Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Question out of curiosity.. I was looking at this schematic, and it doesn't quite make sense to me how it matches up with what I thought it did.

I understand the switch to select one of: led, silicon, or germanium as the clipping diodes. But the schematic makes it seem to me that the LEDs are always part of the circuit, no matter the switch position. Is there something I don't understand?

Josh

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You are correct that the LED clippers are always in the signal path....but that doesn't mean that they're always doing anything. Think of the signal flowing to ground through the clipping stage like water flowing over a dam . The height of the dam is defined by the forward voltage threshold of the diodes. The LEDs are highest at ~2V, the silicons are second at ~0.6V, and the germaniums are lowest at ~0.25V. The signal will flow (i.e. clip to ground) over the lowest "dam" available. With the clipping toggle in the middle position, only the LEDs are accessible, so that's where the signal (that portion higher than 2V in amplitude) clips. But flip the toggle to either side and a lower "dam" will be available in a parallel path, so that's where the signal clips. Since the forward voltage is lower for either of those diode types than the LEDs, more signal is clipped, so the output volume is reduced and sounds more compressed and distorted.

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Ahh, thanks @duhvoodooman , that makes total sense now!

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