First (successful) build - Pics, thanks, and joy.

[ryanscissorhands]

My first successful build. It's the beginner project, and my third attempt  The first one didn't work, the second one had weird transistor issues which I couldn't figure out, but the third one worked like a charm. The first two failures just made the success that much more. . . desparately needed, and as such, enjoyable.

The layout was very "excited first-time DIY'er," if that makes sense. I really just wanted to put it in something, so I eyeballed some stuff, used an awl to mark some holes, and started drilling. Unfortunately I found that with my layout, everything fit in the enclosure, except fot the circuit itself. Details.

So the switch is currently where the old pot hole was, the old switch hole is filled with bondo, and it's a half-assed spaghetti factory in there. But I've learned to be more conscious of layout earlier on to avoid doing what I did.

I also had issues with trying a t-shirt decal. I used it on the back plate, but part of the decal peeled off when I tried to pull the paper off. Plus, some of the paper stuck. I'm not exactly sure what happened there, but it's just the back so I can sand it off and retry whenever, no big deal.

Oh, and since I couldn't fit the battery in, until I get my power jacks from smallbear, the battery will sit next to the open-backed pedal on the floor. Again, not a big deal

I used a 1590B, and white enamel paint which I sorta baked in my "solar oven." It didn't turn out that good, but I'm sure it's a little better than just air drying. Actually, I'm not sure of that at all. Nevermind.

Eventually I will master the art of t-shirt transfering, add the decal, put in the power jack, and clearcoat. But I'm fine with it as is for now. Especially since it's my first and long awaited build (that works).

Thanks to all of you out there who have helped with this project and have helped ym try to debug my first two attempts (seanm, petemoore, niftydog). And thanks to aron for doing a meticulous job of documenting the build so that a newb like me can follow it. And, of course, thanks to Gus Smalley for his circuit. And thansk to Dean H for giving me extra parts to experiment with, help stock my bench, and encouraging me to build this stuff. It's a sweet community here, folks, and although at times you might feel underappreciated, the work you do helps a lot of us out and gets us into this sickeningly addictive hobby.


http://www.geocities.com/ryanscissorhands/Cleanboost.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/ryanscissorhands/spaghetti.jpg

[ErikMiller]

Way to go!

Congratulations.

How does it sound?

[aron]

YEAH!!!!!!!!!  

You got it. MANY MORE to come!  :wink:

[80k]

congrats dude!  nice shiny solder joints

I'm going to poke my head in the beginner's forum (forgot there was one).

have you decided what you will build next?

[idiot savant]

really nice looking box!


i too suffer from the "being so excited i mis-drill the box" syndrome, i just ended up re-drilling the bottoms out so i could re-use them anyways!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y130/idiot5avant/homebrew4.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y130/idiot5avant/homebrew3.jpg

[Paul Marossy]

Welcome to the world of sleepless nights, daydreaming about mods you could do, picking thru discarded electronic stuff left on the curb on trash pickup day, spending your last dollar on components, smelling like solder fumes, searching for an original JRC4558D in thrift store junk... OK, I got carried away.   :oops:

Congratulations!  

[vanhansen]

Congrats.  I just boxed my beginner project up last night after letting it sit on my bench since last September.  Drilling was a snap for me though.

Go to GEO and find his template.  It's for a BB enclosure but I was able to line it up for my 1590B and everything came out fine.  If I can find time, I may make a template for the 1590B out of that template.  Just need to narrow the box itself a bit in the graphic.  It saved me lots of time and I didn't have to fill any holes in.

[vanhansen]

Welcome to the world of sleepless nights, daydreaming about mods you could do, picking thru discarded electronic stuff left on the curb on trash pickup day, spending your last dollar on components, smelling like solder fumes, searching for an original JRC4558D in thrift store junk... OK, I got carried away.   :oops:

Congratulations!  

Asking relatives if they have any old electronic stuff they plan on getting rid of to salvage parts (I've done that).

[Paul Marossy]

Asking relatives if they have any old electronic stuff they plan on getting rid of to salvage parts

I'm not shy. I have also been known to ask the office manager in the engineering office where I work if I can have that defunct fax machine they were going to throw out - it was loaded with capacitors and other stuff! Oh my gosh, I am a geek!  :oops:  

[vanhansen]

Asking relatives if they have any old electronic stuff they plan on getting rid of to salvage parts

I'm not shy. I have also been known to ask the office manager in the engineering office where I work if I can have that defunct fax machine they were going to throw out - it was loaded with capacitors and other stuff! Oh my gosh, I am a geek!  :oops:  

Oh yeah.  I got 2 dead VCR's from my mother-in-law.  Panasonic caps heaven, all values I've needed.

[maximee]

Congrats.  I just boxed my beginner project up last night after letting it sit on my bench since last September.  Drilling was a snap for me though.

Go to GEO and find his template.  It's for a BB enclosure but I was able to line it up for my 1590B and everything came out fine.  If I can find time, I may make a template for the 1590B out of that template.  Just need to narrow the box itself a bit in the graphic.  It saved me lots of time and I didn't have to fill any holes in.

vanhansen, no need to do that, I already did that maybe a year ago. If you want it PM me your email adress and I'll send it to you!
http://www.diystompboxes.com/sboxforum/viewtopic.php?t=22787

[gotdabluz]

Ha . . . I've seen worse innards on commercial pedals!
. . . congrats on your first *successful* build!!!

--SG

[ryanscissorhands]

Thanks for the support, all. It feels great to finally get something finished (except for the decal, since my "test" was a disaster. . .). I've been trolling this forum for a year and a half. Before I discovered this forum, all I knew about electronics was from Grade 12 Physics: "resistors in series add; resistors in parallel reduce resistance. Here's Ohm's law."

So to start at zero and get to where I can solder, paint, and finish my box, that says a lot about this forum, because almost all of the information I got was from all of you here, or from links that were recommended to me through the forum.

To answer some questions: How does it sound? I really like it. It's good for driving my amp (although it's not very good) a little harder. It's pretty versatile.

What am I going to build next? I bought PCB's from GGG: 1) Dual AMZ MOSFET, 2) DOD 280 Compressor, 3) Uglyface(perf), and Ye Grande Mobius Trip Looper (quite a ways away). I also plan on somewhere in there doing a perf of an MXR Dist+, and eventually a Marshall Shredmaster--one of the reasons I wanted to learn to DIY, since it goes for $250 USD on eBay these days.

As for becoming a component vulture, on my second day at work at a computer store, I said "So. . . what are you doing with that fried power supply?" I got some caps from it, and practiced a lot of desoldering. And hten I got three more. Two weeks later, our DVD player stopped working properly. Out comes the Phillips, and I found out the power supply on THAT was shot. And I tell you, THAT ENCLOSURE is going to be SWEET. I'm going to fit at least two or three effects into it. Plus I have motherboard standoffs from work that will screw into the DVD bottom. SO STOKED!

This stuff is so addicting that I think it deserves one of those ridiculous disclaimers that come on video games these days that say things like:

"DIY'ing is fun, but don't neglect your school, your work, your family, or basic nutrition."

EDIT: It said "and nutrition." It should be "or.'"

[Hal]

those spanish batteries are pure MOJO!