredients in 

making sure this works. My role is to provide the recipe and some cooking utensils.

2. IT WILL TAKE AWHILE:

 Be prepared to invest some hours into putting this together. You’ll want to be 

doubly careful when populating the board since it’ll be much more difficult to track down a problem if you were 

to make even the most basic of mistakes (for instance, accidentally using a 100k resistor somewhere instead 

of a 10k). 

You can’t be too cautious.

 I’d recommend measuring each resistor with a multimeter before putting 

it into place. Triple-check your wiring. The more time you spend on the initial build, the less time you’ll have to 

spend troubleshooting.

3. IT’S COMPLICATED:

 This is a very complex circuit in a very small enclosure and it takes experience and a 

lot of attention to detail in order to pull it off. Hopefully it goes without saying, but 

if you’ve never built a guitar 

pedal before, this shouldn’t be your first

. If you haven’t successfully built at least ten or fifteen, including a 

few choruses or delays, you may not be ready for this one yet.

4. YOU’VE GOT TO BUILD IT AS IT WAS INTENDED:

 I approached the project as though I was designing a 

completed product for market. Everything has been designed to be built using methods you’d see in a high-end 

pedal (for instance, PCB-mounted switches, a standoff for mounting stability, and components with specific 

sizes and characteristics) and a full bill of materials has been provided so that it is very easy to order all the 

parts from 

Mouser

. We all build pedals in our own style, but with this one, if you try to “freestyle” by doing 

your own enclosure layout or using parts other than the ones specified, you might back yourself into a corner. 

Please do things my way—you’ll end up with a very professional and durable end product and you might even 

learn a few things in the process!

5. IT’S NOT CHEAP:

 Between the PCB, enclosure, hardware, potentiometers, and the on-board components, 

expect to spend a minimum of 

$100 USD

 and probably closer to $125. Please don’t try to cut corners on the 

parts selection by using poor-quality components or by substituting “close enough” components that you have 

laying around. You’re putting a lot of time and effort into this build, so it’s worth a few extra dollars to use the 

right parts. Expect to order from more than one web store to get everything you need.

6. IT NEEDS TO BE BIASED:

 This pedal will not function properly without biasing the BBDs. It can be done by 

ear with passable results, but for optimum sound quality and noise control, it requires an oscilloscope. If you 

don’t have one, be prepared to either buy one or to make friends with someone who does own one.

Now that you’ve been properly warned: on to the fun stuff!

Summary of Contents for Blueshift Chorus

Page 1: ...it goes without saying but if you ve never built a guitar pedal before this shouldn t be your first If you haven t successfully built at least ten or fifteen including a few choruses or delays you may...

Page 2: ...dry signal so that signal A reaches its maximum delay time when signal B reaches its minimum and vice versa Since the average remains constant this effect is referred to as motionless because it doesn...

Page 3: ...The Blueshift is faithful to the original Dimension C circuit with only the following changes Radio buttons The original unit had what are called radio buttons meaning that when a button is pressed it...

Page 4: ...0 100k R51 47k R52 100R R53 100R R54 5k6 R55 8k2 R56 1k5 R57 6k8 R58 10k R59 10k R60 10k R61 100k R62 10k R63 10k R64 10k R65 10k R66 10k R67 680k R68 56k R69 680k R70 10k R71 33k R72 1k R73 100k R74...

Page 5: ...47uF tantalum C49 1uF film C50 47pF MLCC C51 4n7 C52 4n7 C53 47pF MLCC C54 1uF film C55 3n3 C56 1n2 C57 1n2 C58 3n3 C59 18n C60 18n C61 100pF MLCC C62 18n C63 1uF film C64 1uF film C65 1uF electro Pot...

Page 6: ...it s level with the enclosure This is purely cosmetic If you choose to use the countersink method you ll want a 6 32 x 1 4 flat head screw for this Pin headers The two PCBs are connected by pin heade...

Page 7: ...tion The regulated supply for the BBD section should be around 6 8V so you ll want to adjust the trimmers until you read 3 4V on pin 3 of each BBD This can be done on just the bottom PCB without the t...

Page 8: ...bNation SmartScope a relatively inexpensive USD 230 software based oscilloscope that also includes signal generation functionality The hardware connects via USB and you can use a computer smartphone o...

Page 9: ...k 1n2 18n 18n 180K 33k 47k 220k 1n2 18n J113 68k 2k2 22n 2N5088 10k 1M GND GND 9V VR 1M 100k 47n GND 9V 1N914 1M 1M VR VR 9V GND VB GND VC 4u7 H11F1 220n GND A A A 1uF 1uF 1uF 1uF 1uF 1uF 1uF 1uF 1uF...

Page 10: ...sure to secure it while drilling Note that the holes are shown slightly smaller than they need to be so drill out the holes as shown and then step up until they are the correct size for the components...

Page 11: ...er than life size The PCB on the left the clock LFO board measures 2 15 x 2 9 The PCB on the right the signal board measures 2 15 x 3 79 They are shown here with component sides facing up but componen...

Page 12: ...se can be found pretty easily and will work fine but they must be the black box style enclosed jacks not the open frame type Switchcraft 11 12B or Neutrik NMJ series The DC jack is an unswitched minia...

Page 13: ...and F are left unconnected Pads D E and G H are jumpered Make sure to cross reference this diagram with the table on page 15 The wires can be pretty hard to follow in the diagram since it is a small e...

Page 14: ...ing diagram pads I J and K L are jumpered Make sure to cross reference this diagram with the table on page 15 The wires can be pretty hard to follow in the diagram since it is a small enclosure and th...

Page 15: ...of wires in multiple layers inside a small box the wiring diagrams on pages 13 and 14 can be a little hard to follow Use the table below and cross reference it with the corresponding wiring diagram P...

Page 16: ...ing them in place inside the enclosure there is no stress on the solder joints from slight misalignments that do not fit the drilled holes You can still take it out easily if the build needs to be deb...

Page 17: ...ssumed that you have at least some experience building pedals before starting one of these Replacements and refunds will not be offered unless it can be shown that the circuit or documentation are in...

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