Post-Lockdown pedal building

rsvmark

Fuengi said:

Can anyone recommend a multimeter for pedal and guitar work? Think it's worth my getting one. 

I have one like this:
https://www.jedspeds.co.uk/product-page/multi-meter

Glad it’s got a diode test function! Others may have better recommendations!

Fuengi

rsvmark said:

Fuengi said:

Can anyone recommend a multimeter for pedal and guitar work? Think it's worth my getting one. 

I have one like this:
https://www.jedspeds.co.uk/product-page/multi-meter

Glad it’s got a diode test function! Others may have better recommendations!

This one from Toolstation caught my eye, a bit more but their stuff usually lasts.

https://www.toolstation.com/tis-258-digital-multimeter-with-temperature-probe/p87874?store=AI&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&gclid=CjwKCAjw_-D3BRBIEiwAjVMy7MzI7AOSVWc2kQLWWpIVRF4KIJKTuRDoKeiU-Nzr5djioyEk9dsPsRoCCmYQAvD_BwE#full-desc

roberty

@Fuengi I got a £10 one about 3 years ago and it's one of my most used things now. It has a diode tester and an hfe measure too. Maybe from Amazon? I think the cheap ones are okay (unlike soldering stations)

@rsvmark my experience is when the diodes are cooked they don't pass anything in either direction. Are they in place? If they wired in opposite directions as clipping diodes then there will be a route in either direction through one diode or the other from the same contact points 

roberty

Yes they are arranged in opposite directions as clipping diodes. One clips the top of the waveform and the other clips the bottom. If they are soldered in place you'll get a reading in both directions through one of the pair

rsvmark

@rsvmark my experience is when the diodes are cooked they don't pass anything in either direction. Are they in place? If they wired in opposite directions as clipping diodes then there will be a route in either direction through one diode or the other from the same contact points 

@roberty ;

yes they are in place. I triple checked the orientation and how to use the multi meter! I managed to solder them in place neatly and I am generally I am tracing the circuit/component and checking for shorts if I can. So armed with the warning from fuzzdog, I was keen to check the diodes were still working. So using the multimeter I checked again and I get a voltage drop both ways.... And lo and behold I do....so it looks like I haven’t fecked it up after all! Great news!

Alex2678

Both from FuzzDog, a tone bender and an OCD alike that I’ve renamed the ADD on account of the extra switching. Drive worked first time. Drove myself mad with the fuzz, the cl resistor was shorting against the led leg. Took a while to realise.

Keefy

Alex2678 said:

Both from FuzzDog, a tone bender and an OCD alike that I’ve renamed the ADD on account of the extra switching. Drive worked first time. Drove myself mad with the fuzz, the cl resistor was shorting against the led leg. Took a while to realise.

I like the labelling - very 'punk aesthetic'!

Alex2678

Keefy said:

Alex2678 said:

Both from FuzzDog, a tone bender and an OCD alike that I’ve renamed the ADD on account of the extra switching. Drive worked first time. Drove myself mad with the fuzz, the cl resistor was shorting against the led leg. Took a while to realise.

I like the labelling - very 'punk aesthetic'!

Based on my experience can confirm that punk aesthetic was born of laziness

stickyfiddle

Looking good. I do love a Dymo, and still need to get it going for my recent builds.

Alex2678

stickyfiddle said:

Looking good. I do love a Dymo, and still need to get it going for my recent builds.

Thanks! I’m using a cheap amazon knock off that I got to try it out, think I’m going to invest in a proper one, tape keeps slipping out of line

roberty

Alex2678 said:

stickyfiddle said:

Looking good. I do love a Dymo, and still need to get it going for my recent builds.

Thanks! I’m using a cheap amazon knock off that I got to try it out, think I’m going to invest in a proper one, tape keeps slipping out of line

Yeh it looks punk af and doesn't take forever lol

roberty

Finally got something finished. I had a bit of a mini disaster when I was doing my clearcoat where a gust of wind dumped 6 finished enclosures on the concrete. I guess they're relicd now

My LED wiring is a bit untidy but the rest is fairly neat. I'm just glad it works

stickyfiddle

@roberty loving that your idea of “messy” seems to be “I used colour-coded wires and colour-coded heat shrink on it but the wires aren’t perfectly straight” 

roberty

stickyfiddle said:

@roberty loving that your idea of “messy” seems to be “I used colour-coded wires and colour-coded heat shrink on it but the wires aren’t perfectly straight” 

True! Perhaps social media has given me unrealistic beauty standards ;p

Check out this guy's work, unbelievable https://reeveselectro.co.uk/product/2n2face-silicon-fuzzface

Alex2678

roberty said:

True! Perhaps social media has given me unrealistic beauty standards ;p

Check out this guy's work, unbelievable https://reeveselectro.co.uk/product/2n2face-silicon-fuzzface

His stuff is mind blowing. 

You should see the inside of the first fuzz I made. Stuff of nightmares. Had to go back in so many times to fix bad joints, accidentally melting wires with the iron every time, using insulation tape to stop the board shorting on the pots. Probably some bubblegum in there. Sounds good though

roberty

Alex2678 said:

roberty said:

True! Perhaps social media has given me unrealistic beauty standards ;p

Check out this guy's work, unbelievable https://reeveselectro.co.uk/product/2n2face-silicon-fuzzface

His stuff is mind blowing. 

You should see the inside of the first fuzz I made. Stuff of nightmares. Had to go back in so many times to fix bad joints, accidentally melting wires with the iron every time, using insulation tape to stop the board shorting on the pots. Probably some bubblegum in there. Sounds good though

Yeah me too :-) I just piled in without giving it much thought

rsvmark

Update:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50076738952_d4a3a05661_k.jpg ;

Everything built on the board, pots and switch positioned and soldered. So far so good. Checked the circuits and all pots operational, no crackles, and the switch works fine. Yippee....... BUT the volume dramatically drops off using the switch. When the switch is in up or centre mode, its nice and fine and no probs. When it is in the lower position there is a big drop off which i am sure isnt part of the plan! @andy1839 did yours do this? Any suggestions before contacting fuzzdog.

Thanks. 

andy1839

rsvmark said:

Update:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50076738952_d4a3a05661_k.jpg ;

Everything built on the board, pots and switch positioned and soldered. So far so good. Checked the circuits and all pots operational, no crackles, and the switch works fine. Yippee....... BUT the volume dramatically drops off using the switch. When the switch is in up or centre mode, its nice and fine and no probs. When it is in the lower position there is a big drop off which i am sure isnt part of the plan! @andy1839 did yours do this? Any suggestions before contacting fuzzdog.

Thanks. 

@rsvmark yes mate, mine does that too, it's only really useable in the 100w setting. The 50w and 25w are too quiet, unless that's by design. 
Mines quite trebly too, needs careful adjusting of the air and eq to tame it. I've been running the treble almost off and the Air higher.

rsvmark

@andy1839 thanks mate- good to know I haven’t utterly cocked up! Not played with it a huge amount yet- tonight’s job was testing the circuit so it sounds like everything is as expected. Tomorrows job will be to finish the graphics And make a start on the foot switch.

roberty

My noise gate is sort of working but reduced output when engaged. Hopefully just need to reflow some connections. It's a bit tricky to test because some of the bits need to be soldered in place

The foxxton woods is a total beast. Tried it in rehearsal the other night, I think it can replace both my fuzz and my octave fuzz pedals. Heavier than I expected (half fuzz half metal zone lol) but worked really well in the room