Tiny enclosures.... How do you guys do it???

[rocinante]

I am beginning to appreciate the skill involved in everyone's 1590a builds.

I was ordering some smd parts (inspired by taylors smd kit thread) and i think i ot carried away when i bought these tiny enclosures ( 90x30x36mm). Although the inside dimensions are surprisingly much smaller.


I've ben trying to fit (madbean's) lavache into it for a few days but am beginning to think I need a less challenging project for my first really small enclosure. Maybe a one knob version of the dod250 (a favorite of mine).

How do you guys squeeze all those parts in those enclosures?? Any methods (without having to learn cad programs??

Cheers
Steve

[~arph]

Smaller pots to start with 

[rocinante]

Haha cheers. Here I was thinking I could just throw it all in with a nice small circuit.  Might have to plan ahead a little more.

[Perrow]

Smaller pots to start with 

Or fewer. With alpha 9mm pots I think we've seen four pots in a 1590A. Don't think I've ever seen a two 16mm pot build in an 'A'.

[duck_arse]

stick a knob out either side it might fit. and maybe one out the front makes three. I hope you didn't pay too much for that case, cause it looks like it's made from cardboard!

[midwayfair]

Smaller pots to start with 

Or fewer. With alpha 9mm pots I think we've seen four pots in a 1590A. Don't think I've ever seen a two 16mm pot build in an 'A'.

Grindcustoms can get FOUR 16mm pots in there. It's inhumane.

Op: The rest of us use 9mm or, at most, 12mm pots.

If you go to Madbean's projects page, at the top is a baby build guide. Download that -- it contains all the parts you need (including links to mouser and smallbear), drilling templates, etc. Get the right tools for the job and it's not too much harder than any other box size.

[bean]

Here's a direct link to my 1590A build guide: http://www.madbeanpedals.com/downloads/BabyBoardGuide.pdf

If you follow the steps in there, it becomes much, much easier. Keep in mind the Lavache is not designed for 1590A.

[samhay]

The inside of that enclosure does not look like the 1590As I have used before and may well make life even more difficult.

While I would not recommend it, you can get two 16 mm pots into a 1590A if you use open jacks and offset the pots diagonally. The PCB is relatively quite long though, so the trick will be to stack it over low profile closed jacks like in the build guide that Jon (midwayfair) posted.

Edit: Sorry - the guide that bean posted

[cloudscapes]

Smaller pots to start with  

Or fewer. With alpha 9mm pots I think we've seen four pots in a 1590A. Don't think I've ever seen a two 16mm pot build in an 'A'.

With 3 16mm. it's a tight squeeze, but doable. the two top pots have their lugs facing "upwards" to make room for the 3rd squeezed under them. you can cram the two jacks closer than they are in the OP's pic as well by rotating them just so.

[samhay]

cloudscapes - I would love to see a photo of the 3 pots in the enclosure (without the pcb over top). I have managed to get 2 next to each other, but I needed to hammer the second one in. Do you offset yours a pinch or do you use a similar trick?

[midwayfair]

Six 9mm pots and a 3PDt toggle:


(That's a tremolo and chorus in the same enclosure, by pickdropper)

Annnnd Zendrive with four 16mm pots:



(That's Grind Customs)

[guitarmageddon]

Two 16 mm pots side by side do fit, as do four 16mm. I've seen 6 9mm in a 1590A Dr Boogie (check the 1590A build thread here) too.
Drilling the holes with a half mil of wriggle room makes it much easier. I'll only use 9mm jacks for 5+ pot builds, I'm no sissy!
The more builds you see the more you'll learn.
I'll address a couple of things while I'm on the soapbox too.
People say "I don't like 1590As, theyre too small, I've got big feet..."
The truth is, the switch is the same size as any other pedal, 1590DD or other.
I also hear "they feel to unstable, and flip over.."
I say that's two things.
One, there's a trend to use enclosed jacks mounted toward the top of the box to give room for boards to placed face down (veiwed from behind) This means the leads are high on each side of the enclosure and can result in an unstable box. Where possible, I build with open jacks placed close together and mount the board componant side up. This means the jacks are closer to the floor, resulting in a more stable pedal.
Two, there's always velcro.
Only a couple of (16mm) pots, but the jacks and stomp are all closely nestled.




Open frame jacks can be placed very close together if the lugs are bent. If the switch is very close to the bottom wall, the jacks tight to it, there's plenty of room.
Also, I couldn't build a single thing, 1590a or otherwise, without a pair of tweezers.

[samhay]

+1 on the tweezers.

I am coming around to using open jacks in 1590As. You can use regular electro caps, vertical trim pots and socket your ICs without having to squash them too much. Here is my latest one. If I had bent the lugs like guitarmageddon (nice tip), I would have had a bit more wiggle room too:


If your circuit board is really long though, you will have to go over low profile enclosed jacks. If you can't find such jacks, you can take a dremel (or similar) to regular enclosed jacks...

Edit: link to photo fixed.

[cloudscapes]

cloudscapes - I would love to see a photo of the 3 pots in the enclosure (without the pcb over top). I have managed to get 2 next to each other, but I needed to hammer the second one in. Do you offset yours a pinch or do you use a similar trick?

I couldn't take the others apart without some desoldering so here's a little mockup. It's a tight fit, but I didn't have to hammer them in or anything. They pretty much just drop in there with less than 0.5mm to spare.

If you're using enclosure clones, maybe the size is slightly different. Also, I doubt all 16mm pot brands are exactly the same size. Had my pots been half a millimeter wider (seemingly nothing), I wouldn't have been able to fit them.

[Perrow]

I'm surprised that the PCB 3PDT hasn't shown up in A-builds.



3 or 4mm smaller on all dimensions. I ordered mine from Musikding, but they should be available from other places.

[samhay]

cloudscapes - thanks. The ones I use are clones, so I guess they are out by 1mm or so. Not to worry, I have a nice selection of hammers.

[fuzzymuff]

Great thread.  Getting some ideas here.  You all using regular mono 1/4 metal jacks?

[guitarmageddon]

Good tip Perrow!
I've only seen those as DPDT, I'll have to shop around.
I've recently discovered the Lumberg DC jack. (JuanSolo sent me some- Thanks Mate! ) There's one in the pic I posted above. I've always found the DC jack to be the hardest part of the build. I dont like the way the external jack ones protrude, and the large bore of the regular ones eats up space.
BTW, I've always used neutrik open jacks.

[John Lyons]

Nothing much to add to this but here's my one and only. (last?)

[pickdropper]

Good tip Perrow!
I've only seen those as DPDT, I'll have to shop around.
I've recently discovered the Lumberg DC jack. (JuanSolo sent me some- Thanks Mate! ) There's one in the pic I posted above. I've always found the DC jack to be the hardest part of the build. I dont like the way the external jack ones protrude, and the large bore of the regular ones eats up space.
BTW, I've always used neutrik open jacks.

I just discovered those Lumberg jacks as well.  They are very solid.  Probably the nicest isolated DC jacks I've used.

For the input/output jacks I prefer the standard enclosed Switchcraft jacks.  I like having the flat top to mount the board to.