Eclipse Preamp

Korg SDD-3000 Delay (Preamp)

Overview
The Eclipse Preamp project is a pedal conversion of the
preamp section of the Korg SDD-3000 digital delay rack
unit. The Edge from U2 uses these rack units in bypass
3 1 3 1 mode at the end of his signal chain to drive a Vox AC30,
and many people (including Daniel Lanois, U2’s producer)
continue to swear by them.

Since the original was a studio rack unit, it incorporated a

+/-15V power supply. This gives an enormous amount of
headroom and—in theory—it is entirely unnecessary for
guitar-level signals. However, some claim that the higher-
voltage bipolar supply is crucial to the tone, and I’ve never
6
played an original unit so I can’t say they’re wrong! As a
3 1 result, this project has options for either +/-9V or +/-15V
power.

Controls & Usage

The Eclipse Preamp is an op-amp booster with a great deal of gain and headroom due to its bipolar power
supply. The controls are pretty basic:

• Pre and Post controls allow for attenuation of the signal before and after the op-amp gain stage. These
were switches in the original, but pots allow for a finer level of control.
• Level controls the overall output. It gets very loud, so start on zero and turn it up slowly!

Power Supply
The default (or cheapest, or easiest) power supply configuration for this project is to use a TC1044S charge
pump to generate +/-9V. If you use this mode, you will need to jumper the two pads marked “9V
JUMPER” on the board.

Alternately, this project allows for the usage of a +/-15V DC converter (Murata NKA0515SC), which is an
expensive component, but it allows you to use the exact voltage of the original unit while still being powered
by a standard 9VDC supply. You will not be able to switch between the two power supplies easily, so choose
ahead of time which one you want to use.

Right below the Level control on the PCB is a group of pads marked TEST. This is for verifying the bipolar
supply voltage. When you first power up the unit, if you have a multimeter, set it to DC Voltage mode and touch
the common (black) probe to the pad marked 0. Touch the red probe to the + and make sure it’s either 9V or
15V depending on which supply you used. Then, move the red probe to the - and make sure it’s -9V or -15V.
(Allow for some slight variance, within a volt or so.)

Note the revised wiring diagram on the last page - this one is slightly different than other projects.

SDD-3000 DELAY PREAMP / ECLIPSE PREAMP 1

Parts
Resistors Capacitors Potentiometers
R1 5k6 C1 100n Pre 250kA
R2 560k C2 4u7 Post 10kA
R3 20k (22k) 1 C3 4u7 Level 100kA
R4 10k C4 10pF
R5 3k3 C5 470n +/-9V Charge Pump 2
R6 3k3 C6 4.7pF
IC3 TC1044SCPA 3
R7 110k (100k) 1 C7 47uF
C9 10uF
R8 360k (330k) 1 C8 100uF
C10 10uF
R9 22k
9V JUMPER Jumper
R10 220R Semiconductors
R11 470R
IC1 TL072 +/-15V DC Converter 2
RPD 1M to 2M2
IC2 JRC4558D
LEDR 4k7 DC1 NKA0515SC
Z1 1N4739
RG1 LM7805
D1-D4 1N4148
C11 330n
LED 5MM
C12 100n, 100uF 4

1
The original circuit uses a few uncommon resistor values. The values in parenthesis are the nearest
common resistor value. You can safely use these common values instead if you are unable to find the original
values in a convenient way. With their particular locations in the circuit, they don’t affect anything.
2
Do not use both of these. Choose either +/-9V or +/-15V and use only the parts in that section, ignoring the
parts in the other one.
3
Can also use a MAX1044 here. If using another equivalent charge pump, look at the datasheet and ensure
that pin 1 is frequency boost, or you may get a high-pitched whine from the effect.
4
C12 is marked as a 100n capacitor in the schematic and build document, but I’ve seen other implementations
of the DC-DC converter that call for a higher value electrolytic capacitor here (47uF or 100uF). Because of this
I have included alternate pads for an electrolytic capacitor. Since it’s filtering a regulated 5 volts, you can safely
use a capacitor rated for 9V or 12V. The polarization is marked on the silkscreen.

Additional Part Notes

• Capacitors are shown in nanofarads (n or nF) where appropriate. 1000n = 1uF. Many online suppliers do
not use nanofarads, so you’ll often have to look for 0.047uF instead of 47n, 0.0056uF instead of 5n6, etc.
• The PCB layout assumes the use of film capacitors with 5mm lead spacing for all values 1nF through
470nF. I prefer EPCOS box film or Panasonic ECQ-B/V-series.
• Potentiometers are Alpha 16mm right-angle PCB mount.
• I recommend using these dust covers / insulators from Small Bear to insulate the back of the pots from
the board and prevent shorts. If you don’t use these, use some electrical tape or cardboard to act as
insulation. The right-angle pots will make direct contact with the solder pads otherwise.

SDD-3000 DELAY PREAMP / ECLIPSE PREAMP 2

 Schematic

LEVEL
100kA

1 3
R8
2
+V
330k

C4
10p
C6
4p7
R5
3k3 OUT
TL072P 2
2

D2
C2
4u7

1N4148
1 3 TL072P JRC4558D
1 6

C1
100n
C5
470n

SDD-3000 DELAY PREAMP / ECLIPSE PREAMP

5k6 3 7
100k 6 2
C7
47u

C3
250kB R10 1 3

4u7
IC1A 5 7
R1 R7

R3
IN PRE

22k
IC1B 5
220R 10kB
IC2B

D1
R4
10k

1N4148
R6
R9

D4
POST

3k3
22k
R11

D3

RPD
2M2
R2
560k
1N4148
470R

GND

1N4148
GND GND
GND -V GND
GND GND
GND

RG1 (+15V)
+9V (+9V)
7805 +V

+V

+V
9V JUMPER IC3 1 3
VI VO

+9V
DC1

8
8
1 8
2 7 C11 GND C12 1 6 5MM
+VIN +VOUT SW
2
+9V C8 4k7 LED
3 6 5
COM
+9V

4 5 330n 100n 2 4
-VIN -VOUT LEDR

Z1
9.1v
100uF (-9V)

4
4
TC1044SCPA DC DC CONVERTER

-V
PGND
10uF
NKA0515SC GND

-V
C9 10uF -V
(-15V)

PGND C10

PGND

3
General Build Instructions
These are general guidelines and explanations for all Aion Electronics DIY projects, so be aware that not
everything described below may apply to this particular project.

Build Order
When putting together the PCB, it’s recommended that you do not yet solder any of the enclosure-mounted
control components (pots and switches) to the board. Instead, follow this build order:

1. Attach the audio jacks, DC jack and footswitch to the enclosure.

2. Firmly attach the pots and switches to the enclosure, taking care that they are aligned and straight.
3. Push the LED1 into the hole in the enclosure with the leads sticking straight up, ensuring that the flat side
is oriented according to the silkscreen on the PCB.
4. Fit the PCB onto all the control components, including the leads of the LED. If it doesn’t fit, or if you need
to bend things more than you think you should, double-check the alignment of the pots and switches.
5. Once you feel good about everything, solder them from the top2 as the last step before wiring. This way
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 debugged, but now the PCB is “custom-fit” to that particular
enclosure.
6. Wire everything according to the wiring diagram on the last page.
1
For the LED: You can use a bezel if you’d like, but generally it’s easier just to drill the proper size of hole
and push the LED through so it fits snugly. If you solder it directly to the PCB, it’ll stay put even if the hole is
slightly too big. Make absolutely sure the LED is oriented correctly (the flat side matches the silk screen) before
soldering, as it’ll be a pain to fix later! After it’s soldered, clip off the excess length of the leads.
2
Note on soldering the toggle switch(es): It will require a good amount of solder to fill the pads. Try to be as
quick as possible to avoid melting the lugs, and be prepared to feed a lot of solder as soon as the solder starts
to melt. I recommend waiting 20-30 seconds between soldering each lug to give it time to cool down.

“RPD” and “LEDR” resistors

The resistors marked “RPD” and “LEDR” are generally not original to the circuit and can be adjusted to
preference. “RPD” is the pulldown resistor to help tame true-bypass popping, while “LEDR” controls the
brightness of the LED. I generally use 2.2M for the pulldown resistor and 4.7k for the LED resistor.

Sockets
Since double-sided boards can be very frustrating to desolder, especially components with more than 2 leads,
it is recommended to use sockets for all transistors and ICs. It may save you a lot of headaches later on.

SDD-3000 DELAY PREAMP / ECLIPSE PREAMP 4

Drilling & Placement
Print this page and have an adult cut out the drilling template below for you. Tape it to the enclosure 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.

Hammond 1590B
(bottom/inside view)

Parts Used
• Switchcraft #111A enclosed jacks
• Kobiconn-style DC jack with internal nut

SDD-3000 DELAY PREAMP / ECLIPSE PREAMP 5

Standard Wiring Diagram
This diagram shows standard true-bypass wiring
with a 3PDT switch. When the switch is off, the
input of the circuit is grounded and the input jack
is connected directly to the output jack.

The SW pad is the cathode connection for the

LED. This will connect to ground to turn it on
when the switch is on. Usage of the on-board PGND +9V
LED connection is not required if you have
specific placement needs for your enclosure,
but’s incredibly convenient.

The wiring diagram also makes use of star

grounding principles where all of the grounds
connect to a single ground point (in this case the
sleeve of the input jack). This is best practice
to avoid added noise caused by improper
grounding. The sleeve of the output jack is SW IN GND OUT PGND
unconnected.

If using a painted or powdercoated enclosure,

make sure both jacks have solid contact with SLEEVE
bare aluminum for grounding purposes. You may
need to sand off some of the paint or powdercoat TIP
on the inside in order to make this happen.
TIP
Note for SDD Preamp: The wiring diagram is
slightly different due to the power supply. The
power ground plane (marked PGND) is kept
separate from the signal ground and joined
together at the input jack.

License / Usage
No direct support is offered for these PCBs beyond the provided documentation. It is assumed 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 error. I have in good faith tested all of
these circuits. However, I have not necessarily tested every listed modification or variation. These are offered
only as suggestions based on the experience and opinions of others.

Projects may be used for commercial endeavors in any quantity unless specifically noted. No bulk
pricing or discounting is offered. No attribution is necessary, though a link back is always greatly appreciated.
The only usage restrictions are that (1) you cannot resell the PCB as part of a kit, and (2) you cannot
“goop” the circuit, scratch off the screenprint, or otherwise obfuscate the circuit to disguise its source.
(In other words: you don’t have to go out of your way to advertise the fact that you use these PCBs, but please
don’t go out of your way to hide it. The guitar effects pedal industry needs more transparency, not less!)

SDD-3000 DELAY PREAMP / ECLIPSE PREAMP 6