Messages

Martin,

Right off the bat I see a few items of interest.

1) Right where your power wire (red one i assume) is soldered onto the PCB. Looks like the solder joint is suspect. Same goes for the larger cap in the upper right hand side of the component-side pic. Looks like a bad joint.

2) Right next to the "Ver 1", there appears to be a solder bridge. Could be wrong though as it looks like it is a power filter cap connected to the power rail.

Have you gone through the circuit and looked for solder bridges annd verified component values?

Voltages might help as well 

Hoping someone smarter than I can answer this question 

On the Current Lover project, Brian uses a CD4049 as a "buffer" for the clock signal before being sent to the MN3007. So my question is....

Why is the CD4049 needed? Why can't the clock signals be directly sent to the MN3007 like they are for SAD1024?

I am probably even wrong calling it a "buffer" but that is why I am asking.

Thanks!! 

Can someone fill me in on what the discount is? 10%... 15%... ??

Not a Facebook friendly person 

Any tips on desoldering pcb mount pots? One of my least favorite things in the world.

Desolder pump is one of the most effective tools in the DIY arsenal! And you can find them cheap too!

Just to add in the "WOW... my build worked the first time" area....

1) If you etch your own PCBs... make sure to check 2x for trace bridges BEFORE dipping the PCB in the etchant. You can use an xacto knife to scratch off unwanted bridges in the resist before etching.
2) ALWAYS verify each component's value and placement 2x as you are installing it into the board. Check resistor color codes, capacitor value markings, diode bands, zener part numbers, IC orientation. If you have ANY questions... refer to the appropriate data sheets.
3) Double check your offboard wiring. Make sure that you have the correct wires going to the correct pot lugs, In/Out jack lugs, and make sure you have power and ground going to the correct places.
4) Once you finish soldering your PCB, ALWAYS look it over closely for self-made solder bridges.

I use these 4 easy steps with every build. To this day, I have only had 2 builds that did not work (not saying that they didnt need tweaking  ) and one of those was because my PCB layout was screwed up 

Good Luck 

Hoping I place in the May build comp! 

Want to take advantage of this!!! 

Earthquaker Devices Ghost Echo?

Just want to add that the Polytune is really messing up all that DIY mojo 

@jacob

I understand where you are coming from. Frankly, I think that Jon has worded it perfectly and I think it should be a fantastic contest. I applaud all of the judges for putting it together as it creates inspiration AND much needed revenue for the sites that inspire us all.

@Jon

Im glad that you changed it to include EVERYONE after some careful thought. I think it is going to be a great thing. I really enjoy these contests whether it be here (im just a newbie here) or over there (been there for some time now  )

Now I need to decide whether or not to enter AND where to enter 

Cheers All,

Greg (a.k.a. Curt) 

Hey guys....

Having been a contributor to the last competition over there, I can explain the reasoning.

The reason that was put in the last competition was because we did not want people to shy away from entering because they would not be able to compete.

For example, if you were wanting to enter your DIY build in the competition and knew it would be going against a Basic Audio entery, FrequencyCentral entry, NicoFX entry, etc. and some of these people have 1, 2, or 3 man teams assisting with their builds.... it would put people off. It doesn't matter if that person did it all themselves or it was a one-off... there was still the hint of "unfairness" to others that would enter.
I know it seems unfair to some of the production builders however, there is nothing wrong with a "Production Builder's Build-off"

In the end, it is up to Jon and the rest of the judges to make up the rules. NO ONE ELSE! I am just trying to explain the reasoning behind the last contest over there.

I cant wait to see the competition unfold as I have enjoyed watching the one(s) here unfold.

I applaud Jon and the rest of the judges for putting it together as well as Brian for doing it here.

Viva La DIY!!!!