My First Production Pedal?

[vigilante398]

I’m loving all these replies. This is such good info! I’m almost done with my schematic and will be ordering some test PCB’s soon. And I’m taking all your input on board as well. Keep the thoughts coming, please!

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

 

[sonic_explorer]

This thread is very useful, thanks for all the advice and experiences shared so far.

I just finished building a very small first batch of pedals for a local guitar shop to carry (delivering them this weekend!), but I have been daydreaming about what if things go well and scaling thing up just a bit.

I guess this would be a question for a lawyer - but maybe someone here knows; at what point should consumer testing (or whatever it is called for the 'C E' symbol) be done? I'm assuming you would need to be moving a lot of units to justify the cost of testing or certifications, but I have no idea.

If there are any technical tips that would not occur to a hobbyist (like don't use leaded solder in production builds) at least I would find those useful too in addition to the business side tips.

 

[szukalski]

This thread is very useful, thanks for all the advice and experiences shared so far.

I just finished building a very small first batch of pedals for a local guitar shop to carry (delivering them this weekend!), but I have been daydreaming about what if things go well and scaling thing up just a bit.

I guess this would be a question for a lawyer - but maybe someone here knows; at what point should consumer testing (or whatever it is called for the 'C E' symbol) be done? I'm assuming you would need to be moving a lot of units to justify the cost of testing or certifications, but I have no idea.

If there are any technical tips that would not occur to a hobbyist (like don't use leaded solder in production builds) at least I would find those useful too in addition to the business side tips.

Location? Things are very different in the EU.

 

[music6000]

I’ve been building for a few years now, and after finding some circuits I really love and receiving some interest from some local shops, I’ve decided to take the dive into producing my first small run (50 to 100 units) pedal for wide sale. I’d like some advice in this arena since while building isn’t new to me, starting a business is and I want to make the most of it.

I’ve had an idea for a pedal that nails a certain era of tones for a few years now, and I think I’ve landed on a circuit to make my own to get there. I’ve reached out to someone who does PCB design to provide me with Gerber files from my schematic, and I have a control layout and some artwork designs in mind. I also feel like I have a good angle for marketing this pedal but I guess we’ll see, lol.

Anyway, just thought I’d ask for any suggestions or advice from those of you who have been down this road.

Thanks, folks!

Don't ask Bill Finnegan for advice?

 

[sonic_explorer]

Location? Things are very different in the EU.

Very good point. I was particularly asking for the US, but It would be interesting to know how things differ around the world.

 

[szukalski]

The EU has more regulations around ensuring that you're selling a safe product, that you have a mechanism to handle waste (electronic and packaging), and a few more I am sure.

 

[yazooligan]

Bumping this thread because despite a lot of time passing, I'm much closer to releasing my first pedal than I was when I started it.

As I type this, the packing and shipping boxes for the first 100 pedals have been delivered and it won't be long before I pull the trigger on all my components and enclosures so the assembly process can begin.

I would like to try using board-mounted DC and I/O jacks like in this photo rather than offboard, but I'm open to suggestions either way.

I'm not crazy about relay switching so I'm probably going to make my own 3PDT breakout PCB's.

If I take the board-mounted stereo jack route, does my ground come from the footswitch's physical connection to the enclosure?

 

[Robert]

This is the enclosure ground connection. It's a negative battery spring terminal, Keystone 628.

There is no electrical connection to the metal housing of a 3PDT footswitch. Some builders will use a lockwasher with a wire attached that connects to the PCB.

You could also use grounding washers (Cliff FCR14422) on the stereo jacks.

 

[Feral Feline]

PIcs of the packing boxes, or they don't exist!

Really, though, would love to have a sneak-peak at them — but fully appreciate you may not want to release any cats out of the bag 'til you're ready to go full-on launch-mode.

 

[yazooligan]

I'll get a pic of the boxes for you, Feral.

PIcs of the packing boxes, or they don't exist!

Really, though, would love to have a sneak-peak at them — but fully appreciate you may not want to release any cats out of the bag 'til you're ready to go full-on launch-mode.

Beyond that, I now have the first 100 PCB's made and ready to go...

 

[pingpongcomputer]

Jumping on to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread, and wishing I'd read it last year. I've been away from the site a while because I decided to design a pedal, start a company and ruin my fun hobby by trying to monetize it. I launched the website and payed to play with a few youtube channels last month. No disasters yet, but I have been working nonstop the last 18 months to get everything ready and expect to continue for the foreseeable future. I still like it and don't mind the work, but I'm far from getting rich.