Circuits on AliExpress that are worth it

[Elijah-Baley]

Hello everyone,
I'm going to place my first order on AliExpress to buy a very cheap mini PCB compressor effect that I could use to make a pedal.

Are there any PCBs on AliExpress that are worth considering? I know there are some PT2399 PCBs, but I don't need that.
What else?

Thank you.

 

[jwin615]

The robot voice project is fun
Grab a $30 gonkulator pedal while you're there
Or a klon enclosure
I wouldn't source any pcbs though. Why?

 

[tegendemuur]

Had some TDA2822, so bought a headphone amp kit there.

 

[Feral Feline]

TaoBao is basically AliExpress for China itself.

Years back I bought a few TaoBao boards and pre-populated boards such as the Blue Box, Love Squeeze and an HPF, can't remember off the top of my head what the others were.

Some of the boards were clones of Fuzz Dog's stuff (probably from the same PCB-factory that supplies Fuzz Dog), others seemed to mirror some of the PCBs on Tayda, etc.

The PCBs were all good, no issues.
The pre-populated PCBs had caps and some other sundry components that were definitely... uhm... "lower quality" — however, all worked as expected and came pre-soldered with pots, jacks and everything ready to go — just add an enclosure!


For the price, couldn't beat the pre-pop to try out those circuits. For example I found I loved the Blue Box, and have PCBs now for it to build/populate my own with mods.


That said...
The only PCBs I'd consider getting from TaoBao now would be for circuits I want that aren't offered in PCB-form elsewhere (I'd rather take a shot at a dicey PCB than build vero or even perf)

 

[Elijah-Baley]

Thank you, guys!
But I'm looking something rather something I can't build.
So, no pedal or pedal kit. For that I prefer select parts and build by myself.

I have some TDA2822, but I still never use. I have to.

 

[Feral Feline]

Thank you, guys!
But I'm looking something rather something I can't build.
So, no pedal or pedal kit. For that I prefer select parts and build by myself.

I have some TDA2822, but I still never use. I have to.

I'm confused.

You said ...

...

Are there any PCBs on AliExpress that are worth considering?
...

You asked for PCBs.

I mentioned some PCBs (in addition to the pre-popped stuff).

 

[Ale_jellybelly]

 

[Fama]

Oh wow, that was very cool. A comment mentioned maybe using an LFO for the clock too, but I'm not sure if that would just make it sound the same with every program. Maybe a momentary footswitch for the LFO would work even in that case, but then that's a lot of effort for just a momentary footswitch

 

[Elijah-Baley]

I'm confused.
[...]
I mentioned some PCBs (in addition to the pre-popped stuff).

You're right. I'm asking not typical pedal PCB, rather something we don't build, usually.

To be more clear, I'm planning to order this:

Not a typical pedal PCB, just something I could never build from scratch.

I'm curious if there's something I don't know that could be used to build an effect pedal or some kind of utility, etc..."

Ok, I didn't think about something so "big", but yes, that's cool. Thanks!

 

[Feral Feline]

Oh wow, that was very cool. A comment mentioned maybe using an LFO for the clock too, but I'm not sure if that would just make it sound the same with every program. Maybe a momentary footswitch for the LFO would work even in that case, but then that's a lot of effort for just a momentary footswitch

Would Robert's smart-switch work? Momentary when held down, latching when tapped.

Yeah, that demo made me want to build one, and HIA was kind enough to include the schematic in the vid.
Some really great sounds, but I'd need the printing of the algos list on the front face of the pedal to be much MUCH LARGER.
As in, it would dominate the "graphic" completely, so I can see what's what from a standing position while the pedal's on the floor.




@Elijah-Baley Cool! I believe I have one of those very same red boards. I believe mine is basically a clone/from-the-same-factory as the stuff for SparkFun Electronics.

I'll circle back round to this in a couple days and see what else I can dig up, if anything; it's been a few years since I bought anything from TaoBao, don't remember what — also, as I've discovered, not everything on TaoBao is also offered on AliExpress — most stuff, but not everything.

 

[Elijah-Baley]

Maybe we can open a new thread about that little red PCB, I already found a schematic to make it usable with guitar.

 

[temol]

 

[Elijah-Baley]

Yes, that helps, too.

 

[Feral Feline]

SparkFun cloneage

Proto Pedal
Mono Audio Amp Breakout — TPA2005D1
3.5mm Audio Jack Breakout board

Audio-Sound Breakout - WTV020SD — Maybe use it to make a sampler-trigger pedal — samples loaded via micro-SD card

LED Music Spectrum Electronic DIY LED Flash Kit 12*11FFT — kind of like Dr Scientist's LED pedalboard peak-meter

Better yet, there's a board that gives you an LED peak-meter w/ 8-bands, but it doubles as a clock, so you can keep an eye on the length of your sets/breaks.

Multifunctional Low-frequency Signal Generator Kit I
— combine this with a DIY Oscilloscope probe...
XR2206 High Precision Function Signal Generator DIY Kit Sine


Message Recorder kits... mock up your own Ditto-like looper.

Laser-harp — alas, the most "strings" I've seen is 7. I'd want a full octave, 12 notes.


LCD Transistor-tester kit


Things like that?


Not music-related, but kind of fun ... a rotating LED display. While spinning, the LEDs turn on/off — Can look like planet Earth, or like the Death Star or a Globe with just latitudinal and longitudinal lines.

 

[dcfvgb]

You peeps is makin me bloat out with GAS.

Some cool stuff!