How to build and Use a Basic Testing Rig

[murdog47]

Awesome Man!!!! I just built mine yesterday but I'm embarrassed to post it after seeing yours  Great job!

[gtr2]

wow, nice rig!

[bigmufffuzzwizz]

What a nice job! Your testing rig makes mine look like a total toy..
Are the little metal pins on the outside just for holding the clips in place?

[jkokura]

Yeah, I saw that this morning and was like, "Mmhmm."

Great execution, well thought out. Super implementation of all the elements. I bet that thing will be the standard for rig testers.

Jacob

[lincolnic]

That testing rig looks better than most of my pedals...

[Guybrush]

Aww shucks guys. Thank you very much. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. It's a lot prettier on the outside than on the inside though! The pins on the front are plastic pcb stand-offs and yeah they're just there to keep the crock clips tidy. Thanks to Jacob for the great tutorial and to Night-B for the advice.

[whitebread47]

I have a question: I built one of these as per the instructions and it works great, but is there any possible way I could wire a battery clip in a manner that would allow me to test positive ground circuits via battery?

For example, could I wire the battery clip as usual but in reverse?

Please excuse my lack of know-how; I'm hoping to understand this better even if this isn't possible.

[jkokura]

I'm fairly certain there is, just that you won't be able to use an LED when you do so. The backwards power may burn it out.

Jacob

[whitebread47]

Good thing I don't test with LEDs then (I always wire 'em offboard anyways), thanks for the response!

I'll see if I can't find where someone has done this.  If not, I'll just go trial and error with it.

[jkokura]

You can wire a DPDT switch to switch polarity.

Jacob

[whitebread47]

Hmm, now there's an idea.  That would be ideal, as the enclosure I'm using already has extra holes drilled.  I'm not sure how to wire it up, but it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out or find.  Do you know of any diagrams for this application, perchance?

[Om_Audio]

I used this thread a lot to help me build my first testing/debugging rig- thanks.
(my test rig troubleshooting thread: http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=6471.msg55745#msg55745)

[jeffaroo]

that ^^^ is awesome ! a true pedal builders build. love the look.
even with custom cap calculating on the workbench !

[Stomptown]

Thanks Jacob! This thread is very helpful. I have been building for a couple years now and I finally decided to start rocking before boxing. In still need to add the audio probe, but I haven't had the chance to pick one up yet. Check it out...



The circuit in the pic is actually my first eagle layout (Linear Power Boost) and it actually works! I'm not sure why it took me so long to build a tester. In the past I have always boxed em up asap so I could hear the circuit and then I would take it apart and work on the enclosure. Not too efficient! This will save a lot of wasted time and allow me to debug if necessary. Next up: the Beavis board!  

[jimilee]

Nice,I sed the alligator clips and for an audio probe,I just grab typically a small screwdriver and clip it to the audio out.dual purpose and it works well.is that a volume pot? I'd love a way add the pots without soldering them until I'm ready to box it.