DIYstompboxes.com

A thin metal washer with a 1/2" hole to replace the ugly white plastic one that comes on the 3PDT switches!

Another suggestion:  blank cardboard boxes that are the proper size for 1590B and 1590BB pedals.

Just my 2 cents, Steve.

regards, Jack

I heartily second both those suggestions!  :icon_smile: :icon_smile:
A nice plated washer about half the thickness of the original plastic one would be nice.

 Â THe washers, yes, I like the White, but colors would be nice too.
   blank cardboard boxes that are the proper size for 1590B and 1590BB pedals..for packaging?...makes sense I suppose.
 I know SB is not a manufacturer, I sure would like to see a pot 'plunge twister', or some type of simpler method of setting up various value pots to a treadle...wah cases with gear assemblies maybe? For any value pot with a standard shaft diameter, I have some 'stupid' looking treadle/cases I made, they work, but aren't exactly something you can recommend to 'normal' people who like smart looking stuff.
 For wah, yes, a heavy duty pot is certainly recommendable for 'road' use, but for phasers or something controlling an LFO, the 'duty' {IMO} can be much lighter, and just having a right value pot that turns by foot [works and looks cool] would meet my criterion...and be a MAJOR improvement over strings 'n springs 'n funky things, homey looking case assemblies that are rather a pain and time consuming to do prototypes of...some I've seen pics of look pretty cool...still it's alot of machining work that could much more easily be done 'en masse'.
 That's my 2 cents, [unless my math is off...lol].

http://www.washersusa.com/stockf.html

:icon_mrgreen:

Edit: For those wah cases....if we all put together an order, I'm sure we could get a run of custom ones done etc... then go from there?

I would like to be able to get Fulltone 3pdt switches and Hammond DD enclosuers from the same source as everything else.

I've used lots of the Taiwanese enclosures and the Taiwanese B/BB enclosures are great, but in the DD size I like the Hammonds better than the Taiwanese DDs, although the Hammonds are a lot more expensive. Same thing with the Fulltone switches, a lot more expensive, but higher quality.

Also, I would love it if Steve could find an enclosure source for something like the Fulltone enclosures used on their fuzzes - those would be perfect for most effects and heavier duty than the LMB enclosures - I think those would be a big hit.

The transformer for the Titan Boost (mouser# 42TM006 20KCT/1KCT) would be nice…

Kerry M

'Small Bear should carry...'
... on, for as long as possible :icon_biggrin:

  First things first...
  'Small Bear should carry...'
... on, for as long as possible
  Agreed.
  these are suggestions, only.
  I only ramble on about it because there appeared an opportunity to do so here, and if anyone would listen to them, it would be a bear !!!
  They sound like good suggestions, but I haven't tried sourcing stuff, [beyond looking at what's available in the catalogues] ... so that's that.

Yes, I second that, about the wah shells, since there has really been no way to roll your own. You either have to make one from scratch, or gut one out. I believe he'd sell a HUGE amount of just those alone. I know there has been request after request on the forum for a source. I believe what AMZ (Jack I believe) was talking about, is a box that would accept your finished pedal, so you could store it, or take it to gigs without getting the paint wrecked. I know I asked him to stock a CMOS 567 once upon a time, but he was way too constricted at the time. Absolutely, Steve should transistion and all that, but I know that he knows, that the items we're talking about here have been on our wish list for a long time, and that's all this thread is. I believe he's wanting to expand, and be a true "one stop shopping" business for DIY. If we don't tell him what that means to us, he won't know. That's how he got started in the first place, Correct?

Quote from: petemoore on October 16, 2005, 10:43:03 AM

   blank cardboard boxes that are the proper size for 1590B and 1590BB pedals..for packaging?

pete,
 i get boxes at staples ...they have a pack of small boxes (iirc, about 3.5 x 6 or so) that fit hammond 1590b and 1590bb housed fx quite nicely. its a few bucks for 4 or 5 boxes, not too expensive, and theyre nice white cardboard, not the brown stuff. they also sell bubble pack "bags" in sizes that fit the standard hammond boxes.
  hope this helps,
    andy

Quoteblank cardboard boxes that are the proper size for 1590B and 1590BB pedals.

When i built my first pedal,(rangemaster) i built it in a hammond 1590B cardboard box, as close as possible to the real hammonds.
I didn't know what trouble i was gonna run into when building my first pedal so the cardboard worked great,  but i perhaps i could have used a plastic enclosure for beginning. 

Then i used my cardboard pedal as a model to build my second rangemaster, then i could just remove the jacks and switch, and pot and LED from the cardboard pedal for spare parts.

Or,
I could just leave it "together" for a tester for Rangmaster biasing, since i could just use alligator clips to clip to the terminal strip to find out what value biasing for different transistors, and also be able to hear different transistors to find the "good" ones  (kinda like a breadboard, but not really)

only reason this works for me is because i build them on a terminal strip and it is harder to do than a pc board, as far as finding biasing resistors since you can't add and remove parts on a terminal strip when it is glued in a small hammond box. 

sorry for rambling on,  ;)

Quote from: formerMember1 on October 16, 2005, 12:18:55 PM

Quoteblank cardboard boxes that are the proper size for 1590B and 1590BB pedals.

When i built my first pedal,(rangemaster) i built it in a hammond 1590B cardboard box, as close as possible to the real hammonds.
I didn't know what trouble i was gonna run into when building my first pedal so the cardboard worked great,  but i perhaps i could have used a plastic enclosure for beginning. 

Then i used my cardboard pedal as a model to build my second rangemaster, then i could just remove the jacks and switch, and pot and LED from the cardboard pedal for spare parts.

Or,
I could just leave it "together" for a tester for Rangmaster biasing, since i could just use alligator clips to clip to the terminal strip to find out what value biasing for different transistors, and also be able to hear different transistors to find the "good" ones  (kinda like a breadboard, but not really)

only reason this works for me is because i build them on a terminal strip and it is harder to do than a pc board, as far as finding biasing resistors since you can't add and remove parts on a terminal strip when it is glued in a small hammond box. 

sorry for rambling on,  ;)

never thought about a "mock up"...i just use the boxes for shipping the pedals :)

...........metal washers instead of white plastic ones.........................really?...........................I would like ICs to be red!!!!!!!
Stephen

Smallbear should carry....

....headache medicine (or some nice Lager) for Steve while he moves everything to the new place (pictures! pictures!).

"This was supposed to be a hobby"

Btw, i thought that the plastic washer was all about protecting the finish on the enclosure.

The washer should be 15/32", not 1/2".

The 1/2" washers fit loosely on the shaft of the dpdts and you need to center it, with 15/32" it fits perfectly.

Fp

tantalum caps

Stomp-box wine ?

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/TheToneGod/box_wine.jpg)

Andrew

 Â ....headache medicine
 There are lots of these, and the individual needs to find the one that's right for him or her...
 As for the  "Prescription' though..."tilt your head back, use a funnel, and a bottle of Tylenol", add as necessary...lol.

Nuts and washers for just about everything - large and small pots, 1/4" and 1/8" jacks, 9 volt adaptor jacks, toggle and stomp switches.

Quote from: The Tone God on October 16, 2005, 02:06:55 PM
Stomp-box wine ?

Andrew

Ahhhhh.... Last Thursday was a very good year.  :icon_mrgreen:

assortment of metal film resistors........

Quoteassortment of metal film resistors........

i second that!

Plastic washers are better than metal for mounting switches. I won't tell you why but try it and you will see.

wah shells.

Different shaped enclosures.

TDA1207, TDA1208.

All at prices that are not indicative of an oligapoly.
:icon_neutral:

63/37 solder, even though I finally bought a roll anyway...

lower prices...especially on 3pdts ... :-\

Complete parts kits of the most popular circuits on runoffgroove, tonepad, etc.  No knobs, boxes, or PCB's, just components.  It would make it real darn easy to order stuff even if I end up with a few things I already have.

Surely I'm not the only one who's left a critical part off their order, right?

I've done the whole 'forgot one part in my order' deal. Totally sucks.

Though, instead of having him list 'kits' for pedals, I would rather see savable lists for carts, like Mouser has, you can put together a list for this or that, and then just add it later to a cart. Makes it really simple to roll your own 'value packs'. Like, one list that has everything needed for an enclosure: the case, feet, jacks, switch, etc. And then you later can just click on that list and add it to your cart. Or a list of parts for a Small Clone, or Rat, or BSIAB, or a resistor set, or cap set, etc etc. You could create your own lists instead of relying on pre-rolled kits.

yeah i always forget stuff too,  >:(

Yeah, some kind of way to add stuff to your cart then save it,

Quote from: PenPen on October 16, 2005, 06:33:36 PM
I've done the whole 'forgot one part in my order' deal. Totally sucks.

Though, instead of having him list 'kits' for pedals, I would rather see savable lists for carts, like Mouser has, you can put together a list for this or that, and then just add it later to a cart. Makes it really simple to roll your own 'value packs'. Like, one list that has everything needed for an enclosure: the case, feet, jacks, switch, etc. And then you later can just click on that list and add it to your cart. Or a list of parts for a Small Clone, or Rat, or BSIAB, or a resistor set, or cap set, etc etc. You could create your own lists instead of relying on pre-rolled kits.

That's a fantastic idea! :D

Kits are a drain to assemble and they pull away from otherwise available stock. If you could replace the whole concept of a kit with a spring-loaded shopping cart that would assemble that bunch of parts "just in time" as Japanese industry and the Java folks say, I'll bet lots more parts could get sold in the end without any of the 'kit' headaches. 8)

It would be so easy to have multiple versions that way... one could be basic parts while another expanded on that to include pots, switches, and jacks.... followed by a version that includes the box and knobs too.

A little more work would yield something almost form like that could customize a "kit" by selecting a basic set of parts and then asking a few additional questions like "color of box" or if you wanted mojo NOS part substitutions, etc..

Best of luck in moving to your new cave Steve! 8) 8) 8)

Guys--

As Judy occasionally reminds me when I get "enthusiastic" about adding things, I am not "L. L. Bear." Nonetheless, at least some of this will get done during the coming year, AFTER I'm fully moved in and organized, and after "Kristmas Krush." Before I comment on these (very good!) suggestions, I have a marketing question concerning something I want to add:

I have finished re-design of my Trem, and I want to connect pots and other components to the board using header pins and suitable connectors. What is a good header/connector combination for this, including a crimping tool that doesn't cost a fortune? I want these for my own immediate purposes, so will add them to the stock list immediately if I get some agreement on items that would be widely used. I was looking at Mouser 517-2312-6111-TG. Would this be good? What would mate with it? Talk to me...

Now to your requests:

--The metal washer for the 3PDT is on my list. I also want an exactly-machined fiber shoulder washer for the metal DC jack.

--Nobody mentioned: what is the source for the wrench for tightening the dress nut on Carlings?

--Cardboard boxes? To protect a finish, maybe? I get the colored boxes in nice foam bags for transport. Would those be better?

--Wah Shell (sigh). I have investigated this. I got close to being able to offer a blank shell, but I have had difficulties that I can't discuss. I will do it, eventually.

--Fulltone 3PDT/Wah Pot/Inductor. MF will no longer sell his OEM parts for DIY. The switch is not such a problem, because the blue one is pretty good. The wah pot is a loss...it's rugged, and the ICAR taper is popular. One possibility that I will look into is getting the maker of the "blacktop" 200K (I know who makes it) to do a 100K ICAR. That's at least a $2K investment. I now have the pot cores for the halo inductor clone; can someone direct me to a core assembly for a "stack of dimes?"

--42TM006, LM567, will add as soon as I have drawers for them in the new space. Thanks!

--Tantalum caps. Maybe a few, up to 10 mf. 16 v for LFO timing and such?

--Nuts and Washers. Yes! I already have nuts for the 16mm pots on order. I
will add others.

--Parts kits. I have always avoided offering kits per se, figuring that many people will want to use what is on hand or make substitutions. But I do have a large library of Excel spreadsheets that I draw from when someone asks for a full list for a particular pedal. At some point, maybe I'll post all of these for download from the site.

--Metal Film Resistors. This is a little tough because of the number of values, but I will consider it.

--63/37 solder. ASAP!

Nobody mentioned: 9-volt duracells. I can get a decent wholesale on these, would be on the site at about $2.00 each. Reasonable?

Thanks, and I will save this list for shopping!

i agree whole heartedly on the round carling nut wrench- my hands aren't working  ;D

Quote from: Peter Snowberg on October 16, 2005, 03:31:57 PMAhhhhh.... Last Thursday was a very good year.  :icon_mrgreen:

lol. To be more fitting for a DIY sol'n:

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request121.asp

Andrew

*  Custom surf-boards!  No, not the long things you stick on top of your station wagon, but the little boards that allow people to use SMT chips in conjunction with "normal" spacing components.  So many things are becoming available only in SMT form that we'll have to switch eventually.

Quote from: smallbearelec on October 16, 2005, 09:12:42 PM


--Fulltone 3PDT/Wah Pot/Inductor. MF will no longer sell his OEM parts for DIY. The switch is not such a problem, because the blue one is pretty good. The wah pot is a loss...it's rugged, and the ICAR taper is popular. One possibility that I will look into is getting the maker of the "blacktop" 200K (I know who makes it) to do a 100K ICAR. That's at least a $2K investment. I now have the pot cores for the halo inductor clone; can someone direct me to a core assembly for a "stack of dimes?"

hi steve...
   pm me about the icar taper pots...i might be able to at least put you on the path for some....

Quote from: analogmike on October 16, 2005, 04:19:45 PM
Plastic washers are better than metal for mounting switches. I won't tell you why but try it and you will see.

Well, a metal washer is going to "cut" right into the paint finish for a start !!
I had a bunch of them and just swopped them all for plastic one's :D

Marty.

QuoteNobody mentioned: 9-volt duracells. I can get a decent wholesale on these, would be on the site at about $2.00 each. Reasonable

?

I guess "duracells" doesn't imply the manufacturer. $2.00 would be an international best seller in that case  ;D .
You mean "battery"? Zinc - carbon...

Quote from: MartyMart on October 17, 2005, 04:59:18 AM
Well, a metal washer is going to "cut" right into the paint finish for a start !!
I had a bunch of them and just swopped them all for plastic one's :D

Since the only objection people seem to have to the plastic washers is that they 'look weird', maybe some metal washers PLUS a felt washer to go under it? I know felt and composition washers are standard items (though not in electronics). They could be a nice Bear item.
As far as wah shells go, it would be impossible IMHO to make them for less than the wholesale price of Behringer foot control pedals ($US 35 or so). Maybe a conversion kit for these? At the moment, there is a single pot in there, if a substitue pot was sold so people could do a conversion... also, if you do the conversion, you get a nice dual VCA chip!!

Quote from: smallbearelec on October 16, 2005, 09:12:42 PM
--Metal Film Resistors. This is a little tough because of the number of values, but I will consider it.

Maybe a kit of metal resistors that contains the common values?

.
e

..the Thomas Henry booklets on the CA3080 etc. People are trying to sell pirate copies on ebay, which has (understandably) upset TH, but now Midwest Electronics has closed, there is no source. I'm pretty sure he would be happy to let Steve sell them for a royalty, and anyone who bought one, would be very likely to find something else in the Cave. Plus, a certain 'how to lay out your board' would surely be a good seller. :icon_wink:

"Metal Film Resistors. This is a little tough because of the number of values, but I will consider it."

This is the only reason my last order did not go through small bear.

Quote from: Paul Perry (Frostwave) on October 17, 2005, 08:00:10 AM
..the Thomas Henry booklets on the CA3080 etc.

Paul, that's a great idea!

How about a starter kit ? Various resistors, caps, pots, transistors, jacks, ICs, etc. Often here there are posts from newbies asking whats parts they should buy to start out. A simple kit could fill the void.

Andrew

I've suggested this to Steve several times, and he agrees it's a wonderful thing to do.  It's just one of those things that is time-consuming to do, and difficult to both price and settle on.  I mean, just exactly how many 10k resistors or 1uf caps should such a kit have?

I suspect if someone wanted to do the legwork, and identify the entire contents of a kit-bag (how many resistors/caps of this value, how many op-amps, how many sockets, how many jacks, how much wire, how many switches, etc.) that would see a beginner through a variety of directions and projects, Steve might be grateful.  On the other hand, once such a starter kit becomes more comprehensive, it starts to turn into a $90 order, and how many people want that sort of a commitment as their first step?  Conversely, how much advantage is there in buying such a package, as opposed to simply buying some resistor/capacitor "variety paks" from a local distributor (like the decently-priced Velleman assortments) and ordering the other stuff on an as-needs basis from Small Bear?

I'm not saying it's a bad idea - many is the time I wish I could have said "Order the DIY Starter Pak from Small Bear" in response to those ceaseless "I'm just starting out, what do I need?" threads.  Rather, the longer one thinks about it, the more it starts to turn into a substantially more complicated idea than one first imagined.  It ends up being perhaps far more useful to simply make up baggies with all the parts for project X and tell people "Order the X kit from Small Bear as a good first project".  At least in that case there are clear guidelines on how many and what type of components are "enough". That's good for both Steve and the purchaser.

how about 200 for $1.50 bulk resistor bags...?

you can order from webtronics...$3 buys you 1000 in 200 bags.

me thinx, it`d be a duty for the tonepadders & ggg-ers a.s.o.,
to write kits-parts-lists ("BOM"-s) for those projects they sell the most PCB`s for...
(and send that to SB beforehand).
:icon_question:

Steve, does your shopping cart support BOM importing, ala Mouser? 

Re importing BOMs to the cart--

I don't know. In theory it should be possible to set up a script that generates a filled cart in response to a button-click, e.g. "Fuzz Face." But I don't know whether StoreSense has the tools for this internally or I gotta have a programmer design it. Can't investigate right now, cause I'm planning shelving...

small bear should carry.....

.....his own damn weight around here, sheesh!

(j/k) ;)

How about perfboard that's laid out with copper traces like a breadboard....

(is that cheating?)

Or should I just STFU and buy stripboard/veroboard? 

I think Steve should carry: Wah shells for sure that would be awesome I would buy them :icon_mrgreen:.  Tantalum caps (PLEASE), 1% resistors and carbon film resistors.  Also a better price on 3PDT switches would be sweet.  Most of us build a few pedals at a time and $10 per switch is high.  I pay $4 a piece for them.  1% resistors, Tantalum caps and 3PDT (because prices) is the only things I dont get from small bear.  Also did I understand that correctly that there wont be FullTone wah pots available anymore.  That is my favorite pot!!!  Also Quicker ship times would be very nice!!! ;D  I understand you are moving though.  I would love to be able to add to my orders that havent shiped.  I have 3 orders that havent shipped now It would be nice to add to the orignal order to save on shipping and to add all of the crap I forget :icon_redface:  Oh yea........Thanks Steve!!!!!!!

Something I just thought about to consider adding to the stock, that nifty contact cleaner that Mark Hammer was raving about a few weeks ago. And perhaps the magic Boss pots, the 16mm alpha's with the non-smooth posts (not sure what the term for this is).

They're called splined-shaft.

Quote from: cmat on October 18, 2005, 12:14:07 AMAlso Quicker ship times would be very nice!!!

Is there a typical turn time on Small Bear orders?  I have a deadline in two weeks and I want to make sure I'm ok.

I placed an order on 10-12 that still hasnt shipped.  It looks like I wont make my deadline either.  I have placed 4 orders since 10-12 that hasnt shipped.  If I could have just added to the original order I would have saved 3 shipping charges.  But I will always use Steve he is great!

As an online business owner (and by that, I mean www.tonepad.com  :icon_lol: ) Shipping orders in time is one of my most difficult tasks, as there are many variables involved, and sometimes some newer orders get shipped sooner than older ones.

All I can say is please keep that in mind when ordering stuff with a deadline and you wiill save on disapointments.

Fp

Especially with the move happening right now, I can say personally moving is a big pain.

FWIW, I had my order shipped 4 days after placing, recieved 2 days later. This was before Steve anounced the move and everything. Give the guy a bit of slack, I'm pretty sure he's doing all he can to get orders filled and shipped ASAP.

Digikey has been carrying sample kits of various parts (caps, resistors, inductors, etc.) for years so they must do well. They usually include 5-10 parts of range of values. Seems to work well.

As for cost, well this may not be the most expensive hobby out there but this is not the cheapest. One should should expect alittle bit of inital cost getting into this. (i.e. boards, soldering equipment, hardware, etc.) I wouldn't attempt a comprehensive kit as different builders would look at different parts (i.e. one build might need Ge transistors while the other only needs opamps). Just basic resistors and caps of common basic values say ten of each. Maybe some pots, a couple of jacks, switches, etc. The person then could augment with the more specialized parts after that. I can't see it costing $90. I could throw together a simple kit and see it's cost pretty easily if needed.

Another item I would like to see are various guitar pots meaning splinned and/or knurled shafts. That would make life easy.

Andrew

Quote from: bellyflop on October 18, 2005, 10:16:01 AM

Quote from: cmat on October 18, 2005, 12:14:07 AMAlso Quicker ship times would be very nice!!!

Is there a typical turn time on Small Bear orders?  I have a deadline in two weeks and I want to make sure I'm ok.

Last order (before the moving was anounced) was here in one week. I'm in Argentina, and there's a long path from Brooklyn to Buenos Aires... one week is light speed in that case!

Miguel

yeah steve is really fast for me, my order is always under a week, and that is fast for such cheap shipping too.  :icon_exclaim:

Quote from: PenPen on October 18, 2005, 02:08:54 PM
Give the guy a bit of slack

Agreed. I wasn't implying anything, fwiw.  Maybe I should just ask Steve what his current turn time is.   :)

Just want to chime in on Steve's service.  My last order was received in under a week.  I'm sure any delays are due to the move.

Also, I emailed Steve about this, but this thread is here, so WTH: .33 400v caps, for the "Quieting the Beast" Strat mod.

Also, MXR-style rubber knob boots, and extra Hammond case screws.

Ben

Err, just to clarify, I wasn't trying to be a jerk up there. Damn, I really need to get used to the whole "you will come off sounding like a jerk on the internet" thing and figure out how to phrase things right.

QuoteI really need to get used to the whole "you will come off sounding like a jerk on the internet" thing and figure out how to phrase things right.

I am still learning how to phrase things right.   :icon_wink:

Quote from: phaeton on October 17, 2005, 11:33:53 PM
Or should I just STFU and buy stripboard/veroboard? 

Since you ask...... why, yes! :icon_biggrin:

Quote from: formerMember1 on October 18, 2005, 06:57:31 PM

QuoteI really need to get used to the whole "you will come off sounding like a jerk on the internet" thing and figure out how to phrase things right.

I am still learning how to phrase things right.   :icon_wink:

It's a constant struggle for me as well.  formerMember1, if your we're saying that for my benefit, it's totally unnecessary and I didn't take it that way.  If I'm mistaken and you weren't talking to me, then I've just given the appearance that it's always about me.  ;D

  I think the reason we chose Small Bear to pick on, is because we think it's cool :icon_cool:.,
  : [ :icon_neutral:]

I think the reason we chose Small Bear to pick on, is because we think it's cool icon_cool.,

I forced Steve from smallbear to exchange emails with me once.  He's a helluva cool guy, i gotta say.
Speaking of which, i'm out of ge diodes so I can't wait for him to get settled in the new crib...

I really need to get used to the whole "you will come off sounding like a jerk on the internet" thing and figure out how to phrase things right.

I've especially gotta watch out for this because I've got some totally dry, deadpan sense of humor.  It backfires on me enough in real life, and on the inet i can alienate people really really quickly if i'm not careful.

punks.

Quote from: phaeton on October 18, 2005, 09:21:17 PM
I've especially gotta watch out for this because I've got some totally dry, deadpan sense of humor.  It backfires on me enough in real life, and on the inet i can alienate people really really quickly if i'm not careful.

punks.

Yep. I learned I can't deliver a joke like most funny people, so I've mastered deadpan. Backfires on me ALL the time.

Well at least you won't get punched out.  Better to offend folks 1000 miles away and then say you're sorry than to offend someone in front of you who outweighs you by 50lbs, has 20cm more bicep circumference, and 10 more beers in him. :icon_lol:

What Steve doesn't mention much here are his commercial clients.  Though he strives to provide service to "the little guy", and treats it as a point of honour to support the very community that got Small Bear up and running, ultimately it is the commercial clients that subsidize the larger operation.  Not unlike record labels, I suppose - the big name acts provide the revenue that lets you take chances on the up and coming.  In this case, it is the revenue generated from providing large demand components to commercial clients that subsidizes the purchase of low-demand inventory.

Though he has help with moving, and filling orders, and once in a while with responding to e-mail, in essence it is still largely a one-man show.  Steve is CEO, CFO, CIO, purchasing agent, communications officer, and R & D all rolled into one.  If he's on the phone, covering one ear and yelling so that a Chinese distributor can hear him, then he's not filling orders.  If he's working on the interface or updating the stock list, then he's not responding to e-mails (and he's not filling orders).  Worse, if he IS responding to e-mails...then he's not filling orders.  And of course, if he tells Judy that he's starting to feel a tickle in the back of his throat, and she feels his forehead and tells him to take the damn day off, sit in bed, have some soup to wash down the vitamin C, and THEN go back to work, or if he has to fight NYC traffic to pick something up (like, say, more shelves or bins to put all that new inventory in),...he's not filling orders.  I'm not trying to be an apologist for him.  I just suspect that folks accustomed to dealing with much larger outfits who have separate floors or even buildings for processing orders, organizing inventory, accounts receivable, etc. might have a tricky time imagining the concrete details of what goes on when an order gets placed with an outfit of that size.

Here's a corporate motto for ya, Stevie, boy:  Small in size, big in inventory, and even bigger in heart.

I sure hope Steve isn't thinking that we are demanding better service, better products and better prices for free. The old saying that we have three choices - cheap and fast, good and fast, or cheap and good but we can not have all three at one time. I certainly don't want him to think we are bitting the hand that feeds us and being way too picky. Often times we get used to getting something and then start demanding that we get more forgetting that we never had it so easy.  :icon_wink:

QuoteformerMember1, if you we're saying that for my benefit, it's totally unnecessary and I didn't take it that way

Nah, i just meant that i have more trouble writing things into words than saying them verbally out loud.  I was just chiming in.  ;)

This is going to end up in a big group hug, isn't it?   :icon_smile:

For my part, I just placed my first order with Steve today. I didn't know what to expect on turnarounds and was trying to set my expectations appropriately.

I love you guys! ;D

Mr. Steve Daniels is good source for buying, i'm buy from him las month, his providing good service well done Mr. Daniels!
i hope he can cut price those 3pdt swithes ;)
Akhmad Taufik - Indonesia

Wow, i didn't realize that Steve had corporate customers....

I guess I'll withhold the "when we see steve here we need to tell him to get back to work" jokes for now, eh? ;)



Well said, Mark Hammer... well put and well meant.

bc109b's! 1.24$usd at wah-wah.co.uk , possibly 50 cents here in the states...

QuoteNow to your requests:
--The metal washer for the 3PDT is on my list.

Very thin and chrome plated like the washer on 1/4" jacks...

:icon_lol: -Jack

Hey now, some of us have nickel plated jacks on our guitars ;)

Smallbear should carry filtered, high current wall warts.  Maybe both 9v and 18v.  I wonder if the economics of this would work?

cheap but plentiful cap assortment

Dug this up once more...

How about those LED/photofet(H11F3) optocoupler things from the Neutronfilter?
Steve has a lot of those expensive opto-devices in the 5-10 dollar range, but these are cheap!

Oh yeah, and I second the Thomas Henry stuff, especially the Clangora Hihat project (what if someone could do the pcb's for his projects on license? Tonepad? GGG?)

C

Quote from: no one ever on October 21, 2005, 01:00:24 AM
bc109b's! 1.24$usd at wah-wah.co.uk , possibly 50 cents here in the states...

and tropical fish caps! love that mojo.

  Quadroplex boxes.
  An apartment for each:
  FF, Tycho, Uni, Wah...[some would require exp. pedals]
  Or whatever you want to put in each seperately shielded compartment.
 

Hello All--

As you might reasonably expect, I have been absent from here because I was dealing with my move and its aftermath. The former is done; I have been in my new shop for two weeks now, and existing stock is out of boxes. The gain in efficiency is already enormous, and not a minute too soon, as order volume is humongous! Concurrent with responding to e-mail and dealing with business matters, I am giving as much time as I can to the remaining--very large--job of organizing stuff and making best use of the space. Once that's done and I know how much room I have to grow into, I will start to look at that (marvelous!) list of suggestions and start planning what to buy first.

I am enormously pleased so far with the way the Cave is panning out! Thanks so much for your help with the marketing; you'll start to see the results on the stock list over the next few months.

Regards
SD

  No Thank You Steve...
  I mean: [lol] No, ...thank *YOU Steve !!
  Who else do we 'know that can be resident "Razz-ee" for a day and thank us for it???
  z*Big thanks to Steve at the Cave...I'm pleased to hear the new expanded place is working out well, and that your business there is doing quite well.
  The 'ins and outs of the cave is exclusive business of the bear, it's a great thing, that the bear has 'radar'... listens to and appreciates suggestions.

I'm glad you revived this thread. Would you consider adding pc mount tube sockets to your stock? I would love build a couple of low voltage tube pedals but I can't find tube sockets locally.

Rick

I would like to see bulk resistors in common values maybe 100, 500 or 1000 to a bag.  Bulk radial lead caps in common values maybe 25 or 50 to a bag.  I would like to see ceramic disc caps and tantalum caps.  3pdt switches at a price to compete with everyone else pedal parts plus and effects conection has them for $4 ea and Aron has them for $6.50.  These arent complaints just suggestions.  Everyone knows we would be screwed without Steve :icon_mrgreen:

i don't like the cheap flimsy battery snaps,  i like the hard plastic battery snaps, but they ones smallbear sells, have a little lip where the wires come out, this stops me from being able to use them in a hammond 1590B box, becuase the lip hits the bottom plate,  The ones Dunlop uses in their wahs are pretty good, they are flat where the wires come out, so you could use them in small enclosures. 

just an advice/option to get different ones Steve,....

MN3204 ! 8 pin 512 stage BBD for flanger mods!

Quote from: phaeton on October 17, 2005, 11:33:53 PM
small bear should carry.....

.....his own damn weight around here, sheesh!

(j/k) ;)

How about perfboard that's laid out with copper traces like a breadboard....

(is that cheating?)

Or should I just STFU and buy stripboard/veroboard? 

BTW, the stuff I was referring to are the Radio Shack style boards.  Cheggitout:


(http://home.mia.net/~phaeton/Anklebiter/rs_board_small.jpg) (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102845&cp=&origkw=board&kw=board&parentPage=search)


(http://home.mia.net/~phaeton/Anklebiter/rs_board_big.jpg) (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103800&cp=&origkw=board&kw=board&parentPage=search)

or equivalent.  Click on the pic to read its description.

Since RS appears to be discontinuing all thier pieces parts, and because we'd all rather buy them from Smallbear anyways, and because Smallbear's boards would probably be 10x better than the ones RS has.


Noticed that you're starting to pick up a few new things in the store, Steve.  Is it time yet for us to start bugging you for stuff?  :icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin: :icon_biggrin:

The pad-per-hole boards Steve carries actually ARE many times better than RS's, largely because he has them specially made for him/us.

I've discussed the possibility of getting some SIP chips with Steve and although he can't get to it just yet, he seems favourably disposed to the idea.  SIPs are those vertical chips you'll often see in many Boss and similar pedals.  Not only do they provide a smaller footprint, but they provide tremendous convenience when laying things out.  Just think how easy it would be to lay out a board if you had a choice of which side of the pins you wanted to stick the feedback resistor and cap...or even put one on one side and the other one on the other side!

I've suggested the M5218L and its Rohm equivalent, the BA15218, as well as the AN6551, NJM4558.  Also helpful for some folks would be the BA6110, a higher quality VCA used in some commercial compressors, and the SIP version of the NJM/JRC13600 which would make 8-stage phasers a breeze to lay out and stuff into small boxes.  I hope he has the time and fiscal flexibility to get to it.

Quote from: Mark Hammer on June 12, 2006, 03:13:09 PM
The pad-per-hole boards Steve carries actually ARE many times better than RS's, largely because he has them specially made for him/us.

Oh hell yeah they are.  They are a total joy to work with.  Hands down, not up for debate.  End-of-discussion. ;)
I try to turn as many people onto those as I can.

QuoteI've discussed the possibility of getting some SIP chips with Steve and although he can't get to it just yet, he seems favourably disposed to the idea.  SIPs are those vertical chips you'll often see in many Boss and similar pedals.

Cool!  I've seen some of those and thought "hey, that's a neat, space saving setup".  I assume they'd work in a standard IC socket as well- i.e. cramming 2 NJR455Ds in a 16-pin DIP socket? :D

AL1101, AL1201, AL3201 /Wavefrontsemi/ for that FEMTOVERB project.
Buying directly from them directly wasn't a pleasant experience.

Quote from: Mark Hammer on June 12, 2006, 03:13:09 PM
I've suggested the M5218L and its Rohm equivalent, the BA15218, as well as the AN6551, NJM4558.  Also helpful for some folks would be the BA6110, a higher quality VCA used in some commercial compressors, and the SIP version of the NJM/JRC13600 which would make 8-stage phasers a breeze to lay out and stuff into small boxes.  I hope he has the time and fiscal flexibility to get to it.

I perfed a TS-808 a while back using a Rohm 4558 in a SIP package, and it was soooooo easy to lay out. I just ran Vcc down one long edge of the board, Vref and GND down the other edge, and the circuit practically laid itself out. I got my SIPs out of an old subwoofer board with a blown chipamp, and was planning to include some in my next Mouser order. Of course, people probably need to start making more layouts for SIPs before they're profitable for Steve to carry... but then, if no one has them, they won't make layouts... vicious circle.

Electro-Harmonix style boxes!
They'd be good if they were cheaper than the Hammonds.

I'd pay ~$20 apiece for a box like the older Morley stuff (http://www.modezero.com/bitmaps/morley-scv-Ax.jpg) .  I wonder what happened to that tooling, because they don't use it anymore.  Morley:  Sell it to Taiwan! 

Oh, and small bear should carry switchcraft 2.1mm DC power plugs.  The cheap ones melt easy, and are too small to make daisy chains out of (the shell hole in the shell is too small to accomodate 4 wires)

I really like the powder coated BB size boxes, by the way.  Its also cool Steve started carrying Schottke diodes.

I think its come up, but a little tiny PCB that adapts SMT chips to a normal dip (the customer could buy there own connector) would be great

Quote from: rockgardenlove on June 12, 2006, 06:53:01 PM
Electro-Harmonix style boxes!
They'd be good if they were cheaper than the Hammonds.

A downside to those is I think they are punched out at the factory that fabs them.  Ever notice EH stuff always has the same control layout and # of knobs on the 3 different boxes they use?

Quote from: rockgardenlove on June 12, 2006, 06:53:01 PM
Electro-Harmonix style boxes!
They'd be good if they were cheaper than the Hammonds.

i would love to start using eh boxes.  have you ever tried drilling one, though?  it is a bitch, and it makes me not want to use them now.  cast aluminum is way better for us diy guys.

unless you have a drill press...

Quote from: choklitlove on June 13, 2006, 02:17:47 AM

Quote from: rockgardenlove on June 12, 2006, 06:53:01 PM
Electro-Harmonix style boxes!
They'd be good if they were cheaper than the Hammonds.

i would love to start using eh boxes.  have you ever tried drilling one, though?  it is a bitch, and it makes me not want to use them now.  cast aluminum is way better for us diy guys.

unless you have a drill press...

Or a punch  :icon_cry: