Alien Logic (Outpost 31/ SMD Echo Base)

[wgc]

This one is an Echo Base in SMD. Another layout and pcb from chuckbuick, also quite awesome! 

This pcb uses 0402 parts.  I haven't done parts this size in about 12 years, so it took me a few
to get back in the groove. 

Its almost a bit of a zen thing where you let things do what they want with gentle guidance. 
Quite fun actually if you don't get frustrated.  (I've also come to the realization that I
probably need bifocals since I used to be able to see these things without issue.)

Again, the powder coating worked out great, but the laser has recently seen some new
users, and I still haven't learned to double check everything before I hit go. 

So the laser marks are a bit off, and shame on me for not checking.

To put the icing on the cake, I dropped the empty box on the concrete stairs up to my house after doing the marking.

I will probably strip it and redo the box but for now, its a pretty fun pedal.  And I wanted to post before my vacation.

Again, big thanks to Mark, its another keeper!  Highly recommend if he decides to sell some pcbs.


please ignore the lint...  didn't realize it was so dusty until looking at the uploaded pix

[m-Kresol]

As the Osmium, looks awesome. But why did you use a 3PDT? A SPDT would have done the job, unless this is a work in progress pic.

[wgc]

Thanks for the kind words!  I didn't have an spst stomp switch, but I did have a bunch of 3pdt.  I can always swap it out next time I order.

I'm also toying with the idea of adding a second on/off led, since this one pulses (very cool) with the modulation.

[alanp]

From giganto-board to weeny little one! This is almost as impressive as that meatball PD squeezed into a 1590A

Impressive!

[rullywowr]

Wow.  402...holy sh$t you sir, are a complete badass.  That is great work! 

[chuckbuick]

Awesome, Billy.  I like the switch placement up top.  Wish I had thought of that.  Have a good vacation, man.

[peAk]

damn that is sweet!

[pickdropper]

Looks great, Billy.  The solder work on the board looks really clean.  I still need to get around to populating mine one of these days.

What program did you use to setup the laser etch?  If you are going to redo it, I think you might be able to tighten up the resolution just a bit.  I totally dig the graphics.  They look great.

[wgc]

Thanks guys!

Dave I use paint.net or Inkscape to set up graphics. This one is a little fuzzy on purpose, I wanted some "contrast" between the graphic and the lettering, so I added some noise to the graphic layer.  The location is off a little because someone changed the zero point and I didn't check first. I'm usually doing laser at the end of a long day, that day wasn't great all around!  I may do an acrylic fixture and reset the zero every time.

[pickdropper]

Thanks guys!

Dave I use paint.net or Inkscape to set up graphics. This one is a little fuzzy on purpose, I wanted some "contrast" between the graphic and the lettering, so I added some noise to the graphic layer.  The location is off a little because someone changed the zero point and I didn't check first. I'm usually doing laser at the end of a long day, that day wasn't great all around!  I may do an acrylic fixture and reset the zero every time.

I've run into that same issue with the laser engraver, even when somebody doesn't change the zero.  Periodically, the machine requires a complete calibration, which takes a long time.  Those things require more maintenance than I would've expected.

I did setup a job to run a calibration check grid on acrylic a while back.  It's useful as a quick check.

[nzCdog]

Yoiks them bits are teeny tiny!  Very impressive

[culturejam]

Wow. I feel like a Mandingo when I solder 0805 parts. You, sir, are Lexington Steele!

[wgc]

;-). Ha, thx man!

I'm a guy who made lots of mistakes in the past, and eventually learned a little bit... Helps mucho to have a great board! Chuckbuick did the pcb layout, and it is really very nice.