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Hello,

I was wondering if you guys could check the original schematic and the one in Eagle just to be sure I didn't mess something up.

I made a layout and am getting no blinking LED or sound from my etched board.  Thanks in advance.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dsxzazy6ol8dc2m/EAtremolo.png
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2dt80j2l5lsso2m/EA%20Trem%20eagle%20schem.png

Hello,

I am wondering if any of you have an Eagle CAD layout (BRD) for a wah enclosure?  I just need the blank board with dimensions and drill holes for the stand offs.  Thanks.

Hello,

I have this brainstorm on making a deluxe Transistor Gain Tester and I am starting to work on it.  My question is what values will I need for the two resistors if I run the circuit off of 5V (regulated) instead of 9V?  I am racking my brain trying to figure it out.

From R.G. Keen's site about testing transistors:
http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/ffselect.htm

My brainstorm idea is as follows:

ATMEGA328P controlled (arduino based and tested but will be on the same PCB once program is finalized)
16x2 character backlit lcd! whoo hoo
"Reset" button for starting a new test, and a slider for testing the "actual" gain.

The procedure will be to put your transistor in the socket and press reset.  
The microcontroller will sample the voltage until it stabilizes - displaying volts and leakage on LCD while you wait.
Once voltage stabilizes, the screen will say "ready to test actual gain"
User will slide DPDT switch which will close the current to the base and also trigger the microcontroller to perform the next step.  
Device will sample voltage - Once voltage stabilizes, the screen will say DONE!  and display the leakage and gain.  
Press RESET to start again.

I am pretty confident I can get the code working well in an arduino test platform but I was hoping to run the transistor circuit off of 5V if possible with the correct resistor values.

Any ideas?

I suppose I could run the circuit off of 9V regulated and then step that down to 5V for the microcontroller but it would be cool if everything could be 5V.  Thanks in advance

I was even thinking if this works well that I could add a thermal printer which would print out the values on paper and you can stick it to the transistor.

I would love to see a shimmer reverb. I have read that it doubles the octave of the drive signal and mixes it in with the feedback loop of the reverb circuit. Any ideas?

Just screwing around with the Eagle3D ULP script and POV Ray.  I have been using Eagle for a little over 2 weeks.  This is a Timmy board (for my own personal consumption) which I have sent off to Osh Park and am eagerly awaiting its return.  Attached is a Osh Park rendering as well as some POV Ray renderings I did to see what they would look like while I wait.  Of course, I had to use the obligitory Osh Park purple.

It's not that hard to run the Eagle3D ULP script but its a PITA to edit the ini files to populate components which aren't normally setup.  Once you setup the script files things are easy and quick to export into a 3D format.  This website has really good information about editing the ini files:
http://www.societyofrobots.com/electronics_Eagle3D_tutorial.shtml

There is another 3D script for Eagle called "EagleUP" which uses "SketchUP".  Haven't played around with that one yet but it looks promising too.

As I am from the Northeast, we don't have In-N-Out Burger up here.  Whenever I travel (and that is pretty often) I make it a point to grab me some In-N-Out.  So as a tribute, I made an In-N-Out Distortion based on the Madbean Boneyard.  I must have had the finished enclosure and the finished board sitting around here for 6+ months.  Today I got off my keyster and finished it.  Not my neatest wiring but hey, it works!

Check it out:

don't mind the dirt on the first pic...

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone knew of a etchable layout for a germanium testing rig?  Based on R.G. Keen's rig - this guy would have a socket for a transistor and the appropriate other sections.

What do you guys use for testing?

Built this for a friend...it is a Star Wars Empire Strikes Back meets Owl Theme...  Sounds great!   
Disclaimer: (this is not built or endorsed by Sennheiser)

Trying to squeeze all of it in there with a 9V battery was a b$*&%- I am starting to lean towards not including 9V in my pedals unless absolutely needed.  Took my time, etching was clean, powdercoat nicey.  As you see by the pics, I only had a large 1uF film cap on hand so I ended up having to remote it to make everything happy.  After some minor board placement and wire tweaking it is solid now!

Hello,

I understand that one can use a electrolytic cap for C2 on the Glitterratti however I am just curious:

1.  Are there any advantages for using a film cap there (is this in the audio path?)
2.  Why was a film specified here in the layout?
3.  Does the original use a film or electrolytic?
4.  If using a electrolytic, which side is positive (on the home etch single side layout?)

Thanks in advance for my redundant questions.

Nothing like bass cupcakes!  Or salmon cupcakes well...err.. MadBean Bass Cupcakes that is.  Here are two of my latest for my bass player friends, one in white and the other in dormant copper powdercoat.  Same decal layout on both.  Sounds great however I am curious to see what they think.  Happy with the the wiring job and powder coat (way easier than a 4 pot monster in a 1590b.

Basic Cupcake with the 3 parts changes to tailor it more towards Bass.  Orange 3mm led.

Just finished the "StarDrive".  I have a friend who is a vet and (much to his wife's dismay) likes to play StarCraft so I whipped up a Glitteratti with a StarCraft type of theme.  Dormant red powdercoat, laser decal, blue LED.  Home etched PCB.  This pedal sounds rippin!  One of my favorite circuits here at the MadBean lab.  I'm going to build at least 4 more.  

Hello,

(1) Project Name: Glitterrattii
(2) General description of the problem:  When sustaining a note, there is this weird breaking up (speaker blown) kind of decay sound.  It is most prominent when playing a soft passage or when you turn your volume down on guitar and let note ring out.  Other than this, the overdrive sounds great.  Has a LOT of volume and gain on tap
(3) Steps that you have taken to try to resolve the issue:  Checked values, wondering if a faulty/mismatched transistor or IC may be causing this?
(4) List any substitutions you used for parts/values:  (none)

Thanks in advance.

Hi everybody!  I always have been into amp building, pedal modding, etc...I found this site by looking for something (I think it was a compressor DIY) and now am bitten by the bug.  I built a BYOC before but this site is responsible for me etching my own boards, ordering a powder coating setup, and hours spent finishing up a EagleCAD layout for a certain pedal that begins with the letter "T"!  I am currently on travel but will post some pics of my latest creations when I get back.  Thanks for all the info, I can't wait to finish up some projects when I get back.

I figured I would share some helpful n00b tips that I learned over the past month or so...from this site and by poking around on the internet.

1.  Etching is much easier than I thought!  If you are scared - don't be!  It is really not that hard and really cool to play around with acid that eats metal!  Use Muriatic Acid (get it from Lowes not Home Cheapo cuz theirs is safer {which translates to pu**y}) and mix it 1 part acid to two parts Hydrogen Peroxide.  Works even better if you immerse the container in a hot water bath.  Don't breathe the fumes.  - Be safe probably do it outside if you can.

2.  Get a good quality soldering iron with a fine tip.  I use a Weller PES51 with the digital temp control and it has served me well for a number of years now. 

3.  A dedicated and modified laminator is the BOMB for toner transfer!  Just don't try to feed regular 1/16 PCB copper clad through the laminator.  You will break it and the motor will go "clack clack" (ask me how I know).  If you haven't - check out this guy's tutorial (which includes the thermal fuse and thermostat part numbers from Mouser and Digikey).  http://ultrakeet.com.au/index.php?id=article&name=superfuser.  For $20 for a used laminator and another 5 bucks in parts...this mod will make all your etching dreams come true and you won't have to screw around with an iron.

4.  Properly applied Toner Reactive Foil (TRF) is awesome and makes your traces dang near perfect) especially with the laminator.  You basically run this over the fresh toner you just layed down and it makes the toner even more resistant to your etching solution.  The Pulsar stuff works great.

5.  Double check your values (especially for caps).  I couldn't figure out why my Serendipities weren't working until I checked that I had the wrong value.  I usually take the parts list and translate into uF using a spreadsheet which works easier for me.

6.  I think the hardest part of DIY pedal building is sourcing the parts.  I highly recommend the Mouser Project Manager tool as you can reorder another type of pedal in a flash once you do the work once.  Of course cheaper parts such as from Tayda, eBay and others can go a long way as well if you want to order in bulk.  I place all the parts on a spreadsheet (Excel or Google Docs) and when I am ordering each part I color it.  Green=I already have it on hand.  Orange=I just ordered it and placed it in my shopping cart.  I originally bought Hammond enclosures but lately have been way more impressed with the New Sensor (1590NS) and similar for less than 1/2 the price!

7.  Build a Beavis Board (or similar)...as long as it revolves around 2 jacks, a stomp switch, 9V supply, and a bus bar (screw type with 6 positions) it will be way worth it. 

8.  I highly recommend getting a looper pedal (Boss RC2, Boss RC3, Digitech Jam Man, etc).  This allows you to just hit "play" and tweak your pedal without actually plugging in.  Of course you want to plug in to hear how it reacts with your guitar but a looper is a great practice tool as well as a great pedal "does it work" tool.

9.  You really need to get the Teflon Coated 22AWG stranded wire (eBay or similar)  If you haven't tried it already.  This stuff is the best.  Makes for a neatly wired box and the coating never burns.

10.  Get a toaster oven.  If you paint your enclosures now with rattle cans or wish to powder coat them in the future- it is worth it.  Additionally, I would recommend a Laser Printer.  I got an old HP 6MP from a friend for free that he was going to throw out because it was old and only had a Parallel port.  I got a Parallel port converter to put it on my router at home ($10) and now can print using WiFi from any computer...it is the best for PCB transfers and decals.

I am sure there is more but I hope these tips can help someone who is just starting.  Oh yeah, a drill press and UniBit work great too!