Ok what is you favorite and least favorite part of building pedals?

[The Gator]

Just to start a conversation, my favorite part of building pedals is the excitement of populating the boards then testing them. My least favorite thing is when they don't work..lol. no seriously my least favorite is naming and artwork.

The easiest part is popping holes in the enclosure. The hardest part is troubleshooting a pedal with an intermittent issue.

 

[Fingolfen]

Apart from troubleshooting... my least favorite part is cleaning flux off of the boards...

Favorite part... lots of them... since I do mostly dino themed pedals, naming and art is near the top of my list... so is shopping for weird components for classic pedals... and populating boards...

 

[Coda]

My least favorite part is ordering parts…

 

[Bricksnbeatles]

Favorite part is the hype or coming up with a really fun concept and getting it together (ideas, names, graphics)
Least favorite is parts organization

 

[cdwillis]

Least favorite part: offboard wiring, by long shot. I hate that shit. That's what drove me away from messing with vero board to using pcbs.

Favorite part: the actual soldering. Getting a bunch of parts populated then systematically soldering every joint is somehow therapeutic

 

[DGWVI]

My favorite bit is populating the boards. Just something meditative about to to me

Least favorite is probably drilling the enclosures, though it's not difficult by any means. Almost every workshop accident I've had has been drill involved

 

[Bricksnbeatles]

My favorite bit is populating the boards. Just something meditative about to to me

Least favorite is probably drilling the enclosures, though it's not difficult by any means. Almost every workshop accident I've had has been drill involved

Almost every workshop accident (of you can even call it that) I’ve had has involved stationary drill bits or router bits. Those damn spiral razor-thin slices you get when you hold it just a *smidge* too snug when you’re chucking it up or removing it from the case— and you don’t even notice them until an hour or two after you’ve finished up in the shop, when suddenly the spicy food you’re eating hurts your hands more than your mouth

 

[Passinwind]

Love the design phase, especially the circuit itself and the board layouts. Stuffing and soldering boards is great too, and doing digital artwork can be a blast. The rest, not so much: BOMs and stuff sheets, ordering and waiting, metal work, more ordering and waiting, etc. My own designs are not especially easy builds (lots of offboard wiring and SMT parts) and it takes a lot of hours to get to the pie. Mmmm...pie!

 

[Big Monk]

My favorite part of building is the planning and design and the playing.

My least favorite is everything in between.

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

Decals.

 

[Nic]

Least favorite : pay and wait for shipping.
Best : Planning the enclosure layout and artwork.

 

[Silver Blues]

Least favorite part: offboard wiring, by long shot. I hate that shit. That's what drove me away from messing with vero board to using pcbs.

Favorite part: the actual soldering. Getting a bunch of parts populated then systematically soldering every joint is somehow therapeutic

This is me too, soldering is a meditative experience for me that I always look forward to!

 

[Guardians of the analog]

The only part of the experience that I really dislike is disappointment. There is nothing worse than getting excited for a project, paying good money to build it, put in the work to build it and be underwhelmed by the end result. I had to change my evaluation process because the dopamine of a new build in the honeymoon phase is misleading. Sometimes they grow on you, most of the time they don't. I'd say about 25% of all builds meet or exceed expectations, the rest was me being fooled by hype or just looking to build something.

 

[RetiredUnit1]

My least favorite part is when I open my Chase app and see the balance.....

 

[jimilee]

My least favorite part has to be stuffing resistors. Probably my favorite is when it fires up the first time.

 

[dawson]

The only part of the experience that I really dislike is disappointment. There is nothing worse than getting excited for a project, paying good money to build it, put in the work to build it and be underwhelmed by the end result. I had to change my evaluation process because the dopamine of a new build in the honeymoon phase is misleading. Sometimes they grow on you, most of the time they don't. I'd say about 25% of all builds meet or exceed expectations, the rest was me being fooled by hype or just looking to build something.

Nailed it!

Building a new circuit only to find my previous options were superior all along

 

[swyse]

favorite is designing for sure, least favorite is probably wiring the PCB in

 

[KR Sound]

I love buying parts.
I hate spending money on parts.

 

[Deperduci]

I have fun populating boards, I hate when I either have a>run out of parts(usually resistors) or b>a supplier sent me the wrong part.. which leads to my next thread.

 

[eh là bas ma]

My least favorite part is soldering : i like soldering, but I am scared by the toxicity. I got problems with my eyes : I suspect the fumes.
I know I should wear glasses, turn on the ventilation, but I always forget.

...and I don't like hand-wiring a 3PDT, or wiring a 3PDT break board, and dealing with small DC jacks or holes too large on the enclosure.

I like choosing the led among various colors, hand-painting the enclosure, trying the effect for the first time, when it works, and find a wonderful mod.

Setting the white washer around the 3PDT, inside the box, is my most favorite part, of course. It's very soothing.