Just Saying -- the soapbox thread

[madbean]

I can understand that if you're of the rock before you box school. Personally I've never built anything I did not also box. So I don't have that problem. I've always found it so bewildering that so many of you had so many unboxed circuits around and were complaining that you had to box at least some of them. To me building an effect means also drilling and painting the enclosure. And with Tayda a 125B costs less then the average PCB. So it hardly seems like a waste.

On the downside I do have whole boxes full on pedals I don't use. But I reckon they might still come in handy. Waste not, want not.

I agree with this in spirit, but also...you might re-evaluate that opinion once you've built 500 circuit boards! Actually, I am definitely getting better about it though. I box a lot more now than I did 5 years ago. I just don't spend as much time on artwork.

[Muadzin]

I agree with this in spirit, but also...you might re-evaluate that opinion once you've built 500 circuit boards! Actually, I am definitely getting better about it though. I box a lot more now than I did 5 years ago. I just don't spend as much time on artwork.

I might not have 500 pedals or circuits build, but around 200 wouldn't be that far of the mark. I got at least 4 banana boxes full of pedals stashed in a closet.

Thing is though, it's one thing to test a circuit out at home, but I think the only way to find out if a circuit is useful or not is when its on your pedal board in a band setting. I know how it will sound from the youtube vids, I don't need to rock it before I box for that. The vids usually convince me to build something or not. But when I commit to a build, I have to box it in order to rock it with a band.

Does that make sense?

[madbean]

I agree with this in spirit, but also...you might re-evaluate that opinion once you've built 500 circuit boards! Actually, I am definitely getting better about it though. I box a lot more now than I did 5 years ago. I just don't spend as much time on artwork.

I might not have 500 pedals or circuits build, but around 200 wouldn't be that far of the mark. I got at least 4 banana boxes full of pedals stashed in a closet.

Thing is though, it's one thing to test a circuit out at home, but I think the only way to find out if a circuit is useful or not is when its on your pedal board in a band setting. I know how it will sound from the youtube vids, I don't need to rock it before I box for that. The vids usually convince me to build something or not. But when I commit to a build, I have to box it in order to rock it with a band.

Does that make sense?

Certainly. These are excellent points

[drog_trog]

While I love the convenience of board mounted pots, I really don't like committing an enclosure to the effect before I've tested it out.  With my last couple of builds - Dangerzone, Naughtyfish, Megatron, Arcaditator - the best practice has been  to solder the pots while they're mounted to the enclosure for proper fit later.  This means that if an effect doesn't set me on fire, I've drilled out a box for an effect I may not really care for - it seems like a bit of a waste.

When a board has mounted pots but i dont want to commit an entire enclosure what i do is take an old enclosure lid left over from a bad drill job and just drill out what i need on the lid. I have a lid around here somewhere from a 1590BB with 2 or 3 projects drilled out of it.

[trailer]

While I love the convenience of board mounted pots, I really don't like committing an enclosure to the effect before I've tested it out.  With my last couple of builds - Dangerzone, Naughtyfish, Megatron, Arcaditator - the best practice has been  to solder the pots while they're mounted to the enclosure for proper fit later.  This means that if an effect doesn't set me on fire, I've drilled out a box for an effect I may not really care for - it seems like a bit of a waste.

When a board has mounted pots but i dont want to commit an entire enclosure what i do is take an old enclosure lid left over from a bad drill job and just drill out what i need on the lid. I have a lid around here somewhere from a 1590BB with 2 or 3 projects drilled out of it.

This is a great idea!

[alanp]

Dad's filter for his fishtank was in pretty rough shape.

It was leaking water, and we found out that inside the pump itself, there is a little O-ring in a non-obvious place. It was missing.

The ceramic and fabric media in the filter were filthy. The ceramic media got hosed out, the rough pad hosed, and the fine pads were irretrivably filthy, with no replacements on hand.

Check on the internet, and while Eheim white pads are $30NZD for three pads, you can get Chinese knock-offs for $40NZD for two dozen. I'm willing to wait.

The new pads turned up today, and after a clean of the ceramic and rough pads (and also hosing out the intake hose, which was gunked up from amazingly low flow rate due to white pads being filthy), and replacing the pads, it's all good again

[reddesert]

While I love the convenience of board mounted pots, I really don't like committing an enclosure to the effect before I've tested it out.  With my last couple of builds - Dangerzone, Naughtyfish, Megatron, Arcaditator - the best practice has been  to solder the pots while they're mounted to the enclosure for proper fit later.  This means that if an effect doesn't set me on fire, I've drilled out a box for an effect I may not really care for - it seems like a bit of a waste.

When a board has mounted pots but i dont want to commit an entire enclosure what i do is take an old enclosure lid left over from a bad drill job and just drill out what i need on the lid. I have a lid around here somewhere from a 1590BB with 2 or 3 projects drilled out of it.

I also have been suffering with this problem - part of it is that I haven't come to grips with any finishing method and don't want to make a lot of bare boxes with squiggled labels. But also, I am better at building electronic circuits than drilling. I can drill ok, I just find it messy and annoying to do by hand. I don't own a drill press or a vise/fixture, which would improve matters.

Recently I found a sheet of plain FR4 and started using it to experiment with Eurorack front panels for a few modules I am trying to build. Drilling flat panels is easier than enclosures. It just occurred to me that the FR4, or acrylic sheet, etc would make a great fixture for soldering board mounted pots in the way you describe. It's cheap and it's super easy to drill.

[somnif]

I must confess.....

I use pieces of cardboard for board mounted pot soldering  . Usually bits of the 37 boxes Arrow sends with every order. If I screw up alignment I just trash the piece and try again. I cut a flat panel for the "face" of the box, and a couple side panels so I can make sure I've got everything sufficiently stuffed.

MOSTLY because I have absolutely horrible luck with hand drilling enclosures and I don't have room for a drill press. So my boards aren't "perfectly" suited to their boxes when they finally move into their forever homes, but at least they are populated enough for me to test.

[Muadzin]

A drill press is an excellent investment though. I got a cheap one, that if I don't need it I can stash it away somewhere out of sight. It's such a life saver when it comes to drilling holes into boxes. And guitars. Easily one of my better investments.

[davent]

If you center punch accurately where the hole is to go, use quality drill bits, not big box store junk, start with a drill bit sized to fit the center punch dent, then creep up on the final size with intermediate sized bits until you reach your step bit minimum, you can drill just as accurately with a hand drill as with a drill press. A drill press is great and i'd never give up mine but it's total overkill for pedal enclosure drilling.

dave

[Govmnt_Lacky]

If you center punch accurately where the hole is to go, use quality drill bits, not big box store junk, start with a drill bit sized to fit the center punch dent, then creep up on the final size with intermediate sized bits until you reach your step bit minimum, you can drill just as accurately with a hand drill as with a drill press. A drill press is great and i'd never give up mine but it's total overkill for pedal enclosure drilling.

dave

Agree 100%

I have been hand drilling with bits and step bits for years. I do not do commercial so drilling consistent templates is not needed for me however, I have tried drill presses in the past and found that the same issues arise as with hand drilling. You still have to 'vice' down the box or else it will wander (unless you have vices for hands or a super strong grip) and even so, the "vice" you use can marr the enclosure.

Like I said, I am not commercial so there is no need for consistent hole pattern drilling so hand drilling works well for me.

[alanp]

Wow. Just wow. I've been watching some car vids on youtube, and, if I'm understanding rightly...

The Ford Model A had it's petrol tank placed just below the front window, where the dash goes in modern cars. This meant that Ford only needed a simple tube going down to the engine, and no fuel pump (either mechanical or electrical) needed.

Hey, kids! Who wants to drive around with a lap full of petrol!

Sure, it kept costs down during production, but you'd want to be really, really careful not to get T-boned in an accident.

[EBK]

The Ford Model A wasn't much worse than the Ford Pinto in terms of fuel tank placement, and perhaps it was better.

[reddesert]

If you center punch accurately where the hole is to go, use quality drill bits, not big box store junk, start with a drill bit sized to fit the center punch dent, then creep up on the final size with intermediate sized bits until you reach your step bit minimum, you can drill just as accurately with a hand drill as with a drill press. A drill press is great and i'd never give up mine but it's total overkill for pedal enclosure drilling.

I couldn't live without my center punch. Even though it is a $2.99 Harbor Freight centerpunch, one of my better investments. I can drill ok with a hand drill, but think what I'm really lacking is a table and fixture, more so than the actual press. Especially drilling the sides of enclosures is sort of annoying. I should at least try to make a fixture to hold boxes, with some 2x4 and furniture clamps.

[somnif]

I have a center punch and step bits, but my holes still always end up a little off-alignment, so I get these slightly cockeyed layouts that just end up annoying me. Mildly.