PCB mounted pots/switches/LED's

[Muadzin]

Am I the only one who doesn't like them? Aside from being stuck to someone else's drill layout that is not always to my liking? I know PCB mounted pots, switches, and LED's significantly reduce the risk of making errors, not to mention get rid of a lot of spaghetti wiring. But I've found that once you do make a mistake and solder the wrong pot or switch in the wrong place you're really boned. Desoldering or resoldering wires is peanuts, but desoldering a pot, not as much. And heavens forbid if you have to desolder a switch. Might as well throw away the PCB, unless you have Godlike desoldering skills.

On a side note, for potential future use, if anyone has any good tips or tricks to desolder pots and switches from PCB's, feel free to share.

[selfdestroyer]

I love them. If I want to deviate from the drill pattern then I use one on board device to hold the board to the box. Like use the volume pot PCB mounted and then do off board wireing to all the others. I hate double sided tape and Velcro in my pedals.

Just my 2 cents.

Cody

[LaceSensor]

I dont see an issue. You can always run wires if you dont like the layout of the PCB...

[sturgeo]

I love them and am looking at moving all my 1590A pedals to all in one boards with on board components, possibly excluding the dc socket. I plan on investing in a desoldering gun for when the inevitable happens!

The difference is i generally make my own PCBs and CNC machine the enclosures, all to my own spacing. My 1590B builds have the effect with pots & switches board mounted, a 4 way ribbon to the bypass board which has a board mounted footswitch and dc socket, input & output jacks are still open frame.

[raulduke]

Love PCB mounted Pots.

As Lace says; you can always run wires to them if you don't like the drill layout.

They make for a fare cleaner build IMO.

[peterc]

Chromesphere did a video in which he featured desoldering. He had a large solder sucker that impressed me, so I bought one.

To desolder a joint now takes half the time and number of sucks.

Peter

[drolo]

Chromesphere did a video in which he featured desoldering. He had a large solder sucker that impressed me, so I bought one.

To desolder a joint now takes half the time and number of sucks.

Peter

That same video made me upgrade my pump too. I just always though they were what they were, but getting a good one definitely improved the desoldering.

[raulduke]

The other thing that can make life easier (and cheaper) is to use normal pots (ie. with solder lug) as PCB mounted pots.

Solder some solid core wire legs on to each lug contact, and voila, you have a PCB mount pot.

This is how I do it anyhow (PCB mount alpha pots are quite expensive to get hold of in UK).

Other little tips I use:

* Add some sticky foam insulation behind the pots to prevent shorts. This will also give a little 'wriggle room' for fitting the pots.

* If desoldering the full pot is fiddly, then its easy to just snip of the pot and remove the wire legs individually from the PCB.

* If even more wriggle room is needed,  drill mounting holes on enclosures an little bit larger (ie. 7.5mm rather than 7mm). Use locking washer internally to fix the pots solidly when mounted.

[GrindCustoms]

The other thing that can make life easier (and cheaper) is to use normal pots (ie. with solder lug) as PCB mounted pots.

Solder some solid core wire legs on to each lug contact, and voila, you have a PCB mount pot.

This is how I do it anyhow (PCB mount alpha pots are quite expensive to get hold of in UK).

Other little tips I use:

* Add some sticky foam insulation behind the pots to prevent shorts. This will also give a little 'wriggle room' for fitting the pots.

* If desoldering the full pot is fiddly, then its easy to just snip of the pot and remove the wire legs individually from the PCB.

* If even more wriggle room is needed,  drill mounting holes on enclosures an little bit larger (ie. 7.5mm rather than 7mm). Use locking washer internally to fix the pots solidly when mounted.

But, do you even wriggle bro? 

Bunch of great tips right here gents!

[96ecss]

The other thing that can make life easier (and cheaper) is to use normal pots (ie. with solder lug) as PCB mounted pots.

Solder some solid core wire legs on to each lug contact, and voila, you have a PCB mount pot.

This is how I do it anyhow (PCB mount alpha pots are quite expensive to get hold of in UK).

Other little tips I use:

* Add some sticky foam insulation behind the pots to prevent shorts. This will also give a little 'wriggle room' for fitting the pots.

* If desoldering the full pot is fiddly, then its easy to just snip of the pot and remove the wire legs individually from the PCB.

* If even more wriggle room is needed,  drill mounting holes on enclosures an little bit larger (ie. 7.5mm rather than 7mm). Use locking washer internally to fix the pots solidly when mounted.

All great tips here. Plus, I have a Hakko desoldering gun which really helps if things go wrong.

Dave

[raulduke]

The other thing that can make life easier (and cheaper) is to use normal pots (ie. with solder lug) as PCB mounted pots.

Solder some solid core wire legs on to each lug contact, and voila, you have a PCB mount pot.

This is how I do it anyhow (PCB mount alpha pots are quite expensive to get hold of in UK).

Other little tips I use:

* Add some sticky foam insulation behind the pots to prevent shorts. This will also give a little 'wriggle room' for fitting the pots.

* If desoldering the full pot is fiddly, then its easy to just snip of the pot and remove the wire legs individually from the PCB.

* If even more wriggle room is needed,  drill mounting holes on enclosures an little bit larger (ie. 7.5mm rather than 7mm). Use locking washer internally to fix the pots solidly when mounted.

But, do you even wriggle bro? 

Bunch of great tips right here gents!

Hell no.... my build is perfect.... and my pedals ain't built bad either   

In honesty though the post-christmas truffle shuffle is in full effect. Time to hit the gym and start 5-2 diet again   

[alanp]

Beyond three pots, I think that you seriously need to consider PCB mounting everything. The wiring turns into spaghetti FAST, and it introduces more points of failure (an extra solder point for every lug, and also wire that can invisibly break for every lug.) It also means more work at the build stage, as opposed to the design stage.

Put it this way. I would NEVER have built a ten step sequencer with flying wires!

[jubal81]

I think to answer your question: Yes, you are the only one. Hehe.

[chordball]

Board mount for sure! It's easy to run extra wires if you want to punish yourself though. 

[ddog]

16mm pots arent that hard to desolder if you are willing to clip the legs. I usually just clip right on top of the long legs and just remove each leg one by one. You could probably convert that pot to a solder lug pot, but I usually just stick a new one in just in case. Same thing probably works for 9mm pots, but I haven't tried it with those