Top 10 things I have learned in a few short weeks...(caution n00b content)

[rullywowr]

Hi everybody!  I always have been into amp building, pedal modding, etc...I found this site by looking for something (I think it was a compressor DIY) and now am bitten by the bug.  I built a BYOC before but this site is responsible for me etching my own boards, ordering a powder coating setup, and hours spent finishing up a EagleCAD layout for a certain pedal that begins with the letter "T"!  I am currently on travel but will post some pics of my latest creations when I get back.  Thanks for all the info, I can't wait to finish up some projects when I get back.

I figured I would share some helpful n00b tips that I learned over the past month or so...from this site and by poking around on the internet.

1.  Etching is much easier than I thought!  If you are scared - don't be!  It is really not that hard and really cool to play around with acid that eats metal!  Use Muriatic Acid (get it from Lowes not Home Cheapo cuz theirs is safer {which translates to pu**y}) and mix it 1 part acid to two parts Hydrogen Peroxide.  Works even better if you immerse the container in a hot water bath.  Don't breathe the fumes.  - Be safe probably do it outside if you can.

2.  Get a good quality soldering iron with a fine tip.  I use a Weller PES51 with the digital temp control and it has served me well for a number of years now. 

3.  A dedicated and modified laminator is the BOMB for toner transfer!  Just don't try to feed regular 1/16 PCB copper clad through the laminator.  You will break it and the motor will go "clack clack" (ask me how I know).  If you haven't - check out this guy's tutorial (which includes the thermal fuse and thermostat part numbers from Mouser and Digikey).  http://ultrakeet.com.au/index.php?id=article&name=superfuser.  For $20 for a used laminator and another 5 bucks in parts...this mod will make all your etching dreams come true and you won't have to screw around with an iron.

4.  Properly applied Toner Reactive Foil (TRF) is awesome and makes your traces dang near perfect) especially with the laminator.  You basically run this over the fresh toner you just layed down and it makes the toner even more resistant to your etching solution.  The Pulsar stuff works great.

5.  Double check your values (especially for caps).  I couldn't figure out why my Serendipities weren't working until I checked that I had the wrong value.  I usually take the parts list and translate into uF using a spreadsheet which works easier for me.

6.  I think the hardest part of DIY pedal building is sourcing the parts.  I highly recommend the Mouser Project Manager tool as you can reorder another type of pedal in a flash once you do the work once.  Of course cheaper parts such as from Tayda, eBay and others can go a long way as well if you want to order in bulk.  I place all the parts on a spreadsheet (Excel or Google Docs) and when I am ordering each part I color it.  Green=I already have it on hand.  Orange=I just ordered it and placed it in my shopping cart.  I originally bought Hammond enclosures but lately have been way more impressed with the New Sensor (1590NS) and similar for less than 1/2 the price!

7.  Build a Beavis Board (or similar)...as long as it revolves around 2 jacks, a stomp switch, 9V supply, and a bus bar (screw type with 6 positions) it will be way worth it. 

8.  I highly recommend getting a looper pedal (Boss RC2, Boss RC3, Digitech Jam Man, etc).  This allows you to just hit "play" and tweak your pedal without actually plugging in.  Of course you want to plug in to hear how it reacts with your guitar but a looper is a great practice tool as well as a great pedal "does it work" tool.

9.  You really need to get the Teflon Coated 22AWG stranded wire (eBay or similar)  If you haven't tried it already.  This stuff is the best.  Makes for a neatly wired box and the coating never burns.

10.  Get a toaster oven.  If you paint your enclosures now with rattle cans or wish to powder coat them in the future- it is worth it.  Additionally, I would recommend a Laser Printer.  I got an old HP 6MP from a friend for free that he was going to throw out because it was old and only had a Parallel port.  I got a Parallel port converter to put it on my router at home ($10) and now can print using WiFi from any computer...it is the best for PCB transfers and decals.

I am sure there is more but I hope these tips can help someone who is just starting.  Oh yeah, a drill press and UniBit work great too!

[druz15]

I really need a drill press, trying to convince my dad to buy one so I can "borrow it"

[keysandguitars]

Thanks for posting this. I'm going to look into the laminator link you posted and find some of that wire. Ditto on the loop station, especially for debugging which I'm becoming all too familiar with.

PS I bought this drill press at Harbor Freight http://www.harborfreight.com/5-speed-drill-press-38119.html It's cheap, but it works great. Bought cheap step bits from there too and they're working just fine.

[bigmufffuzzwizz]

Great suggestions. I've really interested in trying the lamination method of etching. I got it done pretty good with PNP Blue and an iron but this method seems more stable. One day I hope to try it.
I gotta get the rest of my powdercoating set-up. I bought the compressor now I gotta force myself to buy the gun. Can't wait for finishes to come..but then I'll need the toaster oven. Your right on track!

[rullywowr]

Tip:  I just scored the basic gun off of eBay (from Eastwood themselves) for only $69.99 (instead of $99.00).  After reading the powdercoating tutorial on this site I was inspired.  Instead of buying the deluxe kit - I figured I could get more bang for the buck by getting it separately:

*Basic Gun (eBay) = $69.99
*12 extra jars from Eastwood that fit in the gun = $30.00 so I don't have to clean hopper each time I need to change colors
*A whole bunch of powder including 1lb of clear, and dormant sampler kit from columbia coatings - about $50-$60

Can't wait to try it - will def post some pics next week!

[Rockhorst]

What would be great is an Excel sheet where I can just say 'this week I want to build a zen, a modded TS, a chorus and heck, let's throw in a mosfet booster as well (make it two)' and then on the second page I get a complete list of all the parts that I need to source (so that I don't need to check 4 schematics to see how many 1K resistors I'm gonna need). Alas, I'm no Excel Guru (hint).

[gtr2]

Rockhorst:

You can do something similar.  Hold the Alt key and right click and hold while you drag over the component column you want on the pdf.  Ctrl C to copy and then paste it in excel.  For multiple projects I would take the pdfs and do this for resistors, caps etc...  For example put all the resistors for all the projects in one column and then use the sort command.  It will put all the same values together.  I no longer do this because I have enough stock for the common values and I only order when I'm running low now or it's something odd.

Josh

[keysandguitars]

Ditto to gtr2, that's how I just organized my first "mass" quantity ordering for the next 7-8 projects. Worked very well.

[rullywowr]

All good stuff especially the spreadsheet - at the same time I convert to uF sometimes for the caps as it is easier to order from Mouser.  If you don't have Excel, you can use Google Docs for free (spreadsheet) which works basically the same and can be accessed from any computer.   After in the spreadsheet just color code the cells as you are going through it something like (Green = I have on hand.  Orange = I am ordering and it is in the cart, Blue = I am sourcing from another supplier etc.). 

I recommend ordering an assortment of diodes, opamps, LED+holders, and transistors just to have on hand.  Sometimes you see a project (get bitten by the bug) and would like to jump into it but are missing a simple component.  The Hacker's Guide for the Beavis Board is a great reference of which components to get to have on hand and their associated part numbers: http://www.beavisaudio.com/bboard/docs/HackersGuideToTheBeavisBoard.pdf.  Depending on your budget, I would get 5-25+ each from Mouser as a good start. 

I would also recommend ordering the poly film cap assortment, resistor assortment, as well as a ceramic cap assortment on eBay as well.  They are about $14 -$20 and you will have a large stock of many common values at a great price.  Only drawback is the 2 week shipping time.  Most ship from Hong Kong etc.  Hit up Mouser for 100+ qty each of electrolytic in 1uF, 10uF, 4.7 uF, 47uF, 100uF etc.  This should round out your parts stash for a good while.

Whenever I need a strange value component, I order it plus maybe some extra (10 - 100 depending on cost) so I have it on hand.  Have fun!

Oh lastly - you will want to get a dremel (if you don't have one), a dremel drill press attachment, and some carbide PCB drill bits (.8mm and 1mm are good sizes).  This makes PCB fabbing easy.