Harmonic Percolator Build

[woodstock_stomp_box]

Hi everyone. I made this harmonic percolator clone as a surprise for my girlfriend's little brother. He's a gigantic Steve Albini fan.




This is the second pedal I've made for someone other than myself (started back in august) and I wanted to take the chance to work on some of my finishing skills. The first boxes I made were all in enclosures that were powder coated black when I got them, and I drew on them with paint pens. My handwriting isn't great and I'm not much for drawing, so the results looked pretty bad, not helped by the fact that I didn't plan enclosure layout ahead much so it was always a struggle to get everything to fit. I don't have a problem with this stuff if its just for me, but if I'm making something for someone else I'd rather it look cool.

It's been bad weather for spray painting around me, so I etched the enclosure using the toner transfer + ferric chloride method - the art was made by my girlfriend. This was my second attempt (first was a process test) and I'm really digging the rough look. I know using the name of a pedal you're cloning is usually bad, but seeing as how this is a one-off that I'm giving as a gift to someone, I didn't see much problem it.

As far as the circuit goes, it's just the Albini component values with a 2n3904 in place of the NPN transistor. Really easy and quick build. If I had more time I would've taken a stab at adding in some of the mods I've seen around the web, but the stock version still holds up.

This is the first time I've used an LED ring in a build, and though it looks slightly better in person than in pictures, I can't say I'm the biggest fan. I've heard they sell ones that are more diffuse which would help a lot, but given the cost they seem to add to the build (relative to a normal LED) I don't think the look is quite worth it. Still interested in exploring other lighting options, though.

Overall I'm pretty happy with how it came out. The offboard layout was a little tight due to the placement of the footswitch hole and the pot labels. Not the end of the world, and a snug fit is satisfying, but next time I'm definitely going to plan that out a little better, as it would've been easier to get away with way shorter lengths of wire if there had been room for the board to sit perpendicular to how it does now.

[jimilee]

That's does look fantastic.


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[woodstock_stomp_box]

That's does look fantastic.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! gf knocked it out of the park on the design, translated really well to the etch. She made the background pattern with Illustrator, and did the typography with Indesign (i think). its definitely been my favorite enclosure finishing method so far, and can have a lot of character. ferric chloride is pretty nasty stuff though

[jimilee]

That's does look fantastic.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's an intense process. I haven't used Ferric, I use muriatic acid and peroxide. I can etch a board, but I can't etch an enclosure for nothing. I got lucky once.

Thanks! gf knocked it out of the park on the design, translated really well to the etch. She made the background pattern with Illustrator, and did the typography with Indesign (i think). its definitely been my favorite enclosure finishing method so far, and can have a lot of character. ferric chloride is pretty nasty stuff though

[cooder]

It does look excellent in a best grungy way, fits perfectly for the circuit! Well done!
The footswitch lights make it look kinda hypnotoad like...

[woodstock_stomp_box]

It does look excellent in a best grungy way, fits perfectly for the circuit! Well done!
The footswitch lights make it look kinda hypnotoad like...

all... hail... hypnotoad...

and thanks! Could be pretty sweet to use the ring as a rate LED for a modulation effect (especially in the dark) - this is probably what i'll use the other two i have left for

[danfrank]

I love the "vertigo" graphics, your GF did a great job. Let us know what kid brother thinks of the pedal.