I just soldered the spdt on the Thumbsucker to the wrong side of the board. I don’t know how. I don’t know why. I do know I’m glad I ordered some extra switches and I trust that the magical soldering elves will sort this all out before I get up tomorrow. Totally going to happen
Finally getting around to drilling out this steel box for my Doubke Junk Trunk with Gas Tank input. The boards are all populated and working, so I'm hoping to get it all wired up tomorrow
Couple boards etched by Haberdashe; building one stock, one slightly tweaked.
Left is the Snow Day OD, Midway Fair's original circuit.
Right is the Flabulanche, Madbean's take on the Snow Day, very minor tweaks.
Very difficult, I've rediscovered, to work on pedals at my Sifu's Amp-Atelier. There's no magnifyer-lamp like I use at home.
Amps are no problem, everything's big — but pedals...
Aging eyes and thin weedy little resistor leads, well... there's a few lifted traces on the Flabulanche and probably some bridges, too.
I was pushing to solder everything in one go and then clipped all the leads in one go.
So I took more time with the Snow Day on the left, soldered only the leads around the outer perimeter, clipped, then soldered the new perimeter ring and clipped, etc and worked my way to the middle. A little better, but not by much as you can see below.
I've done perf, vero and commercial-style PCBs. These two are my first time working with hand-etched PCBs and there is a subtle yet significant difference. Like how a bicycle is very simple, yet when out of alignment rides and shifts poorly, but get everything in tune with each other the bike glides along. Well, I've not yet figured out how to tune my soldering approach to hand-etched just yet.
One more thing: it's amazing how quickly these hand-etched boards oxidise. I had scrubbed the copper clean when I popped in the resistors a couple weeks ago, and they're already quite tarnished now I've finally found time to solder them in.
Then I had to dash off to a Birthday Hot Pot dinner.
One more thing: it's amazing how quickly these hand-etched boards oxidise. I had scrubbed the copper clean when I popped in the resistors a couple weeks ago, and they're already quite tarnished now I've finally found time to solder them in.
That last paragraph is the key to the difference I think. Copper oxidizes very fast, and that thin layer doesn’t want to accept solder. (Not to mention non through hole plating.) it’s really best to hold off on cleaning until you can stuff and solder without much delay. If not possible, then using more flux, maybe a lot more, does take care of it. Just yesterday I pulled out a veroboard I stuffed in 2010 and never finished. I was totally reminded of this…
I usually scrub with a bike-rim eraser just before popping and soldering; my current travel has messed up my build routine in more ways than I can count.
Pretty sure my 4024s are bunk, so have a Mouser order on the way. Everything on the Bit works, except the -1 octave. The Sub comes through great, but the -1 is quiet and has barely any lower octave content. Swapping chips gives me varying results.
The Nutty Fuzz is pretty fun, and I like it's simplicity (and compactness) over the DeadEnd Fugly.
When I get back from lunch, I've got a Delyk Up Down Daddy to populate
