Hi,
I am a high school teacher who teaches senior physics. Circuits are part of the curriculum and I have used some simple breadboard stuff in the past. The kids really think it is cool but you can only be so motivated by building LED displays. I am a guitar player too and have my es335 and my fender deville 210 in my room all year round. Many of my students have an interest in pedals so I thought it would be cool to build some "Beavis Boards" so that they could experiment with. I know the beavis board is out of production but I have read that it is not that complex to build it if I get all the components. If anyone could help me with this that would be great.
Darren Forbes
Carpenter High School
Meadow Lake, SK
http://www.nwsd.ca/schools/chs
I made up my own version of the Beavis Board by just using a Radio Shack box and wiring it up like this
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/switch_lo_3pdt_ig_dcjack.gif
Then I have four wires coming out of the box to my breadboard. Input, output, ground, and voltage. The ground and voltage go to the (-) and (+) on the board, and the input and output wires I left long so I could just insert the lead into the breadboard. I also included a 100K pot in my box, this is the lead for the output.
Hope that helps
Rob
+1 all my breadboards are fitted with a 3pdt 'toggle' with led , and in/out jacks , and a 9v socket all built onto the backplate,
with just in out wires and positive/ground going to the breadboard...truebypass etc...essential for prototyping.....
plug in and go... ;)
If you decide to move forward with this idea, I just have a couple suggestions for you...
I assume you have a finite budget for this sort of thing. Don't be stingy with the quality of jacks. The cheap jacks break or develop bad contacts; buy Switchcraft or Neutrik brand.
Save yourself some money by using 3PDT toggle switches instead of stomp switches. The stomp switches are much pricier, and the toggle switches are better for a benchtop environment anyway.
If you design a minimal voltage regulator (using a 7809) inside the box, you can use cheap unregulated wallwarts for the power supply.
This has been done, and in various forms. Some people slap a small breadboard down in the middle of a cast aluminum enclosure (in place of a circuit board) and build the off-board components around it. Set up the circuit on breadboard, wire to switch and jacks, and the result is something suitable for gigging but also easily modded.
Check out my Stock List for the pieces you would want:
http://www.smallbearelec.com/StoreFront.bok
and drop a message to smallbearelec@ix.netcom.com if you have other questions.
Regards
SD
Thanks for the replies.
I am for sure going ahead with this. I already have a bunch of jump wire kits and breadboards. I will have to build something fairly sturdy to survive student use and for a few years down the road. I was thinking at least two (maybe three) potentiometers. I was going to dedicate a breadboard to each potentiometer (Does that make sense?). This way it leaves it open for more advanced students to expand their projects. In general, the students are pretty keen. Most physics equipment is crazy to buy...in the thousands of dollars range. Most of the stuff I use I have hacked together for them to use. This project will be no different. i will be able to spend some money I am sure but I will make up the difference if I have to. Physics, especially electricity, can get pretty boring just learning the theory. I am looking forward to the feedback here and I will post results as we go. Should be an adventure!
Darren
QuoteI was going to dedicate a breadboard to each potentiometer (Does that make sense?)
...or you just solder a jumper to each terminal of the pots (use different colors for pins 1-3), and let the students plug them into a single breadboard wherever they like. If the pots are mounted on a metal plate or chassis of some kind, you could drill a hole for the jumpers for each pot - and use rubber grommets to prevent the jumpers from chafing against the sides of the holes. For instructional purposes, it might be best to use a flat metal plate to mount the pots so that the back side is exposed and visible to the students. You could even let them swap different pots on the mounting plate. (Maybe keep a box of pre-wired pots.)
actually that is a great idea about using a plate to keep the back exposed. We have a welding shop so i could get some plate from there. Sweet.
Darren
Welcome to DIYStompBoxes. Be sure to let us know how it goes, and post some pics when you have something to show.
I will get you updated as i go as I am sure I am going to need some help :icon_biggrin:
Doing some reading online and ordered some books to help. I can wire a house like it's no tomorrow but circuits like this are another story. I actually went to Luthier school too (besides going to university and becoming a teacher, which is more stable than building guitars) but I specialized in acoustic guitars and only ever learned the basics of of electric guitar wiring. The students are already pumped and I have about until May to get this stuff up and running for them. I will post pics too as i go.
Darren
Quote from: MrForbes on February 16, 2012, 02:46:16 PM
I will get you updated as i go as I am sure I am going to need some help :icon_biggrin:
Doing some reading online and ordered some books to help. I can wire a house like it's no tomorrow but circuits like this are another story. I actually went to Luthier school too (besides going to university and becoming a teacher, which is more stable than building guitars) but I specialized in acoustic guitars and only ever learned the basics of of electric guitar wiring. The students are already pumped and I have about until May to get this stuff up and running for them. I will post pics too as i go.
Darren
We are all here to help you out :icon_mrgreen:
Was looking for a decent way to deal with pots for my Beavis Board clone, hanging off the board, needing two hands to manipulate them wasn't doing it for me. A work in progress... this is what i've come up with so far. When i ordered this breadboard my intent was to cut the board in half so i had two long strips and make two pot board setups. The web dividing the halves was too narrow and i figured i could end up with two destroyed strips so left it whole and as it stands i've got a breadboard that deals with the pot issue and has plenty of room to create simple circuits on.
Still have to add a jack for the power supply but this is how it's evolved so far. Only issue so far is the long rail under the pots is not very accessable, hadn't originally planned to use it but it'd be useful as the second power rail.
The pots can be easily changed, just plug into the board then tighten the nut up. Needed to solder thin leads (resistor cutoffs) to the pots so they'd fit the breadboard holes.
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/davent/IMG_3891.jpg)
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc305/davent/IMG_3892.jpg)
Actually this gave me a great idea! Thanks for sharing! ;D
not long ago i did my simple version of it.
easy as pie to prepare and oh so useful!
here's a little thread with a couple of (blurry) photos: http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=95970.0
Ok, so I am going to build some boards with the potentiometers built in (4 of them). Now if I want the potentiometers to mimic potential knobs on a pedal, what kind of potentiometer should I use? I assume a linear type. However, is there a standard rating knob that is used (for example B500K) or will it depend on what you want the knob to control in the circuit? having said this, given a "dream" inventory list to start with for 5 setups, what would I buy to outfit myself? I would love your feedback on pots, capacitors, transistors, diodes, switches, chips, etc. that you would have on hand to basically let these kids prototype pedal circuits. I have multimeters and the breadboards. I also have a lot of tracer wire too.
I also will do my best to my all the parts from this site since I can pay with paypal. Very cool.
> boards with the potentiometers built in
Build-in the holes. Not the pots.
I might leave holes. After reading some schematics I see the pots used do change depending on the function.
I would like to have a "dream" list of parts to have for these prototype boards that I could get from this site! Make you suggestions!
http://www.geofex.com/effxfaq/keenslaws.htm (http://www.geofex.com/effxfaq/keenslaws.htm)
Quote from: artifus on February 18, 2012, 12:10:14 AM
http://www.geofex.com/effxfaq/keenslaws.htm (http://www.geofex.com/effxfaq/keenslaws.htm)
This was a very good read. Thank you.
Since this started with the Beavis Board i'll go back there so here's the overview of the parts that were included with a purchased Beavis Board.
http://beavisaudio.com/bboard/parts.htm
By no means do you need all the flavours of dual op amps listed, same goes for the BJT's but then those are so cheap ...
The Beavis Board Document http://beavisaudio.com/bboard/docs/HackersGuideToTheBeavisBoard.pdf
...and Beavis Board Projects http://beavisaudio.com/bboard/projects/
here's something i found while surfing the web..it looks compact enough with a low parts count...i hope it helps.
(http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/7505/iodiy.jpg)
Smallbearelec.com has some good tutorials on using a breadboard. The article "the secret life of pots" on GEOFEX is excellent , in particular the part about using resistors to change the value. That could cut down on the number of pots you need to buy , give students a lesson in resistance and making due with what you have.
OK, Just got Electronics foe Guitarists by Denton Dailey! Shuld be a good place to start the heavy learning. Thanks for the replies on the parts list. Any suggestions where to source this stuff.
http://www.diystompboxes.com/zencart/ (http://www.diystompboxes.com/zencart/)
http://www.smallbearelec.com/home.html (http://www.smallbearelec.com/home.html)
So I have decided to build one and figure out a cost per unit. This way my administration can see what I am asking for and the $$ needed. I will be hoping to have at least six of these for the class as my physics classes are big and at least a team of four kids could work together with one unit. Having 15 units would be awesome but that's never going to happen.
Darren
When I was shopping for my enclosures I picked up a plastic enclosure that is transparent. I thought it would make a good test enclosure because it would be easy to drill multiple holes (and it was).
Although not nearly as durable (considering student use and abuse), the transparent feature would be pretty cool because it would also allow them to see inside so they have a view of the entire circuit.
Quote from: DocAmplify on February 29, 2012, 10:31:02 AM
When I was shopping for my enclosures I picked up a plastic enclosure that is transparent. I thought it would make a good test enclosure because it would be easy to drill multiple holes (and it was).
Although not nearly as durable (considering student use and abuse), the transparent feature would be pretty cool because it would also allow them to see inside so they have a view of the entire circuit.
I was thinking of that exact thing but I was going to just make a box with plexi or lexan I had scraps of. However, a pre-made box would be easier. Where did you find it? Thanks
I got it from my local shop here in Halifax, but it's a Hammond enclosure. They're available online from Digi-Key.
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll
That didn't link to the search I had performed. Click "Boxes (7,402 items)". Then scroll sideways until you get to the "Color" section. Scroll down and pick "Translucent-Clear", then click the "Apply Filters" button.
That should pull up your options.
Quote from: DocAmplify on February 29, 2012, 10:47:39 AM
I got it from my local shop here in Halifax, but it's a Hammond enclosure. They're available online from Digi-Key.
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll
That didn't link to the search I had performed. Click "Boxes (7,402 items)". Then scroll sideways until you get to the "Color" section. Scroll down and pick "Translucent-Clear", then click the "Apply Filters" button.
That should pull up your options.
Halifax you say? Was it from RAE?
does your school have a cdt (craft design technology) / metal work (or whatever they call it these days) department? if not a direct source of enclosures/front panels from discarded student projects, maybe a contact with cheap supplies? surely they have some kind of fabrication facilities you could perhaps make use of?
Sorry; double post
Quote from: FastJunkie on February 29, 2012, 11:12:05 AM
Quote from: DocAmplify on February 29, 2012, 10:47:39 AM
I got it from my local shop here in Halifax, but it's a Hammond enclosure. They're available online from Digi-Key.
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll
That didn't link to the search I had performed. Click "Boxes (7,402 items)". Then scroll sideways until you get to the "Color" section. Scroll down and pick "Translucent-Clear", then click the "Apply Filters" button.
That should pull up your options.
Halifax you say? Was it from RAE?
Yes
> high school ... Circuits are part of the curriculum and I have used some simple breadboard stuff in the past. The kids really think it is cool...
It IS cool. I wish we'd had that when I was in high school. (We hammered an ashtray, and I spent some time drafting on paper. I had to fight for both classes; the admins thought "college prep" students should not actually do anything useful.)
> what kind of potentiometer should I use?
Beavis Board normally supplied: B1K, B10K, B50K, B100K, B500K, B1M, A25K, A100K, and A250K.
You do not need every value. You can always use a Linear where a Audio is suggested, or vice-versa.... just that all the action is crammed up in one end of the rotation. Awkward on stage but tolerable for experimentation. You do need a good assortment. Much like an all-round string instrument shop needs 3mm stuff for guitar ribs and 130mm stuff for piano ribs.
I like his wooden board. Easy to attach stuff to. Also, I looked-up where you are and suspect that wood is a local product. (Or maybe not: I'm in the Pine Tree State and my lumber is from Canada or New Zealand.... it's a strange-strange world we live in.)
I'm not keen on Plexiglas-like plastics for a classroom. They crack. 'Specially at the screw-holes. Mid-gauge Aluminum will yield with the blows. It drills easy, but (as you or the Metal Shop teacher knows) must be clamped or it will grab the drill and spin like a lawnmower blade.
After the prototype, recruit a couple students to assemble the rest. Co-op with Shop class or just stay after school. The mechanical assembly is a MAJOR part of learning electronics (and one I did not learn well).
Reach-out to pedal suppliers. Nobody can afford to give-away parts in this economy, or even a stiff discount. But you might learn that some of them may have an over-stock of specific parts, or of parts that differ from their catalog (7mm pots instead of 8mm pots, 500pFd instead of 470pFd) that they would discount to a good cause which didn't demand any specific size/value.
I once bought a 10,000-box of assorted resistors. Used 5% of it and lost it in the move. If I still had it, I'd send you many thousand resistors. I'm hoping someone here has a box they will never use-up and shares it with your class.
Get a dual-gang (stereo) 10K audio pot and a couple 1/8" Stereo jacks. With a chip and a 9V you have a Headphone amp to beef-up the Walkman/iPod (massive DIY community around these things). Scarf a speaker out of an old TV (or look backstage in the school!), put a LM386 in front (Ruby amp).... it won't shame your Fender but it can be really cool to see an entire audio system in action all student-DIY-ed.
Here is something I made awhile back.
Hopefully you can find a use for it.
Toggle switch bypasses the signal (power still goes through the circuit).
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/CodeMonk/Misc/Pedal_Testing_Hookup_002.gif)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/CodeMonk/Misc/Pedal_Testing_Hookup_001.gif)
Also this :
Just a Radio Shack rotary switch with a bunch of caps.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/CodeMonk/Builds/6-BY-2_Rotary-Switch_In_Use_Picture.gif)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/CodeMonk/Builds/6-BY-2_Rotary-Switch_002D_002.gif)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/CodeMonk/Builds/6-BY-2_Rotary-Switch_Picture.gif)
Hey thanks for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate it. I am sure I will get some cash for parts from the school but I imagine much of it will come from my pocket. That's OK. I know the welding shop will help me out with whatever they can. Plus it is just as good for me to get better projects in the classroom as it is for the kids. It sucks when you don't have anything "real" or "valuable" to apply the theory.
Quote from: PRR on March 01, 2012, 01:14:58 AM
> high school ... Circuits are part of the curriculum and I have used some simple breadboard stuff in the past. The kids really think it is cool...
It IS cool. I wish we'd had that when I was in high school. (We hammered an ashtray, and I spent some time drafting on paper. I had to fight for both classes; the admins thought "college prep" students should not actually do anything useful.)
> what kind of potentiometer should I use?
Beavis Board normally supplied: B1K, B10K, B50K, B100K, B500K, B1M, A25K, A100K, and A250K.
You do not need every value. You can always use a Linear where a Audio is suggested, or vice-versa.... just that all the action is crammed up in one end of the rotation. Awkward on stage but tolerable for experimentation. You do need a good assortment. Much like an all-round string instrument shop needs 3mm stuff for guitar ribs and 130mm stuff for piano ribs.
I like his wooden board. Easy to attach stuff to. Also, I looked-up where you are and suspect that wood is a local product. (Or maybe not: I'm in the Pine Tree State and my lumber is from Canada or New Zealand.... it's a strange-strange world we live in.)
I'm not keen on Plexiglas-like plastics for a classroom. They crack. 'Specially at the screw-holes. Mid-gauge Aluminum will yield with the blows. It drills easy, but (as you or the Metal Shop teacher knows) must be clamped or it will grab the drill and spin like a lawnmower blade.
After the prototype, recruit a couple students to assemble the rest. Co-op with Shop class or just stay after school. The mechanical assembly is a MAJOR part of learning electronics (and one I did not learn well).
Reach-out to pedal suppliers. Nobody can afford to give-away parts in this economy, or even a stiff discount. But you might learn that some of them may have an over-stock of specific parts, or of parts that differ from their catalog (7mm pots instead of 8mm pots, 500pFd instead of 470pFd) that they would discount to a good cause which didn't demand any specific size/value.
I once bought a 10,000-box of assorted resistors. Used 5% of it and lost it in the move. If I still had it, I'd send you many thousand resistors. I'm hoping someone here has a box they will never use-up and shares it with your class.
Get a dual-gang (stereo) 10K audio pot and a couple 1/8" Stereo jacks. With a chip and a 9V you have a Headphone amp to beef-up the Walkman/iPod (massive DIY community around these things). Scarf a speaker out of an old TV (or look backstage in the school!), put a LM386 in front (Ruby amp).... it won't shame your Fender but it can be really cool to see an entire audio system in action all student-DIY-ed.
Hey Everyone,
I am still waiting for some parts to arrive to build my first version to take to the admin folks. I got my breadboard, some nicer breadboard wires, power jack stuff and other cheap stuff I could get locally. I have some pots and other goodies in the mail. The sucky part was the shipping was almost as much as the parts! Oh well. I will have to be more diligent in finding a CND supplier I guess. I will never get away with ordering all my parts from the US with the shipping rates. I have a few CND sources but nothing as extensive as in the US. Plus the US prices are better when you add everything up. I might have to look a little closer and see if the shipping is not so bad with the offset of prices. However, it will be hard to convince the admin that buying from the US is my best option. Oh well, the first one is coming out of my pocket anyway. Again, I will keep you updated as things progress.
I also decided on a few schematics for pedals they will likely be familiar with like a tube screamer, fuzz pedal, and a simple delay/echo type pedal. Any other suggestions for something cool but not too complex (meaning hard to find parts and IC's). Thanks
Darren
The Bazz Fuzz is really easy. The meat of the effect is two components; a transistor and a diode. I made my first one with the suggested transistor and diode, but then substituted different diodes and transistors. They sound a little different, but still delivers the same effect. I picked up a box of assorted diodes and a box of assorted NPN transistors from Circuit city. As you mentioned, it's great to avoid shipping costs.
http://home-wrecker.com/bazz.html
Hey all,
As a long time Beavis Audio Research fan, and someone who is looking to build his own Beavis Board, I was saddened to see that as of last Friday, the domain for BAR has expired and therefore is unavailable. All of the projects and the awesome advice Dano has given is gone for the moment. Hopefully renewal of the site domain is imminent.
Just saw that there's a post where it tells you where you can contribute to keep the site up. Guess Dano's hit some financial difficulties. Even if you can just throw a few dollars toward it, it's worth it. The BAR site is priceless. On the main page look for "Beavis site down."
Hadn't realized you were in Canada. For shipping charges to Canada you may have to look to Asia for your best deals. Tayda in Thailand has cheap prices on pots, switches and other things and extremely reasonable shipping though it may take a while to arrive. I understand the resistors they sell have pretty flimsy leads that make for difficult breadboarding so avoid those.
I've ordered breadboards, jumpers and various other bits from ebay stores and on many of those the shipping has been free. On ebay you can sort your search so the items are listed in order starting with the lowest combined item price plus shipping so you get a true picture of the cost up front. Never been nabbed by the border patrol either for shipments from Asia.
http://www.taydaelectronics.com/
If you're ever out Toronto way Honson Computers is a good spot to stock up on cheap pots, resisitors, caps, breadboards etc.
A good supplier of Hammond products is Tip Top Electronics in Winnipeg, best prices i've seen in Canada.
Another would be Electrosonic if you are looking for enclosures and various plugs and jacks.
http://www.tiptopelectronics.com/home.asp?txtQuery=1590B
http://www.e-sonic.com/acc/home.aspx
Take care
dave
> finding a CND supplier
I say "Buy Maine!".
You would rationally say "Buy Canada!!".
These days all parts are made in Asia, but still you want to keep local stockists employed and avoid redundant border-crossings.
www.digikey.ca
http://www.sphere.bc.ca
canada.newark.com
www.rpelectronics.com
www.futureelectronics.com/WebsiteLanding.aspx
www.techspot.com/vb/topic113894.html
> Hadn't realized you were in Canada.
Google the town (http://www.google.com/search?q=Meadow+Lake) mentioned in his first post.
It's the middle of the continent way-far north of the US border, practically the last town before the North Pole. Lower Saskatchewan is all grass (now grain); but Meadow Lake is up in the forest. Interesting community at the end of the railroad tracks.
We are not the last civilization heading north but we are for sure in the Boreal Forest. We have a population of about 11000 if you include the rural families that also use the central businesses here.
Darren
Quote from: PRR on March 14, 2012, 11:43:24 PM
> Hadn't realized you were in Canada.
Google the town (http://www.google.com/search?q=Meadow+Lake) mentioned in his first post.
It's the middle of the continent way-far north of the US border, practically the last town before the North Pole. Lower Saskatchewan is all grass (now grain); but Meadow Lake is up in the forest. Interesting community at the end of the railroad tracks.
I got all my stuff to build a board. I will put it all together tomorrow! I am so pumped. Bent some lucite to attach the pots to. I am going to wire it for battery or plug in power. I cut enough lucite for five more boards at least since it is from my own stuff so I don't have to factor that into the cost. Pictures to follow!
Ok,
We literally had a snow storm here last night so I did not get out to the shop to finish my protoboard. We went from spring with no snow to the first official day of spring literally dumped on by snow. Been reading Electronics for Guitarists by Denton Dailey. The book is heavy reading. I keep having to go back to other sources and brush up on my electric theory. The actually science behind capacitors, their respective build materials, transistors is a little rusty for me. Any articles out there anyone can suggest?
Darren
The enclosure I ordered is too small to get all the components in! I must have ordered something too small. I am modifying it tonight.
Ok, I got everything in the box now. I have soldered most of it up and have the rest of the stuff almost ready to go. Been ultra busy with work/school. I will post pics as i promised.
Here are some pics of the breakout box. It can be run either with a battery or a 9v wall power supply
(http://www.forbesguitars.com/images/mybb1.jpg)
(http://www.forbesguitars.com/images/mybb2.jpg)
(http://www.forbesguitars.com/images/mybb3.jpg)
I think I am having some grounding issues. Should I use hot glue stick to insulate the points of bare wire and contacts? or is silicone a better option?
Hello MrForbes,
Looking good, coming along nicely! Nail polish (enamel) has always worked well for me, as well easy to deal with after the fact . While wiring things up, heatshrink is usually the material of choice to protect exposed joints and leads.
Take care,
dave
Hey Thanks for the reply,
I did use heatshrink as much as possible but there are some points where the heat shrink was too cumbersome or too big (i did not have really thin stuff). I heard some folks use a hot glue gun to insulate these parts. I did not want to try it without some feedback.
I should have some time to put the rest together tomorrow sometime. I am still waiting for quotes on supplies for the class.
Darren
> insulate the points of bare wire
Air is a fine insulator, better than plastic, for all audio purposes.
"some grounding issues" gives us NO clue.
When I first put the box together everything worked fine. Now when I plug in the input jack and hit the switch the light does not come on (but did before). however, when I start to pull the 1/4 plug out the light will illuminate at that "halfway" out point.
So I have a stereo plug for the input 1/4". I tested the voltage sag, the voltage output to the breakout board and the voltage to the light when it lights. All is good. Both the battery power and power dc jack work fine. I think it may be a ground on the stereo jack plug. All the ground on the input jack are the same as the beavisboard breakout box. The difference is I have a separate battery input that shares the V+ contact on the dc input but is grounded to ring contact not the sleeve. The rest of the grounds are on the sleeve. I assume this is the correct wiring for a true bypass circuit in the breakout box?
> When I first ....everything worked fine. Now when I plug in
Works at first then goes bad is usually bad connections that just-barely worked.
Simplify. This is not a stage-box. You do not need the tricky-bit where un-plugging the signal cable also breaks the power. You do not need both battery and wart power options. You do not need the wart power to break the battery power. It is a classroom tool. Use battery (smaller sparks). Use simple OFF switch. Pre-wire battery to breadboard buses. At the end of the class period, tell the students to power-off. Check when putting the board in the closet.
I'm not too sure why Mr Beavis did this "breakout box". Seems to me, for experimental (or tutorial) purposes, the in and out jacks can be just wired to the breadboard. To me, an ex-educator, that breakout box is a "black box" which hides essential details. That may be more convenient for an experienced experimenter who knows all about basic box wiring, but I think beginners need to see all the paths and routes at once.
Quote from: PRR on March 24, 2012, 11:30:56 PM
Simplify. This is not a stage-box. You do not need the tricky-bit where un-plugging the signal cable also breaks the power. You do not need both battery and wart power options. You do not need the wart power to break the battery power. It is a classroom tool. Use battery (smaller sparks). Use simple OFF switch. Pre-wire battery to breadboard buses. At the end of the class period, tell the students to power-off. Check when putting the board in the closet.
I'm not too sure why Mr Beavis did this "breakout box". Seems to me, for experimental (or tutorial) purposes, the in and out jacks can be just wired to the breadboard. To me, an ex-educator, that breakout box is a "black box" which hides essential details. That may be more convenient for an experienced experimenter who knows all about basic box wiring, but I think beginners need to see all the paths and routes at once.
Good points here. I want to use clear boxes for the students. This one is my test run to make sure "I" can get it to work. If I can make one I can make others for the class. I will do some further testing and let you know. Worse case scenario, I take the stereo input plug out and put back in a mono. Thanks for the reply.
OK, I have checked the stereo plug and it is wired correctly. The switch is wired exactly like the beavis box. The only difference is the dc jack. The jack I have has only one positive lug and one ground lug. Both the battery and V+ leads off the dc jack all share the same lug. Does that matter?
Is the 1/4" plug you are using a stereo or mono plug?
Quote from: caspercody on March 25, 2012, 02:05:07 PM
Is the 1/4" plug you are using a stereo or mono plug?
The plug wire I am using is mono.
Does anyone have any ideas as to why I'd be experiencing a huge voltage drop between the plug and the jack connections? The battery reads about 7 volts, but between the left lug and the top lug of the DC jack I'm seeing under two volts...
I've wired the Beavis Board exactly the way it shows on the diagram, not really sure what it could be.
Here's my answer to the Beavis Board:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Proto-Pedal-for-DIY-Guitar-Effects/
Posted before in the Pictures thread but seems relevant here. A large hammond could be used instead of aluminum sheet.
Thanks for all the input and replies so far. I figured out the issue. I was inputting a 1/4 inch wire but it was carrying no signal (duh :icon_sad:). Once I hooked it put to a guitar instead of the air it worked as expected. Everything is working as it should as far as i can tell. Now I just have to build a basic circuit on the breadboard and test it. Then it is off to the admin to demo it for them. Things are moving forward! Again I'll keep you all posted.
Here are some pics of the finished board. I know the pots are overkill but they can read them through the lexan. i am going to build some clip on wires to use with the pots.
(http://www.forbesguitars.com/images/bbfin1.jpg)
(http://www.forbesguitars.com/images/bbfin2.jpg)
(http://www.forbesguitars.com/images/bbfin3.jpg)
(http://www.forbesguitars.com/images/bbfin4.jpg)
It's beautiful!
Quote from: waltk on March 25, 2012, 09:29:55 PM
It's beautiful!
Thanks! I finished six more oak boards (sturdy for the classroom), bend and drilled more lexan. Now I just need some more parts to build the class set. I have not received any quotes back yet but am hoping they will come in soon. I made up a list of parts and sent it out to various suppliers.
Darren
Quote from: PRR on March 24, 2012, 11:30:56 PMSimplify. This is not a stage-box.
Exactly. I never got the point of putting a footswitch and LED in these things either. A DPDT toggle with two pieces of dymo tape that say "ON" and "BYPASS" works just as well for prototyping.
looks great..... don't forget to put tiny jumpers on the + - rails in the middle of the board though.. ;)
@ben: i use a 3pdt toggle and led just so i know whatever i build will be exactly the same on/bypassed when (eventually) built... ;)
Quote from: Ben N on March 27, 2012, 04:32:22 AM
Quote from: PRR on March 24, 2012, 11:30:56 PMSimplify. This is not a stage-box.
Exactly. I never got the point of putting a footswitch and LED in these things either. A DPDT toggle with two pieces of dymo tape that say "ON" and "BYPASS" works just as well for prototyping.
I can't go too simple ;D. These things have to last student use. Trust me if you spent time in a classroom you know equipment is not always treated as well as one would like. Students sometimes wreck stuff just from a lack of focus. I need these things to last because it is going to cost me money...I don't want to have to replace a few of them every year.
I think the light is good because it lets the students know the circuit is engaged. The dual power might be overkill but that stomp switch is nice and sturdy.
Thanks for the reply
Quote from: deadastronaut on March 27, 2012, 06:33:38 AM
looks great..... don't forget to put tiny jumpers on the + - rails in the middle of the board though.. ;)
Hey! Thanks for the tip! I overlooked that! :icon_eek:
Well the board has made it to school. The breadboard is getting power at it should and the voltage sag works perfectly. Now to gets some parts to build some projects.
(http://www.forbesguitars.com/images/atschool.jpg)
Looks great.
So, I am still waiting for parts from an educational supplier here. Yeah, like two months it seems. Not impressed.
Anyway, does anyone have a schematic or project on the board that demonstrates the use of the switch to control between the two circuits? Thanks.
Darren
No examples?