I wish I knew this when I was first starting...

[junkemail86]

I'm sure this exists in some form, but I thought it would be nice for us to post some basic things that would have been helpful when we were making our first few pedals.  Here are a few things that have made life easier for me:

- Use thinner solder to make things neater
- Purchase a fabricated PCB for the first few pedals.  There are several people at this forum that will etch a PCB for you if Madbean doesn't offer a project you are interested in
- Consider multiple conductor wire for pots (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062656), or better yet use PCB-mount pots
- Use smaller pot sizes! I started out using 24 mm pots and they are just too large for most purposes.  I personally like 16 mm, but some prefer 9 mm pots
- Futurlec value packs are a great way to build your resistor and capacitor stash:  http://futurlec.com/ValuePacks.shtml
- Try building your own instrument cables (consider these plugs  http://www.speakerrepair.com/page/product/PandJ-allplugs/32-232x20.html   and   http://www.redco.com  for bulk cable)
- If you hate drilling enclosures as much as I do, consider a tool like this  http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_16698_16698


Links:

Pre-made PCBs:
madbeanpedals.com
guitarpcb.com

Vero layouts:
http://www.sabrotone.com
http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com

Knowledge:
freestompboxes.org
diystompboxes.com
madbeanpedals.com
http://www.geofex.com
muzique.com

Part suppliers:
http://www.taydaelectronics.com
http://www.futurlec.com
http://www.mammothelectronics.com
http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/StoreFront
http://www.digikey.com
http://www.mouser.com
http://www.pedalpartsplus.com


Feel free to add your own tips!

[gordo]

Shhhhh, yer letting out all the secrets...

Nicely done, it's taken years of this (more than I'd care to admit) to compile such a list on my own.  A wealth of knowledge and suppliers to make it happen in that single post.

[RobA]

Add Allied and Avnet to the suppliers list.

http://www.alliedelec.com

https://avnetexpress.avnet.com

Allied usually has the best prices on solder supplies and vactrols. Avnet almost always has better prices on anything from TI, Atmel, ST, and Microchip, particularly TI.

[billstein]

1.  The thing that really helped me was taking some time to go through the build reports and really study how the craftsman on this board did things. I learned so much about internal wiring.

2.  Get a decent soldering iron.

3.  Be curious. Ask questions. Read through the posts when others are troubleshooting problems. Today I was able to get two pedals working (a Multiplex jr and a Small clone) using tips I learned by reading the recommendations given to others for completely different pedals.

[jimilee]

I bet I read troubleshooting threads for a month before I built my first pedal. I still read them to learn.

[jkokura]

1. You don't have to box every circuit you build. In fact, don't plan to box anything till after it's been tested.

2. Be careful buying from too many sources. Just cause it's cheaper per part doesn't mean you've saved anything in shipping.

3. Use a drill press and use a step bit unless you're already a hand drill pro.

4. Plan. Carefully, plan everything out BEFORE you buy parts, AGAIN BEFORE you build anything, AGAIN BEFORE you assemble anything. It sucks to spend money on stuff only to have to throw it out because you didn't plan right.

5. It's ok to buy lots of PCBs. Great places to get PCBs include: Madbean (obviously), JMK PCBs (obviously), 1776 Effects (obviously), and some other places too.

Jacob

[juansolo]

Buy PCBs when they're available (all PCBs not just Bean) if you're thinking you might want to build them at some point. There's no telling how long they'll be in stock, whether or not another run will be done, whether they'll be withdrawn, etc, etc.

I have a tub of something like 40 PCBs... Some I know will be surplus now, but they're always good for trades or multi-effects.

[alanp]

Blu-tack. It's even better than masking tape.

Learn to hold the roll of solder in the palm of your hand while you solder with it, don't cut off lengths. You just wind up with a million 5mm lengths of solder, which is a waste. A 250gram roll fits in my palm nicely.

[drezdn]

Build and use a testing rig*. Once you have one built, it'll save tons of time troubleshooting.

Secondly, don't let mistakes get you down. I've been building for four years now, and I still make foolish mistakes from time to time. It seems like I learn more from when things don't work then when they do.

[Cortexturizer]

Build and use a testing rig*.

I am SO...SO building this.

[croquet hoop]

You can add http://www.musikding.de/ and http://www.banzaimusic.com/home.php in the parts suppliers list, they are interesting alternatives to smallbear for European builders.

Read, read, read, use and abuse the search function.

I think JMK PCBs and 1776 Effects have been named, they have lots of interesting projects. And many others can be found in the Buy/Sell/Trade & Member Projects sections of the forum.

Also, when you start, it can be helpful to list in a spreadsheet all the parts you need for the first handful of pedals you're planning to build. It's not necessary for three pedals, but when you're planning on getting stuff for 10-15 builds, it really helps, especially for caps and resistors, (here's an example, just a part of my current spreadsheet). Then when you find another build you want to try, just add the components. Before ordering, delete the columns listing parts for the pedals you've already built or don't want to now, and look up the total for each part on the right-hand side.

[midwayfair]

Breadboard.

Noun and verb.

[Govmnt_Lacky]

Just to add in the "WOW... my build worked the first time" area....

1) If you etch your own PCBs... make sure to check 2x for trace bridges BEFORE dipping the PCB in the etchant. You can use an xacto knife to scratch off unwanted bridges in the resist before etching.
2) ALWAYS verify each component's value and placement 2x as you are installing it into the board. Check resistor color codes, capacitor value markings, diode bands, zener part numbers, IC orientation. If you have ANY questions... refer to the appropriate data sheets.
3) Double check your offboard wiring. Make sure that you have the correct wires going to the correct pot lugs, In/Out jack lugs, and make sure you have power and ground going to the correct places.
4) Once you finish soldering your PCB, ALWAYS look it over closely for self-made solder bridges.

I use these 4 easy steps with every build. To this day, I have only had 2 builds that did not work (not saying that they didnt need tweaking  ) and one of those was because my PCB layout was screwed up 

Good Luck 

[Tremster]

You can add http://www.musikding.de/ and http://www.banzaimusic.com/home.php in the parts suppliers list, they are interesting alternatives to smallbear for European builders.

And MEK/UK: http://uk-electronic.de/onlineshop/index.php?language=en
For quite a few things they're cheaper than the other two.

And maybe Reichelt for some things: http://www.reichelt.de/

[gtr2]

Learn to properly desolder sooner rather than later 

Josh