Post-Lockdown pedal building

Keefy · February 2023

Kalimna said:

CLR = Current Limiting Resistor, for the LED as you knew. I normally use a 2.2k

Yes indeed. And yes 2k2 is generally happy, but if my LED of choice turns out to be a retina-scorcher, I might up that a bit.

roberty · February 2023

Keefy said:

Kalimna said:

CLR = Current Limiting Resistor, for the LED as you knew. I normally use a 2.2k

Yes indeed. And yes 2k2 is generally happy, but if my LED of choice turns out to be a retina-scorcher, I might up that a bit.

I like 15k CLRs for 5mm LEDs

Looking good @Keefy

It really helps to break it up into sessions. When I sit there working for too long is when I make mistakes

Keefy · February 2023

roberty said:

...

Looking good @Keefy

It really helps to break it up into sessions. When I sit there working for too long is when I make mistakes

Absolutely. I've had a couple more sessions on this and added IC sockets, diodes, transistors, opto-isolator, tantalum caps, and most of the non-polarised caps. I've found that my 47nF and 100nF caps are a bit large so I've ordered some 'box' caps instead.

Cookiemonster · February 2023

Keefy said:

roberty said:

...

Looking good @Keefy

It really helps to break it up into sessions. When I sit there working for too long is when I make mistakes

Absolutely. I've had a couple more sessions on this and added IC sockets, diodes, transistors, opto-isolator, tantalum caps, and most of the non-polarised caps. I've found that my 47nF and 100nF caps are a bit large so I've ordered some 'box' caps instead.

I do like the green meanies though. They are bigger, but I really for some reason think they sound a little better

Keefy · February 2023

Cookiemonster said:

Keefy said:

roberty said:

...

Looking good @Keefy

It really helps to break it up into sessions. When I sit there working for too long is when I make mistakes

Absolutely. I've had a couple more sessions on this and added IC sockets, diodes, transistors, opto-isolator, tantalum caps, and most of the non-polarised caps. I've found that my 47nF and 100nF caps are a bit large so I've ordered some 'box' caps instead.

I do like the green meanies though. They are bigger, but I really for some reason think they sound a little better

They're fine inside guitars but just too large for where they're needed on this board - except for the four 1nF in that pic.

Keefy · February 2023

That’s all the components on the main board except for the box capacitors (on order). I went for the 2k2 current-limiting resistor for a bright but not painful LED.

You may notice a broken row of pins either side of the board. These fit snugly into the holes and are soldered to the strip side. I’ll be using them to attach the connecting wires rather than poking the wires through the board - you can easily attach three or four thin wires to any one pin, which is handy. I’ve had a stash of these since the 80s and I can’t remember what they’re called now!

I’ve made a cardboard mock-up of the enclosure so that I can work out where best to put everything. I’m thinking ‘top-mounted’ jacks (yeah I know) as the box is quite wide to start with. The (actual) top has to accommodate 6 pots, a rotary switch, a mini toggle, 2 LEDs, and either 2 or 3 foot switches.

roberty · February 2023

Impressive stuff @keefy I am enjoying these updates

Cookiemonster · February 2023

Keefy said:

That’s all the components on the main board except for the box capacitors (on order). I went for the 2k2 current-limiting resistor for a bright but not painful LED.

You may notice a broken row of pins either side of the board. These fit snugly into the holes and are soldered to the strip side. I’ll be using them to attach the connecting wires rather than poking the wires through the board - you can easily attach three or four thin wires to any one pin, which is handy. I’ve had a stash of these since the 80s and I can’t remember what they’re called now!

I’ve made a cardboard mock-up of the enclosure so that I can work out where best to put everything. I’m thinking ‘top-mounted’ jacks (yeah I know) as the box is quite wide to start with. The (actual) top has to accommodate 6 pots, a rotary switch, a mini toggle, 2 LEDs, and either 2 or 3 foot switches.

Inspiring. I think I may try a bigger build.

Keefy · February 2023

Looks like this will work for a layout although I may swap the smaller knobs (modulation controls) to the right and the chicken head (echo type selector) to the left. The board won't stand so high above the pots but the new stand-offs are still on the way form Guang Dong Province and I didn't want to cut down the perfectly good ones that I have.

Keefy · February 2023

That's all the board-mounted components now, plus the stand-offs arrived today - these make for a nice snug fit in the metal enclosure.

roberty · February 2023

Finally boxed this up. I find these PedalPCB ones quite fiddly to do. Managed to keep it reasonably tidy inside

The knobs are cool but there's no indicator on the top edge so I'll either mark them somehow or replace them. Suggestions welcome as to what I could mark them with

The Tone label is a bit wonky, I should trust the drilling template more than my eyes. Quite happy with the overall look though. It's worth spending an extra bit of time on the design

stickyfiddle · February 2023

@roberty that looks great! I'd probably try a fret file and sharpie just to make a mark on the outside edge of the knobs. Then I'd probably give up and put Marshall- or MXR-type knobs on...

LastMantra · February 2023

roberty said:

Finally boxed this up. I find these PedalPCB ones quite fiddly to do. Managed to keep it reasonably tidy inside

The knobs are cool but there's no indicator on the top edge so I'll either mark them somehow or replace them. Suggestions welcome as to what I could mark them with

The Tone label is a bit wonky, I should trust the drilling template more than my eyes. Quite happy with the overall look though. It's worth spending an extra bit of time on the design

That looks awesome!

Could you not just put a wee dot of pain/tipex/nail polish? Or a black pen if youd be able to see it. If it was a fine enough pen you could draw a wee arrow or something.

My son has loads of stickers of different varieties so I can usually find or cut something to make wee markers and things.

SteveF · February 2023

That’s fantastic @roberty love the graphics design

roberty · February 2023

Thanks for the kind comments

@LastMantra I have a few Ernie Ball type stickers around so maybe I'll cut some tiny squares and secure them with a drop of glue or nail polish

roberty · February 2023

Oh I used the Tony Peper's Socket Rockets for the first time and it did make things easier

Keefy · February 2023

More (slow) progress on the Multiplex Echo Machine. 15 holes drilled in the enclosure! I decided I'd better do a wiring diagram for all the bits rather than just wing it. I'm going to wire it up in the bare box - once I'm happy it's all working I'll remove the guts and do the paint and graphics before re-assembling.

idiotwind · February 2023

Just spotted you're doing this @Keefy . I did the same build back in March 2021 (without the modulation part) and it was such a traumatic experience that I haven't built a pedal since.

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/2891862/#Comment_2891862

Keefy · February 2023

idiotwind said:

Just spotted you're doing this @Keefy . I did the same build back in March 2021 (without the modulation part) and it was such a traumatic experience that I haven't built a pedal since.

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/2891862/#Comment_2891862

Traumatic? Crikey! I gave myself some more room with the bigger enclosure. You probably saw I did the main board back-to-front to start with - with any luck I won’t make any more goofs! I find myself putting off wiring it up in case it doesn’t work…

I’ve gone for 3 foot switches - left is modulation (with flashing LED), middle is tape speed-up, right is bypass. I was going to go for a ‘slam’ switch but I can always add that later if I want.

I like your cassette graphic. I’ve downloaded some monochrome artwork of cogs and tape reels which I can print onto water slide decal and arrange to taste (or lack thereof).

If it turns out as good as I hope, it will be taking up residence on my rock’n’roll ‘board (Pedaltrain Nano).

roberty · February 2023

idiotwind said:

Just spotted you're doing this @Keefy . I did the same build back in March 2021 (without the modulation part) and it was such a traumatic experience that I haven't built a pedal since.

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/2891862/#Comment_2891862

Flew too close to the sun!

There's nothing wrong with getting a kit or two if you want to dip your toes in again . More of the fun bits and less of the hassle

roberty · February 2023

These are all kit. Did some decals tonight. The Stammer thing is a Vox Repeater which I think will be useful for production. Didn't really use much imagination with the others

Got some more interesting projects planned for after this, more hands on

Keefy · February 2023

roberty said:

These are all kit. Did some decals tonight. The Stammer thing is a Vox Repeater which I think will be useful for production. Didn't really use much imagination with the others

Got some more interesting projects planned for after this, more hands on

I do like those! I have changed my mind about the Echo Machine graphics, and also decided I need to finish the enclosure before I carry on mounting and wiring up components. So for now I have this, plus something laser-printed onto waterslide decal paper.

roberty · February 2023

@Keefy good luck with the decal. I am starting to think they do shrink a bit. I decided to redo some old builds today so I could try some graphics ideas and see what works. The label placement always seems a bit random

I think text extending outside the background image is a winner

Keefy · February 2023

roberty said:

@Keefy good luck with the decal. I am starting to think they do shrink a bit. I decided to redo some old builds today so I could try some graphics ideas and see what works. The label placement always seems a bit random

I think text extending outside the background image is a winner

Love it - especially Space Bollocks! My mahoosive decal is currently in the airing cupboard dryng onto the enclosure. It's possible to bake it in a 100C oven but the last time I did that I ended up with the paint crazing. I haven't the patience to learn Gimp so the control labels will be done on a label maker and stuck on afterwards.

roberty · February 2023

@Keefy I think separate labelling could be the one to be honest

I couldn't think of a space theme, I was thinking "what's some space bollocks?" and ended my quest there

I have a guitar playing friend who works in the space industry so I might gift it to him

LastMantra · February 2023

Wee tip maybe? I got my son a pack of waterslide fake tattoos as a stocking filler for Christmas, amazon, I imagine. Was fed up with buying him those candy sticks (used to be candy cigarettes when I were a kid). He never ate them anyway, just wanted the batman tattoos. Really cheap and you get loads of them. His are marvel heroes but I think you get different types. Turns out they work really well on anything fairly flat and are thinner than the usual printable sheets you get so barely leave a visible edge.
Maybe worth a look if you just want a cheap alternative, that looks quite good.

roberty · February 2023

Boxed this up. I think I could just blow the decal up 3-5% and it would fit tbh. Looks better than it did anyway

Keefy · February 2023

Been wiring this up today - @idiotwind I feel your pain now, as despite my best efforts the inside of the case is like a bird's nest. I've connected up one side of the board but I'm too frazzled to continue tonight. Also had to order some more solder!