What's in the mailbox? 📬 📦

His books are great! I have a few. Don’t even think I’ve seen that one though!
There was a discounted B-stock copy of the complete BYO Metal Working Shop From Scratch, so I went for it. I was pleasantly surprised to see this one.
 
I thought I would share this microphone that I got. My Instagram was constantly inundated with the ad for this device, and I eventually bit for it. My reasoning was that it is super easy and an all-in-one video and microphone option. I am going to use it to make short demos for pedals that I want to sell. I did several quick videos today, and I think the audio sounds fairly good. The app allows you to add some reverb and manage a small EQ. If you pay the subscription service, the app can do more for you. At this point, I would suggest it.

Here are a couple short demos- If you all have any thoughts, please share.


IMG_7194 (1).jpg
 
Do me a favor and tell me it’s bad and I don’t need one, k? Thx.
I've got one. It is nice to have, but doesn't replace my PCB holder for everything. Given how much I have seen you make, I think you would like it. The only issue is: If you like to place a component and then flip the PCB over to solder, the Omnifixo will not let you flip it all the way over.
 
I’ve just been using a panavise for a few years and I find it pretty good. Is the Omnifixo a lot better? Or a dedicated PCB holder? Am I missing out?!? 🥺🫠
I populate and solder pcbs using a modified panavise. I'm totally happy with that setup.

What I imagine the omnifixo being cool for is tasks involving wire. My pedal wiring process mostly happens in the enclosure, so I don't usually need to clamp wires while I solder, but for random joining of wires and components it looks very cool. I have a 4 arm flexy aligator clip rig that works fine for that stuff, it's just not as slick. I imagine the omnifixo is much more precise at getting and retaining a placement.
 
I populate and solder pcbs using a modified panavise. I'm totally happy with that setup.
Can you tell me about which Panavise you have and how you modified it? That Omnifixo looks very cool, but the inability to flip pcbs makes me think there might be a better option if I’m gonna upgrade. I’m using either a cheapo alligator-clip stand or a similarly basic spring-loaded pcb holder (which flips easily). It’s way too big, though!
 
Can you tell me about which Panavise you have and how you modified it?
This is the flea market panavise I started with:

F99EA72A-5690-4206-A9ED-9B7EA176B3A9.jpeg

I thought about getting a new pcb specific jaw set, but I never did. My main complaint was that I wanted it to be taller. I like to have my face right up in the fumes while I solder.

Especially if I flip the vise so the grooves line up with the pcb edge it’s just too short.

B42F62E0-B338-4489-9322-0F55C7972DD2.jpeg

The rest of this is probably not helpful, but here this is what I did… I pulled the panavise head out of the base and started looking for a way to hold it higher up off the table. I ended up with a Wilton PowRarm on an aluminum plate holding a mini drill press vise holding a right angle V block holding the shaft of the panavise head. Ha!

B138014C-69B7-4A5D-BB71-52C9131EF6AD.jpeg

0BF188DE-88A4-4E0E-A6CB-8E6C69FC0029.jpeg

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The cherry on top of this junkyard monstrosity is a mini pc fan and charcoal filter mounted on the end of a machine coolant nozzle, stuck to a steel block and powered by an arduino! Entirely sourced from my local dump and scrap metal yard.

131B5C22-920F-497A-B2F4-9A1CE6E2C902.jpeg

There are serious downsides to being a hopeless trash collector/ borderline hoarder, but every once in a while I have all the right stuff to solve some problem I’m working on and it makes me happy.
 
This is the flea market panavise I started with:

View attachment 93991

I thought about getting a new pcb specific jaw set, but I never did. My main complaint was that I wanted it to be taller. I like to have my face right up in the fumes while I solder.

Especially if I flip the vise so the grooves line up with the pcb edge it’s just too short.

View attachment 93986

The rest of this is probably not helpful, but here this is what I did… I pulled the panavise head out of the base and started looking for a way to hold it higher up off the table. I ended up with a Wilton PowRarm on an aluminum plate holding a mini drill press vise holding a right angle V block holding the shaft of the panavise head. Ha!

View attachment 93987

View attachment 93988

View attachment 93989

The cherry on top of this junkyard monstrosity is a mini pc fan and charcoal filter mounted on the end of a machine coolant nozzle, stuck to a steel block and powered by an arduino! Entirely sourced from my local dump and scrap metal yard.

View attachment 93990

There are serious downsides to being a hopeless trash collector/ borderline hoarder, but every once in a while I have all the right stuff to solve some problem I’m working on and it makes me happy.
Nice solution! I can certainly understand wanting the pcb to be higher up. I think I'd probably be happy with that Panavise, though! I've come to terms with destroying my neck and back by hunching over a table. :) Looking at them, it's tough to pick the right one. Even the JR looks ok, but I have the feeling it's a good idea to get a standard size. Not sure which model people like, but I'm gonna poke around a bit. I guess I don't mind this blue guy too much, but it's also a bit janky, what with the pcb-holding spring mechanism...
1744582476646.png
 
Looking at them, it's tough to pick the right one. Even the JR looks ok, but I have the feeling it's a good idea to get a standard size.
I think the junior with the long jaws looks great. It looks to me like the difference with the full size is just that it’s mounted to the big weighted disc.
 
Y'all, just solder your axial components from the top side and be done with it. :)
@Erik S totally with you on the junk hoarding. Until last year(when I went to an OEM) I worked the previous decade-ish for companies that repaired and refurbed medical imaging equipment(MR, CT, XRAY) and they were always scrapping *good* junk. Excess Power One linear supplies, heavy duty casters, latches, fans, NEMA plugs, soooo much cable... I hoarded quite a bit/too much but it's nice when one get's to assimilate a pile of free junk into a solution. IEC/UL be damned.
 
Y'all, just solder your axial components from the top side and be done with it. :)
@Erik S totally with you on the junk hoarding. Until last year(when I went to an OEM) I worked the previous decade-ish for companies that repaired and refurbed medical imaging equipment(MR, CT, XRAY) and they were always scrapping *good* junk. Excess Power One linear supplies, heavy duty casters, latches, fans, NEMA plugs, soooo much cable... I hoarded quite a bit/too much but it's nice when one get's to assimilate a pile of free junk into a solution. IEC/UL be damned.
I worked for a few years at a plant that manufactured medical devices. Wasn’t a great company, but the dumpster was excellent. :ROFLMAO:
 
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