test before putting in enclosure?

[Smoky Barnable]

Is it a good idea to test your circuit before putting everything in the enclosure? I'm afraid that if there is a problem it might be hard to get at. In my GGG big muff I'm working on it looks like I could just take all the electronics out except for the 9 volt dc jack, which I would have to desolder.

[jacobyjd]

I usually solder flying leads (pretinned wire) on my board, then plug them into my breadboard for all off-board parts (pots, jacks, 9v, etc.). This allows me to test and tweak pot values before boxing up.

This same principle works nicely for mods you're unsure about. Not sure about a resistor value? Solder leads instead of the resistor, then plug it into the breadboard w/ a trimpot or just swap resistors.

[oliphaunt]

I ALWAYS test anything with more than about 5 components before putting it in the enclosure.  I have pre-wired jacks and pots laying around and connect them using my breadboard.  It's quick and easy, and saves an incredible amount of time if things go wrong (and they often do)!

For that matter, I almost never build a circuit until it has been tested (usually modded) and works to my satisfaction on my breadboard.  Then I build the circuit board using the components from the breadboard so I know that I am dealing with working components with the right tolerances.   The couple of times I have skipped this step I have ended up with effects I didn't care for and had to take apart and mod or trash, or ones that didn't work properly due to component issues.

[Smoky Barnable]

cool thanks.

[Mark Hammer]

If I had a nickel for every post in the history of this forum that revolved around "It worked before I boxed it up!", I could retire qute comfortably.

If you box it up before testing, and it doesn't work when you fire it up, how do you know that the non-functionality isn't a result of the boxing-up itself, but a result of a bad board or mis-installed semiconductor, etc., etc.?  Pre-box testing is a way of confirming for yourself that any post-installation nonfunctionality results from something other than factors x, y, and the ever-pesky z.

I find as well that I too often make assumptions about "This will ground through there, so I don't need to run a wire to that" and install things without having made all necessary ground connections.  testing before installation forces you to have all necessary ground connections made in advance.

[liquids]

Is it a good idea to test your circuit before putting everything in the enclosure? I'm afraid that if there is a problem it might be hard to get at.

I find the other posts an interesting perspective, much different than my approach.     I'll have to re-consider mine since I'm always open to improvements I can manage....but in general I think boxing it first often makes sense, depending on the situation and habits...

I'm pretty anal, and I'm even nervous when I reach the point of finalizing a build.  Sometimes to the point of stage fright!    It's odd, I know, but the anticipation/excitement/wonder of finishing and hearing it is intense for me given all the time and energy I've spent preparing....

I've usually breadboarded the circuit incorrectly quite a few times already, and hence debugged a lot of the common 'oops' for that specific and any circuit for a long time, and 'heard' what that does...likewise, I've tweaked and modded the original significantly, so I know what it should sound like and how I want it to sound.  I spend hours in front of the computer, looking over and perfecting my own vero layout, and confirming it matches the schematic on several occasions and days....I've laid it out so debugging the final build is reasonable, leads on components can all be reached reasonably by my DMM in prep for any said debugging phase, and my wires are all long enough to pull everything out from the box and do DMM readings/audio probing without damage to the board or stress on wires, etc.  I go a long way to prepare for a a 'good' debug after I house it.

I'll go back previous to doing it all that way, and an interesting counterpoint to Mark's grounding issues mentioned.   One of my first builds from the ground up (vero), I was hesitant to box it first, that time.  I spend a few days debugging.  In the end, I learned the hard way that if your jacks aren't grounded--which I hadn't yet soldered up yet thinking it was a minor detail--it 'ain't go' make no sound!'    I don't remember even if the jacks were supplying ground connection to part or any of circuit or not anymore....but that was the problem for an otherwise flawless build!     Hey, I've learned that for eternity, on the bright side!  I think that my expecting to need to have every connection made (other than the bottomplate screws), and expecting it to be fully housed and fire up right away when I first audition it makes me skip fewer steps/connections/etc that I'd skip (like the above) due to laziness and anticipation, saying 'I can do that stuff once I box it,'  only to leave off something essential.  YMMV.

Anyhow, so I build and box all at once.  It feels odd, drilling up a vero one day, then usually spending a second session soldering it all carefully until my eyes hurt, then going back  another day for more soldering and wiring...then finally assembling it, boxing it, tightening the jacks, etc.  Breadboarding something from scratch takes me minutes by comparison, but on a scratch build, I've spend two, three days, sometimes more (depending on the schedule and the week) with no idea if all or part of it even works.   It takes me a while, that's just how I am at this stage of my work pace.   So that fire up is nauseating, since tt feels like I started 'from scratch' and heard only silence for days, even though I've tinkered with it endlessly on the breadboard previously....

But that methodology works for me, so far.   Also, in addition to it being extremely reasonable to measure voltages, re-check traces, etc, since I build it with plenty of wire 'slack' to measure the board even with everything installed, since I've got a ever-improving breadboard rig, when it doesn't fire up, audio probing is a breeze.  As is any future part swaps or modding, which hopefully is rare if I took the time on the breadboard....on the other hand, my builds look nice to me, but they aren't artwork with perfect wire lengths, etc, since I leave slack on any wire to the board.

Anyhow...we all do it differently, and I'd be willing to say the ways suggested by others may in the end be superior...but I think, as long as you have a gameplan and prepare to debug and mod (the common thread in all of these suggestions) patiently, follow the logical steps, etc, you'll be 'okay,' so long as you know your limitations, irritations, and patience threshold.

And all that to say, if you think it will be hard to get at once it's housed, frustration and impatience can often overwhelm delicacy and logic when I am debugging, so on the build you are talking about, maybe box it after you debug this time....    

In my GGG big muff I'm working on it looks like I could just take all the electronics out except for the 9 volt dc jack, which I would have to desolder.

One reason why I went 'back' to using the jacks that have all the threads visible. DC jacks are delicate.  The ones with the external nuts mean you really can pull it all out without sacrificing or re-soldering a DC jack, if for some reason you need to.  Good catch, it took me a few builds to realize that when weighing my options!

[jacobyjd]

Is it a good idea to test your circuit before putting everything in the enclosure? I'm afraid that if there is a problem it might be hard to get at. In my GGG big muff I'm working on it looks like I could just take all the electronics out except for the 9 volt dc jack, which I would have to desolder.

For something like this, you could make things a LITTLE easier on yourself by just making your +9v and GND leads really long (like 10" or so), then use alligator clips attached to a battery clip. This way, you could hook up the power without having to worry about desoldering the DC jack if something doesn't work right (I like the 'threads on the inside' kind, too).

[Mark Hammer]

I'll add yet another slant to the topic.

This is a DIY forum.  What we do for ourselves is not only the building, but the the fine tuning and adjustments.  The circuit itself may be a time-tested one, but how will it sound with MY guitar and amp and playing style and pedalboard playmates?  That is something you may not know until you fire it up.  And when you do fire it up, you may realize that this component value or that one need to be changed.  perhaps a resistor needs tobe placed in series with a pot, or inparallel.  Maybe a cap value needs to be changed.  Maybe the 2 or 3-position toggle the original schematic calls for is something you really want.

In other words, before one makes the commitment to machining the box, and running leads to everything. it might be a good idea to test it out to find out whether it needs to be different in any way than your original intent.  Some will be much more diligent about it than I and actually USE their breadboard, but even if your test involves things soldered to each other, I think the DIY-er needs to know the answer to the question "Is this what I want?".

[aron]

I test before I box every time, unless I know the circuit is final.

[bobp1339]

I usually test before boxing.  In addition, I will bring my breadboard assembly to band practice just to make sure it sounds as I want it to in a true playing environment.
This way I can check to make sure it integrates with the existing sound before boxing it up.  An example of this is a FET distortion pedal that I made a few weeks ago.  I brought the breadboard in and played for a while. Then I realized that I could adjust the gain using my guitar knob, and I could leave off the gain knob on the pedal.

When I built by bassist a bass preamp, i had that breadboard at practice for about 3 weeks until we got the sound tweaked just how he wanted it.  I would not have wanted to do that in an enclosure...

[solderman]

This is the way I test and tweak before it go's in to a box.

 

[rustypinto]

Yes, always test before housing!

A simple variable frequency/shape signal generator and 1/4" jacks with alligator clips have been timeless pieces of equipment for me.

[petemoore]

  Do you feel lucky ?
  Confident ?
  Guaranteed you shouldda tested it first then.
  Test jig, a couple grounded jacks [and ground wire/alligator clip] each tip also gets a wire and testclip]. There's your in/out and ground.
  I put that in a RACO and then a same sized cardboard box on that, circuit goes in the insulated box, the RACO mounts the jacks and keeps the bottom part heavy.
  Battery clip on Ckt. Board for tests.
  Anything that can be eliminated is eliminated from the preliminary testings, this helps keep shorting [watch that the two 'shouldn't touch' wires, don't touch] and wire damages minimal.
  But yesterday I just hooked up a Tremulus Lune LFO on perfboard, the LED lit...I had a small error...lead goes to the + pin...ok...blinking, all adjusters work, hopefully debugged and passing the tests.
  Today I built up the audio circuit portion [and LDR], and will probably just test the opamp bias because I'm feeling lucky, ~confident, and lazy, sometimes it's ok to figure out what the trade-off is for taking a shortcut, sometimes it's free, and your'e done that much sooner, other times ''not so fast''.

[John Lyons]

Here's my test setup.
I always use the same pot spacings so
I wire up the board to the pots just as
if I was building in the box.
I leave the in/out/9v/ground connections
loose and connect them to the breakout box
alligator clips to test with bypass etc.
This way I don't have the box side walls to
get in the way and I can make any adjustments
much easier.

[petemoore]

  Looks like a fine recipe'.
  Do you boil the lasange noodles first ?

[oliphaunt]

This is a DIY forum.  What we do for ourselves is not only the building, but the the fine tuning and adjustments.  The circuit itself may be a time-tested one, but how will it sound with MY guitar and amp and playing style and pedalboard playmates?  ... In other words, before one makes the commitment to machining the box, and running leads to everything. it might be a good idea to test it out to find out whether it needs to be different in any way than your original intent.  ...I think the DIY-er needs to know the answer to the question "Is this what I want?".

That's exactly why I got into building in the first place, to match up exactly what I want with the gear I use.

I usually test before boxing.  In addition, I will bring my breadboard assembly to band practice just to make sure it sounds as I want it to in a true playing environment.

I have taken my breadboard rig to gigs on several occasions along with a box of parts, and made tweaks on stage during breaks.  There is no other way for a peformer to really be sure how a circuit sounds other than to test in the live environment!

[aziltz]

TEST?  Simulate yes.  Breadboard, yes.   But when it comes to Testing v. Boxing, its Shut Up or Nut Up.