Cap'n Bit

[Cucurbitam0schata]

Ahoy! Just finished the Captain Bit / Bit Commander. First pedal build, made two for a pal and I. The sea's were a bit choppy, took on a bit of water here and there... but I made it safely to port all in one piece.

Here are some thoughts/comments - mostly aimed at fellow noobs like me:

• Must Read! - the Basic Workflow Tips report from @Jovi Bon Kenobi made was perfect for me as a beginner. If you're new and need a hand to hold, that's your guide! The following discussion is really great, too (as is the whole forum!). Saved me big time, especially since I ordered the wrong parts...
• Go Slow - my big take away is to go slow and be as methodical as you can. I tend to be a little haphazard when it comes to projects. After lots of reading and videos, thought I should keep a slow-n-steady pace. Got two working (not 100% yet...) pedals in the end. I was lucky AND I also went slow.
• Multimeters - Speaking of slow... double check your resistors to make sure that (1) you ordered the right things AND (2) that you were delivered the right things AND (3) that you're using the right ones in the right spot - all very important, and will save you a big headache!
• Hood Vents - It's cold outside! I used out stove's hood vent (that truly vents outside) as my soldering workplace. This worked really well to vent off fumes when I was soldering, of course after I cleared the area from food prep stuff.
• 9v Jacks - If you're ordering enclosures from Tayda, do yourself a favor and get a 9v socket that fits the pre-drilled hole. I had to get fancy with some determination, thriftiness and undersized drill bits.
• Graphics - Used GIMP for the graphics. I have that CamScanner app on my phone, too. That allowed me to draw my doodly "Captain Bit" on paper and then easily scan and paste it into GIMP.
• Spellcheck - yep, I spelled "filter" wrong on both pedals. I proudly showed off my decal'd pedals to my sweetie, and she said "Is that supposed to say 'filter' or...?" In the end, my buddy and I have a nice inside joke now with our shared pedals. Lesson learned, good to have a second pair of eyes on the operation.
  

Questions:

• Waterslide decals - They worked out pretty good with my laser printer. I used Rust-oleum Arcylic Lacquer, seemed to work pretty well as a topcoat. The decal itself was super thin, more than I imagined. I had to be really careful from having it fold and crumple up once placed on the enclosure. Wonder if anyone else has had this experience with these "Blinggasm" decals (what were they thinking with that name...?)?
• Pot nuts - I ordered the "Alpha" pots from Tayda, and two of the twelve pots came with bad nuts - they simply don't fit! Has that happened to anyone else? Next pedal project, I'll have to get a few spare...
• Sluggish Pots - the Alpha pots are kinda sluggish to turn, compared to my other pedals on my board. Has anyone had that similar experience? Of course, you don't want something super loose, but all twelve pots are consistently harder/slower to turn than the pots on my guitar, amp and other pedals.

I'm troubleshooting my second pedal, the "base" and "level" knobs are both acting like volume (only "level" should do that). I'm going to get the soldering iron hot again this weekend and start poking around. I'll give you some updates about that later.

Thanks, ya'll for making this such a fun "group project". I'm pretty hooked on the new hobby. Really appreciate the engaged and helpful community.

 

[Gordo]

First pedal??? Geez, I've been building since pedals were steam powered and half mine rarely look that good. Nicely done. And great build report.

 

[phi1]

Sluggish Pots - the Alpha pots are kinda sluggish to turn, compared to my other pedals on my board. Has anyone had that similar experience? Of course, you don't want something super loose, but all twelve pots are consistently harder/slower to turn than the pots on my guitar, amp and other pedals.

Great work! I’ve had some pots feel sluggish, and what was happening was when I dropped the knob on the pot and screwed it on, the plastic bottom skirt of the knob was rubbing on the screw threads or some stationary part of the pot. At least I think that’s what happened. When I held the knobs on slightly higher and screwed them on, the problem went away.

it’s also possible that you have an entirely different scenario, related to the pots themselves.

 

[moonlightpedalbuilds]

Great work! I’ve had some pots feel sluggish, and what was happening was when I dropped the knob on the pot and screwed it on, the plastic bottom skirt of the knob was rubbing on the screw threads or some stationary part of the pot. At least I think that’s what happened. When I held the knobs on slightly higher and screwed them on, the problem went away.

it’s also possible that you have an entirely different scenario, related to the pots themselves.

Tayda pots are quite sticky compared to the ones I used to get from Mammoth but after using them for awhile they’ll feel smoother.

 

[Jovi Bon Kenobi]

Awesome graphics and great first build! As far as those knobs I concur with Phi1, those are notorious for for doing that. Just lift em up about a half mm and they won't stick.

 

[Cucurbitam0schata]

Thanks, pals!

Pots - @Jovi Bon Kenobi and @phi1, I totally installed the knobs too close to the fixed part of the pot shaft at first. After I figured that out, they still feel tight like @pedjok mentioned. I bet they'll loosen up after a little use. Thanks for the pro tips.

I think, moving forward, will have to invest in some sweeter knobs ( for tone, of course... )

 

[Mourguitars]

Looks Fantastic !

Congrats !

 

[Nostradoomus]

Good old oven vent hood. That reminds me I’ve been breathing lead in for years I guess. ?‍

 

[geekmacdaddy]

Congrats. Nicely done.

 

[Barry]

Very cool graphic and great build!

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Great build, great notes, great artwork. Typo reminds me of a Monty Python sketch...

 

[Nostradoomus]

Is it too soon to name a pedal Adolf Fitler?