2-in1 build - grounding shield cable between 3PDTs?

[mkstewartesq]

Hi, all:

I've gotten into using shielded I/O cables as a standard practice but a new wrinkle has come up and I'd like your advice.

As you know, you need to ground the shield at one end of the cable. For cables running from an I/O jack to the board, this is easy, just run the shield to the sleeve lug on the jack. But I'm now doing a 2-in-1 build where using shielded cable seems most advisable to minimize the IO cables picking up noise from the boards/ICs (phaser and flanger in one box). But it seems a bit pointess to do that unless I am also using shielded cable for the connection from the out of one 3PDT to the input of the other 3PDT. So I'm trying to think of the best way to ground the shield of that one cable.

As background, I am using 3PDT breakout boards on both #PDTs.

I assume my options (other than running a long bit of shielding up to a jack or the grounding pads at the top of the PCB) are to run the shield to either the ground pad on the breakout board or to the ground pad at the bottom of the main PCB that connects to the 3PDT. Since that is going to make for a crowded pad (the "normal" ground wire between the 3PDT and the main PCB is also going to be in those pads), I just wanted to ask if anyone had any other thoughts about how to ground this before I commit to this.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[benny_profane]

You could extend the ground to one of the lug pads connected to ground instead of trying to use the tiny breakout connection. I think the bigger concern here is ensuring that the clocks don't interfere with one another.

 

[mkstewartesq]

You could extend the ground to one of the lug pads connected to ground instead of trying to use the tiny breakout connection.

Thank you. I thought about doing that but wasn't sure it would work. I appreciate the confirmation that it would, as it would save a lot of awkward weaving the of the shield wire among the other 3PDT-to-PCB wires.

I think the bigger concern here is ensuring that the clocks don't interfere with one another.

Yeah, that's definitely a concern. When I build 2-in-1s I generally build the boards separately and test them separately (seems like it would be a nightmare to test and troubleshoot them for the first time connected to each other, since that connection would add a whole new set of variables). What the means is that, once both boards are tested, that final connection is still a nail-biter because it remains an open question as to whether the two pedals will play well together in the same box.

Mike

 

[DeadAirMD]

GuitarPCB has 3pdt PCB boards that have a ton of extra ground/9v. Future option to consider. Well......not a ton, but extra.....

 

[mkstewartesq]

Thanks. Yeah, I've already put the breakout board on the 3PDTs for this build but that defintiely sounds like a good option to simplify things for future builds. Appreciated!

Mike

 

[DeadAirMD]

"Amazingly useful for Combo Builds". Hahahah!