Progress as of 1/29/2025

Instead of jumping straight into building a crazy fuzz pedal with different tone knobs and a volume knob using a bunch of transistors and resistors, we decided to start off with a simpler version to test out our components. This version uses a single transistor, resistor, diode, and two capacitors. With this smaller-scale version of the fuzz pedal, it's a lot simpler for us to understand how all the electrical components work. Now we understand:

-Transistors take the guitar's signal and amplify it, adding distortion at the same time

-The transistor’s hFe value (amplification factor) determines the degree of distortion. Higher hFe values lead to more distortion.

-Diodes clip the signal giving it the characteristic fuzz sound

-Resistors control the current and determine the voltage levels which also affects sound

-Capacitors filter the signal also affecting the tone formation or specifically the pitch Higher values result in a brighter sound, while lower values produce a warmer sound

This is basically everything we’ve experimented with and learned so far

We are currently working with kiCAD to design a schematic and PCB for the simple pedal