finally...pics of my 1st project

[pop.adams]

finally i finished my first project.
here you can find some pics of my relovution...

http://www.cami-kc.com/relovution.html

it took me nearly 3 @#$%ing months to make this thing work like i wanted to.
most of the time i wasted in building the boxes. i wanted to have something special and i didn't want to pay more money than necessary. so everything was made out of parts i found in the streets round the corner (e.g. the road sign. berlin is one building site). the box in the rack is made of a road sign too. it took me nearly 4 days to get the paint off the sign and to sand and polish it. the result is quiet nice i think.

the relovution is a mixture of everthing but mainly nothing more than a switching-unit with the simple target to have the shortest way between the guitars and the amps. everything is true bypass. if the relovution is without power the signals go straight to the amps. no buffers, resistors or caps are in the signals way.
another target i had was to be able to get my gear quickly set up on stage and take down after the show. no more lots of different switches and cables to get things started. just one box, one rack, one amp and i'm ready to rock!

- everything is switched by relais

- 3 loops

- the wah is switchable by two switches

- my electric and acoustic guitar can be muted and tuned without changing cables

- a rodent rat with following options:
   - with/without diode-distortin
   - change of distortion style via jumper: diode/diode or LED/diode or LED/LED
   - a pot for the amount of the diode-distortion
   - a switch for the position in the effects-chain (after the 1st loop or after the 3rd loop)

- a switch to change the routing of loop 2 (this is for my alesis quadraverb) whether to use the quadraverb with the electric or acoustic guitar

- additional swithes + LEDs for channelselection of my orange (rocker 30) and acousti-q

- two switches for the quadraverb (bypass/sampler-start/stop and advanced bypass)

- if the relovution is damaged i can still use main functions like channelselect and quadraverb-remote AND! the tuner and wah (theres a battery inside so that i can use the  tuner behind the stage...simple but i had nearly forgotten that i must be able to use the tuner without power...)

- midi was too difficult for a newbie like me so i had to find a solution for a connection of those 16 signalcables for the relays...i decided to use cheap network cables. i could have taken a d-sub but if the cable is damaged i have to solder a new one...well now i can go to the next computer-shop and buy me a 2,-Euro cable and..ready :-)

from march to april i was on a tour. we had 16 gigs here in germany, in austria and luxemburg. this was the first time i used my relovution and everything worked to my satisfaction. except a few small things. e.g. i had to add a ground lift for the xlr-connection of my acoustic guitar preamp (sometimes i had a groundloop...sometimes not...strange subject this thing called ground)

ok...
still there are problems...
"switch and pop"-problems...
but i don't care right now. next week i have to do some recordings and at the end of may i'll go again on tour for 2 weeks.
i think i can live with those pops...i have to live with that.

there are a few things i like to build e.g. this wah LDR/LED thing (my pot scratches like hell). and small things like buffers. let's see what the next months bring. new ideas and visions and the next winter can come and then i will make my relovution perfect!

thanks to all of you guys. this is definitly the best forum with the best, nicest and helpful people i visited ever! without you i had never-never-ever managed to get this thing work.

carsten

[maximee]

i really like your design of the floorboard!
nice build!!!

[barret77]

you said this is your FIRST build? Are you sure?

[barret77]

do you want to compare to my first build?
http://www.lunetta.com.br/gibson/bassboost.jpg

[petemoore]

Long Live The Revolution !
 Quite the craftsmans utility unit !!! You've done a great job.
 I like the interesting features, and the fact I probably will not have seen another one like it.

[pop.adams]

thank you very much!

@barret77: yep! my first build. as you can see on the second pic it looks like the case had been in the center of an earthquake...cablechaos...except the rodent rat i haven't used really difficult circuits. simple relay switches. but really effective, easy to use on stage (even if i drunk a few beers...) and still flexible. i'd like to view your first one but the link seems to be damaged. "cannot find lunetta.com.br!"

@petemoore:
"Long Live The Relovution ! " ->  i hope so, too!

"Quite the craftsmans utility unit." -> yes. and like a craftsman would do: everything is handmade. except the holes but even them i had to make bigger with a file cause i haven't had the right drills and as i allready said: i didn't want to spend too much money least of all for tools...so i had to use a hand saw for the sheet metal and the aluminium sign. sawing, sanding, polishing and bending, soldering...äh...wait a minute...doh! no, that was one of the "modern" tools i already had, a soldering iron...but the rest is handmade ;-) like in the older days where mankind lived in caves...

greetings

carsten

[JimRayden]

Yes... stone age was a good time indeed. No cheap eastern guitars or gear, everything was hand-made.

Looking great by the way. That ol' suitcase looks real real cool. Cover the top of the switchboard with tweed and it'll look even neater.

Oh, I'm currently in search for a suitcase to build a pedal board into. I hope I find something as cool.

----------
Jimbo

[MartyB]

WOW! :shock:  Amazing!  Love the men-at-work sign for the top of the pedalboard.

[pop.adams]

@barret77: now your link works...
ah! that looks great! i've never seen a breadboard design before. cool. seems to be much easier to handle than those small traces on a veroboard.
put it in a plexicase and you'll have something for your children's children: "look this is what your grandfather used a long time ago. hey!? why do you laugh? it still works and sounds like in those days a bass booster had to sound..." ;-)

oh...right now i'm on your website. wow, you've done a lot of jobs. really cool. nice work.

greetings, carsten

[JimRayden]

Wow, adams. Looks great! Better than my first work which had a float-in-air-construction.

The new generation: point-to-point wired stompboxes.

----------
Jimbo

[LivingDeadPunk]

First build???!!!!!!!!!!!  :shock:

Awesome dude!!!

[icurays1]

that is the most bad-ass thing i've seen in weeks.  im really loving the suitcase.  'frickin great, man, hope you keep making shit.
nick

[soggybag]

Great work. I like the suitcase idea. The street signage is very stylish.

The point to point hogs foot has style to.

[pop.adams]

sorry about this unqualified question but what's this "point-to-point" thing?

anyway. your replies make me really happy. that's why i love this forum and that's why it makes sense to share ones work with all of you freaks outside in the world (hey. i got visits from all over the world...isn't that @#$%ing great? well, i know this is called world-wide-web...but hey! i never had this feeling before that i KNOW - REALLY KNOW - there's someone in brazil or japan or elsewhere who reads these lines written in good old germany at 8:42 in the morning...)
great!

have a nice day all together

carsten

[Basstyra]

LOL !!
I read this from France !  :wink:

Congratulations, it's well done... !  I'm seriously thinking of a think like that, but my effect setup allways moves... pedals arrive, then go, some even don't stay at home more than a week !  

But if someday I manage to have a final pedal setup, I'll do such a thing, for sure.

[barret77]

Thanks for the compliments, but I guess you're the one here that should receive them. Such a pro project - and in a vintage suitcase!

Congratulations!

[loki]

Wow! It's really this is your first build? my congratulations!
the idea of using network cables is pure genius  :wink:
i think i'll steal it from you for some project
great job!