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DIY Effects

JackLondon

By JackLondon,
in Effects

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JackLondon Enthusiast

JackLondon

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Right chaps,

Seems like there's a lot of people on here building their own effects so it might be a good idea to have one thread where we can have all of the hard work in one place. Hopefully one of the mods will sticky this for us.


What got me into effects was 2 separate things. 1st was a request from my guitarist to build him a loop pedal and 2nd was all the recent threads about the effects which made me think ''I can do that'' and of course the fact that I'm unemployed until 11th of April and have loads of time on my hands.

My first project is a double bypass loop kit which can be found here [url="http://www.musikding.de/product_info.php/info/p380_Double-Bypass-Looper.html/XTCsid/39234f691992d87833cb450a8ffe5743"]http://www.musikding.de/product_info.php/i...3cb450a8ffe5743[/url]

It's a very simple thing for the first project so I'm happy with it. Progress so far :

The box has been pre-drilled

[attachment=43460:IMG_0119.JPG]

There's another little box on there about which you can find out a little bit down.

The second stage will be to apply the decal of which the template is this, not that it has the position of LEDs and switches on it as a reference point.
[attachment=43461:Loop.jpg]


The second project is a fuzz face pedal which can be found here : [url="http://www.musikding.de/product_info.php/info/p1619_The-Face-Silicon---Fuzz-kit.html/XTCsid/39234f691992d87833cb450a8ffe5743"]http://www.musikding.de/product_info.php/i...3cb450a8ffe5743[/url]

I believe that it's a good project to be my 2nd attempt, you saw the pre-drilled box for it in one of the pics above and here is a template for a decal :
[attachment=43462:Fuzz.jpg]


I am waiting on some toners for my printer as well as some paint so as soon as it arrives I can start putting it together. For now I'm going to put my mind into making myself a proper workbench as I think that my Mrs does not aprecaite me using kitchen worktops :) Expect a build report on a workstation tomorrow.

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cameltoe Community Regular

cameltoe

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[quote name='JackLondon' post='756219' date='Feb 24 2010, 04:23 PM']Right chaps,

Seems like there's a lot of people on here building their own effects so it might be a good idea to have one thread where we can have all of the hard work in one place. Hopefully one of the mods will sticky this for us.


What got me into effects was 2 separate things. 1st was a request from my guitarist to build him a loop pedal and 2nd was all the recent threads about the effects which made me think ''I can do that'' and of course the fact that I'm unemployed until 11th of April and have loads of time on my hands.

My first project is a double bypass loop kit which can be found here [url="http://www.musikding.de/product_info.php/info/p380_Double-Bypass-Looper.html/XTCsid/39234f691992d87833cb450a8ffe5743"]http://www.musikding.de/product_info.php/i...3cb450a8ffe5743[/url]

It's a very simple thing for the first project so I'm happy with it. Progress so far :

The box has been pre-drilled

[attachment=43460:IMG_0119.JPG]

There's another little box on there about which you can find out a little bit down.

The second stage will be to apply the decal of which the template is this, not that it has the position of LEDs and switches on it as a reference point.
[attachment=43461:Loop.jpg]


The second project is a fuzz face pedal which can be found here : [url="http://www.musikding.de/product_info.php/info/p1619_The-Face-Silicon---Fuzz-kit.html/XTCsid/39234f691992d87833cb450a8ffe5743"]http://www.musikding.de/product_info.php/i...3cb450a8ffe5743[/url]

I believe that it's a good project to be my 2nd attempt, you saw the pre-drilled box for it in one of the pics above and here is a template for a decal :
[attachment=43462:Fuzz.jpg]


I am waiting on some toners for my printer as well as some paint so as soon as it arrives I can start putting it together. For now I'm going to put my mind into making myself a proper workbench as I think that my Mrs does not aprecaite me using kitchen worktops :) Expect a build report on a workstation tomorrow.[/quote]

A step by step would be awesome if you're feeling up to it!

I've always fancied building my own pedals, and as I'm in the market for a fuzz the idea of making my own on the cheap is even better. Unfortunately the only electronics work i've done is a basic wiring upgrade. I can handle soldering wires, but how to all the little resistors, capacitors, chips and whatever else, attach themselves to the circuit board? Witchcraft?

I've got a Behringer DC9 compression pedal and it's got a fake stomp switch. It annoys me a bit so I bought a real switch thinking it wouldn't be too hard to change over. I gave up just looking at it.

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JackLondon Enthusiast

JackLondon

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[quote name='cameltoe' post='756296' date='Feb 24 2010, 06:03 PM']A step by step would be awesome if you're feeling up to it!

I've always fancied building my own pedals, and as I'm in the market for a fuzz the idea of making my own on the cheap is even better. Unfortunately the only electronics work i've done is a basic wiring upgrade. I can handle soldering wires, but how to all the little resistors, capacitors, chips and whatever else, attach themselves to the circuit board? Witchcraft?

I've got a Behringer DC9 compression pedal and it's got a fake stomp switch. It annoys me a bit so I bought a real switch thinking it wouldn't be too hard to change over. I gave up just looking at it.[/quote]

I will try to be as specific as possible. I'm not a electronics expert mind, I got myself ''Electronics for Dummies'' and I'm reading it at the moment and it is great, just wait and you'll see me soon asking questions :)

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JackLondon Enthusiast

JackLondon

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[quote name='Al Heeley' post='756512' date='Feb 24 2010, 09:18 PM']Here's the enclosure - graphics done by printing in reverse onto inkjet transparency paper, then laminating to the box with a thin smear of epoxy, ink side down. Second pic shows the enclosure inside ready to start soldering the connecting wires.[/quote]

Any reason for using pcb jack sockets?


[quote name='Al Heeley' post='756544' date='Feb 24 2010, 09:57 PM']Heh, no prob sir! Here's the pcb being wired into the enc.
Just waiting for the CA3080 chip now, bought a couple off ebay.[/quote]

Looking at that pic does it matter which way you wire up a 3pdt switch?

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JackLondon Enthusiast

JackLondon

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[quote name='Al Heeley' post='756599' date='Feb 24 2010, 10:56 PM']I get a lot of stuff off Bobs Bits Box, he only has the pin-type jacks, makes no odds to me what I solder onto :)
Wiring the 3pdt switch either way up makes no odds, as long as you have the tabs running horizontal, if that makes sense.[/quote]

The metal clips being on the left and right hand side ? :rolleyes: I read somewhere that the logo should be facing north and south but mine don't have any logos :lol:

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LukeFRC Grand Master

LukeFRC

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[quote name='mancunianfox' post='756611' date='Feb 24 2010, 11:08 PM']Anyone got any advice on making pcb's? After doing a pcb build I don't think I could cope with veroboard again. I'll probably make a right hash of etching those though.[/quote]

I looked into it but think it is beyond me. Ordered one from a website from states. Wouldn't be adverse to learning. drilling the holes looked to be the hardest part

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LukeFRC Grand Master

LukeFRC

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[quote name='cameltoe' post='756296' date='Feb 24 2010, 06:03 PM']A step by step would be awesome if you're feeling up to it!

I've always fancied building my own pedals, and as I'm in the market for a fuzz the idea of making my own on the cheap is even better. Unfortunately the only electronics work i've done is a basic wiring upgrade. I can handle soldering wires, but how to all the little resistors, capacitors, chips and whatever else, attach themselves to the circuit board? Witchcraft?

I've got a Behringer DC9 compression pedal and it's got a fake stomp switch. It annoys me a bit so I bought a real switch thinking it wouldn't be too hard to change over. I gave up just looking at it.[/quote]


this site is good for info about stuff [url="http://www.beavisaudio.com/"]http://www.beavisaudio.com/[/url]
once you know what things do I've been treating it as paint by numbers.

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Al Heeley Community Regular

Al Heeley

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[quote name='mancunianfox' post='756611' date='Feb 24 2010, 11:08 PM']Anyone got any advice on making pcb's? After doing a pcb build I don't think I could cope with veroboard again. I'll probably make a right hash of etching those though.[/quote]

Plenty of step-by-step guides on the web for doing this, here's one:
[url="http://tacashi.tripod.com/elctrncs/pcbworks/pcbworks.htm"]http://tacashi.tripod.com/elctrncs/pcbworks/pcbworks.htm[/url]
You can get everything u need from maplins - even a beginners start-up pcb etching kit

Edited by Al Heeley
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mancunianfox Apprentice

mancunianfox

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If anyone is looking for a first project I would highly recommend the Bazz Fuss. This is a really easy beginner project. It only has six or seven parts but produces a square wave fuzz sound that is quite similar to the ZVEX Woolly Mammoth.

[url="http://www.home-wrecker.com/bazz.html"]http://www.home-wrecker.com/bazz.html[/url]

You can socket the parts to play around with different combinations. I built this with a 1N914, MPSA13 and the 1k pot to ground to control the amount of fuzz.

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JackLondon Enthusiast

JackLondon

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Right, time for an update because the ink for the printer and spray cans have arrived.

First thing first we buy a bigger desk and assemble it :)
[attachment=43603:desk.JPG]

Second of all we order some pizza :rolleyes:
[attachment=43604:pizza.JPG]

I had someone PM me asking how I know where to drill the holes on the box, it's simple, I went to my local timber merchant and asked them for some mdf cut up to size and created a template :
[attachment=43605:box_templates.JPG]

It doesn't have a top because the holes for the switch and pots are dictated by the decal design as well as the layout of parts inside the box.


First we print off the decals on the waterslide paper and let it dry, the instruction says 30 mins but I left it overnight
[attachment=43606:decals.JPG]

We come back in the morning and start preparing the enclosure, you have to clean it from all the dust, grease etc. I use normal washing up liquid and soak the box for about 5 minutes and give it a good rub with a soft sponge.
[attachment=43607:cleaning.JPG]

When the box is getting soaked I cut out the decal using very sharp stanley knife
[attachment=43608:cutting.JPG]

I then prepare the work area with all the materials needed.
[attachment=43609:preparation.JPG]

I soak the decal for 60 seconds and it peels of nicely, I then apply it to the box and get rid of any air bubbles using aan old credit card, the end result should look like this :
[attachment=43610:first_look.JPG]

After a couple of minutes is starts to dry and show true colours :
[attachment=43611:drying.JPG]



Now I'm going to leave the decal for 24 hours and spray it with clear coat tomorrow, I'm planning on applying 3 coats in total to make it a hard and scratch resistant as possible.


1 last thing to mention, you learn as you go, I originally printed the decals exactly the same size as the box which means that the edges are not sticking to the box, it's a minor thing but I suggest leaving 1-2mm off from the size to make it look neat and tidy.

More updates to follow.

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mancunianfox Apprentice

mancunianfox

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If anyone wants advice on drilling enclosures the best way is buying a unibit. I got one from US ebay but the easier but more expensive option is clas ohlsen. They go through enclosures like a hot knife through butter.

[url="http://www.clasohlson.co.uk/Product/Product.aspx?id=146433468"]http://www.clasohlson.co.uk/Product/Produc...px?id=146433468[/url]

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mancunianfox Apprentice

mancunianfox

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[quote name='JackLondon' post='758228' date='Feb 26 2010, 02:11 PM']I can do better than that :rolleyes:

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-282620-Piece-Step-Drill/dp/B0015NPPCY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=diy&qid=1267193440&sr=8-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-282620-...3440&sr=8-1[/url] got one of them and it's ace :lol: delivered for free as well :)[/quote]

Thats the same one I have, with the three different sizes. Mainly I use the middle one and then the big fat one for the stompswitch. Costly but well worth the investment.

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nick Experienced

nick

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[quote name='LukeFRC' post='758534' date='Feb 26 2010, 07:20 PM']anyone know of a good veroboard layout for a big muff? (not the one with the ICs)[/quote]

Here's a couple. Not being a Big Muff fan, haven't built any of them myself so can't say they're verified or not. But, would probably go with Torchy's layout, have built others from his veroboard plans - they worked & he has a good reputation.
[url="http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/Gila_Crisis/Big_Muff/BMP.gif.html"]http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php...ff/BMP.gif.html[/url]
[url="http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/frequencycentral/Big+Muff+Layout_001.JPG.html"]http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php...ut_001.JPG.html[/url]

Hope this helps.

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nick Experienced

nick

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[quote name='LukeFRC' post='758569' date='Feb 26 2010, 07:48 PM']that is just what i wanted! thanks nick![/quote]

That's a good site for layouts, built a few off there myself successfully.
Guess you're aware of the freestompboxes & diystompboxes forums too(?)
Wealth of info & advice on both them.

Edited by nick
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