Starting one of these:
https://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com...ect-drive.html
Step 1: building a parts list and gathering supplies from my stash (resistors not really shown, as they are easier to grab from my sorted stash as needed):
Just a few values missing. I could either sub the next closest values, or make a trip to Jaycar and get exact matches for a couple of dollars. Without breadboarding the circuit it's hard for me to tell which values are critical and which can be substituted.
I can't help with any advice there, but it's good to see you're not having any trouble staying busy
Making the world a better place; one guitar at a time...
It's amazing what working from home for the last week has done for my productivity on personal projects!Originally Posted by McCreed
I can't help with any advice there, but it's good to see you're not having any trouble staying busy
A bit more progress today.
Got the perf board cut to size and marked the locations for drilling to make the cuts in the copper traces (I don't have one of those fancy schmancy perf board cutting tools so I drill from the front with a 1.5mm drill and then from the back with a 2.5mm drill then clean up with an exacto knife):
Except it's a good thing I try to follow the measure 15 times because I don't trust myself, cut once philosopy. Can you see the mistakes?
Fixed and rechecked another 10 times before drilling, cleaning cuts, and testing with a multimeter:
Ready to start soldering components.
Missing parts purchased.
Links, diodes and resistors fitted.
Yep, caps, op amp socket, and the mids trimpot next. The original circuit has a 9k1 resistor, and tagboard effects give a mod with an external 10k pot. It's the sort of setting I wouldn't change much so I am using a 10k trimpot. I won't be surprised if I end up dialing in something close to 9.1 k
It's been a while since I built on stripboard (first stripboard pedal). I had forgotten how much more stressful it is! With a PCB I can at least be fairly sure that a component is in the right place, but stripboard is so much easier to get wrong. All that counting, double-checking and second guessing was exhausting. Gets easier as more components go on though.
PCBs tend to have better clearance between solder pads too. I did quite a lot of continuity checking where it looked like I had accidentally bridged adjacent joints.
Finally, at first I found the solder wouldn't take on the stripboard at all. It just balled up on the lead. I gave the copper a very light sand with 400 wet and dry which fixed it.
Board fully populated. In the end the trimpot didn't fit in the board layout, so I fitted a 9k1 resistor as per the original circuit.
The mix of green poly and multilayer ceramics is simply because Jaycar only had the required value in poly.
Next up: sorting out a drilling template, and drilling the enclosure. Then I can do the offboard wiring (sockets, pots, switches, power LED) with all the wires cut to the right length. Only then will I get to test if this works first up, or if I need to enter debugging mode.
After that, the most critical stage of all: deciding what colour to paint the enclosure, and what to call the pedal
Given this is the first time I have built on stripboard for a very long time, I have learnt quite a bit so far. FWIW:
- My old PCB trick of bending the leads over to hold components in place prior to soldering is a very bad idea on stripboard.
- For things close to the edge, sometimes I can use an alligator clip.
- A bit of electrical tape also works.- Continuity testing immediately after soldering a component is a good idea. I found three accidental solder bridges between copper tracks this way and was able to fix them immediately rather than having the issue go undetected until discovering things don't work right at the end.
- Triple-check (at least) placement for every component. It's tiring and much slower than a PCB build, but mistakes are so easy to make and hard to undo once components are in place.
Last edited by jugglindan; 14-04-2020 at 08:18 PM. Reason: list formatting
Today: enclosure prep.
Using a drilling template from General Guitar Gadgets for the first time. Marked out the holes I needed and carefully taped the templates (top and front) in place:
Then checked drill diameters for everything using the conveniently empty case for my OD-2 before centre-punching and drilling everything. Looks OK:
Until I do the mock build. Jacks and pots all fit. It's a bit snug but there's enough room. But there is not enough clearance for the two switches and power LED. That whole row needs to be 10mm lower down (see above re first time using this template):
So I can drill a new row further down and try to fill (unlikely) or live with 3 pointless holes marring the pedal. Ugly and dissappointing.
Or I can adjust the template and drill a new enclosure. Not appealing since the enclosure is expensive.
Or maybe I can just wiggle things in. I am using DPDT switches for the mock build but I only need SPDT which have a narrower body. And solder lug pots might just fit which means ordering some (I was planning to mount the PCB pots onto small stripboards). Or I could go to 9mm pots but that's likely to cost as much as a new enclosure.
Reply With Quote
