What's in the mailbox? 📬 📦

[KR Sound]

I’ve been practicing KiCad layouts and made a Tube Screamer with a few mods that I can’t remember and asymmetrical clipping. We’ll see if it works.

 

[Fizz]

I’ve been practicing KiCad layouts and made a Tube Screamer with a few mods that I can’t remember and asymmetrical clipping. We’ll see if it works.

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So cool.. I want to do this eventually.. is KiCad the easiest to learn? Why'd you have so many made?

 

[steviejr92]

So cool.. I want to do this eventually.. is KiCad the easiest to learn? Why'd you have so many made?

KiCad is easy in my opinion to learn. Its the software i use to make boards.

 

[Passinwind]

So cool.. I want to do this eventually.. is KiCad the easiest to learn? Why'd you have so many made?

When you buy from JLCPCB 5 is the minimum order. For another five it might cost an extra buck or two, typically. So lots of us end up with extra coasters when doing development on our board designs, since we tend to hope/expect everything to work fine on the first/second/third etc. go.

KiCAD definitely has a fairly steep learning curve, but it has improved by leap and bounds over the last few years and there's a very robust support community by now.

 

[KR Sound]

KiCad is easy in my opinion to learn. Its the software i use to make boards.

When you buy from JLCPCB 5 is the minimum order. For another five it might cost an extra buck or two, typically. So lots of us end up with extra coasters when doing development on our board designs, since we tend to hope/expect everything to work fine on the first/second/third etc. go.

KiCAD definitely has a fairly steep learning curve, but it has improved by leap and bounds over the last few years and there's a very robust support community by now.

If you’ve used any type of CAD software before, then it’s pretty straightforward to use. The schematics are the floor plans and the pcb is the 3D model. It’s the actual footprint placement and trace creation that is itself an art that I have not yet developed!

 

[KR Sound]

So cool.. I want to do this eventually.. is KiCad the easiest to learn? Why'd you have so many made?

When it’s only $4 for 5 or $6 for 10 (shipped) then I might as well. If it works, then I’ll plan on giving most of them away.

 

[RetiredUnit1]

The good news is I finally found 1w 3.3M carbon film resistors. The bad news is it was minimum 1000. The good news is that at that quantity they're only $0.039 each. The bad news is that's still 39 buck$ plus tax & shipping. This is the resistor that is needed on the reverb circuit for Fender (and maybe more) amps. And wouldn't you know it Tayda had 3M, but not 3.3M.... doh.....

 

[Fama]

The good news is I finally found 1w 3.3M carbon film resistors. The bad news is it was minimum 1000. The good news is that at that quantity they're only $0.039 each. The bad news is that's still 39 buck$ plus tax & shipping. This is the resistor that is needed on the reverb circuit for Fender (and maybe more) amps. And wouldn't you know it Tayda had 3M, but not 3.3M.... doh.....

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Sounds like a 1W 3M and 1W 300k might be much easier? Assuming you can find 300k's and the layouts don't cause issues with two resistors in series.

Or maybe if you can find 1W 3M 10% resistors and just buy a bunch of them and hope one is right at the limits of tolerance

 

[Fizz]

If you’ve used any type of CAD software before, then it’s pretty straightforward to use. The schematics are the floor plans and the pcb is the 3D model. It’s the actual footprint placement and trace creation that is itself an art that I have not yet developed!

KiCad is easy in my opinion to learn. Its the software i use to make boards.

When you buy from JLCPCB 5 is the minimum order. For another five it might cost an extra buck or two, typically. So lots of us end up with extra coasters when doing development on our board designs, since we tend to hope/expect everything to work fine on the first/second/third etc. go.

KiCAD definitely has a fairly steep learning curve, but it has improved by leap and bounds over the last few years and there's a very robust support community by now.

Is it easier to learn that DipTrace? Which is better?

 

[szukalski]

I use DipTrace but I am sure they're all similar in terms of learning curve. It takes time to build a library and learn the tool, but from there it's not so bad.

 

[KR Sound]

Is it easier to learn that DipTrace? Which is better?

I don’t have the knowledge to answer that like others here do, as I’m probably only using a small percentage of its total capacity. There are some very skilled and proficient diptrace users who can better answer that for you.

 

[steviejr92]

Is it easier to learn that DipTrace? Which is better?

I haven’t actually used Diptrace. I believe they’re both free. It wouldnt hurt trying either out. I say start with KiCAD, and go from there but that’s just my opinion.

 

[PapaBear]

The good news is I finally found 1w 3.3M carbon film resistors. The bad news is it was minimum 1000. The good news is that at that quantity they're only $0.039 each. The bad news is that's still 39 buck$ plus tax & shipping. This is the resistor that is needed on the reverb circuit for Fender (and maybe more) amps. And wouldn't you know it Tayda had 3M, but not 3.3M.... doh.....

View attachment 56599

I think I'd roll with a 3m resistor. Shouldn't it be within the realm of tolerance?

 

[andare]

I think I'd roll with a 3m resistor. Shouldn't it be within the realm of tolerance?

Tone is in the tolerance

 

[RetiredUnit1]

I think I'd roll with a 3m resistor. Shouldn't it be within the realm of tolerance?

The blackface princeton reverb is one of those builds you need to follow the original layout to a T to avoid parasitic oscillation. I'd hate to use something out of spec, the cap that is paired with the 3.3M is 10pf. Soooo... right there is some odd mojo going on. I was specifically warned by someone that has built a ton of these to not mess with the odd layout as well. You can see it below, they're smushed together at a 45 degree angle. I really wanted to straighten these, since I'm building the circuit board. Not a good idea....!

I was also told to use 5% resistors (which I use anyway). 3.3*.95 is 3.135 so 3M is not in spec!

 

[RetiredUnit1]

Tone is in the tolerance

You know I had to buy 1000 220K 2W when I bought those 20 years ago, and I'm down to about 600. I paid less than one penny each for those, lol.

 

[Bricksnbeatles]

For anyone interested in a DIY version of this:

I pulled up the SDS (safety data sheet) for 4140A and was surprised at how simple the formulation is and how plainly it's spelled out on the SDS. It's 75% IPA and 25% n-heptane by weight (specific gravities make it about 72% and 28% by volume - 9 fl oz heptane and 23 fl oz ipa for a quart)

You can buy heptane cheaply from art and photography stores under the brand name "Bestine" which is 100% heptane. You can also probably find it from philatelists who use it for removing stamps. Heptane is very expensive from chemical suppliers FWIW. I also wouldn't trust anything similar without confirming on the product SDS that it is 100% n-heptane. There's a reason MG Chemicals use it in their PCB / safe for most plastics formulation, and that's enough for me.

I paid $23 for this 1 quart bottle of 4140A (not an unreasonable price either IMHO!) and I just did the math and I can make my own quart for just shy of $10. That even that includes the price of the IPA which I always have on hand anyway. Without factoring that in it's like $6/qt.

I've used IPA/acetone mixes for removing flux before, which works much better than just IPA, but this stuff is night and day better.

Just got a quart of the Bestine in my Blick order of stuff for my printmaking class today. I’ll have to mix up some this week and give it a try.

 

[finebyfine]

Just got a quart of the Bestine in my Blick order of stuff for my printmaking class today. I’ll have to mix up some this week and give it a try.

Curious to see what ya think! I also found out recently that the wd40 contact cleaner (which works v well imho) is heptane based. I bought 2 quarts before I posted the diy note but I still have so much of the real stuff that I haven’t tried it myself yet

 

[Feral Feline]

NPN Ge trans,
AND bonus tubes and silicon-tube shock-absorber doohickies from @Chuck D. Bones !

Many thanks, kind sir!

 

[Feral Feline]

The good news is I finally found 1w 3.3M carbon film resistors. The bad news is it was minimum 1000. The good news is that at that quantity they're only $0.039 each. The bad news is that's still 39 buck$ plus tax & shipping. This is the resistor that is needed on the reverb circuit for Fender (and maybe more) amps. And wouldn't you know it Tayda had 3M, but not 3.3M.... doh.....

View attachment 56599

So what you're really saying is you're organising a group-buy.

I'm in for a few...