Julius Squeezer

[jugglindan]

Still waiting for clear coat to cure on my TL1-TH, and too tired tonight to start on the frets, so I unpacked the Julius kit from Pedal Parts Australia. It's a bare-bones PCB kit of an Orange Squeezer compressor. It comes with a PCB and all components, but no enclosure, jacks, footswitch, or hookup wire. Well, OK, it does have a DC jack.

Plain sailing until I realised the supplied 47u cap is too wide to fit:

Fortunately I had a taller one.

Then I realised the supplied trimpot (to bias the JFET) was also too large:


I also happened to have a replacement that fits, so I was able to keep building:


But if I was building this from a kit without a good component stash this could have been more frustrating.

Got the board fully populated in a fraction of the time an equivalent stripboard build would take. Very relaxing

[jugglindan]

Also, I just discovered that Alice Cooper once had a python called Julius Squeezer. I like where this is headed for the enclosure finish.

[Simon Barden]

You'll need to spend a lot more on the enclosure to make it your billion dollar baby.

[jugglindan]

You'll need to spend a lot more on the enclosure to make it your billion dollar baby.

Yeah, welcome to my nightmare.

[Andy40]

Cool build. I'd like to try building a different compressor than the 4:1 one day.

[McCreed]

But if I was building this from a kit without a good component stash this could have been more frustrating.

Even though you got it sorted, it might be worth letting them know about the issue.
A new mob took over the business a couple of years ago, so maybe there's still teething problems (?).
I've only ever purchased knobs and switches from them with both previous and present owners. My first order after the change was very slow getting sent. Second order was much better.

[jugglindan]

Even though you got it sorted, it might be worth letting them know about the issue.
A new mob took over the business a couple of years ago, so maybe there's still teething problems (?).
I've only ever purchased knobs and switches from them with both previous and present owners. My first order after the change was very slow getting sent. Second order was much better.

Good idea. I will send them an email.

I also hope the extra height of my 47u cap won't be an issue if I decide to box into a 1590a. Haven't made that call yet though, I want to finish the build and then try an idea I have to test drilling templates and enclosure layouts using some thin ply with lots of holes drilled in it.

[jugglindan]

Spent a bit of time wiring up the 3PDT PCB. It didn't really feel faster than the point to point wiring I use on stripboard builds, but it is neater:


Just need to connect the jacks and the two boards together then it's testing time. And enclosure prep which I haven't started. Waiting to complete the board before deciding what size enclosure.

[Andy40]

I now use PCB for my 3PDT's too

[jugglindan]

I now use PCB for my 3PDT's too

Do you make your own, or buy in bulk?