synthesiserror
Well-known member
- Build Rating
Somehow, I convinced myself that the pedalboard-friendly version of this would actually be more practical. I’m here to tell you that there is nothing practical about this pedal. Just when I think I’ve dialed in a nice malfunctioning arcade machine tone, it decides to contact the mothership. I think it’s working as intended.
If you’re not sure about the SMD soldering on this project, I would encourage you to give it a shot. You don’t need expensive special equipment, a microscope, or the hands of a surgeon. You will need a pair of ESD-safe tweezers and some flux. The IC’s are pretty cheap from Mouser. Watch a YouTube primer or two and just go for it.
I mis-measured when accounting for the footprint of the rotary switches, so some of the text got cut off in my graphic. The good news is that the labels are useless, the controls are unintuitive, and you’re going to get some wild results no matter which direction you twist those knobs and flick those switches.
The enclosure is a Tayda chromium 125b. I strongly encourage you to stay away from this one. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the shiny finish. Merely removing the enclosure from the plastic wrapper was enough to scratch it up. Drilling was a nightmare! Soft vise jaws will scratch it. The aluminum chips you produce will scratch it. A microfiber buffing cloth will scratch it. The worst factor, though, is the powder coat does not adhere well to the aluminum. It will lift, chip, flake, and aluminum chips will get lodged in between the layers. If you still have to get this one for some project, you absolutely must let Tayda drill the enclosure before powder coating.
Overall, fun but slightly more difficult project. The most difficult part was the final fitting of all the pots, rotary switches, and toggles. If you’ve built a few pedals and still have one good eye, you should be able to manage this one.
Will I get a lot of use out of this pedal? No. Does it satisfy the new noisemaker itch? Yes. Would I be pissed if I spent $230 on the mostly equivalent retail version from a well-known boutique builder? Absolutely. So convince yourself you need it, build it, get really weird a few times, and keep it in your nightstand for those special occasions when you need a reminder why you have 9 overdrives on your board, but zero modulating monophonic harmonizing whatevers.
If you’re not sure about the SMD soldering on this project, I would encourage you to give it a shot. You don’t need expensive special equipment, a microscope, or the hands of a surgeon. You will need a pair of ESD-safe tweezers and some flux. The IC’s are pretty cheap from Mouser. Watch a YouTube primer or two and just go for it.
I mis-measured when accounting for the footprint of the rotary switches, so some of the text got cut off in my graphic. The good news is that the labels are useless, the controls are unintuitive, and you’re going to get some wild results no matter which direction you twist those knobs and flick those switches.
The enclosure is a Tayda chromium 125b. I strongly encourage you to stay away from this one. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the shiny finish. Merely removing the enclosure from the plastic wrapper was enough to scratch it up. Drilling was a nightmare! Soft vise jaws will scratch it. The aluminum chips you produce will scratch it. A microfiber buffing cloth will scratch it. The worst factor, though, is the powder coat does not adhere well to the aluminum. It will lift, chip, flake, and aluminum chips will get lodged in between the layers. If you still have to get this one for some project, you absolutely must let Tayda drill the enclosure before powder coating.
Overall, fun but slightly more difficult project. The most difficult part was the final fitting of all the pots, rotary switches, and toggles. If you’ve built a few pedals and still have one good eye, you should be able to manage this one.
Will I get a lot of use out of this pedal? No. Does it satisfy the new noisemaker itch? Yes. Would I be pissed if I spent $230 on the mostly equivalent retail version from a well-known boutique builder? Absolutely. So convince yourself you need it, build it, get really weird a few times, and keep it in your nightstand for those special occasions when you need a reminder why you have 9 overdrives on your board, but zero modulating monophonic harmonizing whatevers.
