Sunflower Fuzz

I use a Brother P-Touch label maker and clear tape with white ink. If you look really close you can see that each word is actually just a wee tape.
 
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Barry said:
Wow, I may have to replace my P-touch, awesome build! Do you do your wiring in the enclosure?
Click to expand...
Thank you! I do all the wiring out of the enclosure. I tighten down the DC jack and put a bezel in the box then solder the leads for DC power last. All my leads coming off the PCB and breakout board are pre-measured beforehand.
Stomp breakout board to tip: 5"
PCB +/- DC to jack: 1 ⅞"
PCB grounds to sleeve: 2 ¼"

The software that comes with that P-touch and installed on my laptop is way better than the super limited font offerings in the unit. It allows you to snap an image on your computer then resize and print it straight to the label maker via USB cable. I just find cool fonts (or an image) online, test them with my word of choice, snap it, then edit it in the software and print. Also, everything gets saved on my laptop so it's all there for me when I need to print the most used things, like the header and footer, or if I make the same pedal again.
 
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I do mine just like that out of the box! Except I only soldier one leg of each pot. The pots have more give to them that way when installing it all in the box. Then once everything is done, I soldier the last two legs of each pot. No more struggling with getting all the shafts in the holes!
 
Mojo321 said:
I do mine just like that out of the box! Except I only soldier one leg of each pot. The pots have more give to them that way when installing it all in the box. Then once everything is done, I soldier the last two legs of each pot. No more struggling with getting all the shafts in the holes!
Click to expand...
I need to find the video that showed the technique I currently use. It's way better than what I used to do. Basically:
1. Populate the board without the LED, lead wires, or pots.
2. Drill the enclosure
3. Bend pot lugs so that they make a "\ | /" shape. This creates tension and makes them not fall out when you put em in the board...and do that.
4. *KEY STEP* Place the board with pots in your enclosure holes, loosely snug them in with the nuts. Press board all the way til it stops against the pot legs then lift each side of the PCB up a hair to create a 1mm gap between it and the pot "leg-stops". This is insurance against pot cover grounding issues.
5. Solder the pots in now. This makes it so that everything slides in nice and easy when the time comes for final assembly.
6. Remove board (now with pots) from enclosure then solder in the lead wires on the north edge of the board, wire in the footswitch, then the in/out jack's.
7. Tighten a DC jack into the empty enclosure and add LED bezel now, if using.
8. Place entire circuit assembly back into the enclosure. Test fit your LED and solder it in.
9. Solder the last leads to the DC jack then tighten everything else down.
10. Pray everything works.
 
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Great technique! I was mounting the pots like that for a while, then got the idea to build a jig to hold the pots in the correct position for soldering before putting them in the case. I took a piece of ABS sheet I had lying around and cut it roughly 2.25 x 2.25, the same dimensions as the boards I'm building. Then I drilled holes in the same pattern as the pot holes in the case. The assembly process goes like this:
1) Install the pots finger tight into the jig.
2) Clamp the jig into a circuit-board vise.
3) Drop the board onto the pots, using tweezers to coax the pot leads into the holes. Not that hard if the pot leads are straight to begin with.
4) Space the pots up off of the board using dust covers or a thin sheet of cardboard.
5) Snug down the pot nuts.
6) Solder the pot leads. I usually solder the middle lead on all pots first, then recheck the alignment and solder the rest.

This method is particularly effective when soldering a combination of switches and pots to the board, such as Arachnid or Covert. Here's the Frost Drive assembly in progress.

pot jig.jpg
 
I usually attach my pots, footswitch and switches to outside of the enclosure to wire them up then install inside, wire the leads on DC jack and the in/out jacks then solder them to the board and footswitch, I like the Idea of a jig I would probably add a bend to allow for top mount jacks
 
Like this...
IMG_20190909_100439.jpg
In this photo nothing is soldered yet and the pots and switches are gingerly hand snugged down from inside the enclosure. Notice the gap between the PCB and stuff to be soldered.

Because I bent my lugs like this everything stays secure.
IMG_20190909_094408.jpg
Once everything is level and safe then I solder. This makes it so that when it's time to do final assembly the whole board just drops right in with no resistance.

I will try to make a separate post that shows this technique to help the new folks.
 
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Jovi Bon Kenobi said:
Like this...
View attachment 1333
In this photo nothing is soldered yet and the pots and switches are gingerly hand snugged down from inside the enclosure. Notice the gap between the PCB and stuff to be soldered.

Because I bent my lugs like this everything stays secure.
View attachment 1334
Once everything is level and safe then I solder. This makes it so that when it's time to do final assembly the whole board just drops right in with no resistance.

I will try to make a separate post that shows this technique to help the new folks.
Click to expand...

These are awesome tips. I can see myself avoiding some frustrations from now on.
 
Thanks! I made a separate "workflow" post that's super detailed with the same info and more for reference. It's almost done.

Basic Workflow Tips for Building a PedalPCB

Hello! This is my method for building a PedalPCB from start to finish. Is it the right way? Not necessarily. It's just what works for me and I hope it sheds some light on certain steps in the process along the way. I created this as a reference guide for anyone to use if needed. Thanks for...
forum.pedalpcb.com
 
Jovi Bon Kenobi said:
I need to find the video that showed the technique I currently use. It's way better than what I used to do. Basically:
1. Populate the board without the LED, lead wires, or pots.
2. Drill the enclosure
3. Bend pot lugs so that they make a "\ | /" shape. This creates tension and makes them not fall out when you put em in the board...and do that.
4. *KEY STEP* Place the board with pots in your enclosure holes, loosely snug them in with the nuts. Press board all the way til it stops against the pot legs then lift each side of the PCB up a hair to create a 1mm gap between it and the pot "leg-stops". This is insurance against pot cover grounding issues.
5. Solder the pots in now. This makes it so that everything slides in nice and easy when the time comes for final assembly.
6. Remove board (now with pots) from enclosure then solder in the lead wires on the north edge of the board, wire in the footswitch, then the in/out jack's.
7. Tighten a DC jack into the empty enclosure and add LED bezel now, if using.
8. Place entire circuit assembly back into the enclosure. Test fit your LED and solder it in.
9. Solder the last leads to the DC jack then tighten everything else down.
10. Pray everything works.
Click to expand...
That is exactly how I do mine, with a strong emphasis on Step #10!
 
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