Battery powered guitar effects overdrive pedal design

Analog or digital processing of music signals can provide new effects. Active overdrive effects can reproduce the overdrive clipping effects of older tube amplifiers. Dialog Semiconductor's GreenPAK SLG88104V Rail-to-Rail I/O 375nA Quad Op Amp, with its low power and low voltage performance, can play a key role in overdrive circuits.

Typical overdrive designs on the market today run at 9 V. However, using Dialog’s IC, an ultra-power-efficient overdrive can be achieved that runs on very low VDD, operates for long periods of time using just two 3V AA batteries, and has a very long battery life.

To further conserve the remaining power in the battery, it is standard practice to use a mechanical switch to disconnect the power. Also, because the SLG88104V has a small footprint and uses a small number of batteries, it is possible to make a small, lightweight pedal if desired. All of this combined with the sound effects allows for a leading-edge overdrive design.

The SLG88103/4V incorporates inherent input protection to prevent input current overvoltage. Due to the small package and extremely low power consumption of the GreenPAK IC, it is easy to realize a low-power overdrive pedal that is small in size and can run for a long time on only two pencil batteries.

AA batteries are readily available and it is possible that the battery will not need to be replaced throughout the life of the device. All these features make the device very easy to maintain and an environmentally friendly solution. In addition, it requires only a few external components, making it a low-cost, easy to manufacture, and lightweight solution.

You can find a detailed application note on the design of a battery powered guitar effects overdrive pedal at the following link:
https://www.dialog-semiconductor.com/an-cm-279