Schematics for all ye DIY(ers)

Yup..IIRC it works out this way..small values pF range-> Ceramic, nF range-> Polyprop and uF range-> Electrolytic. In high distortion circuits, it doesn't matter that much if you use cheap ceramics, but I am primarily looking at low distortion boosters/amp sims, so cap quality would be important. Guess I'll import these too.

If you try to buy LEDs and resistors from US, you end up paying 5-10 bucks for each piece, which is ridiculous. I am sure they are cheaper here.

Do you have any info on the decorative stuff ? As in doing lettering on enclosures and such? I am not sure if I'll get decals here.

 

not all uF caps are electrolytic. Check your list against the circuit (Electrolytics are polarized)

5-10 bucks for an LED is ridiculous

For the decals(and text) I'd suggest draw out the stuff in Adobe Illustrator and go to a screen printer, Shouldn't be to expensive. If your print isn't too fine you can get a stencil made by those bike stickering guys (they're quite good) and buy a spray can

before you export caps, look around. If you look hard enough I'm sure you'll find everything here ( except switches )

 

I was already planning to check out the bike sticker guys, that looks promising A sticker and few layers of clear coat spray should do the trick. I also read about drawing the stuff on PC and printing it on to decal paper(as you are suggesting). These are usually water/heat release or even dry transfer...are these kind of decal sheets available here?

 

@ nebu - Get 3pdt switches... the couple that I found were waaaaaaaaaaaay too expensive, more than 10 times the rest of the pedal.
Enclosures are another thing that may be worth looking into if u want ur stomps to be pretty.
BTW, if u are buying switches fom us, any chance u could order a couple for me? I'd pay u of course

@laney - Even a nooby school kid can build a simple boost in about half an hour (I know this from experience ). U'll actually learn most of the stuff u need to know by the time ur in 12th. CBSE ki JAI!!




Ok, now on to more important matters... Someone tell me what type of caps to use where... I'm building a simple overdrive circuit, but I'm totally confused on what caps to use. The polarised ones will obviously be electrolytic, but as for the rest I'm totally confused.. Should I use polyprops or ceramics or film caps??? HELP!!!!

The voltages involved dont go above 16V.

The values I need are

25pF
0.0001uF
0.01uF
0.047uF

What type should I use for these?

Next, for resistors, should I go with Carbon comps or metal film??? I've heard plenty of arguments in favour of both, and havent been able to decide.

 

Actually I meant take your Illustrator file to a screen printer's shop, I used to go to this guy near Russel market, They can print your stuff on anything. But as for me I'm real cheap so I'd go with the sticker thing, but yeah you do get Iron-on printer transfer sheets but IIRC those were for transferring onto T-shirts.

Worth checking with the screen printer though. That's how your amp faceplates are made. If you're buying Hammond enclosures you might as well make pretty stompboxes

 

After reading the above few posts....i know i cant do it lol

 

Good Lord! we've got a wild fire raging here. 8)

It would help if you mentioned what circuit you were building, link?
are any of these caps in your tone circuit? if not ceramic disk would be fine. You will most likely use Carbon film 1/4W resitors. CCs add their own ditortion so would probably not want it in parts where you have no control

 

Here's my experience with the stuff from when i tried to build my boost stomp (It never made it off the breadboard.)

Caps, resistors, diodes and LED's are most easily available here, if you know where to go. The right transistors however are not. I ended up doing a lot of research on the transistors, and used the ones with the most similar characteristics that I could find here.

Switches are impossible to find. ICs are 50/50 the common ones can be easily found. I couldn't find a replacement for my TS9DX IC here tho.

Another thing I'd suggest is, dont be sooo particular about using only film caps, in the beginning u can use the ceramic ones, and later change them to better quality ones, when ur sure all the glitches are ironed out.

 

just what I wanted to say. You can hanker over these issues all day but IMO I don't think any of us here has such Golden Ears to be able to discern one from the other. My Amp had some old CC resistors that caught fire at one point so I replaced them with metal film ones. I seriously can't tell any difference.

Just get the right values and put them in the right place. If it works... have a beer on me

 

^^^^^ Mines working before I built it

 

you can still have the beer but you pay for it

 

Everyone knows it doesn't make that much of a difference, but we all love hankering on forums, don't we?Its fun...

@DC..sorry not this time..I am ordering small amounts of stuff because of strict orders regarding size and quantity by the person bringing it :cry1:. Buy it of Ronnie, he has some stock I believe. Anyway, dont think switches come cheap..they are the costliest thing if you use a Carling 3PDT..luckily now you get EHX 3PDTs for about $4.5

 

$4.0 last time I checked, I have 3 boards wired up already and I'm still waiting on switches LOL. Seems like a good time to put all into a single big box and go back to my next amp.


BTW anyone have an opinion on a Beta Aivin delay pedal? Korean made but quite cheap. Rs 1,200. Thought I'll pick up one if anybody knows anything about it

 

Yeah you are right, its $4..but prices vary from shop to shop. I have seen them for $4.5 in some shop.

Never heard of that delay, who is stocking it?

 

Saw it in the window of an electronics store. (Non music) No guitar around to check it with though But for that price I don't mind buying it... I'd rather build amps

https://www.beta-aivin.com/en/effect.asp

 

Hmm..looks like a rip-off of the Boss line

 

Oh they're making no attemp absolutely to hide the fact, but they are cheap. Some folks have had somewhat decent things to say about them too. I don't mind a delay for 1200. I'm not too much of a delay person but a little wetness in my signal wouldn't hurt

Pedal in question is even called a DD-2

 

Behringer is also nice. I got the behringer delay for around 1000 lol!

 

was that used or off the shelf? Bet it wasn't in India though

 

Oh I love cheap wonders....I have a Arion Tubulator(TS9 clone) I got for $10 new, and I love its sound.

@Laney...how does the ishibashi used gear section work? I tried out the site briefly and under used effects it was showing all new pedals. Under what heading did you find the pedalboard?