News:

Forum may be experiencing issues.

Main Menu

How to build and Use a Basic Testing Rig

Started by jkokura, February 14, 2011, 05:06:08 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

murdog47

Awesome Man!!!! I just built mine yesterday but I'm embarrassed to post it after seeing yours  ;D Great job!

gtr2

1776 EFFECTS STORE     
Contract PCB designer

bigmufffuzzwizz

What a nice job! Your testing rig makes mine look like a total toy.. :)
Are the little metal pins on the outside just for holding the clips in place?
Owner and operator of Magic Pedals

jkokura

Yeah, I saw that this morning and was like, "Mmhmm."

Great execution, well thought out. Super implementation of all the elements. I bet that thing will be the standard for rig testers.

Jacob
JMK Pedals - Custom Pedal Creations
JMK PCBs *New Website*
pedal company - youtube - facebook - Used Pedals

lincolnic

That testing rig looks better than most of my pedals...

Guybrush

#50
Aww shucks guys. Thank you very much. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. It's a lot prettier on the outside than on the inside though! The pins on the front are plastic pcb stand-offs and yeah they're just there to keep the crock clips tidy. Thanks to Jacob for the great tutorial and to Night-B for the advice.

whitebread47

I have a question: I built one of these as per the instructions and it works great, but is there any possible way I could wire a battery clip in a manner that would allow me to test positive ground circuits via battery?

For example, could I wire the battery clip as usual but in reverse?

Please excuse my lack of know-how; I'm hoping to understand this better even if this isn't possible.

Blake

"I don't think people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive." - Joseph Campbell

jkokura

I'm fairly certain there is, just that you won't be able to use an LED when you do so. The backwards power may burn it out.

Jacob
JMK Pedals - Custom Pedal Creations
JMK PCBs *New Website*
pedal company - youtube - facebook - Used Pedals

whitebread47

Good thing I don't test with LEDs then (I always wire 'em offboard anyways), thanks for the response!

I'll see if I can't find where someone has done this.  If not, I'll just go trial and error with it.
Blake

"I don't think people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive." - Joseph Campbell

jkokura

You can wire a DPDT switch to switch polarity.

Jacob
JMK Pedals - Custom Pedal Creations
JMK PCBs *New Website*
pedal company - youtube - facebook - Used Pedals

whitebread47

Hmm, now there's an idea.  That would be ideal, as the enclosure I'm using already has extra holes drilled.  I'm not sure how to wire it up, but it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out or find.  Do you know of any diagrams for this application, perchance?
Blake

"I don't think people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive." - Joseph Campbell

Om_Audio

#56
I used this thread a lot to help me build my first testing/debugging rig- thanks.
(my test rig troubleshooting thread: http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=6471.msg55745#msg55745)
Sent via soup cans and string.

jeffaroo

that ^^^ is awesome ! a true pedal builders build. love the look.
even with custom cap calculating on the workbench !
Not enough germaniums in this world to complete my wish list !

Stomptown

#58
Thanks Jacob! This thread is very helpful. I have been building for a couple years now and I finally decided to start rocking before boxing. In still need to add the audio probe, but I haven't had the chance to pick one up yet. Check it out...



The circuit in the pic is actually my first eagle layout (Linear Power Boost) and it actually works! I'm not sure why it took me so long to build a tester. In the past I have always boxed em up asap so I could hear the circuit and then I would take it apart and work on the enclosure. Not too efficient! This will save a lot of wasted time and allow me to debug if necessary. Next up: the Beavis board!  ;D

jimilee

Nice,I sed the alligator clips and for an audio probe,I just grab typically a small screwdriver and clip it to the audio out.dual purpose and it works well.is that a volume pot? I'd love a way add the pots without soldering them until I'm ready to box it.
Pedal building is like the opposite of sex.  All the fun stuff happens before you get in the box.