best approach to starting DIY

[aussy]

thread has been re-purposed

I've been meaning to start building pedals for a while
Should I jump right in and drop $220ish on a new iron, some pcbs (will move to perf as I become more adventurous), materials, enclosures, etching solution etc.
Or, should I take baby steps?
What have your personal experiences been?

Leaning towards the former. If I make something I don't like, I could easily sell it to recoup those funds invested, no?
I'd like this to be a self sustaining hobby, unlike my normal gear purchasing

[comtrails70]

SwitchingComponents.gif (11.04 KiB) Viewed 1231 times

or check here :

http://beavisaudio.com/techpages/Switches/

[nbabmf]

Oh, com... he was just asking simple yes/no questions. Why'd you have to get all detailed on him?

1. Yes.
2. Yes.

[aussy]

thanks for the responses
after a quick read and 30 seconds of headscratching, my DIY future is looking brighter
I forgot how much darn information is on the beavis site
what a great resource

[aussy]

Thread has been re-purposed

[nbabmf]

Aside from a BYOC kit years ago, I started with perf, and still use a $25 iron. Different strokes for different folks. If you just want to make stuff, by all means PCB it up. If you want to know what's going on too, might as well go perf first because the existing layouts are typically laid out more like the schematic and easier to follow. YMMV.

[Rygot]

Start out with radioshack and a bazz fuss.

Try understanding the layout for it just by looking at the schem, pretty sure beavis has a page for that.

Then drop some cash...because who doesn't like DIY?

[fuzzmax]

moding existing pedals is fun too......just get an inexpensive ds-1 and have fun with replacing components values!!!!
Danger......it is very addictive!!!

[moose23]

Started with kits myself I like the way you get everything you need in one go (but the following projects would be just as good for starting with). I then moved onto perf and vero, the SHO and Fuzz Face or Coloursound One Knob Fuzz are great perf or vero projects to get started with.

No need to splash on an expensive iron yet either.

[eniacmike]

I think starting with breadboard is the way to go. just do a few things like the bazz fuss or the electra distortion/trotsky from the beavis board pages.

you can get all this at radioshack
breadboard
digital muilti-meter
bag of resistors
bag of caps
a few pots
a pair of jacks
some hookup wire
a cheap iron
solder

building a working circuit is one thing, stuffing it in an enclosure and making a reliable build is another. 99% of the newbie posts on forums have to do with off board wiring.

It is ALOT of money to do DIY all out and you probably end up spending more money that you would buying the pedals so take it slow and build your bench up over time.

[comtrails70]

Oh, com... he was just asking simple yes/no questions. Why'd you have to get all detailed on him?

1. Yes.
2. Yes.

Thread has been re-purposed

i would start (like previous posts say) with a cheap iron. keep it clean and always make sure the tip is tightly fastened
to reduce any loss of heat.once you know your addicted to building then go for the nicer ones or start looking at drill presses!

[nbabmf]

Drill presses are for babies. Real men use a sword.

[aussy]

By the way, I already have a cheap iron (though I need to see if I can buy a new, smaller tip for it) and already have one kit build under my belt
I'm basically trying to decide if I should go one build at a time, or just jump right in (saves shipping costs too)

Right now I have a few boxes in mind that I want to build (snowflake, a modded devi maybe, this sonic titan PCB that I bought off here a while ago)
Basically, readily available PCB builds of pedals I've always wanted to try but not necessarily buy, just for further introduction.
Not sure I'm game for a breadboard yet, as I'd want to approach it with more of a kit sense at first (with some mods here and there) to maintain some sense of completion? Don't know if this makes any sense.

[tuffteef]

Drill presses are for babies. Real men use a sword.

i use ray guns
but if im really feeling dangerous ill throw a coin in the air shoot at it at watch those beams split and hit the enclosure

its how i roll baby

[LaoWiz]

Getting a kit with everything you need may be a good way to go.

I did breadboard first and it took forever to get the first circuit in a box. I still work that way these days. I build on bread board and then perf
everything.