Just a thread for us to share some useful tools we have found for pedal building..
Mine is the cheap desoldering iron available at radio shack..
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062731 (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062731)
It's cheap but effective. It is really incredible how much easier it is to desolder a part with this. The build quality is standard rat shack, but for the price it works brilliantly! No more vacuum pump or desoldering braid for me.
I have found that tool to be quite useful as well.
(http://www.mds975.co.uk/Images/amateur_radio/helping_hands.jpg)
A MUST. The one tool that will stop you wanting to kill yourself out of frustration.
thanks, gtr2. I'll look into that one...good stuff like that is what this board is for!
Lord knows in my hands, an "eraser" is just as important as a "pencil"!
And Mark_McQ,
A clamp really is essential. To save money, I've used one of my dad's clamps laying around along with a magnifying glass. I'm pretty careful about how much pressure I put on the boards--but it's worked great so far!
(http://www.maximumvelocity.com/clamps.jpg)
Everyone should have a test signal generator of some sort. A signal generator is ideal, but you can build a relatively simple sine(ish) wave generator with a handfull of parts:
http://www.geofex.com/FX_images/q&dosc.pdf (http://www.geofex.com/FX_images/q&dosc.pdf)
It makes testing circuits WAY easier especially with an audio probe or 'scope.
http://parts.digikey.ca/1/1/862297-trimmer-adjustment-tool-acctritob308-t000.html (http://parts.digikey.ca/1/1/862297-trimmer-adjustment-tool-acctritob308-t000.html)
(http://media.digikey.com/photos/Vishay%20Spectrol%20Photos/008T000.jpg)
trimmer adjustment tool. I use one of these for adjusting trimpots and setting set screws. whenever I use jewlers screws on knob setscrews they end up marking up the knob
sound analyser - functioning as a simple oscilloscope.
FREE
http://www.sillanumsoft.org/download.htm
I use my Iphone plus an app called Signal Generator by a company called Cateater to output precise signals.
Stepper drill bit. These are genius for drilling enclosure holes.
(http://www.tone-lizard.com/images/unibit.gif)
And if you have an iPhone, this is a handy app. Probably the one I use the most on my phone, in fact:
http://itunes.apple.com/en/app/id339158729?mt=8
I've gotta check out those apps! I've got a step drill bit, quick clamps, and third hands...they all come in handy!
I highly recommend one of these, as I must have used mine at least once or twice every day since I bought it last year. Every single day. :D
[attachment deleted by admin]
Quote from: Mark_McQ on January 16, 2011, 01:24:18 PM
Stepper drill bit. These are genius for drilling enclosure holes.
(http://www.tone-lizard.com/images/unibit.gif)
And if you have an iPhone, this is a handy app. Probably the one I use the most on my phone, in fact:
http://itunes.apple.com/en/app/id339158729?mt=8
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200365202_200365202 (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200365202_200365202)
I don't know if you guys have a northern tool by you but these are the cheapest stepped bits I have found and they outlasted my irwin unibits by a long shot. I have probably drilled 100 pedals with the same bit now. 19.99 for 3 bits. I only really use the smaller one, the big one is nice if you want to drill some 1/2" holes for stomps or power jacks but the smaller one goes up to 1/2" too.
+1
I live 40 minutes from a northern tool and i use those bits, as well as their small drill press and both have worked great for me so far!
Quote from: gtr2 on January 13, 2011, 02:00:48 PM
Mine is the cheap desoldering iron available at radio shack..
It's cheap but effective. It is really incredible how much easier it is to desolder a part with this. The build quality is standard rat shack, but for the price it works brilliantly! No more vacuum pump or desoldering braid for me.
Please forgive my n00b questions: Isn't 45 watts a bit high for working on pedals? How does one keep the device clean? (-- doesn't it fill up with used solder?). How is it working so far, since you posted this?
Quote from: redbean on March 06, 2011, 07:00:47 PM
Please forgive my n00b questions: Isn't 45 watts a bit high for working on pedals? How does one keep the device clean? (-- doesn't it fill up with used solder?). How is it working so far, since you posted this?
He seems to like it. I'm gonna get one and i'll tell you what i think about it!
Haven't heard of northern tools but harbor freight is a great family owned hardware store! Right now i have a coupon for a 3 set of those step drill bits for 8.99!! I got a drill press from there for $50. They have lifetime warranty on all hand tools and they have a members club for $25 a year with even more discounts. Great place!
Northern tool is very similar to harbor freight, in my opinion.
Quote
He seems to like it. I'm gonna get one and i'll tell you what i think about it!
Haven't heard of northern tools but harbor freight is a great family owned hardware store! Right now i have a coupon for a 3 set of those step drill bits for 8.99!! I got a drill press from there for $50. They have lifetime warranty on all hand tools and they have a members club for $25 a year with even more discounts. Great place!
Thanks for the reply, and for reminding me of Harbor Freight. I plan on buying a drill press and step-drill bits. I wish they sold auto-ranging Equus digital multimeters because I'd buy one from them too.
This was the cheapest drill press I found ($79.99): http://www.harborfreight.com/5-speed-drill-press-38119.html
So, I assume you got a membership discount or bought a different model. Did you get a drill press vice, and what size?
... a HA! I just found a Harbor Freight store 5 miles from my house in New Orleans. I guess I'll have to wait until after Mardi Gras to go there, since a lot of the roads are blocked off around me right now. ;D
Quote from: redbean on March 06, 2011, 09:20:59 PM
I wish they sold auto-ranging Equus digital multimeters because I'd buy one from them too.
http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA <---this one?
Quote from: redbean on March 06, 2011, 09:20:59 PM
This was the cheapest drill press I found ($79.99): http://www.harborfreight.com/5-speed-drill-press-38119.html
So, I assume you got a membership discount or bought a different model. Did you get a drill press vice, and what size?
I found a coupon in the weekly ads sent to my house. It had that $80 model for $50 so i went and picked it up. I figured for $50 i couldn't go wrong! I didn't buy a vice because they didn't have the biggest size in stock. I plan on getting one shipped eventually. I haven't even set the drill press up because i found an example of barry(guitarpcb) drilling a box with just a hand drill. He uses a center punch, a small drill bit and a unibit(step drill bit). I'm gonna wait to find a nice place to set mine up and i don't do enough builds to have to use it quite yet.
I haven't signed up yet for their membership but the guy said there are member only discounts and some special parking lot sale i guess. I signed up for the newsletter and get tons of emails with deals on different stuff every week. plus a 20% off any 1 item in the store ;D
A drill press has changed my life. I also use a punch and I use a small drill bit to drill pilot holes before using a step drill. With a hand drill it would take me an hour to drill an enclosure or two. I can now fully drill out 8-10 enclosures in an hour.
Jacob
Quote
http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA <---this one?
That's the one I found the other day on Amazon (it's in my shopping cart) because I could not find one locally that I liked.
Quote
I haven't even set the drill press up because i found an example of barry(guitarpcb) drilling a box with just a hand drill. He uses a center punch, a small drill bit and a unibit(step drill bit). I'm gonna wait to find a nice place to set mine up and i don't do enough builds to have to use it quite yet.
That's what I planned to do in lieu of buying a drill press, plus using an anvil/vise combo I already have. However, after reading Jacob's reply below, I think I'll get a drill press with the proper attachments ASAP. ;D
this is the video i'm referring to. he does it in 7 minutes. what a master!!
http://www.guitarpcb.com/apps/videos/videos/show/8450950-drill-your-own-enclosure-
Quote from: bigmufffuzzwizz on March 07, 2011, 12:20:18 AM
this is the video i'm referring to. he does it in 7 minutes. what a master!!
http://www.guitarpcb.com/apps/videos/videos/show/8450950-drill-your-own-enclosure-
Thanks for posting the video. I might try that method before I get a drill press. It looks like something I could do well, if I take my time (and have an extra case or two if I mess up).
Are you familiar with this step drill bit set? If so, is it good?:
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-titanium-nitride-coated-high-speed-steel-step-drills-91616.html
those are the bits i have a coupon for. i'm gonna go get them sometime real soon. i have confidence in them. if you wanna ensure longer bit life and easier drilling you can purchase some drill lubricant.
I bought some cheap chinese step bits from ebay last year. They look like they would be about the same quality as the ones from HF, and they have held up fine so far just drilling through aluminum. The beauty is if they break you can get new ones for ten bucks.
If you're constantly making pedals every day I could maybe see spending the extra dough on Irwins, but otherwise I say grab the cheap Chinese ones and start making holes in stuff.
Another thing, I got my drill press from HF on sale and they still let me use the 20% off coupon I got when I signed up to receive their endless emails. All said, I think I ended up paying around 45 bucks for it. Not too bad at all.
Quote from: bigmufffuzzwizz on March 06, 2011, 07:23:14 PM
Quote from: redbean on March 06, 2011, 07:00:47 PM
Please forgive my n00b questions: Isn't 45 watts a bit high for working on pedals? How does one keep the device clean? (-- doesn't it fill up with used solder?). How is it working so far, since you posted this?
He seems to like it. I'm gonna get one and i'll tell you what i think about it!
Haven't heard of northern tools but harbor freight is a great family owned hardware store! Right now i have a coupon for a 3 set of those step drill bits for 8.99!! I got a drill press from there for $50. They have lifetime warranty on all hand tools and they have a members club for $25 a year with even more discounts. Great place!
If you can get a second set, and you're willing to ship them to Canada, I'd happily send you some paypal funds.
Jacob
Quote from: Haberdasher on March 07, 2011, 05:41:46 AM
I bought some cheap chinese step bits from ebay last year. They look like they would be about the same quality as the ones from HF, and they have held up fine so far just drilling through aluminum. The beauty is if they break you can get new ones for ten bucks.
Exactly!! My neighbor used to drill holes in airplanes working with hardened carbin steel and if your doing that then you gotta worry about breaking bits like crazy. But for aluminum he said the same thing, these should last more than long enough to learn on and when your ready you can shell out $80 for the nice irwin set!
i have a coupon right now for the 3 piece step drill bit set (shown in the link above product#91616) for $10 per set. The limit is 5 and i was only planning on getting 1 or 2 sets so i can grab the other 3 if your interested. Send me a message. I plan on going sometime this week/early next week!
Just posted this on another thread, but it belongs here as well. Very useful.
http://www.justradios.com/uFnFpF.html (http://www.justradios.com/uFnFpF.html)
There's some other extremely valuable information on that site about tube radios! and some cheap caps too.
I don't have one (yet) but i imagine it would come in really useful for cutting PCB's. Its a 4" mini table saw
(http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/370x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_2630.jpg)
http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-mighty-mite-table-saw-93211.html
I have a more expensive panavise version of this but if I had it to do over again i would probably get this as it is alot cheaper
(http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/370x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_227.jpg)
http://www.harborfreight.com/2-3-4-quarter-inch-articulated-vacuum-vise-3311.html
I bought that vise when i went to harbor freight last time. It works great and i would recommend it to everyone as it makes soldering much easier!
Quote from: jimmybjj on March 16, 2011, 01:40:30 AM
I don't have one (yet) but i imagine it would come in really useful for cutting PCB's. Its a 4" mini table saw
(http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/370x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_2630.jpg)
I used this for about a year to cut PCBs. I recommend a bandsaw instead. This thing kicks PCB dust everywhere. A bandsaw is a little more expensive, but better suited for the job and less dangerous.
I also have one of those Harbor Freight drill presses. It does the job but mine has rusted over something fierce.
In case anyone is planning a purchase from Harbor Freight in the next few days, here is a printable *20% off a single item* coupon that expires on the 23rd (March).
COUPON (http://widgets.harborfreight.com/wswidgets/common/displayCoupon.do?week=1111&campaign=sp&page=20percent.html&single=true&cust=78139723318&keycode=0000)
cheers
This last weekend they had a parking lot sale with stuff up to 80% off!!! Total insanity!
Please, for your own safety, do not buy anything electrical or pneumatic from Harbor Freight. Most of that type of equipment does not meet the various UL/ANSI safety standards. That is why you do not see a UL, ETL, CSA logo on most of their equipment.
Screwdrivers and wrenches are fine to buy from there and that's about it.
If you have .net on you puter, this Aximer software is very useful. Ignore the aerospace stuff that we don't need and focus on the Electronics tab.
http://www.mediafire.com/?82z8eaf7x4la3ml (http://www.mediafire.com/?82z8eaf7x4la3ml)
it has a tool for electronic metric conversions of volts, amps, farads, ohms, etc. An electric circuit formula calculator. A Resistor color code chart and a circuit solver.
actual tools
The panavise circuit boad holder is sweet and not that pricey.
(http://electroniccircuit1.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/circuit-board-holder.jpg)
I use one of these drill press stands from milescraft
(http://www.milescraft.com/pictures/1097a.jpg)
with one of these (rtx is cheaper,stronger motor than dremel but can use all the dremel attachments)
(http://www.detailsanderreviews.com/images/black-and-decker-rtx-b.jpg)
and a step bit
to make holes.
I use this guy for easy holes in plastic or aluminum. The largest punch can fit a pot or jack, but not the DC jacks or 3PDT's, so I finish it off with a drill. I'm satisfied. Main drawback is on metal enclosures, you have to use the screw-on bottom as the top plate in order to make holes for the pots and switch.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_16698_16698
That circuit board holder looks snazzy!! Where did you get that from?
I've been wanting to get a dremel tool for awhile but have waited cause I wanted to do some research first. Looking at the one you posted(B&D RTX-B?) seems like a good alternative and 10 bucks cheaper. The stand I'm questioning a little bit. It's also 10 bucks cheaper than the dremel version but the dremel version appears to be set-able at more angles and a little more versatile. Thanks for posting those though.
Just found the circuit board holder on amazon. They have 2 models one is $30 and the other $80. I'm guessing you got the $30 model?
Quote from: bigmufffuzzwizz on April 24, 2011, 07:14:22 PM
That circuit board holder looks snazzy!! Where did you get that from?
I've been wanting to get a dremel tool for awhile but have waited cause I wanted to do some research first. Looking at the one you posted(B&D RTX-B?) seems like a good alternative and 10 bucks cheaper. The stand I'm questioning a little bit. It's also 10 bucks cheaper than the dremel version but the dremel version appears to be set-able at more angles and a little more versatile. Thanks for posting those though.
Just found the circuit board holder on amazon. They have 2 models one is $30 and the other $80. I'm guessing you got the $30 model?
Be careful , you may be looking at one without the base. (they sell em separate). I paid around $65. Which was worth it. Here's a used one you could screw into a bread board/cutting board:
http://cgi.ebay.com/PanaVise-Circuit-Board-Holding-Vise-Base-/290554165536?_trksid=p4340.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%252BC%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D10%26pmod%3D170627153272%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8712960671264207565 (http://cgi.ebay.com/PanaVise-Circuit-Board-Holding-Vise-Base-/290554165536?_trksid=p4340.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%252BC%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D10%26pmod%3D170627153272%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8712960671264207565)
I can't remember what I paid for my board holder. I think the clip was $0.50. The wood and the screws I had lying around.
(http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/CRBMoA/GrannyEm012.jpg)
Quote from: CRBMoA on April 25, 2011, 11:07:32 PM
I can't remember what I paid for my board holder. I think the clip was $0.50. The wood and the screws I had lying around.
(http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/CRBMoA/GrannyEm012.jpg)
I have a panavise and helping hands (same concept as the picture above) I use the cheaper alligator clip type device more often. the twisting of the panavise requires more effort and time than the clips. Just my two cents.
Quote from: CRBMoA on April 25, 2011, 11:07:32 PM
I can't remember what I paid for my board holder. I think the clip was $0.50. The wood and the screws I had lying around.
(http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/CRBMoA/GrannyEm012.jpg)
Now that's a genius idea for a setup!! Bravo
i am definitely stealing that idea!
I'm more interested in the beauty in the back left. ;)
Quote from: gtr2 on April 26, 2011, 04:09:08 PM
I'm more interested in the beauty in the back left. ;)
That was my Agile AL 2000 (paid for completely with builds - NO $$ out of the checking account!).
I later replaced the pups with some meatier Duncan Design HBs, and upgraded to a Schaller roller bridge. Took a little drill and dowel work to make the bridge happen, but I couldn't be happier!
(http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/CRBMoA/AgileMouse006.jpg)
Love the mouse symbol on the pickguard Chris.
Jacob
Awesome, but that guitar is awful close to the ledge :o
Quote from: CRBMoA on April 26, 2011, 04:32:25 PM
That was my Agile AL 2000 (paid for completely with builds - NO $$ out of the checking account!).
I later replaced the pups with some meatier Duncan Design HBs, and upgraded to a Schaller roller bridge. Took a little drill and dowel work to make the bridge happen, but I couldn't be happier!
(http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m334/CRBMoA/AgileMouse006.jpg)
Tryed to get Dcountry's that he posted on guitarpcb but I was too late..
I have to say Oregon is amazingly beautiful! I wish I was there!
I use a rotary tool to cut my pcbs by hand... but in the spirit of DIY i might make this a weekend project and see if it helps make my cuts a little better!
http://www.instructables.com/files/orig/FTH/ZT0M/GH8AB6QZ/FTHZT0MGH8AB6QZ.pdf (http://www.instructables.com/files/orig/FTH/ZT0M/GH8AB6QZ/FTHZT0MGH8AB6QZ.pdf)
Ian
maybe not... i'm not sure if you can interchange the cutting discs on that attachment... don't think the blade on there would handle FR-4 very well....
Quote from: irmcdermott on May 05, 2011, 04:43:22 PM
maybe not... i'm not sure if you can interchange the cutting discs on that attachment... don't think the blade on there would handle FR-4 very well....
A bandsaw and metal cutting blade (small tooth) works best. I cut all my PCBs this way. I don't even use the fence...just feed them by hand. But, a bandsaw will set you back about $100 so you have to really want to cut a lot of PCBs to spend that much. Blades don't last an especially long time either.