DIY newbie questions

C

ClintN667

Well-known member
I put together my first pedal today (boost pedal) and after a ton of stupid mistakes it started clicking for the most part.

I'm going to put together a fuzz Tuesday then a Mod102 amp kit after that. I know the more I do this the better I will get but do you guys have any tips about work flow, getting consistent solder joints, or general building tips? I joined a group on Facebook that recommended that I draw some schematics to get better at reading them so what would be a good some good schematics to start out with?

I'm hoping the next two or three builds go well then I think I'm going to get a kit from Ceriatone minus the iron of a Super Lead. I just got a couple PCB's to build a clone of some higher end amps but I don't want to start those until I feel a bit more confident.

Any recommendations, tips, etc would be appreciated
 
Pick up a good solder station and a flux pen. Make shure the leads of your parts aren't tarnished. if you're using surplus stuff, carefully clean. I like to use a my iron on the warmer side and get on and off quick. Get a tip cleaner, mine looks like a pot scrubber in a tin, small damp sponge is handy too. For small boards i use a panavise and a lighted magnafier. Have some desolder whick and a solder pump handy for silly mistakes. Best to move slow and check polorized parts before you solder. I like excello nippers, they trim close and are sharpe, mine are almost 15 yrs old. The more you do the better you'll get at it.
 
The best advice is to just take your time.

Double check polarity on electrolytic caps, and direction on diodes.

Very rarely is it something major that screws you up. Usually it's just something very small.
 
Do you guys keep any parts stocked up? I was going to start buying components in a B.O.M for the pcb's I have but I started thinking maybe I should buy 50 or 100 of the cheaper stuff like resistors,diodes, etc. To me the shipping charges alone would make it worth it.


Also I bought a desolder wick today and my boss gave me a few electronics that are obsolete in our lab. I was thinking that I could practice soldering a little bit cheaper that way.
 
ClintN667":9i7lyx4t said:
Do you guys keep any parts stocked up? I was going to start buying components in a B.O.M for the pcb's I have but I started thinking maybe I should buy 50 or 100 of the cheaper stuff like resistors,diodes, etc. To me the shipping charges alone would make it worth it.


Also I bought a desolder wick today and my boss gave me a few electronics that are obsolete in our lab. I was thinking that I could practice soldering a little bit cheaper that way.
Click to expand...


I probably have 30,000-50,000 components on hand easily. I pretty much have a decent stock for every value of everything. I have easily over 100 DIFFERENT transistors, etc. Just about everything. Rarely do I have to order anything for any build. I have at least 100 jacks, 200 pots of all sorts of values, always keep 20+ stomp switches on hand, an extra 10 housings. Etc. If it's something that you do a lot of (like me) it's worth it to at least stock up on the cheap stuff. On the expensive stuff, use your judgment.

If you are starting or doing a few, go the B.O.M. route.
 
swamptrashstompboxes":1sy5x98q said:
ClintN667":1sy5x98q said:
Do you guys keep any parts stocked up? I was going to start buying components in a B.O.M for the pcb's I have but I started thinking maybe I should buy 50 or 100 of the cheaper stuff like resistors,diodes, etc. To me the shipping charges alone would make it worth it.
Also I bought a desolder wick today and my boss gave me a few electronics that are obsolete in our lab. I was thinking that I could practice soldering a little bit cheaper that way.
Click to expand...


I probably have 30,000-50,000 components on hand easily. I pretty much have a decent stock for every value of everything. I have easily over 100 DIFFERENT transistors, etc. Just about everything. Rarely do I have to order anything for any build. I have at least 100 jacks, 200 pots of all sorts of values, always keep 20+ stomp switches on hand, an extra 10 housings. Etc. If it's something that you do a lot of (like me) it's worth it to at least stock up on the cheap stuff. On the expensive stuff, use your judgment.

If you are starting or doing a few, go the B.O.M. route.
Click to expand...

I live 2 miles from mouser electronics. I don't need to back stock much. They've known me by name for a while at Will Call. On larger projects I've placed orders as frequent as 3 times in a day and can pick them up in an hour.
 
scottosan":ar7cw5p1 said:
swamptrashstompboxes":ar7cw5p1 said:
ClintN667":ar7cw5p1 said:
Do you guys keep any parts stocked up? I was going to start buying components in a B.O.M for the pcb's I have but I started thinking maybe I should buy 50 or 100 of the cheaper stuff like resistors,diodes, etc. To me the shipping charges alone would make it worth it.
Also I bought a desolder wick today and my boss gave me a few electronics that are obsolete in our lab. I was thinking that I could practice soldering a little bit cheaper that way.
Click to expand...


I probably have 30,000-50,000 components on hand easily. I pretty much have a decent stock for every value of everything. I have easily over 100 DIFFERENT transistors, etc. Just about everything. Rarely do I have to order anything for any build. I have at least 100 jacks, 200 pots of all sorts of values, always keep 20+ stomp switches on hand, an extra 10 housings. Etc. If it's something that you do a lot of (like me) it's worth it to at least stock up on the cheap stuff. On the expensive stuff, use your judgment.

If you are starting or doing a few, go the B.O.M. route.
Click to expand...

I live 2 miles from mouser electronics. I don't need to back stock much. They've known me by name for a while at Will Call. On larger projects I've placed orders as frequent as 3 times in a day and can pick them up in an hour.
Click to expand...


Lucky SOB! Lol
 
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