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Projects => Build Reports => Topic started by: dawson on January 22, 2020, 04:31:01 AM

Title: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: dawson on January 22, 2020, 04:31:01 AM
Ladies and gentlemen, the Mad Bean FLUNKEE envelope filter:
(https://i.imgur.com/ZSBUSfDl.jpg)

This is the most user-friendly envelope filter I've built to date and I'm really feeling the relief of how easy it is to switch between my main sound coupled before a Tube Screamer, and whatever settings I find to play well with other effects- a very good friend of my trusty Parasit 0415 guitar synthesizer.  If I were to compare, it's not as smooth and pretty as a SWAH and it certainly hasn't got as many possibilities as something like a Meat Sphere, but that's to be expected from a 2-knob effect, and it's got a great voice of its own.  I'm incredibly happy with it and would buy another if that ever becomes an option.

Graphics etched with ferric chloride on a 1590B enclosure.

Thanks for looking,
quack-on, fellow envelope filterers!
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: benny_profane on January 22, 2020, 04:34:04 AM
Dang. That looks great! Nice work all around!
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: Bio77 on January 22, 2020, 05:00:29 AM
Wow man, your etch game is insane!  I also love the idea of doing the 1590A boards in 1590Bs, gives you a lot of options for design/knob placement. Great build.
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: dawson on January 22, 2020, 06:42:45 AM
Quote from: benny_profane on January 22, 2020, 04:34:04 AM
Dang. That looks great! Nice work all around!

Quote from: Bio77 on January 22, 2020, 05:00:29 AM
Wow man, your etch game is insane!  I also love the idea of doing the 1590A boards in 1590Bs, gives you a lot of options for design/knob placement. Great build.

^^Thanks a lot, both of you!
& thank you for not persecuting my use of the larger box!  I prefer a 1590B over a 1590A if I can get the jacks mounted on the top, which I can usually do if the project was meant for an 'A.  Not only do I get more room for controls and labeling and artwork by going with the 'B, but I also don't waste much space on my pedal board- the 1590As' have got to have side-mounted jacks, and they also need to be far enough away from other pedals to be able to operate everything comfortably, so by the end of the set-up, I believe they take up a similar amount of pedal board space.
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: MTK on January 22, 2020, 08:12:37 AM
That etch is as good as it gets. Well done.
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: Leevibe on January 22, 2020, 02:06:32 PM
Looks great!
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: jimilee on January 22, 2020, 02:42:56 PM
That looks fantastic. You're right, this is the easiest envelope filter I've built to date as well.


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Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: Timko on January 22, 2020, 04:41:50 PM
That etch is incredibly clean.  Nice work!
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: Aleph Null on January 22, 2020, 10:14:07 PM
That is a beautiful etch and a very fun—and clever—graphic! Please, tell me about your jack bracket.
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: dawson on January 22, 2020, 11:57:44 PM
Wow everybody, thanks so much for all the positive feedback, I really appreciate it!

I'm really happy with how the last few etches have been turning out- I'm certainly no etch maestro, but if I were to give a couple tips to a new etcher, I'd say #1:  Take care to design a graphic that will work well with this medium- mainly meaning that any lines thinner than the ones that I use are more difficult to transfer, more difficult to correct with nail polish, and also more-likely to be ruined by a slight over-etch.  #2:  Take your time: don't rush any part of the process.  It takes a substantial amount of elbow grease and patience to get through all the sanding and ironing and masking and dunking (not to mention the graphic design,) but personally, the time spent doing all that is nothing compared to how long I'll be enjoying these effects, so I force myself to enjoy the tasks that I may otherwise despise.

Here are a few all ready to be dunked in ferric chloride:
(https://i.imgur.com/eEOwpU1l.jpg)
The cheapest nail polish I could find was this Pepto-Bismol* color, which is way better than some darker stuff I used originally- VERY easy to see what's been done.

Quote from: Aleph Null on January 22, 2020, 10:14:07 PM
That is a beautiful etch and a very fun—and clever—graphic! Please, tell me about your jack bracket.
My jack bracket!  Thanks for noticing!
It is 3d-printed- I started a whole thread where I toot my horn all about my jack brackets, I'll put a link there instead of tooting all about them here too:
https://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=30040.msg290389#msg290389
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: jimilee on January 23, 2020, 12:38:14 AM
How about a step by step of your process. I'm really interested in this. I moved to an apartment moment from a duplex with a garage, so painting isn't an option. Water slide and enviro is fun, but it's getting old for me.


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Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: dawson on January 23, 2020, 02:15:50 AM
Quote from: jimilee on January 23, 2020, 12:38:14 AM
How about a step by step of your process. I’m really interested in this. I moved to an apartment moment from a duplex with a garage, so painting isn’t an option. Water slide and enviro is fun, but it’s getting old for me.

Well, since you asked so nicely, I may have to do that, jimilee.  I'll take more detailed pictures of my progress next time I do a run- hopefully they'll turn out as nicely as this batch.  In the mean-time, check this out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cg4UoS6ecY
^I've watched many YouTube videos on etching and this is the best I've found.  I basically try to mimic this method (without the paint,) but I've had to alter it a bit in order to get good results with the materials I've got available- 2 years later I've got my workflow more honed in, but as you can see, the enclosure in the video turns out better than mine do.

^^Oh, but wear gloves when working with the mad chemicals, please.  The person in the video doesn't find them necessary, but I do, and everyone else probably should too.
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: jimilee on January 23, 2020, 02:30:13 AM
Ah, deadastronaught. I knew that pedal looked familiar. If you haven't, find some of his boards, that are top notch.


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Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: TGP39 on January 23, 2020, 05:36:09 AM
This is such a beautiful build inside and out.   It looks like you etch for a shorter amount of time than Dead Austronaut and that's fine.  Your results are just as aesthetically pleasing.  I also love the way you and Lee make those 3D brackets to assist your inside design.  Wonderful job.
~Steve
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: dawson on January 23, 2020, 09:42:15 PM
Quote from: jimilee on January 23, 2020, 02:30:13 AM
Ah, deadastronaught. I knew that pedal looked familiar. If you haven't, find some of his boards, that are top notch.
YEAH- when I originally watched the tutorial I figured he was just some dude like you or me, but who knew a bunch about etching because the only DIY pedal names I knew were BYOC and DIY Guitar Pedals.  Anyhow, I should indeed try a PCB or two of his- this free tutorial has proven to be quite valuable to me, plus there are some really creative effects going on over there- got my eye on that "Abductor Delay II."


Quote from: TGP39 on January 23, 2020, 05:36:09 AM
This is such a beautiful build inside and out.   It looks like you etch for a shorter amount of time than Dead Austronaut and that's fine.  Your results are just as aesthetically pleasing.  I also love the way you and Lee make those 3D brackets to assist your inside design.  Wonderful job.
~Steve
Why, thank you Hom..er-um..Steve, how kind!  Yes- Leevibe is on a whole other level over there, so many great builders in this community to learn from!
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: jimilee on January 23, 2020, 09:49:15 PM
Quote from: dawson on January 23, 2020, 09:42:15 PM
Quote from: jimilee on January 23, 2020, 02:30:13 AM
Ah, deadastronaught. I knew that pedal looked familiar. If you haven't, find some of his boards, that are top notch.
YEAH- when I originally watched the tutorial I figured he was just some dude like you or me, but who knew a bunch about etching because the only DIY pedal names I knew were BYOC and DIY Guitar Pedals.  Anyhow, I should indeed try a PCB or two of his- this free tutorial has proven to be quite valuable to me, plus there are some really creative effects going on over there- got my eye on that "Abductor Delay II."


Quote from: TGP39 on January 23, 2020, 05:36:09 AM
This is such a beautiful build inside and out.   It looks like you etch for a shorter amount of time than Dead Austronaut and that's fine.  Your results are just as aesthetically pleasing.  I also love the way you and Lee make those 3D brackets to assist your inside design.  Wonderful job.
~Steve
Why, thank you Hom..er-um..Steve, how kind!  Yes- Leevibe is on a whole other level over there, so many great builders in this community to learn from!
I built the first abductor, super neat. Check out madbeanpedals.com also.


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Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: dawson on January 23, 2020, 10:32:12 PM
Quote from: jimilee on January 23, 2020, 09:49:15 PM
I built the first abductor, super neat. Check out madbeanpedals.com also.
^HA- I can't hear your voice, so I don't know if you're being sarcastic, but I was referencing my earlier days in that last post- I'm certainly still a newb by most measures, but I've done 2-3 years of oogling and oggling across the internet since then.  Thankfully I kept hearing "Mad Bean...Mad Bean..Mad Bean" while watching DIY Guitar Pedals' videos on YouTube and found myself here.  These days I'm a big Mad Bean fan- I can't keep up with all the rad stuff.
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: jimilee on January 23, 2020, 11:20:40 PM
Quote from: dawson on January 23, 2020, 10:32:12 PM
Quote from: jimilee on January 23, 2020, 09:49:15 PM
I built the first abductor, super neat. Check out madbeanpedals.com also.
^HA- I can't hear your voice, so I don't know if you're being sarcastic, but I was referencing my earlier days in that last post- I'm certainly still a newb by most measures, but I've done 2-3 years of oogling and oggling across the internet since then.  Thankfully I kept hearing "Mad Bean...Mad Bean..Mad Bean" while watching DIY Guitar Pedals' videos on YouTube and found myself here.  These days I'm a big Mad Bean fan- I can't keep up with all the rad stuff.
Nope, built the first one. Delays are like candy to me. I wouldn't be an ass to someone I don't quite know yet, but give it time :D Sorry about the madbean suggestion, I wasn't paying attention to which forum I was replying. I also frequent the BYOC forum.
Build a delay Yo!
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: dawson on January 24, 2020, 07:23:23 AM
Quote from: jimilee on January 23, 2020, 11:20:40 PM
:D Sorry about the madbean suggestion, I wasn't paying attention to which forum I was replying. I also frequent the BYOC forum.
Build a delay Yo!
OOh ok, I was confused. Cool!
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: Timko on January 24, 2020, 03:52:11 PM
Interesting.  I've never covered the large swaths of black after ironing on my graphic with nail polish; the only thing I do with polish is use it to connect the edges to painters tape I place on the sides.  Do you find this technique works better than just using the ironed transfer?
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: dawson on January 24, 2020, 05:16:15 PM
Quote from: Timko on January 24, 2020, 03:52:11 PM
Interesting.  I've never covered the large swaths of black after ironing on my graphic with nail polish; the only thing I do with polish is use it to connect the edges to painters tape I place on the sides.  Do you find this technique works better than just using the ironed transfer?

^To answer your question: sometimes.

It all really depends on how good of a transfer I'm able to do- I'm not sure if it's my printer, or my transfer paper, or me, but even some of my best transfers have had little pin-holes in the toner throughout the entire layout- those holes leak and make tiny imperfections that I don't like.  So, the less pink mask you see, the better luck I've had with the iron- if you look at the group picture, this Flunkee had some issues in that big field, but the Hot Cake transferred great and didn't need much extra masking.

Pin-hole imperfections seen here:
https://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=30572.0
Title: Re: the FLUNKEE FX-25 envelope filter
Post by: Cybercow on January 29, 2020, 04:21:44 PM
Excellent job - inside and out! Looks great!