DIY
Knight School
Filter Kit
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.
1. 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.
2. 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
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.
1. 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:
2K7: red/violet/red/gold
8K2: grey/red/red/gold
12K: brown/red/orange/gold
10K: brown/black/orange/gold
22K: red/red/orange/gold
100K: brown/black/yellow/gold
120K: brown/red/yellow/gold
680K: blue/grey/yellow/gold
2M2: red/red/green/gold
560Ω: green/blue/brown/gold
2. 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 these does matter. Bend the leads out to secure them,
solder them in, then trim off the excess.
3.Insert the IC into its position, with the IC notch/dot aligned according to the PCB graphic. Make sure
that each pin is in a pad, sometimes if an IC that isn’t properly aligned, it can smoosh the pins up onto
itself rather than going into the board. Verify that all pins are inside the pads, then solder them in. The
pins are short, don’t worry about trimming them after soldering . 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.
4. Insert the film (non-cylindrical) 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.
5. Insert the electrolytic capacitors into their positions, (shorter leg is negative, it is also printed on the
part itself), bend leads outward, solder them in and trim off the excess.
6. 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.
7. 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 graphic near
each. On this board, there are three pots (one is a dual-gang, or double pot), the top two facing inward
and the third facing downward.
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 desoldering pump, you’re
going to get some usage out of it.
TROUBLESHOOTING
ISSUE: NO SOUND WHATSOEVER AND NO LED LIGHT
Potential problems: 1N4001 backwards, capacitor (the one near the DC jack) 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 desolder it but it will be a challenge. Unfortunately it is emboldened within the instructions
for this reason.
ISSUE: NO SOUND WITH PEDAL ON AND/OR NO LED LIGHT
Potential problems: Missing component, electrolytic capacitors installed backwards, LED
installed backwards, IC installed backwards.
Solutions: Verify that all components are installed and in accordance with the board footprint.
ISSUE: FILTER SOUNDS WONKY
Potential problem: Dual-gang potentiometer not wired properly
Solution: Verify that this part is lined up with its board footprint and that all wires are in the
correct pads.
ISSUE: SOUND, BUT LED ISN’T FUNCTIONING
Potential problems: LED installed backwards
Solutions: Make sure the LED is inserted according to the footprint.
Other issues? Email us! [email protected]
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