ilovefuzz.com

How long does it usually take to make most pedals????
How much electrical experience do you need?

I'm a total n00b and it took me about 2 hours to solder around 40 points on a PCB last night.

By my math that means -> no experience = mad slow. Who knows how long for testing and debugging and all that???

Hahahahaa.

Here is a link to a list of the basic tools that any kit builder/modder needs to get started:
http://www.guitarpug.com/2008/06/tools-modding-byo-kits/#more-140

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Need knobs? Check these links out:

http://banzaimusic.com/Knobs/
http://4sale.sbszoo.com/knobs.htm
http://daviesmolding.com/standard-produ ... fault.html
http://www.surplussales.com/ShaftHardwa ... Index.html
http://marvac.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=565

godofthegrove wrote:How long does it usually take to make most pedals????
How much electrical experience do you need?

This is a pretty broad topic.

The first place I would start to answer this is: what is defined by "make?"
I'm assuming you are strictly referring to assembly time, right? If so, assembly time will vary in relation to experience, parts count, off-board wiring (when applicable), physical tolerances, tuning/alignment (if required), circuit complexity, PCB layout (when PCBs are used) and again, experience. I'm sure I missed a few key articles, but at least I'm trying, right?
I think it is also worthwhile to consider tooling time and final testing. Available equipment and experience will drastically affect these figures.
Quantity is a consideration as well. While it may take four hours to build one unit, it may take 6 hours to build 5. Given these arbitrary figures, each unit in a five unit run could be produced in 33% of the time expended on a single unit run. Again, these are arbitrary numbers and actual results will vary based on the qualifiers listed above.

Every person works differently. Some guys are "fast" some guys are "slow." Some guys are highly detail oriented, some guys have bigger fish to fry.

Can you elaborate on what you mean with specific examples?

Cheap alternative to the Panavise. way better than a helping hand/third hand:
http://www.harborfreight.com/2-3-4-quar ... -3311.html
It's solid. The rubber things come off and go back on easily, and the suction base really works great.

(but the third hand still comes in handy for some things).

Cheap fume extractor. It works great. I don't know how good the filters are, but it definitely keeps the smoke from getting in your face. I was having pretty bad headaches before I got this thing:
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/2 ... rm=21-7960

And these are way better than the sponges. Your tips will last longer, they're easier to use, and, best of all, better tinning means easier soldering:
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/2 ... dCrossSell

hey dudes!

thought i would share my blog with you all. come on by, i tend to put up a few things a month.


cheers!


http://apocalypseaudio.blogspot.com/

pedal enclosures, knobs etc..
http://www.pedalpartsplus.com <----- 3PDT switches for $4
http://www.mammothelectronics.com
http://www.pedalenclosures.com <----- expensive recycled aluminum enclosures
http://www.forrestwhitesides.com/shop/ <--------- Culturejam's store

resistors, caps opamps etc..(some of them sell pedal enclosures and pedal parts)
http://www.mouser.com <------the best place to get this stuff
http://www.jemeco.com <------THE cheapest place for LM386, TL072
http://www.taydaelectronics.com <----- electronics from thailand. looks crazy cheap.
http://www.digikey.com <------anything that mouser doesn't have like a 10nf radial leaded electrolytic capacitor
http://www.smallbearelec.com <--- lots of stuff that mouser doesn't have, some things are cheaper!
http://www.futurlec.com <--- vero board, protoboard, PCB service
http://www.sparkfun.com <--- ribbon pots and other stuff
http://www.allspectrum.com/ <--- solder, wire, tools, meters
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com <---- random stuff. check it out.

soldering irons
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/

BIG enclosures, mostly speaker building but also sell jacks and knobs
http://www.parts-express.com

http://www.casperelectronics.com <-------- lots of info and schematics. more on the 555 and TL072 cause thats what he does. there is some overlap now that guitar players are using oscillators in fuzz pedals.

everyone already posted great links for info and schematics. schematics are everywhere. use google images and type in fuzz face for example. then you can follow it back to the site and *WHAM* you found another place on the interwebs.

What about Mr. CultureJam's store? http://www.forrestwhitesides.com/shop/index.php

For pcbs: http://www.guitarpcb.com

For parts http://www.effectsconnection.com is also pretty good.

godofthegrove wrote:How long does it usually take to make most pedals????
How much electrical experience do you need?

The time needed depends on an awful lot, like your experience and comfort level, as well as the type of build you are doing. If you have a PCB and it's an easy enough circuit, even a new builder can put something together in a couple hours. Of course as things get more complex that stretches your build time out significantly.

As for electrical experience, the basic answer is 'none.' You are working with 9 volts, and if you had no experience I assume you would be working from a kit or a solid instruction set, and typically these don't ask you to do any formulation - you put the resistor where it tells you and solder it in. If you've never soldered anything before then pick up a circuit board out of a trashed clock radio or something and practice de-soldering and re-soldering components a bit so you can get the hang of it without ruining your project in the process.

http://weicowire.com/specpage.asp?nGroupID=40

Just got a spool of this stuff, and it looks pretty great. It's military spec pre-bond wire. Mil spec has a thinner jacket so it looks nicer. Also seems to not melt so bad.

They also have all sorts of other wire and heat shrink tubing. The only thing is, you gotta buy a lot of it, and I think they require a company name at check out. You can pay with a credit card, so I bet they don't even check... maybe email them and see.

They have RG-147U (thin shielded wire) in the coax section for cheaper than I've been able to find it elsewhere.

Also, Mammoth Electronics is pretty awesome-- even if it is just an estore of the 4Site catalog.

I've been using this Velleman wiring pack with 10 colors, but I think I need to take the plunge on on some nice spools of wire that doesn't have magic melting insulation haha.

Just Seen that The Peak Atlas DCA has had it price slashed on their main site

Anyone who doesn't know what the Peak is, its a pocket size transistor testing demigod!



Just connect the leads (in any order) and scroll though for he component type, component pinout, gain, leakage current, gate threshold voltages, volt drops etc...

(disclaimer: Im not affiliated in any way with Peak Electronics, just a happy customer who has just snapped one up at a new cheap price of £41, they are still going for double that on ebay)

Craig Anderton's "Electronic Projects For Musicians" - The book that got many of today's most popular builder's started.

TORRENT: http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/160246157/craig+anderton?tab=summary

peps1 wrote:Just Seen that The Peak Atlas DCA has had it price slashed on their main site

I picked one up a couple weeks ago. It ended up being something like $63 shipped to my door, from the UK to the USA.