An easy way to convert smd mmbfj201's to use with through-hole pcb's Link to my webstore for the mmbfj201 and DIY PCB layout for the Adapter boards: www.diyguitarpe...
I find tinning the run helps in conjunction with well placed heat spreader over the IC. Since it's more less making the solder get to proper temps and not the IC... Every once in a while, you have a current video that is in the realm of what I'm doing, that's a SMD overhaul of the VREG circuit on my cellular amplifier. Trick repair for heat, but it's just a L7805CV that shunted to ground! Within 5 to 10 minutes, I caught the failure. It was interesting as I've never been around to see a VREG go!
Soldering SMD is easier if you put some solder on one of the contact points then place the component. Then you re-melt the solder and correctly place the component with the tweezers. After that, you can solder the rest of the connections. It works for any smd component.
I also use a small soldering station for all the smd stuff. The iron has a smaller tip which makes it way easier to work with... So maybe my advice is not as valid with a bigger soldering iron...
I've tried that once/twice before but found the uneven surface difficult to line up the component, but if you reckon its the way to go I will try it again, thanks for the tip!
i do smd soldering all the time and you weren't using enough flux the solder you have on your iron tip should almost jump on to the joint and soak in. also a 1mm chisel tip would make things much easer because it has a much better thermal transfer.
It's called Prestik here in South Africa (manufactured by Bostik), but called Blutack most everywhere else that I know of, so search for Blutack where you are. Anyway, any stationary store should sell something like it, used to hold up pictures in classrooms and stuff like that. I guess, if you're really desperate, you could probably get away with using some kind of putty, or your own used chewing gum maybe mixed with some sand or something to kill the excessive stick/elasticity ? XD
oh yeah i had a kester one from eBay to i think it was bull because it just smelt like isopropyl alcohol any way these days i just use liquid no clean flux in a little bottle it was about £5 for 200 ml which is way better value than the 12ml Electrolube flux pens you can get for £4.69 but they seem to work very well to though.
Seriously, the bigger the glob the better the job. Kidding ofc. I'm looking to make my firt distortion pedal and already I've come to a stop regarding that j201. What a bugger, so many pedals use that transistor. Is it possible to change a circuit to use bjts? Electronics noob here. Thanks
I know this is an old video, but hopefully you’ll still answer. I bought some mmbfj201’s from Mouser because my stash of through hole j201’s are running low. I etched some daughter boards and used my soldering iron first to solder some of the smd’s on it. Afterwards, I put them in my transistor tester and they show as bjt npn’s. So, I thought maybe I etched the wrong pinout. So, I etched the opposite. Soldered some on, and they show as bjt’s as well. So, I bought a hot air gun for smd’s and solder paste, soldered some on both configuration of etched boards and they all tested as bjt npn’s. Now, I’ve just started soldering smd’s and I know I haven’t perfected it, but I’m pretty sure something isn’t right about it. I’m wondering if Mouser sent me the wrong transistors? Is it easy to damage smd’s with heat?
This could be a few things. I have one of those ATMEGA328P based component testers and one of the firmware versions I had didn't like some JFETs for some reason, but after updating the firmware, that seemed to fix it (90% of the time, that is). Heat could kill them, but I know I'm pretty terrible with heat, and so far, I haven't killed any SOT-23-3 JFETs that I used. I have a small reel of 201's and 5457's in SOT-23-3, and so far, so good. If you breadboard those as a simple JFET boost and it works, then I would guess the tester is your issue.
@@erikvincent5846 - right on. I’ve since built a test pedal to what I use my J201’s in and put sockets in. Now I’ll test the surface mount J201’s in the sockets. Since my original post, I ordered some through hole J201’s from Banzai (took about a month and a half to get them), but so far they are legit j201’s. I’ve used them in a few distortion pedals I’ve made. I appreciate your comment brother!
Unfortunately, those are two different component types. J201's are Junction Field Effect Transistors (JFETs) while "Germanium Transistors" are Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJTs). Though both are transistors, they act very differently and sound differently as well. For example, JFETs and Germanium Transistors are on opposite ends of the input impedance spectrum for amplifiers, as JFETs have nearly infinite input impedance (why you see them used as input buffers a lot) while most Germanium Transistors have terrible input impedance (why most Germanium Fuzzes have terrible input impedance ratings and usually need to be first in your signal chain, minus fuzz faces, which also have bad input impedance, but need to be first for other reasons). Another difference is the gains on those guys. J201s have much more gain than any Germanium Transistor I've ever seen... by a lot. I hope this helps.
Can you please do a video transistor equivalence please ? i've been reading and aparently the 2N5457 2N5458 and 2N5459 are viable replacements. and since de j201 is extinct that would be valuable info. Thank you, btw i'm trying to make the booster circuit from your 10 min pedal builds and at the moment i'm just using transistors almost randomly
no kidding. If people would learn about what the component does and the applicable component specs they would realize there are tons of other components that can be used with minimal difference in tone. To much builders doing paint by numbers and think they need exact replacements
There was C!@#LOADS of flux on it, i think you just cant see it in the video. The problem might still be the flux pen though. Its a kester from ebay but im SURE its a fake. God knows whats even in the stupid thing. I have seen dave jones (eevblog) mention those chisel tips a million times but i dont really do enough smd to justify getting one. If i do i will change both of these things thanks.
100% Guaranteed, probably not. But SMD devices typically are harder to fake, and that component is still manufactured at a reasonable price, making it unlikely that its a fake. Just search for mmbfj201 and get them from a reputable dealer. We have them on our site, if you are looking for them: www.diyguitarpedals.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=52
I find tinning the run helps in conjunction with well placed heat spreader over the IC.
Since it's more less making the solder get to proper temps and not the IC...
Every once in a while, you have a current video that is in the realm of what I'm doing, that's a SMD overhaul of the VREG circuit on my cellular amplifier.
Trick repair for heat, but it's just a L7805CV that shunted to ground! Within 5 to 10 minutes, I caught the failure. It was interesting as I've never been around to see a VREG go!
Soldering SMD is easier if you put some solder on one of the contact points then place the component. Then you re-melt the solder and correctly place the component with the tweezers. After that, you can solder the rest of the connections. It works for any smd component.
Yeah i agree! Not convinced this flux pen is the real deal. Will have to look into one of those bottles, cheers!
Its magnificent for any small scale soldering job!
most hardware stores have it here in the US. They even have it at Walmart as well. just have to look for it.
I also use a small soldering station for all the smd stuff. The iron has a smaller tip which makes it way easier to work with... So maybe my advice is not as valid with a bigger soldering iron...
I've tried that once/twice before but found the uneven surface difficult to line up the component, but if you reckon its the way to go I will try it again, thanks for the tip!
i do smd soldering all the time and you weren't using enough flux the solder you have on your iron tip should almost jump on to the joint and soak in. also a 1mm chisel tip would make things much easer because it has a much better thermal transfer.
It's called Prestik here in South Africa (manufactured by Bostik), but called Blutack most everywhere else that I know of, so search for Blutack where you are. Anyway, any stationary store should sell something like it, used to hold up pictures in classrooms and stuff like that. I guess, if you're really desperate, you could probably get away with using some kind of putty, or your own used chewing gum maybe mixed with some sand or something to kill the excessive stick/elasticity ? XD
oh yeah i had a kester one from eBay to i think it was bull because it just smelt like isopropyl alcohol any way these days i just use liquid no clean flux in a little bottle it was about £5 for 200 ml which is way better value than the 12ml Electrolube flux pens you can get for £4.69 but they seem to work very well to though.
Seriously, the bigger the glob the better the job. Kidding ofc. I'm looking to make my firt distortion pedal and already I've come to a stop regarding that j201. What a bugger, so many pedals use that transistor. Is it possible to change a circuit to use bjts? Electronics noob here. Thanks
Ive decided building with blutack (smd or throughhole) has made my life so much easier, its going to be my next upload :D
Jizzz mate! soon you will make your own capacitors and resisostors :P will be a 100% DIY!
Cheers! There is a etchable pdf layout on my webstore if you want to etch some yourself. The link is in the description.
fiddly little buggers...cool idea man.
I know this is an old video, but hopefully you’ll still answer. I bought some mmbfj201’s from Mouser because my stash of through hole j201’s are running low. I etched some daughter boards and used my soldering iron first to solder some of the smd’s on it. Afterwards, I put them in my transistor tester and they show as bjt npn’s. So, I thought maybe I etched the wrong pinout. So, I etched the opposite. Soldered some on, and they show as bjt’s as well. So, I bought a hot air gun for smd’s and solder paste, soldered some on both configuration of etched boards and they all tested as bjt npn’s. Now, I’ve just started soldering smd’s and I know I haven’t perfected it, but I’m pretty sure something isn’t right about it. I’m wondering if Mouser sent me the wrong transistors? Is it easy to damage smd’s with heat?
This could be a few things. I have one of those ATMEGA328P based component testers and one of the firmware versions I had didn't like some JFETs for some reason, but after updating the firmware, that seemed to fix it (90% of the time, that is). Heat could kill them, but I know I'm pretty terrible with heat, and so far, I haven't killed any SOT-23-3 JFETs that I used. I have a small reel of 201's and 5457's in SOT-23-3, and so far, so good. If you breadboard those as a simple JFET boost and it works, then I would guess the tester is your issue.
@@erikvincent5846 - right on. I’ve since built a test pedal to what I use my J201’s in and put sockets in. Now I’ll test the surface mount J201’s in the sockets. Since my original post, I ordered some through hole J201’s from Banzai (took about a month and a half to get them), but so far they are legit j201’s. I’ve used them in a few distortion pedals I’ve made. I appreciate your comment brother!
@@analog-pedals No prob. Glad I can help!
that stuff looks awesome! where would I find some?
I have a funny question. if one would change the J201 for a germanium equivalent .. what kind would it be? Any Ideas?
Unfortunately, those are two different component types. J201's are Junction Field Effect Transistors (JFETs) while "Germanium Transistors" are Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJTs). Though both are transistors, they act very differently and sound differently as well. For example, JFETs and Germanium Transistors are on opposite ends of the input impedance spectrum for amplifiers, as JFETs have nearly infinite input impedance (why you see them used as input buffers a lot) while most Germanium Transistors have terrible input impedance (why most Germanium Fuzzes have terrible input impedance ratings and usually need to be first in your signal chain, minus fuzz faces, which also have bad input impedance, but need to be first for other reasons). Another difference is the gains on those guys. J201s have much more gain than any Germanium Transistor I've ever seen... by a lot. I hope this helps.
@@erikvincent5846 Man thank you very much for your answer, very helpful and very detailed really appreciate #Schooled LOL
@@MarceloDurham no worries. Just trying to give any knowledge I have that is useful.
Can you please do a video transistor equivalence please ? i've been reading and aparently the 2N5457 2N5458 and 2N5459 are viable replacements. and since de j201 is extinct that would be valuable info. Thank you, btw i'm trying to make the booster circuit from your 10 min pedal builds and at the moment i'm just using transistors almost randomly
no kidding. If people would learn about what the component does and the applicable component specs they would realize there are tons of other components that can be used with minimal difference in tone. To much builders doing paint by numbers and think they need exact replacements
Maybe if the stop making resistors and capacitors :D
blutack? I'm starting to think its a aussie thing? You guys dont have it? Maybe check on ebay. I dont know how i would live my life without it.
I got a old distortion head that didn't work (thd cord was torn) any ideas on what I could make?
Hi, is there any different sound between smd and dip from j201?
some people say that dip sound better that smd, can you share your experience sir? thx
There was C!@#LOADS of flux on it, i think you just cant see it in the video. The problem might still be the flux pen though. Its a kester from ebay but im SURE its a fake. God knows whats even in the stupid thing. I have seen dave jones (eevblog) mention those chisel tips a million times but i dont really do enough smd to justify getting one. If i do i will change both of these things thanks.
Are all SMD j201s guaranteed genuine?
100% Guaranteed, probably not. But SMD devices typically are harder to fake, and that component is still manufactured at a reasonable price, making it unlikely that its a fake. Just search for mmbfj201 and get them from a reputable dealer. We have them on our site, if you are looking for them: www.diyguitarpedals.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=52
Yeah they sure are! Reassuring there's another source for j201's though if they become (even more) overpriced.
Ha hah! Another person who uses blutack as easy hands! :-D