PROJECT NAME

AURORA DELUXE
BASED ON BUILD DIFFICULTY
Keeley Compressor Plus Intermediate
EFFECT TYPE DOCUMENT VERSION
Compressor with clean blend 1.0.2 (2024-01-19)
PROJECT SUMMARY
An expanded version of the classic Ross/Dyna Compressor with an added clean blend, treble control,
and output buffer.

Actual size is 2.3” x 2.42” (main board) and 1.78” x 0.86” (bypass board).

AURORA DELUXE COMPRESSOR 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Project Overview 8 Drill Template
2 Introduction & Usage 9 Enclosure Layout
3-5 Parts List 10 Wiring Diagram
6 Build Notes 11 Licensing
7 Schematic 11 Document Revisions

INTRODUCTION
The Aurora Deluxe Compressor is based on the Keeley Compressor Plus, an updated version of their
world-famous compressor. It was first released in 2017 and was traced by Aion FX in 2023.

Internally, it’s a Ross/Dyna Comp as with the original compressor circuit. A clean blend has been added,
as well as a subtle treble control that boosts very high frequencies and adds a touch of brightness or
presence. To make room for the two new knobs, they omitted the Clipping knob (an input attenuator)
as well as converting the Attack knob to a two-position switch. It’s also been converted to use the
LM13700, a current-production version of the obsolete CA3080.

The Compressor Plus fully replaced the previous Compressor. In fact, the standard version artwork
omits the “Plus” and just labels it the “Keeley Compressor” in the same font as the original, though the
product description does call it the Compressor Plus.

The Aurora Deluxe is a direct adaptation based on our trace of the Compressor Plus. The only difference
is that we added a third position to the Attack (Release) switch that simulates the 12:00 position
on the original control. We also combined two series capacitors that were clearly left over from the
prototyping process.

USAGE
The Aurora Deluxe has four knobs and one toggle switch:

• Sustain controls the amount of compression. As you turn it up, it increases the sustain but also the
noise level. If you keep it down below 12:00, it acts more like a limiter.
• Blend sets the ratio of clean to effected signal.
• Tone boosts the high-end response of the effect, with a corner frequency of 2.3kHz at maximum.
• Level is the overall output volume of the effect.
• Attack (toggle) allows you to set the amount of time after the input signal falls below the threshold
before the compressor resets and is ready to compress again. It’s technically a “Release” control, but
“Attack” is a more common way of describing it in commercial circuits including the Boss CS-2.

AURORA DELUXE COMPRESSOR 2

PARTS LIST
This parts list is also available in a spreadsheet format which can be imported directly into Mouser for
easy parts ordering. Mouser doesn’t carry all the parts—notably potentiometers—so the second tab lists
all the non-Mouser parts as well as sources for each.

View parts list spreadsheet →

PART VALUE TYPE NOTES

R1 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R2 470k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R3 470k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R4 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R5 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R6 1M Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R7 1k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R8 1k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R9 220k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R10 220k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R11 1M Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R12 15k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R13 150k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R14 27k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R15 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R16 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R17 1M Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R18 39k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R19 150k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R20 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R21 1M Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R22 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R23 47k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R24 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R25 47k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R26 12k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R27 15k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R28 15k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R29 15k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R30 15k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R31 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R32 1M Metal film resistor, 1/4W

AURORA DELUXE COMPRESSOR 3

PARTS LIST, CONT.
PART VALUE TYPE NOTES
R33 1M Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R34 27k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R35 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R36 100k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R37 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R38 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R39 390R Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R40 56k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R41 27k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R42 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R43 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W
R44 47R Metal film resistor, 1/4W Power supply filter resistor.
RPD 1M Metal film resistor, 1/4W Input pulldown resistor.

LEDR 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W LED current-limiting resistor. Adjust value to change LED brightness.
C1 150pF MLCC capacitor, NP0/C0G
C2 22n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm
C3 1uF Electrolytic capacitor, 4mm
C4 1uF Electrolytic capacitor, 4mm
C5 1uF Film capacitor, 7.2 x 3.5mm
C6 1uF Electrolytic capacitor, 4mm
C7 10n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm
C8 1uF Electrolytic capacitor, 4mm
C9 1n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm
C10 10n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm
C11 10uF Electrolytic capacitor, 5mm
C12 10n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm
C13 47n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm
C14 6n8 Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm
C15 47pF MLCC capacitor, NP0/C0G
C16 22n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm
C17 47n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm
C18 220uF Electrolytic capacitor, 6.3mm Power supply filter capacitor.
C19 47uF Electrolytic capacitor, 5mm Reference voltage filter capacitor.
C20 47uF Electrolytic capacitor, 5mm Reference voltage filter capacitor.
C21 100n MLCC capacitor, X7R Power supply filter capacitor.
D1 1N5817 Schottky diode, DO-41
D2 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

AURORA DELUXE COMPRESSOR 4

PARTS LIST, CONT.
PART VALUE TYPE NOTES
D3 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35
Q1 2N5088 BJT transistor, NPN, TO-92
Q2 2N5088 BJT transistor, NPN, TO-92
Original uses MMBT6429 (SMD). 2N5088 is a close
Q3 2N5088 BJT transistor, NPN, TO-92 substitute. Can also use BC549C, but these will need to be
rotated 180 degrees from the silkscreen.
Q4 2N5088 BJT transistor, NPN, TO-92
Q5 2N5088 BJT transistor, NPN, TO-92
IC1 LM13700N Transconductance amplifier, dual, DIP16 Can also use NE5517N.
IC1-S DIP-16 socket IC socket, DIP-16 Can also use two DIP-8 sockets.
IC2 RC4558P Operational amplifier, dual, DIP8
IC2-S DIP-8 socket IC socket, DIP-8
IC3 RC4558P Operational amplifier, dual, DIP8
IC3-S DIP-8 socket IC socket, DIP-8
SUSTAIN 500KC 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot Reverse audio (reverse log or antilog) taper.
TONE 100kB 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot Linear taper.
BLEND 10kB 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot Linear taper.
LEVEL 100kA 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot Audio (log) taper.
ATTACK SPDT on-off-on Toggle switch, SPDT center off
LED 5mm LED, 5mm, red diffused

IN 1/4" mono 1/4" phone jack, closed frame Switchcraft 111X or equivalent.

OUT 1/4" mono 1/4" phone jack, closed frame Switchcraft 111X or equivalent.

DC 2.1mm DC jack, 2.1mm panel mount Mouser 163-4302-E or equivalent.

FSW 3PDT Stomp switch, 3PDT

ENC 125B Enclosure, die-cast aluminum Can also use a Hammond 1590N1.

AURORA DELUXE COMPRESSOR 5

BUILD NOTES

Transistor substitutions
The original Compressor Plus uses MMBT6429 transistors, which do not have a current-production
through-hole equivalent. They are medium-gain low-noise transistors that are very close in specification
to the 2N5088 or BC549C.

The Aurora Deluxe PCB uses the USA E-B-C convention for Q1-Q5, so the 2N5088 will be a direct fit.
The BC549C or other European C-B-E convention transistors will need to be rotated 180 degrees from
the PCB silkscreen.

IC substitutions
The very first version of the Compressor Plus used NE5532 for IC2 and IC3, the two dual op-amps.
They soon switched to RC4558P, which are still used in current models. The NE5532 has lower noise
and a better slew rate, but significantly higher current draw. The RC4558P is perfectly adequate for the
application and is recommended to use in this project, but you can use either type, or whatever else you
want such as a the TL072 or OPA2134.

The LM13700N was obsoleted recently in through-hole format, but is still readily available, including
from major distributors like Mouser. The NE5517N is a second-source substitute that will perform
identically, and is available from Aion FX.

Toggle switch positions

The Compressor Plus has a two-position toggle that controls the attack speed, with positions labeled
“Single Coil” and “Humbucker”. This designation isn’t very useful since it has more to do with playing
style than the type of pickups, but according to Keeley, single-coil mode corresponds to slow attack and
humbucker mode is fast attack. On the Aurora Deluxe, the third setting is in between the two.

If you’re labeling your enclosure, we recommend using the speed designation rather than pickup type.
The switch positions are shown in the drill tempate on page 8.

If you do want to keep a 2-position switch with just Single and Humbucker modes, you can omit R18
(leave empty, no jumper) and use a SPDT on-on switch instead of an on-off-on. In this case, single-coil or
slow mode would be on the left and humbucker or fast mode would be on the right.

AURORA DELUXE COMPRESSOR 6

SCHEMATIC
+9V VA

D1 R44 IC1A V+ V+
3 LM13700N
2 5 10 IC1_BUF2 7 IC1_BUF1
1N5817 47R C18 LM13700N
C21 4 LM13700N
VB VC

1
R40

R42
56k

10k
100n 220uF

8
9
GND

GND GND C19 C20

R41

R43
27k

10k
47uF 47uF

VB
GND GND GND GND VA

VA
VA

470k
R3

R20

10k
VB ATTACK
3
2

10k
R4
C3

220k
1

R10
VA VA

470k
R2
1uF

150k
R18

R19
39k
C4
GND C6 C9

150k
R13
1uF

220k
Q5

R15

10k
R9
1uF VA
22n

1n 2N5088
C2

R1
IN Q1

C10

C12
10n

10n
10k 2N5088
C1 GND Q3 Q4
GND IC1B 2N5088 2N5088
RPD

11
R7 R8
1M

150pF 14 LM13700N
1uF Q2 C11

1N914

1N914
15 12
C5

1k 1k

D2

D3
13 2N5088
10uF

16
6
GND GND C7 SUSTAIN

R12
10k

15k
R5

500KC R14
10n
GND

R11
3 1
27k

1M

1M
R6 C8
2

R16

R17

R21
10k

1M

1M
GND
1uF

GND GND

GND GND GND GND GND GND GND GND GND

VA
R32

1M
C16

IC2A
22n

R31 RC4558P
3
R30
1
10k VC 2
15k
R33

1M

R34 R35
R29
27k 10k
VC 15k
GND VC
VA VC
3

VA VC
BLEND

IC3B
10kB
R26

12k

IC3A

C17

47n
5 RC4558P
2

R39
8

IC2B 3 RC4558P 7
R37
8

5 RC4558P 1 6
1

R27 R28 390R

C14

6n8

2
7 2
R24 10k

3
3 1
6
15k 15k R38

100kA
LEVEL
4

TONE 10k OUT

4

2
100kB 10k
C13

47n

R22 R23 GND

1
GND
10k 47k R36
R25
100k GND
47k

C15 47pF

AURORA DELUXE COMPRESSOR 7

DRILL TEMPLATE
Cut out this drill template, fold the edges and tape it to the enclosure. Before drilling, it’s recommended
to first use a center punch for each of the holes to help guide the drill bit.

Ensure that this template is printed at 100% or “Actual Size”. You can double-check this by measuring
the scale on the printed page.

Top jack layout assumes the use of closed-frame jacks like the Switchcraft 111X. If you’d rather use
open-frame jacks, please refer to the Open-Frame Jack Drill Template for the top side.

LED hole drill size assumes the use of a 5mm LED bezel, available from several parts suppliers. Adjust
size accordingly if using something different, such as a 3mm bezel, a plastic bezel, or just a plain LED.

INCH
125B

0.385”

0 1 0.625” 0.625”

ø3/8” ø3/8”
ø1/2”
CM
OUT DC IN

0 1 2

BLEND TONE

x: -0.65, y: +1.71 x: 0.65, y: +1.71

ø9/32” ø9/32”
ATTACK
MED. FAST

SLOW
LEVEL x: 0, y: +1.06 SUSTAIN
ø1/4”

x: -0.65, y: +0.41 x: 0.65, y: +0.41

ø9/32” ø9/32”

CENTER (0,0)

LED FOOTSWITCH

x: -0.775, y: -1.775 x: 0, y: -1.775

ø5/16” ø15/32”

AURORA DELUXE COMPRESSOR 8

ENCLOSURE LAYOUT
Enclosure is shown without jacks. See next page for jack layout and wiring.

125B

AURORA DELUXE COMPRESSOR 9

WIRING DIAGRAM

IN GND +V NC NC OUT

PCB GND +V +V JACK GND JACK GND GND PCB

IN IN OUT OUT

125B

AURORA DELUXE COMPRESSOR 10

LICENSE & USAGE
No direct support is offered for these projects beyond the provided documentation. It’s assumed
that you have at least some experience building pedals before starting one of these. Replacements and
refunds cannotbe offered unless it can be shown that the circuit or documentation are in error.

All of these circuits have been tested in good faith in their base configurations. However, not all the
modifications or variations have necessarily been tested. 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
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 without prior arrangement, 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 industry needs more transparency, not less!)

DOCUMENT REVISIONS
1.0.2 (2024-01-19)
Added labels for each of the toggle switch positions to the drill template, and added a section about this
switch to the build notes.

1.0.1 (2023-12-02)
Corrected the drill template labeling. All four knobs were mirrored.

1.0.0 (2023-11-24)
Initial release.

AURORA DELUXE COMPRESSOR 11