DIY Effects

[Guest oZZma]

I've watched tons of tutorials about soldering these days... 

Seems like there are "schoools of thought" on a couple of things... For example, do you BEND the wire into the pots lugs to have a "mechanical" joint as well, or not?

Do you solder on the components side or the board, or on the other side (I find the other side is easier, and cleaner)?

 

 

 

[Bigwan]

29 minutes ago, oZZma said:

I've watched tons of tutorials about soldering these days... 

Seems like there are "schoools of thought" on a couple of things... For example, do you BEND the wire into the pots lugs to have a "mechanical" joint as well, or not?

Do you solder on the components side or the board, or on the other side (I find the other side is easier, and cleaner)?

 

 

 

Mechanical joint is a good idea. It's what I do, just always seemed like common sense, but that doesn't mean it's right. It can be hard to keep things neat though.

I always solder on the other side of the board, unless soldering surface mount components of course!

[Guest oZZma]

1 minute ago, Bigwan said:

Mechanical joint is a good idea. It's what I do, just always seemed like common sense, but that doesn't mean it's right. It can be hard to keep things neat though.

 

yeah, I watched a tutorial and the guy just fills the lug with solder and then sticks the wire to it. Desoldering would come much cleaner, but seems a lot more fragile to me

[Guest oZZma]

Today's build will be a bit-crusher! 

My pointy solder tip is completely oxidized so I'll have to build it with the less-pointy one, 1 mm I think

I hope it's small enough and serves me well 

I could wait the new tips I ordered from Amazon but I WANT TO SOLDER NOW!!! 

 

Edit: the fun is delayed to next weekend. The tip is way too big  I'll finish the build when I get the sharp tips. I placed the resistors and started to solder but I can't be accurate with this one..

Edited January 19, 2019 by oZZma

[fuzzonaut]

On 19/01/2019 at 10:29, oZZma said:

 bit-crusher fun is delayed 

How's that bit-crusher doing?

Here's my latest build, the PCB is called Fugu, but I put Fuzz Machine on there, as on the pedal that this is based on.

It's the first time I tried "waterslide decal" instead of "photo transfer potch" to dress up the box.

[Guest oZZma]

5 minutes ago, fuzzonaut said:

How's that bit-crusher doing?

Here's my latest build, the PCB is called Fugu, but I put Fuzz Machine on there, as on the pedal that this is based on.

It's the first time I tried "waterslide decal" instead of "photo transfer potch" to dress up the box.

Beautiful!!! 

I have not built anything this weekend, my drummer has been available both SAT and SUN, which rarely happens, so I gave priority to reharsal! (In fact I'm on the bus headed to my practice space right now)

I got the solder tips anyways, I re-start tomorrow evening after work I think! 

[Guest oZZma]

As for the enclosure decorations, I'm really intrigued by etched + painted, but it's soooo messy, and I really hate handling chemicals 😓

[fuzzonaut]

Thanks. I tried acid etching on a few back plates so far, but the results were not that great, but still "interesting" at least. 😄 

[Guest oZZma]

Why the PCB has a + symbol for not polarizerd capacitos?? 

EDIT: solved

Edited February 2, 2019 by oZZma

[Guest oZZma]

It doesn't work

I made a good soldering job with the components but I made the usual mess with the wiring. I HATE WIRING

Led lights up, but no sound comes out from the pedal. Even when the pedal is desengaged

How do you solder wires to the PCB? I always end up by filling the holes with solder so I can't make a proper joint anymore

Anyways, I didn't like instructions for this one. My first build was a Fuzz Dog kit and instructions were very clear and detailed. This one was a Jeds Peds: not beginner-oriented at all. 

 

Edited February 2, 2019 by oZZma

[Woodinblack]

Do you hear anything out of the output, even a click when it is engaged?

[Guest oZZma]

27 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Do you hear anything out of the output, even a click when it is engaged?

No... Nothing.

I'm almost sure something is wrong in the 3PDT wiring.

Edited February 2, 2019 by oZZma

[Woodinblack]

Well, if the LEDs come on, so it has power, it sounds like some problem in the output wiring (as you would hear a click or something when power turned up), or if it has a passive bypass switch, a problem with your switch wiring. I would buzz that all out and check it was as you expected

[Guest oZZma]

6 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

Well, if the LEDs come on, so it has power, it sounds like some problem in the output wiring (as you would hear a click or something when power turned up), or if it has a passive bypass switch, a problem with your switch wiring.

This Is the most likely, I did a real mess with that. I don't know if I can fix it. Some holes on the 3PDT daughterboard are filled with solder.

there are for sure at least a couple of faulty connections

Edited February 2, 2019 by oZZma

[bartelby]

1 hour ago, oZZma said:

This Is the most likely, I did a real mess with that. I don't know if I can fix it. Some holes on the 3PDT daughterboard are filled with solder.

there are for sure at least a couple of faulty connections

get some desoldering braid and unblock the holes

EDIT: but don't buy the cheaper stuff, it's rubbish

Edited February 2, 2019 by bartelby

[Guest oZZma]

7 minutes ago, bartelby said:

get some desoldering braid and unblock the holes

EDIT: but don't buy the cheaper stuff, it's rubbish

I have a desoldrring braid, I hope it's not the crappy one... I'll try it tomorrow, thanks!

[Woodinblack]

Well, if it has a passive bypass switch, which if it has a 3PDT switch it sounds like it has, then at a minimum, regardless of power or anything else, you should be able to connect a bass at one end, an amp at the other and with it set to bypass it should pass straight though - if it doesn't do that then at least you know it is the wiring rather than the circuit.

[Guest oZZma]

I just tried the pedal again. I moved jacks and power socket a little to be sure that wires don't touch each other and don't touch the enclosure.

Now I can hear the sound! But I hear the sound of the pedal (an octave down synthy stuff) at normal volume, PLUS a crazy crackle at crazy volume. When I GENTLY touch the strings it doesn't happen, but if I pluck with normal strenght the pedal goes crazy.

Could it still be the wiring or should I look at the pedal circuit itself? 

Anyways the fact that I can do the main PCB without problems and then I make a mess with the footswitch makes me go...

 

"ALWAYS THE F**ING LAST VERSE!!!" 

Edited February 3, 2019 by oZZma

[bartelby]

Bypass switch wiring is always the part I take the most time over. It seems such a basic part, but it's so easy to get a wire out of place.

 

[Guest oZZma]

10 minutes ago, bartelby said:

Bypass switch wiring is always the part I take the most time over. It seems such a basic part, but it's so easy to get a wire out of place.

 

I know I should have tested the main circuit without the switch, but I didn't. I could not manage to keep the wires in place on the PCB and didn't want to solder all that stuff and then desolder (once solder goes into the holes, freeing them is a true pain in the **s, I had to deal with this in my first build). Any suggestion to make this step in the cleanest way would be very welcome

Anyways the more I play the more it seems to me that all that crackle and glitch is the very nature of the pedal  I don't like it, but maybe it's not the wiring after all.

Edited February 3, 2019 by oZZma

[bartelby]

what pedal is it?

 

My soldering iron has a very fine point and I use very thin gauge solder*, I do a lot of hand soldering SMT parts at the moment. 

 

* unless it's soldering switches and pots, then I use thicker stuff.

[Woodinblack]

So in bypass is it exactly the same as the sound of the guitar?

hard to tell if the description of the effect sounds like it’s broken or supposed to sound like that!

[Guest oZZma]

1 minute ago, Woodinblack said:

So in bypass is it exactly the same as the sound of the guitar?

hard to tell if the description of the effect sounds like it’s broken or supposed to sound like that!

yes, when I turn off the pedal it sounds transparent

 

 

[Guest oZZma]

6 minutes ago, bartelby said:

what pedal is it?

 

My soldering iron has a very fine point and I use very thin gauge solder*, I do a lot of hand soldering SMT parts at the moment. 

 

https://www.jedspeds.co.uk/product-page/bit-4069

I haven't found any demo for that.

 

 

[Woodinblack]

Oh yes, just a hex inverter. It will sound pretty dirty and glitchy, so maybe it is working (its a logic circuit effectively rather than an amplifier).

It should probably sound a bit like this: