...you return from the morning walk with the dog to discover something shiny on the lawn. Upon closer examination you realize it's a metal-cased, Rogers-labelled OC72 you must have dropped while measuring a batch of transistors for leakage at the picnic table last summer. :)
Sad - very sad... :)
Jim
I found a 1n4148 INSIDE my bed (aka auxiliar workbench) :roll:
:mrgreen: Don't ask where I've found electrical components :mrgreen:
or when you're looking at the fryer at mcdonalds and thinking how good the fry scoop could make a good enclosure...
"So where's your junk pile dude?", when being shown a newly purchased home. "Got any old broke electrical stuff?"
.....when you replace the bathroom light switch,and then wonder how you will be able to turn on that pushbutton with your big toe.......
this is the most stupid one....
thinking about changing your lamplight on-off switch with a 3PDT one + led indicator which tells you when the light's on :P :P :P
.....lol!............
I had an LED on an extra switch. It indicated which position the switch position [only...lol].
Quote from: petemoore"Got any old broke electrical stuff?"
:lol: That's something I know I've said a lot.
It's kind of like what special forces soldiers go through. Go into a supermarket and think hey, a little of that and some of that boiled together and I've got a bomb.
Only for us, it's wow that can would make a great fuzzface enclosure or telling your family not to throw out vintage radios in case there's a suitably used JRC4558D in it.
I was at work tonight and caught myself sizing up how many seperate effects I could fit into a biscuit tin. :roll:
I have VTAS and CAP! I have "Vintage Transistor Acquisistion Syndrome" and "Component Acquisition Syndrome" I only want to build 2 or 3 pedals and I order enough parts to build a couple hundred!! God only knows what insanity is causing me to do this. It's like I walk in to my bedroom where my bench is at and I look down and I see a bag of caps. I think, yeah I bought those to build me a Bosstone! So why did I order 400!? What the hell was I thinking!? :oops:
Those are cool for you youngin's, but for us old folk's, how bout an extra set of Power Cords comin off your pedal board to help jump/start My hearing/aids and my Pacemaker.
JD :lol:
When you look at your girlfriend, and wonder if Burr-Brown makes anything to decrease her hiss and noise factor. :D
Then you look at her again, and you wonder what diodes would increase her "drive". :twisted:
...when you just need one obscure part to finish a build, and you have it in stock. Takes you a week to find it, though.
Quote from: Fret WireWhen you look at your girlfriend, and wonder if Burr-Brown makes anything to decrease her hiss and noise factor. :D
Then you look at her again, and you wonder what diodes would increase her "drive". :twisted:
this is great... :P i would suggest to add a TRUE Bypass switch, which can be very useful at times :P
That fleeting sense of deja-vu when you find yourself in the same skip(dumpster) for the third time that week.
And still finding nothing useable.
And knowing that you'll be back next week.
Because you JUST KNOW someone somewhere WILL eventually throw out that mint condition TS-808 with the SRV signature on it that you constantly dream abou ... ... oh, just me then ...
It's a bad sign when you stomp on a %^&*roach....twice...and expect it to turn back on :D
Quote from: TorchyThat fleeting sense of deja-vu when you find yourself in the same skip(dumpster) for the third time that week.
And still finding nothing useable.
And knowing that you'll be back next week.
Because you JUST KNOW someone somewhere WILL eventually throw out that mint condition TS-808 with the SRV signature on it that you constantly dream abou ... ... oh, just me then ...
A fellow "dumpster shopper" eh? It might seem stupid to some, but I've never had to buy any 4558's or 072's.
Quote from: lokiQuote from: Fret WireWhen you look at your girlfriend, and wonder if Burr-Brown makes anything to decrease her hiss and noise factor. :D
Then you look at her again, and you wonder what diodes would increase her "drive". :twisted:
this is great... :P i would suggest to add a TRUE Bypass switch, which can be very useful at times :P
A "mute" switch would be an excellent addition, too... :twisted: :twisted:
...when you notice the license plate on the car ahead of you at the stop light says NKT 275 (or AC 128, or CE 1, or MN 3205, etc) and your heart starts going a little faster.
...when you wonder what the taper of the pot is on your girlfriend's deluxe vibrator.
....when you come to love Bollywood movies because of the "warm analog delay" in all the musical numbers.
....when you buy tuna just because the tins make such great enclosures.
....when you realize you've spent more in 9v batteries last month than your old heroin addiction.
....when you start sobbing like a baby when your wife gives you a bottle of tinning solution for your 20th wedding anniversary.
....when its 11PM and a tough choice as to whether you should take advantage of how hot your iron is or how hot your partner is.
Quote...when you notice the license plate on the car ahead of you at the stop light says NKT 275 (or AC 128, or CE 1, or MN 3205, etc) and your heart starts going a little faster.
...when you wonder what the taper of the pot is on your girlfriend's deluxe vibrator.
HELL YESSS!!!!!!!!
...when you're underage and therefore decide to build your own deluxe vibrator ;)
Couldn't help it...had to share it :twisted:
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mw252001/detail?.dir=/5090&.dnm=e080.jpg
my car wears "EH 16" (fill in: second delay...)
(couldn`t get: ECC83 or 12AX7, LOL)
Quote from: Fret WireWhen you look at your girlfriend, and wonder if Burr-Brown makes anything to decrease her hiss and noise factor. :D
Then you look at her again, and you wonder what diodes would increase her "drive". :twisted:
AWE MANNN thats HILLARIOUS!!!
...at 2:00AM, you begin wondering if there's something edible inside the leaded plastic packages that you have soldered onto a perf board in the last 11 hours.
When you buy so much fabric to cover your pedals that your wife starts calling you Martha Stewart.
When you DREAM you're walking the copper traces of a circuit board... and looking for a better route!
- Doug B.
...when you submit a post to diystompboxes.com and you wake up in the morning to find that its had 15 hits and you slowly realize that it was you who got up 14 times that night to view it.
Now THAT'S funny and painfully true all at once. :lol: :lol: :lol:
You are wise, my friend.
... when you have better selection of components than local shop...
you look at your daughter's toys that make noise and wonder what is inside that you could recycle for your new effect...
You buy your son 5 flashing ring pops because you think you can salvage the red blinking LED's from them.
...you come here.
RDV
You buy a Sobe drink that comes in the metal bottle because you think you can incorporate it into a guitar effect somehow.
Quote from: RDV...come here.
RDV
...stay here. :)
... when you have the diystompboxes.com forum as your internet explorer startup page :mrgreen:
you buy cans of tuna for next effect's enclosure...
Quoteyou buy cans of tuna for next effect's enclosure...
There is a cool looking box of SPAM at supermarket next to tuna and sardines... Dont know if I can eat SPAM but that would be a cool distortion box, real spammer... Tuna can might be cool for fuzzface anyway, but maybe SPAM for some heavier metal sound... (edited: some day I can not resist myself, I will buy it anyway)
When you beg old ladies to give you their old worn out radio sets in exchange to a new HiFi thingy... only to end up staring at their puzzled faces...
:?
Quote from: NasseThere is a cool looking box of SPAM at supermarket next to tuna and sardines... Dont know if I can eat SPAM
Spam is the world's greatest food! Bow!!.. to the almighty SPAM :!: :!: :!: Seriously; just slice it thin & fry it up & put on your favorite bread with your favorite cheese...then pop a few anti-cholesterol pills of your choice!
TASTY!
RDV
Quote from: smoguzbenjamin... when you have the diystompboxes.com forum as your internet explorer startup page :mrgreen:
et tu, mi fili?
I'm pink, therefore I'm spam.
Now I have that whole Monty Python SPAM scketch stuck in mt head
Quote from: Doug B.When you DREAM you're walking the copper traces of a circuit board... and looking for a better route!
- Doug B.
...when you dream you're in the supermarket and you discover that they now sell the Maplin's catalog in the US (and in the dream you actually flip through the pages and read the specs and look at pictures of components).
...when you not only beg but *command* family members not to throw out old computer monitors, modem boxes, VCRs, etc., because they're filled with salvageable components.
You know you're an amp geek when...
You flip out after seeing an "AC30 Product Manual" on the kitchen counter, only to realize it's a troubleshooting guide for the swimming pool pump.
...when you gather hundreds of feet of leftover household electrical wiring, each about 2 feet long, from the trash pile at work (home construction) because you can't stand to see it go to waste.
Alex
Your best pickup line is:
I'm high plate voltage, and my cathode resistor is all hot for you....baby...
Boy Alex, I must be a DIY geek! :oops:
Several of those things you wrote have crossed my mind before. I might add that dead computer power supplies and fax machines can yield a lot of different parts, too. I have two amps that I have built now that have salvaged power supply fans for cooling. And I have built several stompboxes with the polystyrene caps that I pulled out of a dead commerical quality fax machine.
....when you take all your FX to a gig, but forget your guitar... and everyone says you sound the same as always! :oops:
Funny stuff. :lol:
when you relate better to your iron better than other people. sad as it is, at least I understand what makes my iron work........
...when you compare you're friends musical tastes to diodes (I like Korn 1n4918); (I like Cream Ge)
....when you end up with so many pedals and supplies to build them with, that you have to tell one of your kids, "It is time for you to leave our home now!", so you can use their room :D :D :D
Peace!
Arn C.
when i wake up and realize i'm still me. this thread isn't funny for me. i'm a little verklempt. talk amongst yourselves. i'll give you a topic... star trek.
When you are exited for the postman to arrive,bringing you some new resistors.(I am :oops: )
Ed
...when you start talking to ordinary citizens about what you're doing and they look at you like you've grown a second grotesque head.
...when your 13 yr old son calls you at work to tell you your parts came in from eBay. YAY!
...when you make up a little name for your imaginary company and put it's little logo with your picture on the forum. Ooops. That's me.
RDV
Quote from: lokithis is the most stupid one....
thinking about changing your lamplight on-off switch with a 3PDT one + led indicator which tells you when the light's on :P :P :P
Obviously TRUE BYPASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
When your building more effects than you'll ever need or you can get the same sound out of the effect you're building with that of the one you already have.
I'm guilty of that :roll: .
I have more stompboxes than the a guy a few blocks away from my place who plays in a band. I have 5 distortions and 2 wahs and the guy only has a distortion and a delay or flanger. :shock: Furthermore, there are still at least 8 more stompboxes in my to-build list. :shock: And I don't play in a band, just playing all by myself :shock: :?
Another thing, in my Ecology class in college, we were sent to the park to do some planting. But I had another thing in mind. :twisted: I volunteered to go to the junkyard where old PC's where dumped and I said I'll get monitor cases and turn it into pots for the plants. My friends noticed that I was gone for almost an hour. One of the prettiest girl in the class followed me to the junk yard and there I was, armed with a screw driver and wire cutters, scavenging all those precious film caps, many of which are .1uf.
"What the hell are you doing there, Zener"? asked the pretty girl. "You said you're out for monitor cases, didn't you"?
"Well...uh...recycling. Ain't this time for our Ecology class"? I answered :wink: :mrgreen:
I could have scavenged maybe a hundred caps if not for her :evil:
Another story I laughed at. Last Christmas, many of my aunts, uncles and cousins were in our house for a dinner. I was busy DIYing in the basement and I didn't have the time to meet them upstairs. Then my pretty (prettier than my classmate who caught me in the junkyard :wink: ) went on the basement and saw me armed with a soldering iron doing my Big Muff while all other stuff are scattered all over the place.
"Merry Christmas, Ner". Oh, I thought you were taking up computer stuff in college. So, it's EE, huh"?
"Uh...No, I'm not taking up any computer course or EE in college. I'm taking up Business". (and that's the truth) :wink: :mrgreen:
When your dad arives home from work with the boot of the car full of weird boxes with circuits inside and you have to smuggle them into your room before your mam finds out!
when one of those devices is a hugemungus really old heart moniter with laods of knobs on it (23 to be precise!) and you stare at it on your bedroom floor in awe for about a week and then rip it apart!!! 8)
later
eamonn.
...when you boss walks into the office when you're designing a PCB and says "Are you still at that?". You're closing application windows as fast as you can and avoiding his glare and say, truthfully, "yes". And it was three weeks ago that he last saw you...
QuoteI have more stompboxes than the a guy a few blocks away from my place who plays in a band. I have 5 distortions and 2 wahs and the guy only has a distortion and a delay or flanger.
...yeah, a common symptom. I got 20 boxes and can hardly even play the guitar.
...you have try to log out of a forum, in order to try to post a reply...
Quote from: RDV on July 06, 2004, 02:47:35 PM
...when you start talking to ordinary citizens about what you're doing and they look at you like you've grown a second grotesque head.
RDV
So I'm at school, making a to-buy-list, having all the schemos and stuff in front of me. The usual conversation in this situation:
-"What yer doin'?"
-"Parts list."
-"For what?"
-"Guitar stuff."
-"Oh, electronic guitar stuff? What's that?"
-"That's a schematic of a guitar pedal."
-"What's that?"
-"It's like signal modulating circuit."
-"Wha?"
etc etc etc, until I have explained the principles of audio electronics and the guitar gear. But usually I tell them to piss off before the conversation gets too rediculous. ;D
------------
Jimbo
Quote from: brett on July 06, 2004, 07:38:49 PM
...when you boss walks into the office when you're designing a PCB and says "Are you still at that?". Â You're closing application windows as fast as you can and avoiding his glare and say, truthfully, "yes". Â And it was three weeks ago that he last saw you...
QuoteI have more stompboxes than the a guy a few blocks away from my place who plays in a band. I have 5 distortions and 2 wahs and the guy only has a distortion and a delay or flanger.
...yeah, a common symptom. Â I got 20 boxes and can hardly even play the guitar.
Guitar? What guitar? I just play my pedals now.
You realise soldering naked hurts.
A sharp blob of solder jabs you in the bum when you sit on the couch.
I have looked at car plates and noticed part numbers :icon_redface:
You look at CCTV wire boxes and wonder if the camera can see you if you steal it.
You walk near your workbench and a component lead embeds itself in the sole of your foot.
You get component leads in your shoes and dont notice till your halfway to work.
You run out of component storage.
Your cat runs away when you turn on your amp.
The neighbours complain about you drilling at 4am.
You constantly go into charity shops looking for strange enclosures on the way to work.
You get all your dishcloths stained with ferric chloride.
Your g/f says "Not that brown shit again".
Your iron hits PnP blue more than clothes.
You think beer and a new circuit is a good saturday night.
I got a good laugh out those ones nelson. :icon_lol:
Here's one to add to the list: When your 3-1/2 year old girl asks, "Daddy, are you etching another board again?" and your 1-1/2 year old boy wants to help you with your Dremel tool equipped with a 1/32" drill bit or sit on your lap while you're soldering up a board.
You know you're an FX geek when...
... You reply to a post that is 1.5 years old!
Fp
;D thats hilarious, Nelson. You're a geek if you've ever tried modding a pedal in the middle of cooking dinner...
QuoteYou know you're an FX geek when...
You're reading this.
right now in my mozilla tabs:
diystompboxes.com/forum
18watt.com/forum
mouser.com/view order
thats pretty rough?
When you have to look at the same closeout aisles at Marcs, hoping that some silly doo dad can be an inexpensive and cool enclosure, or something to put on one...I found probably the worlds cheapest DMM there today, has HFE and diode checker on it too...worked when I tried it out :icon_smile:
These 'Doctor Martens' shoes have 'slots' for 10uf 25v electrolytic caps and other items of that size, I know I'm a geek because I leave an actual trail that leads from the computer, to the TV, to the bed, to the lab...GEEEeeeeekkkkkker...oh what's that...hmmm NTE158...cool!!
Im gonna go with Nightingale.
"When 11 of the 14 like in your favs are primary DIY effect links or amps."
-J
:P...cold turkey almost got me when the forum was down...
When you're thinking up new lyrics for the UB40 song "Red Red Wire"...
When you leave the snow shovel in the lab because you know you're going to have to 'clean up around the bench' again before winter...
...When you actively decide to listen to Tonefrenzy audio demos of rare effects instead of ACTUAL SONGS.
...When you check about 5 times a day at several web sites to see if they have any Flanger Hoax sound clips yet. (Guilty as charged!)
...When you actually type the words "Ludwig Phase II Synthesizer" into a Google search.
...When your wife informs you that you were talking about stompboxes in your sleep. (This actually happened)
I would just like to say that I have only known about this fourm for a few months, but I'm allready an addict. And I haven't even built anything yet! I look forward to my first project, modding my crappy Crybaby wah to Clyde McCoy specs. But first I'll need to find a custom "Halo type" inductor..............
... about EVERYONE you know tells you you are.
... you walk around in charity shops and try to convince your wife to buy that 50 years old tweakable tube radio (that probably won't work, but...)
... oh yes car license plates, tell me about it ...
... you get potatoe chips in an alu bowl at friends and start turning it around and do some mind measuring...
... biscuit tin, hey! that would actually make a good preamp box you know!
OK this might top them all.
"You know your an effects geek" when your 18 and have 6 effects and two amps built. Without any help besides this forum!
Which I know by the way that this forum is a huge abd help and there is NO WAY I would be half this far with out you guys. So thanks a lot! I've even been known to give advice. (VERY VERY Rare)
Jason
How about when you spend half of your workday cruising the DIY forums? :icon_redface:
When every day it is something new, but still the same...Coffee, Cigarettes and Checkout the Forum...
I don't know why, but the Buzz hasn't worn off. :icon_lol:
So many of these are so true!! :)
For the builders:
You anxiously await the day when you are all caught up building other people's pedals so you can build some for yourself! ;)
....... when you visit "Hampton court palace" and buy a sturdy lookin tin, shaped like a
Bear in Henry VIII costume, containing "fruit flavour jellies" just to put a `Fuzz Face`
in .... :icon_eek:
I'll post pics on monday !!!!
" MY OH MY "
Marty. :icon_redface:
When, while doing 'housing re-management, [for the third time in a row, for 'this' box], you're saying :icon_idea:ohhh this circuit in this is going to be a keeper! [ITCase it's a Jfet W/TBypass/4049 w/TBypass type thang, replacing a 4558 FBL,DClipper affair].
This box is going to be a keeper on the pedalboard !!! I'm surer this time.
You look for threads like this to use as an excuse to mention how wonderful you're new effect is going to be !!!
...... you have to start sticking "names" on all your circuit builds because soon
( now ) you can't remember what they are, 'cos you have so many !!! :icon_eek:
Marty. :icon_redface:
.....when the tech at your service department asks you "will that dist pedal ever work properly?". Specially after 2 months of using his workbench and literally stolen a bunch of 1M resistors and quite a few 2N5088's, and having like 7 circuits in the drawer hidden in the warehouse. Also when he asks you "why the heck are you asking me about Ge transistors? I stopped using them 30 years ago !!"
...when you dream about transistors and soldering...
...when you want to build all you gear instead of buying it.
Every time I walk into the Lake Geneva Radio Shack the manager offers me a job. It started innocently enough with her mentioning "we do have some openings here, just in case you know someone that might be interested", then escalated to dropping the formalities "ok, would you want to work here? If so I'll start you on Monday" to now almost a pleading.
It's actually somewhat baffling. In the days before RadioShack started the "You've got questions, we've got blank stares" campaign and began whoring themselves out to cell phone and satellite t.v. companies i was struggling to understand what kept them afloat. AFAIK Ham Radio is still going but it has significantly waned in popularity (blame the intarweb) and there are so many better places to buy radio parts and stuff than Radio Shack these days. This has been true for awhile. Surely the guy that buys the odd overpriced 555 or toggle switch isn't enough to bother with.
We haven't discussed my sales abilities (which are pretty nonexistent).
We haven't discussed my knowledge of cell phones (which i actually dislike).
We haven't discussed my knowledge of television sets, satellite t.v. or Tivo devices (I don't watch t.v.)
The only thing they really know of me is "it's the guy that buys electronics stuff occasionally".
So what use would I be to them? Seriously?
My local "Rat shack" (UK version) actually has a guy who builds things !!
He's into valve amps/etc and always knocks some money off when he's there
and sometimes adds extra trannies/jacks etc to my small orders !
Once I bought about £40 worth of stuff ( 70 bucks ) and he said it was the
largest "component" purchase he had ever seen :icon_eek:
..... yup I'm a geek it's official !
M.
Quote from: MartyMart on October 14, 2005, 04:22:04 PM
My local "Rat shack" Once I bought about £40 worth of stuff ( 70 bucks ) and he said it was the largest "component" purchase he had ever seen :icon_eek:
Yes, but it wouldn't be the largest pile of components you could get for 70 bucks!! Go Bear! Go anywhere.. but not the shack!
You know you are an fx geek......when your mother in law makes a god awful sound at 1am. Turns out the spaceship looking pedal shell, my friend welded together for me and I discarded months ago, turned up sticking partly out from under the bed in the guest room, she was in when she stubbed her toe on it. :-[
You look for the TB 3 Knob ciruit for a half hour... :icon_eek:, just to swap transistors for a while [having the TB3 transistor set on order]
THEN remember...oh...that's right...I already boxed that one up :icon_rolleyes: