I haven't been doing any building for a few weeks now. I'm waiting on some sheet metal fabrication that a friend is doing for me, my bench is a wreck, and I need parts. The main thing, though, has been that I've been doing a ton of work outside! I'm on almost 3 acres, and I can't justify not taking advantage of the good weather we've been having.
My personality is one that has me in either indoor or outdoor mode. I find it really hard to be in both headspaces.
Thats me lately also. I had a few fails that threw me way back on build projects and some work projects got out of control... now I am having a hard time getting motivated. Tom Clancy: The Division is not helping either!
Cody
Me three. Finally managed to get an enclosure finished for lincolnic but haven't been able to clear coat because it was so flipping cold. One thing after another. I have been thinking about selling all my cramp, but probably won't
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I've been playing guitar more than building.
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Sat down to build tonight after wanting to all week and had ordered wrong parts😒
I do building, but it's been a while since I've done something for myself. It certainly feels like a slump.
Quote from: playpunk on April 15, 2016, 06:26:25 PM
Me three. Finally managed to get an enclosure finished for lincolnic but haven't been able to clear coat because it was so flipping cold. One thing after another. I have been thinking about selling all my cramp, but probably won't
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I'm still excited about that enclosure, though! I haven't built anything in a little while and filling that is going to get me back into the game.
I've been going through some personal stuff lately plus I was sick las week too. My daughters 2nd bday is next week so I've been a little distracted with that too. Just eh lately
Plus I think some guy on ILOVEFUZZ boned me on a Akai Headrush II.
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Hey, Daredevil season 2 wasn't just gonna watch itself.
Quote from: jimilee on April 15, 2016, 07:26:27 PM
I've been playing guitar more than building.
That's not a slump, that's a good thing. ;)
Personally I'm in a slump because most of my new builds don't seem to be working right and I just can't arsed to troubleshoot them. I've got a bag full of goodies from Tayda and I haven't even opened it yet.
Got my DigDug built up but it's giving me some screwiness. First it was LED 3 staying on until I started getting smoke. I replaced that and now it's LED 4 staying on. Not sure what's up there.
Also built a protaitone Klone the other day but the electro cap markings were a little odd. I guessed wrong and blew a cap when I sparked it up. Got them all swapped around and now that one is working fine at least.
I haven't built much lately even though I have some PCBs and vero projects ready to go. That's because I've been involved with developing something on...my breadboard! :) It's a slow process, but I'm having a lot of fun with it. I also learned how to use LTSpiece and have started simulating effects circuits as part of the building process. That's been VERY educational, and I hope to be able to so tube circuits at some point.
I think I know the cure for your problems. Phunkgnosis vero. You're welcome.
http://www.parasitstudio.se/uploads/2/4/4/9/2449159/phuncgnosis.gif
I've felt this way for about a week. I have about 17 builds I need to box up, and I hate (repeat HATE) etching and making enclosures (especially if there's offboard wiring involved). Part of me wonders if it means that I'm so addicted, I'm going through some type of withdrawal of not constantly having things accomplished.
I'm trying to get over the hump by forcing myself to etch.
Sometimes, I have so much I want to do, that it's overwhelming, and I start to shut down.
Yup. Haven't finished a pedal in months. I have 4 in process. Two need serious troubleshooting, I think one will work if I ever get it to the finish line. One I don't think will ever work.
But I keep buying PCBs. ;D
I can totally relate! I actually feel like I'm finally coming out of a very long slump. Yes, I've been building over that time but things have been moving so slow due to my hectic schedule. On top of that, I've reverted a bit and made a bunch of noobish mistakes! My wife went back to work this past year which has made my time EXTREMELY limited since she works weekends now most of the time. I think the mistakes are mostly because I've been rushing things. I finally buttoned up a bunch of builds though so you guys should see a handful build reports coming soon.
Not building much in pedals besides finishing a batch of my "Nineteen59/Boneyard" project a few weeks ago. Pretty busy with amp and guitar repairs currently and am working on a whole other business startup plan as well.
Just waiting on some tempco resistors for a Living VCO set. Other than that, buggered for money.
Total Slump...
Been playing as much as I can physical therapy for my left hand. Easy to get discouraged. Really want to build but my bench got moved by my son and he put everything that was placed in strategic piles (where I could find anything I needed) into organized boxes (where I can't find squat) So it's been at least 3 months.
Gotta push through!
I'm in a slump whereby nothing is piquing my interest that I want to build, and there hasn't been much for a while. Also I've not really had many requests for stuff so things have slowed right down (to the point we're in the red again on the pedal fund, which is a PITA). That said I'll finish a multi tomorrow that's been quite enjoyable that'll get posted up and I've got 3 other comissioned builds that I could do with getting out the door that I'm actually looking forward to.
Would be nice if someone bought some of our pedals though. The little pedal line I've done has resulted in exactly zero sales ;) Which should really get my arse into gear about getting some demos recorded for them :P
Mainly though I've been distracted by building a massive video game collection and the consoles that go along with it. That and making them work on my TV... The N64 has been a total PITA. I've just dropped an RGB board into that and it's made a hell of an improvement, but it's still getting dot crawl. Putting a sync fixer in there hasn't cured it. So I need to research how to get sync on luma out of an N64 RGB SCART cable...
Then I can buy a PS2...
I also quite fancy a PC Engine...
When will it end?! ;D
(https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/12990902_10154196615387160_2132810234431067692_n.jpg?oh=c74e3dc626a06114d763d65c698a1ec1&oe=57AD1CBA)
With our other guitar player having a baby recently we haven't played in nearly 7months and in that time I have focused more on building pedals than playing. I haven't bought a guitar in years but I bought a beautiful one last week. Come to find all of this time off has made me a pretty terrible player :-\ Crazy how rusty I have got. Bummed me out a bit.
No pedals in over a year. The HoSo 56 amp i've been showing has stopped until i place an order but i've picked up on a little stereo amp for the workshop as i think i've all the bits to finish it. That one i started throw bits in a box for in 2005. Maybe if i finish the two amps will get to some of the pedal pcb's, but then i've got transformers/tubes for two more guitar amps. Been investing major time in cooking/eating and the weather says it's time to start gardening so who knows when any electronics will get finished. And it is nice to just spend playing with the boxed up toys after all that is what they were made for.
dave
Quote from: daleykd on April 16, 2016, 06:00:04 AM
I've felt this way for about a week. I have about 17 builds I need to box up, and I hate (repeat HATE) etching and making enclosures (especially if there's offboard wiring involved). Part of me wonders if it means that I'm so addicted, I'm going through some type of withdrawal of not constantly having things accomplished.
I'm trying to get over the hump by forcing myself to etch.
Sometimes, I have so much I want to do, that it's overwhelming, and I start to shut down.
Preach it brother. I get like this too. I'm no good at making enclosures look good. But I love building the circuits. Takes a long time to paint and sand etc. I'm sitting on so many boards that need boxing or I haven't even started yet. I'm always looking for parts it seems.
It's good to hear (and I don't mean this in a negative way) that there are a slew of people that are being affected by this phenomenon, as I am too. I finally got a Rustbucket put together last night and I just don't have the drive to adjust the trimmers. It has taken over a month and a half just to get it to this stage. I have 4 pedals that I can't get to work and I hate trouble shooting them because I absolutely suck at it. Perhaps it's the time of the year or something is in the air but getting in the build zone just isn't happening.
phew! glad I'm not the only one!
no pedals in a year now, not much playing either! Life's just been too much and I can't seem to catch a breath to do anything, pedulz included.
still lurking here though, things will turn around eventually... [emoji1]
Like you said, amazingly good weather means the outdoor calls.
Also playing more with digital in REAKTOR and finally got my FV-1 dev board loaded into a Beavis-board type rig so I can use it.
Yeah, I've been slumping a bit.
Just finished a Slow Loris Rat over 2 months with no other builds since january.
I'm tiring a bit of building pedals for friends.
I've never charged over $100 for a pedal but it's just not worth making them at that price when you consider Aus dollar conversions, mailing costs, building hours, and lazy friends who won't even come and pick up their pedal so you have to deliver it to them. I'm actually losing money on my sales.
Now I tell them yeah I'll build one, it'll be $120 to $150, and they're not interested, so hopefully I'll get some time to build myself some stuff again.
yeah working too much OT saps my energy to build. I have a triplewreck and a fuzz half done probably covered in dust. I need to get them finished but no time. Looking for something new and fun to obsess over.
Quote from: Mojo Fandangle on April 17, 2016, 10:17:25 PM
Yeah, I've been slumping a bit.
Just finished a Slow Loris Rat over 2 months with no other builds since january.
I'm tiring a bit of building pedals for friends.
I've never charged over $100 for a pedal but it's just not worth making them at that price when you consider Aus dollar conversions, mailing costs, building hours, and lazy friends who won't even come and pick up their pedal so you have to deliver it to them. I'm actually losing money on my sales.
Now I tell them yeah I'll build one, it'll be $120 to $150, and they're not interested, so hopefully I'll get some time to build myself some stuff again.
I've finally got my prices to something like a sensible amount and it's meant that sales of my pedals have dwindled to a very slow trickle. On the one side that suits me as I'm not turning out shitloads of stuff and I feel that what I am selling I'm actually making a reasonable return on. On the downside the pedal fund is taking a kicking due to lack of income. But I'm getting to the stage that I just wont give them away any more.
I've got a lot of veros I've built, tested, and left sitting. I have some I need to return to and troubleshoot. Funds are a bit low for the boxing and finishing and as usual I want to build multis.
On an upside, I finally got an English Gent on vero working. Still have to get a PCB of it working, on my 3rd go of that...
I have smaller things to get onto, like a blend circuit, and a EM Sparkle drive that needs work.
yup, built maybe 2 pedals in the last 10 months. getting back into it slowly.
I was in a slump for a long while builds wise. My DIY time over the past year was put into building stuff for my modular synth. Plus the weather in the UK has been horrendous, and my DIY bench is in the garage.
There are a few things that are getting me back into it though; the new XVive chips (never built an analogue delay as I couldn't be doing with the hassle of sourcing chips) and the FV-1.
I rigged up a simple FV-1 demo board over the weekend and have already made some nice delay patches (using SpinCAD).
That is really addictive, and fun, so I can see that being where I put my free time builds wise in the future.
Building to order is very very slow. I don't build clones for people anymore (it doesn't interest me and there is little money to be made).
You are already at a loss (IMO) making clones of stuff, as people instantly expect it to be cheaper than the real deal (which are usually manufactured in the 100's, if not 1000's).
When you consider the amount of labour involved with building pedals, the majority of boutique/fancy brands actually charge a fair amount.
I've been in a mini-slump because the circuit I've working on is complicated enough that it feels like a real chore to disrupt the breadboard to test out mods, and I don't want to get to the PCB drafting stage until I do that. I finally bit the bullet last night though so we'll see if I can tear myself away from the unusually nice weather here in Vancouver for long enough to draft up the schematic and PCB. Oh yeah, and the circuit is complicated enough that drafting the schematic seems like a real chore too.
After this I think I'll stick to some nice simple circuits for a little bit.
Been in a slump for a while, mixture of unemployment, lack of interest in music--but it's fading.
Now that I've got some smd j201 on adapters (thanks Chromo!), I've been building some of the more interesting amp type pedals. Doing the Goosonique 7th Heaven, done the Wampler Cranked AC, the Simple Cabsim. Done a few other random effects such as Valvewizard's "Small Time" delay as I have a number of working pt3299 lying around.
Going to do a refined version of Terminus, and a couple of multis...
Slumped too, just had way too many things going on in the last year, a move to a different state, new job, kids have stuff, taking some classes, starting a biz, etc. Slowly unpacking things and need to get a workbench, can't wait to get building again.
I cleaned my workbench today. Could this be the beginning of the end of my dry spell?
Slumping it HARD right now. 3-4 failed builds sitting on my bench that are pulling me down. No ambition for enclosure design or to even play guitar. I even tried brainstorming ideas for a "build contest" pedal, if there is a contest this year. Came up with a whole lot of nothing.
Quote from: flanagan0718 on November 10, 2016, 10:18:32 AM
Slumping it HARD right now. 3-4 failed builds sitting on my bench that are pulling me down. No ambition for enclosure design or to even play guitar. I even tried brainstorming ideas for a "build contest" pedal, if there is a contest this year. Came up with a whole lot of nothing.
Go outside, enjoy the fresh air. Hobbies are supposed to be fun, don't stress it.
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Well I'm back on it. I'll have made 15+ pedals in the space of a couple of weeks... I'll post the rest of them up when the batch is done... But REALLY pleased with them.
I'm in a clean-up slump, kinda!
Decided to clean up the workshop :o(
I'm at the last stages ..... you know that box of a gazillion little things you don't have place for, you don't really need but you can't get yourself to trash that crap because you know that as soon as you do you will need it in 2 weeks!
So I spend my evening agonizing over this crap!
Quote from: bcalla on April 16, 2016, 06:42:37 AM
I have 4 in process. Two need serious troubleshooting ...
Yep. That's me. Worse yet, my serious troubleshooting builds are a Total Recall and Current Lover. Not sure where to go next with troubleshooting. Collected data, pictures, etc. for Current Lover, posted plea for help, no joy. :(
Quote from: brucer on November 10, 2016, 11:43:02 AM
Quote from: bcalla on April 16, 2016, 06:42:37 AM
I have 4 in process. Two need serious troubleshooting ...
Yep. That's me. Worse yet, my serious troubleshooting builds are a Total Recall and Current Lover. Not sure where to go next with troubleshooting. Collected data, pictures, etc. for Current Lover, posted plea for help, no joy. :(
Yeah troubleshooting has been an issue lately for me too. Looking on the bright side I found that the LDRs on my twin peaks were backwards and my FV1 was backwards too. On the gloomy side I now have to desolder 2 FV1 chips. :-[
Maybe I'll try cleaning my work bench and try setting up that benchtop cnc...
Man, i haven't built in months. Maybe longer. I've been focusing on getting a few albums out. Now that I'm done with the third one in two yeasrs (one is unreleased garbage) I'm back into building.
To get my ass back in gear there is a new bar opening in town this weekend. A few of the band playing are my buddies. So, I'm gonna make a pedal basket grab-bag for them to take from.
I didn't build anything for about 3 years due to a combination of multiple moves, selling most of my electric gear (no amps or electric guitar) and lack of funds and time. I got back to it a few months ago and have built quite a bit. However, daleykd perfectly summarized my issue... I want to do too many things and it can be overwhelming.
Quote from: daleykd on April 16, 2016, 06:00:04 AM
Sometimes, I have so much I want to do, that it's overwhelming, and I start to shut down.
I will also agree with the several that have mentioned that it's discouraging that people expect such low prices on DIY stuff that it's often hard to even break even on parts cost for a sale let alone get reasonable money for your time. I have SO MANY things to build but fear trying to sell what I don't bond with because it's just not worth it most of the time. That feeling of not being able to sell (or not getting a reasonable price for) a build is very discouraging.
Its hard to get motivated when I have:
Battlefield One
Titan Fall 2
Call of Duty: IW
haha, Seems like all I have been doing is work and play games. But, I think a good bench/shop clean will get me more motivated. There has been some great new projects out there I want to try and a few I have not boxed yet.
On a side note, I did get to FINALLY play some guitar last night for about 30 minutes or so. Had a blast with my Jazzmaster and BS/SS Mini and spring reverb. I banged away at some chords in a Ty Segall kinda way and it was a blast!
Cody
Ah... Jazzmaster, Mini and spring reverb... Great combo!
Quote from: flanagan0718 on November 10, 2016, 12:21:36 PM
Quote from: brucer on November 10, 2016, 11:43:02 AM
Quote from: bcalla on April 16, 2016, 06:42:37 AM
I have 4 in process. Two need serious troubleshooting ...
Yep. That's me. Worse yet, my serious troubleshooting builds are a Total Recall and Current Lover. Not sure where to go next with troubleshooting. Collected data, pictures, etc. for Current Lover, posted plea for help, no joy. :(
Yeah troubleshooting has been an issue lately for me too. Looking on the bright side I found that the LDRs on my twin peaks were backwards and my FV1 was backwards too. On the gloomy side I now have to desolder 2 FV1 chips. :-[
Maybe I'll try cleaning my work bench and try setting up that benchtop cnc...
Cleaning the bench is always the first step for me. I have a bunch of boards to populate but I always get sidetracked by other projects.
-I'm still waiting on some metal to get formed for the multi I really want to work on.
-I think I'll be starting in on an amp project soon. This one is going to be amazing if I can pull it off.
-I did just finish up an epic Hammond organ project. That's the biggest thing that was keeping me away from new builds.
Seeing some of the recent build reports has been getting me in the right frame of mind. Plus, this is just somehow pedal building season for me. Not sure why. I'm at least going to stuff some boards.
I've not built anything except cables for months now that I'm working and playing with my Axe-FX. That thing can do so many things, it's scary. Before I built like 4 pedals a month and few or any of them ever made it to my pedal board. But there was always a chance some could make it. I was always on the lookout for something new and interesting. The slim chance that I would find something new and interesting was enough for to keep on building new things. Now that I have gone digital there's just no need to build anything so find myself just no longer caring to build pedals. Maybe those parts for a bass driver I've ordered might change things. I could use one for home recording so there's finally a need.
I haven't built as much over the summer despite my state of unemployment, which is hopefully changing very soon. Anyhow, the HiFi amp took a lot of my time and still isn't finished due to missing parts. Everytime I think I have the last bits, something else is missing or wrong. Hopefully I'll get my small diameter shielded cable today, than it's all good to go for testing early next week with a buddy. While this is not a pedal-build obviously, I still consider it to be the same sort of hobby. My friends will probably not even realize there's a difference between amps and pedals ;) But I have been actually playing more guitar for a change.
And Lee, with your massive organ builds, you're definitely not in a slump either. I would consider this time well spent on something that you like and will enjoy after it's finished too.
I've been in a slump for a couple years.
Mainly because it's stressful. It should be fun, but I raise my personal bar too high. I have a habit of trying to out-do past builds to the point of "I'm not smart enough for this", and get extremely frustrated when it doesn't work properly. I'm an anxious type of person. Other aspects of my life have been stressful these last few years as well, so I'm like "forcing" myself to take it easy with the DIY.
Occasionally I start prototyping an idea, and then abandon it half-way through. Not sure why. I have a nearly finished new programmable vibrato that's been in an unfinished grey box for about 6 months. I used to be so enthusiastic when I was close to finishing a thing, couldn't wait to paint, etc. But I got stuck on the tap tempo and some of the way it handles knobs/controls that would switch function, and sort of shelved it.
5 years ago, I was like "I must spend all my time building!"
I haven't built anything for over six months.
I got some new synths and a new acoustic 12 string and that's been taking up free time.
Soon I will be starting another synth. Hopefully finish up some pedals too.
I've not built any pedals for close to 6 months now.
Our 1st baby Alice has taken care of that ;)
I've started getting into woodwork with the little time I do have.
My grand aim is to make her a rocking horse. I've made her a play tent and some shelves so far.
Start small, aim big as they say!
Quote from: cloudscapes on November 11, 2016, 06:11:49 AM
I've been in a slump for a couple years.
Mainly because it's stressful. It should be fun, but I raise my personal bar too high. I have a habit of trying to out-do past builds to the point of "I'm not smart enough for this", and get extremely frustrated when it doesn't work properly. I'm an anxious type of person. Other aspects of my life have been stressful these last few years as well, so I'm like "forcing" myself to take it easy with the DIY.
Occasionally I start prototyping an idea, and then abandon it half-way through. Not sure why. I have a nearly finished new programmable vibrato that's been in an unfinished grey box for about 6 months. I used to be so enthusiastic when I was close to finishing a thing, couldn't wait to paint, etc. But I got stuck on the tap tempo and some of the way it handles knobs/controls that would switch function, and sort of shelved it.
5 years ago, I was like "I must spend all my time building!"
Trying to outdo yourself with each new build sounds like tyranny. Have fun, my friend! I slip into that a bit too, but I'm learning to just let this thing be what it is. When I'm motivated to build, I'm going to build. The rest of the time I spend imagining what I want to do next. That's my downfall. I chase too many rabbit trails. Deadlines, self imposed or otherwise, are usually what it takes to get me to execute.
Still, I'm sick of pressuring myself just because I have a drawer full of PCBs or a bunch of uncompleted ideas. I don't have any customer builds right now, which actually feels good. I'm tired of building to spec. I just want to build what feels fun to build and let it be what it is. I have some fun builds in the works that I can't wait to share here. We'll see.
Quote from: raulduke on November 11, 2016, 08:35:13 AM
I've not built any pedals for close to 6 months now.
Our 1st baby Alice has taken care of that ;)
I've started getting into woodwork with the little time I do have.
My grand aim is to make her a rocking horse. I've made her a play tent and some shelves so far.
Start small, aim big as they say!
I really hope to see this in DIY. You are in the best years of your life, man. Enjoy all of it.
Cheers dude that is really kind.
I'll post the play-tent when done (I've made a little viking style tent frame).
My wife's sorting the fabric out for it so it should be a nice family project.
The rocking horse is way off yet. The ultimate end game would be to build a guitar.... but I'm realistic in my expectations ;) ;D
Quote from: selfdestroyer on November 10, 2016, 12:56:53 PM
Its hard to get motivated when I have:
Battlefield One
Titan Fall 2
Call of Duty: IW
haha, Seems like all I have been doing is work and play games.
Are you console or PC? I can't stop playing Overwatch. I've been tempted to try BF1, but I've always preferred modern warfare to historical. CoD:IW looks interesting, but I'm tired of playing against 10 year olds with fouler mouths than me.
At least I can still beat up kids in OW.
Quote from: daleykd on November 11, 2016, 09:17:19 AM
At least I can still beat up kids in OW.
I played that a lot of that after release for about 2-2.5 months. Even got okay at it, level 50-ish on the rank thing they introduced a bit later. Then put that away 'cause I started playing dota again for a small league/tournament at my workplace for a few months. Only enough room in my brain for a single highly competitive game at any given moment.
Maybe I'll start OW again next month.
Quote from: daleykd on November 11, 2016, 09:17:19 AM
Quote from: selfdestroyer on November 10, 2016, 12:56:53 PM
Its hard to get motivated when I have:
Battlefield One
Titan Fall 2
Call of Duty: IW
haha, Seems like all I have been doing is work and play games.
Are you console or PC? I can't stop playing Overwatch. I've been tempted to try BF1, but I've always preferred modern warfare to historical. CoD:IW looks interesting, but I'm tired of playing against 10 year olds with fouler mouths than me.
At least I can still beat up kids in OW.
PS4 for me. I got tired of upgrading my PC every year to keep a stable 60fps on new games.. Back to consoles for me.
Cody
I have been on a bit of a thing with the consoles...
http://juansolo.co.uk/geekery/videowafflage7.html
Cooking and photo's have kinda taken over that 'need-to-create-something' corner of my brain. I get obsessed with something and ride the wave until it crashes on the beach then it's falling into the next dark alluring rabbit hole.
Time to start dinner...
dave
I wish it was hobbies that has me in a slump ... I shall adapt and overcome.
Ive been in a slump in my career for years and now my Fiancee who built half of my pedals walked out on me with no warning(partially because of my career slump).
The pedals and DIY parts are the first thing I packed up for the upcoming move (cant afford this place by myself) and will probably be the last to be unpacked when I get set up all alone.
I have no interest in any hobbies, for one because this is a real eye opener that I need to get my shit together and for two, because we did everything together, there is nothing I can do by myself without missing her.
Quote from: thesmokingman on November 13, 2016, 02:42:05 PM
I wish it was hobbies that has me in a slump ... I shall adapt and overcome.
What is it then?
sorry to hear that. Hang in there, you'll find new hobbies and will get back to pedal building if you want to. I recently started to boulder/climb. Really great sport.
I sometimes wonder what the average lifespan is of a pedal builder.
I think if you are just a pedal builder (not a circuit designer), that after a few years at this stuff, you have probably built most of what you wanted and things can start to get redundant.
That said, most of you guys branch out to other stuff and that keeps things interesting.
I think I'd have hung it up at the beginning of the year had we not started dicking around with circuits more.
I find the key to keeping this hobby interesting is to challenge yourself. If you are building the same OD, Distortion, Phaser, etc. each and every day... you get burnt out. Take on a challenge. Go outside the box and follow it through until its complete. Personally, I have ZERO items in my box of fail. This is only because I follow through until completed.
My biggest challenge is funding my hobby. It can get expensive! I typically sell pedals to keep the hobby going. However, as with the hobby itself, it can get deflating. I am sure many on here can agree that selling your creations can be upsetting. When you put $150 and 6 or 7 hours into something and someone offers you $40 for it... it hurts!
My advice: Try taking on a larg-ish project that is outside your comfort zone. Get challenged, learn something new. It will revitalize your interests ;)
I know we're incredibly lucky in that we're self funding. It's a necessary evil, and yeah, it pains me sometimes when I see our pedals changing hands for bugger all money. But, if it means we can build more stuff, I just let it slide.
But yes, you definitely need goals if you want to keep things interesting. I had the same issues with 'real' work as my job was continually cut into smaller and smaller segments so the could farm it out to less skilled (cheaper) workers abroad. Leaving me with a completely unchallenging, routine, boring job. I'm just not wired in a way that I can put up with that for long.
There is usually something that comes along that piques my interest and gets me back into the hobby.
The availability of mn3005 chips again makes me want to build another analogue delay.
I still Think that the spin fv1 could get offer interesting stuff for diyers (and I still keep tinkering with this with the spare time I have).
I think integrating guitar pedals with modular/eurorack kit might be the next 'big thing'
The Euro rack bubble hasn't burst. More and more people are getting into it.
I'd see it as a logical step that guitar pedals will start to become more integrated with that world.
I have absolutely no interest in Building the next klon or tgp flavour of the month anymore though.
There is usually something that comes along that piques my interest and gets me back into the hobby.
The availability of mn3005 chips again makes me want to build another analogue delay.
I still Think that the spin fv1 could get offer interesting stuff for diyers (and I still keep tinkering with this with the spare time I have).
I think integrating guitar pedals with modular/eurorack kit might be the next 'big thing'
The Euro rack bubble hasn't burst. More and more people are getting into it.
I'd see it as a logical step that guitar pedals will start to become more integrated with that world.
I have absolutely no interest in Building the next klon or tgp flavour of the month anymore though.
Quote from: raulduke on November 16, 2016, 01:45:02 AM
There is usually something that comes along that piques my interest and gets me back into the hobby.
The availability of mn3005 chips again makes me want to build another analogue delay.
I still Think that the spin fv1 could get offer interesting stuff for diyers (and I still keep tinkering with this with the spare time I have).
I think integrating guitar pedals with modular/eurorack kit might be the next 'big thing'
The Euro rack bubble hasn't burst. More and more people are getting into it.
I'd see it as a logical step that guitar pedals will start to become more integrated with that world.
I have absolutely no interest in Building the next klon or tgp flavour of the month anymore though.
I agree with this 100%
and with your other post right after ;)
Oops sorry...that's me and my new iphone (bloody thing) ;D
I haven't built in over a year now, but that's not due to lack of interest, it's more to do with not having the proper space to setup in. Have to finish the basement before I can setup a proper build area, and that's still about three priorities down on the to do list and most likely another year-ish out. Will have to re-learn pot orientation and how to solder :o.
That being said, I've gone through a number of building slumps since I started in 2011. They pass. New projects come along that get you interested, new combinations of pedals drive you to try and fix everything you need in one box. Key is not to get hung up on it and let it come back to you.
Quote from: GermanCdn on November 16, 2016, 12:58:31 PM
I Will have to re-learn pot orientation and how to solder :o.
I have to do that along with LED anode and cathode every time I sit down at my bench.
My pet peeve with LEDs (and vactrols, for that matter) is the positive marking. Positive? Diodes have an anode, and a cathode. Depending on the application, either one may connect to the higher potential.
Quote from: alanp on November 16, 2016, 05:48:08 PM
My pet peeve with LEDs (and vactrols, for that matter) is the positive marking. Positive? Diodes have an anode, and a cathode. Depending on the application, either one may connect to the higher potential.
Man, with you 100% on this.
I started working for a guitar builder and that has taken over a bit...though I would love to get into onboard bass preamp building.
Quote from: peAk on November 15, 2016, 05:45:23 AM
I sometimes wonder what the average lifespan is of a pedal builder.
I think if you are just a pedal builder (not a circuit designer), that after a few years at this stuff, you have probably built most of what you wanted and things can start to get redundant.
I'd say that depends, at first I just wanted some rare out of production pedals and this seemed like the way to do it. And then stuff kept finding my fancy that seemed interesting enough to build as well. I'd say if you stick to kits and production pcb's you will probably have a shorter building career then if you branch out into vero as well. New interesting things kept getting added on tagboard that had me salivating for years. Still would have if I hadn't gotten my Axe-FX.
QuoteThat said, most of you guys branch out to other stuff and that keeps things interesting.
Maybe that is what makes people stop building pedals. They branch out to other things, develop new hobbies. As somebody once said, the only way to get rid of an idea is to replace it with a new one. That and real life intrusions. New job, kids, relationships, they all eat into quality me time.
Quote from: alanp on November 16, 2016, 05:48:08 PM
My pet peeve with LEDs (and vactrols, for that matter) is the positive marking. Positive? Diodes have an anode, and a cathode. Depending on the application, either one may connect to the higher potential.
Too technical for my taste. Everytime I see people use those words I have to look them up again. Just use + or - ;D
Curse lifted!
Time to trim and drill... then populate.
(http://music.codydeschenes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/img_1272.jpg)
After moving earlier this month and starting a new job last week, I haven't really found the motivation to start building again, although I should really continue testing my HiFi amp. juansolos pcb package from the BOTY contest is more than awesome and I feel my fingers itching already.
I've got about 3 pedals I need to get built. Loads in the box of PCBs but I'm not really feeling motivated to hit those yet as I'm currently being distracted by old computers.
Got an Atari ST given. Mint, complete in box. Looks brand new... Sadly the PSU hasn't fared so well, so I'm re-capping that and see if that fixes it. Also got another 512KB (remember when that was massive?!) of memory coming to solder in. Hopefully I can get that up and running again. Then hopefully I've got an even older Commodore 64 landing...
Then I'm building a IN-18 burner... We've tested it out and it works. Basically IN-18 Nixies are prone to cathode poisoning. These tubes were built in the 70's in Russia and I suspect by large Russian women with fags hanging out of the corner of their mouths and no sort of gloves on to stop contaminants getting on the elements. That's what I hope anyhow... As such, over time parts of the numbers start to dim or even fail to light up.
This was all well and good in the 70's when the tubes cost bugger all, you just swapped them out until you got a set that weren't assembled by someone with bare sweaty hands. As it is, now they cost around £50+ each due to rarity and I've got 5 of them with cathode poisoning on multiple numbers.
One way to fix this is to give them a bit of a burn. Essentially letting them draw more current and a bit more voltage to burn the contaminants off. I've tested this theory with a jerry rigged setup below:
(https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/16143839_10155017585222160_6679510489826935411_o.jpg?oh=26cd5432d96c7f92d7a542c97e0018f1&oe=58FEAE07)
This first pass shows the problem. At this point however we had too big of a current limiting resistor in there, indeed this is when we worked out that it's actually handy to have the CLR on a pot. As it is, I'm feeding the tube too much voltage here to get it to light up (limits on the tube are 170V and 4mA).
(https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16143247_10155017922887160_2968098289488741560_n.jpg?oh=f431286c9340351bf0b1f73b8b404a3c&oe=58FE3F6A)
This is when we sorted that and dropped the CLR to something more sensible. We burned the 5 for two hours and it's fully restored the digit. I've got a few more to address on that tube as it's by far the worst. But It proved the system, so I'm gonna make a dedicated nixie restorer with display and everything. That's the other job for this week anyhow.
Quote from: selfdestroyer on January 22, 2017, 10:56:11 AM
Curse lifted!
Time to trim and drill... then populate.
(http://music.codydeschenes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/img_1272.jpg)
Etched boards? You're a brave man, those would send my even deeper into my slump. Soldering to etched boards has been a friggin' nightmare on all of them. For some strange I can't get the solder to stick properly to them.
Quote from: juansolo on January 23, 2017, 02:18:31 AM
Then I'm building a IN-18 burner... We've tested it out and it works. Basically IN-18 Nixies are prone to cathode poisoning. These tubes were built in the 70's in Russia and I suspect by large Russian women with fags hanging out of the corner of their mouths and no sort of gloves on to stop contaminants getting on the elements. That's what I hope anyhow... As such, over time parts of the numbers start to dim or even fail to light up.
This was all well and good in the 70's when the tubes cost bugger all, you just swapped them out until you got a set that weren't assembled by someone with bare sweaty hands. As it is, now they cost around £50+ each due to rarity and I've got 5 of them with cathode poisoning on multiple numbers.
Awesome info. I hadn't heard about cathode poisoning but this totally makes sense. It's cool that the fix works.
I have a question for you. I have a couple projects in mind that I'm hoping to use nixies in. I'd like to use them by directly powering the desired cathodes via a rotary switch pole. My thought was to completely bypass any need for a driver chip. Will this work? Some of what I've read suggests that I will have to clamp the unused pins to some lower voltage like 50v or I will get phantom glowing.
Also, I remember the Commodore 64. It seems like all my friends had either that or the Vic 20 with huge floppy drives and a massive phone modem. I saved up and bought a TI 994A and used a cassette recorder for storage. 16k memory.
Yeah they're dead easy. You've got an common anode pin and you've got the number pins. Stick a CLR (my clock uses 10k. I'm gonna have 100R on the burner and a 2k pot in line so I can adjust it) on the power line, and give it around 160V DC and you're golden. It should light up. You don't need to connect the other pins when not in use. Mine will just be on a cheapy Chinese single pole 10 pos rotary.
Problems with other numbers lighting up tends to come from how people drive them. Some matrix them and you can get a bit of bleed on those. If they're not connected, they won't light up. You can get a bit of glow from proximity, but they all do that sir. There are all sorts of idiosyncrasies with both the ways people drive them and the tubes themselves.
If the C64 turns out ok, I'll be getting this for it: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/C64c-Style-SD2IEC-Commodore-1541-Disk-Drive-Emulator-SD-Card-Reader-C64-C128-VIC-/330917399751?hash=item4d0c36ccc7:g:-~AAAOSw6btXR5dM
Quote from: juansolo on January 23, 2017, 08:39:57 AM
Yeah they're dead easy. You've got an common anode pin and you've got the number pins. Stick a CLR (my clock uses 10k. I'm gonna have 100R on the burner and a 2k pot in line so I can adjust it) on the power line, and give it around 160V DC and you're golden. It should light up. You don't need to connect the other pins when not in use. Mine will just be on a cheapy Chinese single pole 10 pos rotary.
Problems with other numbers lighting up tends to come from how people drive them. Some matrix them and you can get a bit of bleed on those. There are all sorts of idiosyncrasies with both the ways people drive them and the tubes themselves.
That's what I was hoping. I don't plan to mess with multiplexing. I don't see a point for my application. Thanks for the good info. I'll be curious to see if you can get all of your poisoned cathodes fully lit again.
edit: I didn't notice the link. That emulator looks cool. How fun. I bet the keyboard on the C64 feels awesome. It's been years since I've even seen one much less typed on one.
I have no doubt. The one number I burned (170V and 1K CLR getting me just over 1mA of current draw) for a couple of hours is totally restored now in the clock. It's been running for days now and looks like new. I just need to to all the other poisoned chars.
This is a bit of an issue with IN-18s sadly, and it's all down to contamination when they were built. My Telefunken's don't do it at all and look utterly stunning. But I do get other numbers glowing a bit in that one and I'm convinced it's because it's multiplexed and not direct drive.
Quote from: juansolo on January 23, 2017, 08:45:41 AM
I have no doubt. The one number I burned (170V and 1K CLR getting me just over 1mA of current draw) for a couple of hours is totally restored now in the clock. It's been running for days now and looks like new. I just need to to all the other poisoned chars.
This is a bit of an issue with IN-18s sadly, and it's all down to contamination when they were built. My Telefunken's don't do it at all and look utterly stunning.
I notice you have a proper "5" and not an upside down "2." I think they both look cool but I'm partial to have the 5 look like a 5. Where are you sourcing them?
Ukraine and Russia for the IN-18 (and other old USSR nixies). eBay usually.
Quote from: Leevibe on January 23, 2017, 08:47:49 AM
I notice you have a proper "5" and not an upside down "2." I think they both look cool but I'm partial to have the 5 look like a 5. Where are you sourcing them?
didn't you post the video about the young czech guy handmaking nixie tubes nowadays? ;)
Quote from: juansolo on January 23, 2017, 02:18:31 AM
One way to fix this is to give them a bit of a burn. Essentially letting them draw more current and a bit more voltage to burn the contaminants off.
This should work in theory, but if they are too contaminated it won't help. Tubes usually have a "getter" material in one way or the other (eg the metallisation on the top of regular 12ax7 etc) that are designed to react with contaminants that adsorb to other parts of the tube which will desorb when heated. Once the getter is saturated, there's not much you can do, the contaminants will just adsorb at another non-heated surface and screw with your vacuum or gas filling. But as long as the "large russian women" did not drool all over it, it should be ok.
The czech guy mentioned above had problems though with not enough heat-treated parts that did gas out and he was wearing gloves, though.
hope everything works out. nixie clocks are awesome. I might build one someday
Quote from: m-Kresol on January 23, 2017, 10:55:32 AM
didn't you post the video about the young czech guy handmaking nixie tubes nowadays? ;)
Yeah. I find nixie tubes completely fascinating and that is a fantastic video.
(http://i1022.photobucket.com/albums/af348/coverbagman/IMG_3214_zpstkyzf4s0.jpg)
First thing I've built in a while. It's a 4:1 comp into a Fatpants. First time making a waterslide decal. Not perfect but came out better than I thought it would. Next time, I'll definitely make the decal the full size of the enclosure so that I don't have lines.
Boards are mostly populated, but I forgot to order about 15 small parts! Will need to make another order to finish it up. Never order after a few beers!
I'm definitely in a slump with personal building. Between my day job, FFX, moving and the holidays, I haven't worked on a personal build in months. Once I catch up with the other things, hopefully I'll have time to build something for myself; perhaps an amp.
I got a pedaltrain nano for Christmas which got me excited about building again. I have a multi in the works that will round out the pedalboard and I'm itching for parts to show up so I can finish it off. I also decided to give decals/stickers another try and I'm having fun with that. I had such bad results with clear coat/laquer I gave up on decals long ago but envirotex has me thinking twice!