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Projects => Build Reports => Topic started by: stevenrun on March 16, 2012, 04:27:40 PM

Title: First build of any kind, ever-- Slow Loris:
Post by: stevenrun on March 16, 2012, 04:27:40 PM
I just recently got interested in building guitar effects and discovered this site. I ordered a couple boards, and then went to work hunting down all of the other various components.

This is the first electronics project I have ever built that actually functions. I didn't realize how cramped the inside of this enclosure was going to be until I started realizing... hey, I need to make room for the jacks, and the 3PST switch... Oh the battery!. Oh crap, now I guess I'll stuff these LEDs here... shoot... I have no idea where this DC jack is going to go. It's omitted for now. I think I found a good spot at the top edge of the box, but it will take some surgery and re-wiring.

my 47uf capacitor I got from Mammoth is a... mammoth. It's huge. I didn't have another one at home to swap out, so I can't even put the bottom on right now :). I'm going to rip that off the board today and attach a smaller one.

I started building this at about 8:00 last night, and basically finished around 1:30 this morning. I didn't get much chance to stretch it's legs-- but it certainly seems to work, though I wasn't able to get the LED clipping diodes to light up. I wired them to the top so I can see them, and when I select them the output is definitely louder and harsher than the 1n914s or just the LM308 by itself. Perhaps it was 2:00 in the morning and I didn't want to wake anyone up :) 

Just wondering if the gain pot is supposed to be able to silence the entire output even if the volume is turned all the way up. I need to really take a closer look at everything to make sure I'm not shorting out any pins to the back of one of the pots or anything silly like that.

In all, I have to say the PCBs from Madbean are of exceptional quality. I'm really glad I did this project, and this will definitely be the first of many. This is fun, and I really want to start learning how all of this actually works so I can start making my own designs.

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/28401927/loris/loris1.jpg)

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/28401927/loris/loris2.jpg)

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/28401927/loris/loris3.jpg)
Title: Re: First build of any kind, ever-- Slow Loris:
Post by: Bluestrat on March 16, 2012, 04:31:02 PM
Hey, welcome to the club :D Watch out, it's addictive!!!
Title: Re: First build of any kind, ever-- Slow Loris:
Post by: DutchMF on March 16, 2012, 06:49:16 PM
Cool, a new addict! Let us know how it sounds man! And yes, that is one freakin' big capacitor..... Would be nice to do a build with a couple of them and let them stick through the enclosure!

Paul
Title: Re: First build of any kind, ever-- Slow Loris:
Post by: gtr2 on March 16, 2012, 07:05:28 PM
congrats!

Josh
Title: Re: First build of any kind, ever-- Slow Loris:
Post by: Bret608 on March 16, 2012, 08:43:52 PM
Hey, I see how you wired up the LEDs--smooth move for a first build! Looks easier than I had imagined; then again I haven't built anything with LED clipping yet!
Title: Re: First build of any kind, ever-- Slow Loris:
Post by: jkokura on March 16, 2012, 08:46:20 PM
What I love about these kinds of threads is how encouraging it is. Just about anyone can get into this hobby - you don't need a tonne of experience or skills. You learn a lot during your first build, and builds get progressively better as people do them.

Thanks for joining in and sharing!

Jacob
Title: Re: First build of any kind, ever-- Slow Loris:
Post by: eldanko on March 17, 2012, 03:31:54 AM
Well done man!  Blows away my first build  ::)
Title: Re: First build of any kind, ever-- Slow Loris:
Post by: stevenrun on March 17, 2012, 04:47:10 AM
Haha, I AM a diode destroyer.  I nuked the LED clipping diodes somehow. Pisibky while re-soldering the pads on the switch? Maybe I got a little too carried away with the heat.  I swapped the big 47uf electro cap for a much smaller (physically) part and touched up a few iffy joints.


I'm tempted to socket them and try some spare led Christmas bulbs in there.
Title: Re: First build of any kind, ever-- Slow Loris:
Post by: stevenrun on March 17, 2012, 05:48:44 PM
So basically, no matter how "almost-dead" your 9V battery is, use a resistor when testing an LED :)

New LEDs are in and glow.

My amp is a modeling amp (Vox VT15) so there are a ton of different amp sounds to pick from. Looking for the right combo, but I nailed the tone for the intro to "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground."

This is to much fun.
Title: Re: First build of any kind, ever-- Slow Loris:
Post by: nzCdog on March 17, 2012, 08:19:41 PM
Great job!  You drilled that sucker really well for your first build! (Gawsh my first was a lol in that dept)
Well done man... looking forward to your next build reports ;)