Thought i'd start a 'conversational' thread, for fun you know.
For me personally its circuit designing and when we start getting into the nuts and bolts of electronics. "What stuff does in a circuit" i guess you'd say. I came to the hobby with some electronics knowledge from school / tafe but i've honestly learnt much more from beginning this hobby. It still remains the biggest gap to fill for me though.
See i know that my answer doesnt apply to everyone. I've seen some electronics genius's on this board, unable to paint a box (no offense). Everyones got their weakness.
Whats yours? What do you wish you knew more about or wish you were better at doing? Anything to do with guitar pedals. Designing, painting, powder coating, labelling, silkscreening, drilling, debugging, marketing, selling, etc. Anything at all.
Leave your response and ill see if i can get the guitar pedal fairies to grant your wish.
Paul
My weakness is my inability to accept the fact that I should buy proper enclosures but I really want to DIY everything...the stamping press they put in at my work has taken four months and is the size of a house (higher in fact)...I WANT ONE!!!!
Quote from: Canucker on July 10, 2012, 02:59:59 AM
My weakness is my inability to accept the fact that I should buy proper enclosures but I really want to DIY everything...
Can we assume that you're not DIYing your own ICs and other components? ;)
At some point, we all have to purchase certain things that are manufactured by someone else. I do a lot of DIY home repair and remodeling. I've done woodwork, tile, pluming, and electrical. My wife wants granite countertops (solid pieces, not tile) and suggested that I should be able to do the job myself. At least she has a high opinion of my capabilities! :)
I'm not great at the aesthetic side of pedal building, but the first area I need to improve is planning. I take one step forward and two back. I often rediscover that two or more objects can't occupy the same space and time.
I'm building a multieffects board where the off board components are outside of the enclosure. I knew that I was going to use shielded cable outside of the enclosure, but I initially wired the five boards with regular wire for testing. Some of the boards have five pots and several switches. I wasted a lot of time rewiring those boards.
Quote from: Canucker on July 10, 2012, 02:59:59 AM
My weakness is my inability to accept the fact that I should buy proper enclosures
there is no such thing as a proper enclosure...only standard & common enclosures...and why would you want to be like everyone else? do whatever you think is cool.
edit:
btw, my weakness is my laziness in getting out my oscilloscope and learning how to better interpret the waveforms.
lack of time....
building pedals...
Quote from: Jdansti on July 10, 2012, 03:13:10 AM
Quote from: Canucker on July 10, 2012, 02:59:59 AM
My weakness is my inability to accept the fact that I should buy proper enclosures but I really want to DIY everything...
Can we assume that you're not DIYing your own ICs and other components? ;)
I have used op amps that I designed and taped out (manufactured) in a little distortion actually. We get the dies back without a package though so I have to bond them by hand, makes something like this take hours to build. It didn't sound very good but it was worth a shot.
My weakness is definitely making things looked finished. I don't really care about putting things like paint and labels on anything I build. I kinda like my amps and pedals to look homemade, that way people know that I'm onstage using stuff I built.
A: not getting round to actually building pedals
B: chocolate biscuits
C: see above
definitely my biggest issue right now is how to do lettering/artwork on pedals. I've tried everything from silkscreening to stencils, to handpainting, etc. I live in an apartment and don't have a good space to work on stuff that generates a lot of fumes...Big issues with clearcoating, it always ends up looking like crap when I do it.
1) Artwork
2) Finishing one before starting next
3) Modditis :icon_wink:
Edit:
2) NOT finishing one before starting next
1) I feel the need to box almost everything I make, whether it's actually "done" or not.
2) On the few builds that I've extensively breadboarded, I have a bad habit of not actually soldering to the board what's on my breadboard, then fretting that it doesn't sound the same. Even worse, sometimes I'll just make a change on the fly without fully testing it.
My #1 weakness is MODULATION EFFECTS!! ::) Especially classic Flangers.
Unfortunately, these often come with the highest price tags to build AND they are often the most complex :icon_eek:
okay. a real answer from me now.
my weakness at the moment is staying on top of having enough enclosures predrilled and powder coated. it's a pain because you have to do everything in batches to make it worth while
and the trick is to turn your weaknesses into strengths. most people are musos here so you'll know that's true. if there's a bit of a song that's difficult then you practice it and practice it until it becomes the easiest sank ever.
i used to hate drilling. getting the registration correct was nerve wracking. so i made drilling jigs for every standard pedal. i hated etching so i setup a permanent etch tank. i couldn't label things easily so i bought a laser (okay.. not everybody is going to go out and do that). i couldn't always make neat wiring lengths so i made a layout for all the wires lengths to be perfect for every build. etc. etc.
and here's the video i show off for the way i do everything (at least date of posting this):
Time (original, I know), room (workbench=office=rec room) and finishing the damn thing :icon_redface:
#1 is perfboard, with everything else coming a close second.
I'm only just finishing up my first build now, but I learned a lot about the whole process and found that the enclosure was the toughest part for me. I made a ton of mistakes during the painting and labeling process - waterslide decals have become my nemesis! Next to that is breadboarding - I hate breadboarding - those things are so finicky. I am also quite slow - mainly due to considerable over-planning and over-researching at every stage. What I'm good at seems to be layouts, and I like that part of it quite a bit. When I finally finished the enclosure for my tremolo last week I was so stoked - what a rush to have success! Just waiting for delivery on some pots to put it all together.
I am now addicted. I have breadboarded a BC108 fuzz already and am just playing with options for it (sounds awesome so far), and have started planning a Dr. Quack as well as two major pedal rebox/mod projects. Hopefully these project will go far smoother than the first one.
Quote from: artifus on July 10, 2012, 03:59:03 AM
building pedals...
LOL! Yeah, me too... :icon_confused:
Quote from: deadastronaut on July 10, 2012, 05:26:29 AM
A: not getting round to actually building pedals
B: chocolate biscuits
C: see above
Sausages... Where are the sausages?
Artwork... I can't even draw stick-men!
oh yeah, and D: sausages...like this one..
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7464107/sausage.jpeg)
cheers bluebunny.. ;)
I'm impatient, I want to hurry up and get it done. :icon_confused:
Sitting here in front of the computer screen reading about making pedals instead of actually working on all the stuff i have on the go.
dave
Quote from: davent on July 10, 2012, 11:59:57 AM
Sitting here in front of the computer screen reading about making pedals instead of actually working on all the stuff i have on the go.
dave
Or building pedals all the time instead of maintaining and/or working on being a better guitar player.
Over engineering everything coupled with a lack of time. It takes me months to do a build because I more/less refuse to do a "stock" build.
Quote from: Paul Marossy on July 10, 2012, 12:11:17 PM
Quote from: davent on July 10, 2012, 11:59:57 AM
Sitting here in front of the computer screen reading about making pedals instead of actually working on all the stuff i have on the go.
dave
Or building pedals all the time instead of maintaining and/or working on being a better guitar player.
+1
Not only does it take me away from my guitars, but it takes me away from my wife. She said no more pedals after the Pictures contest :(. I'll have to make it up to her before I start another build.
The fact that I came to this game WAY too late, and I should have studied harder in school. I need to study a lot to understand some of the stuff here, and even then, it doesn`t help, because of my lack of the rudimentaries insofar as electronics are concerned.
But... it doesn`t mean I can`t put up ONE HELL OF A GOOD FIGHT!!!!!
Insert Banshee war cry here.
Cheers,
Dino
Quote from: defaced on July 10, 2012, 12:12:57 PM
Over engineering everything coupled with a lack of time. It takes me months to do a build because I more/less refuse to do a "stock" build.
+1
Quote from: Jdansti on July 10, 2012, 12:24:11 PM
Quote from: Paul Marossy on July 10, 2012, 12:11:17 PM
Quote from: davent on July 10, 2012, 11:59:57 AM
Sitting here in front of the computer screen reading about making pedals instead of actually working on all the stuff i have on the go.
Or building pedals all the time instead of maintaining and/or working on being a better guitar player.
+1
Not only does it take me away from my guitars, but it takes me away from my wife. She said no more pedals after the Pictures contest :(. I'll have to make it up to her before I start another build.
I was seriously hardly playing my guitar AT ALL at one point in time, I was too busy building every new circuit that someone designed. And it DID take me away from from spending time with my wife and young children too. Thank goodness I got myself straightened out.
Quote from: defaced on July 10, 2012, 12:12:57 PM
Over engineering everything coupled with a lack of time. It takes me months to do a build because I more/less refuse to do a "stock" build.
Ditto!
Quote from: Paul Marossy on July 10, 2012, 12:50:29 PM
Quote from: Jdansti on July 10, 2012, 12:24:11 PM
Quote from: Paul Marossy on July 10, 2012, 12:11:17 PM
Quote from: davent on July 10, 2012, 11:59:57 AM
Sitting here in front of the computer screen reading about making pedals instead of actually working on all the stuff i have on the go.
Or building pedals all the time instead of maintaining and/or working on being a better guitar player.
+1
Not only does it take me away from my guitars, but it takes me away from my wife. She said no more pedals after the Pictures contest :(. I'll have to make it up to her before I start another build.
I was seriously hardly playing my guitar AT ALL at one point in time, I was too busy building every new circuit that someone designed. And it DID take me away from from spending time with my wife and young children too. Thank goodness I got myself straightened out.
I guess that balance is the key. I don't watch sports or any other TV, go out with the guys, golf or really do any other recreational stuff (although I should get my fat @ss back to the gym instead of sitting on it building pedals). I just need to set limits on how much time I spend building. I tried moving my stuff downstairs so that I could at least be in the same room at talk, but tying up part of the kitchen table didn't work out. If I could limit myself to one to one and a half hours an evening, it would probably work out much better.
I've spent the last 12 hours trying to come up with the best way to say that "analysis paralysis" is my problem.
But then I thought that indecision may or may not be my problem.
I'll have to think about it and get back to you. ;)
Mike
Neatness
The urge to shove chopped up bits of cat in my fuzzes.
Quote from: Jdansti on July 10, 2012, 01:36:43 PM
I guess that balance is the key. I don't watch sports or any other TV, go out with the guys, golf or really do any other recreational stuff (although I should get my fat @ss back to the gym instead of sitting on it building pedals). I just need to set limits on how much time I spend building. I tried moving my stuff downstairs so that I could at least be in the same room at talk, but tying up part of the kitchen table didn't work out. If I could limit myself to one to one and a half hours an evening, it would probably work out much better.
Balance is key, I agree. I don't watch much TV, go out with the guys or do sports either. I try to spend as much time with my kids as a I can because they are growing up very fast and don't want to be like the aloof father I had. I want to actually be part of their lives. It's hard to find the time to do all the things I want to do, so that's why I stay on a strict schedule. My day starts at 4:10AM, I practice guitar for an hour before going to work, my work day is from 6:30AM to 4:00PM. Then I spend as much quality time with the family as possible.
I do have to say that in some ways, this DIY stuff was/is an outlet for me. Being stuck in a very boring yet at times stressful job that makes you constantly irritated needs some kind of outlet. The best way to describe the fullfillment I get from my job? It's like digging a ditch, then filling it back in at the end of the day. Then doing the same thing the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that. Well, I'm sure you get the point. :icon_wink: I do like the feeling of satisfaction I get from successfully building something I want to build though. :icon_cool:
Here's another one of mine: I hate perfboard. Give me a PCB!
Quote from: GGBB on July 10, 2012, 12:37:40 PM
Quote from: defaced on July 10, 2012, 12:12:57 PM
Over engineering everything coupled with a lack of time. It takes me months to do a build because I more/less refuse to do a "stock" build.
+1
that was actually a weakness in the beginning since i came from a circuit bending background. so, I modded each pedal to give me as many sounds as possible within the space I had. now, I focus on getting the main sound as good as possible and don't worry about variety. I get all the variety I want from just building another pedal...or by stringing multiple ones together in various orders. It's usually better that a box have one f*cking killer sound instead of five very good or excellent ones.
1) No substantial electronics knowledge/understanding.
2) Getting a really nice finish on enclosures.
Seeing a circuit with 12 components & trying to work out how to get it to do the same with just 10 components.
Seeing a circuit with 10 components & trying to work out how to get it to do the same with just 8 components.
Rinse repeat.
(I'm struggling here with a 1 component circuit I've just seen :icon_mrgreen:)
Quote from: LucifersTrip on July 10, 2012, 03:25:50 PM
Quote from: GGBB on July 10, 2012, 12:37:40 PM
Quote from: defaced on July 10, 2012, 12:12:57 PM
Over engineering everything coupled with a lack of time. It takes me months to do a build because I more/less refuse to do a "stock" build.
+1
that was actually a weakness in the beginning since i came from a circuit bending background. so, I modded each pedal to give me as many sounds as possible within the space I had. now, I focus on getting the main sound as good as possible and don't worry about variety. I get all the variety I want from just building another pedal...or by stringing multiple ones together in various orders. It's usually better that a box have one f*cking killer sound instead of five very good or excellent ones.
I think this is something we all have to go through. It can come from being stingy about pedalboard space and not being able to buy pedals, too. I certainly wanted more controls on my dirt pedals if I thought I could only buy and use one at a time. Once you realize that you can build the circuit to sound perfect with your gear, you stop wanting to put a tone knob on everything that doesn't have it, or too many options on a delay or trem, etc.
Starting- that's my weakness.
Quote from: Paul Marossy on July 10, 2012, 03:14:44 PM
Here's another one of mine: I hate perfboard. Give me a PCB!
I agree, although I'll do perfboard occasionally. My problem with perfboard is I don't document the layout. When I come back to it later to modify or troubleshoot, the underside of the board looks unrecognizable.
I usually go back and forth between PCB and Vero.
"There has to be an easier way"
"There has to be a better way"
"There has to be a cheaper way"
These last two go opposite to my "Wouldn't it be cool if you could" statements. Sadly they don't cancel. Ambition is messy!
At any rate I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with no aesthetic talents. I rarely label, knobs often don't match. My last build didn't even have an LED on board! I am interested in using some RGB LED's for modulation effects, though.
Quote from: Jdansti on July 10, 2012, 03:13:10 AM
Quote from: Canucker on July 10, 2012, 02:59:59 AM
My weakness is my inability to accept the fact that I should buy proper enclosures but I really want to DIY everything...
Can we assume that you're not DIYing your own ICs and other components? ;)
At some point, we all have to purchase certain things that are manufactured by someone else. I do a lot of DIY home repair and remodeling. I've done woodwork, tile, pluming, and electrical. My wife wants granite countertops (solid pieces, not tile) and suggested that I should be able to do the job myself. At least she has a high opinion of my capabilities! :)
I modded my Playdough "mop top hair shop" so I can crank out any component I want. I just grab a bunch of random components...ball them up...roll em out with a rolling pin...ball them up again and crank them through the hair shop....and your ready to go!
E: having 5 or 6 projects on the go at any one time and never getting round to fini.......
Quote from: deadastronaut on July 11, 2012, 03:56:00 AM
E: having 5 or 6 projects on the go at any one time and never getting round to fini.......
Hahahahahaha! I can relate to that :D
Quote from: deadastronaut on July 11, 2012, 03:56:00 AM
E: having 5 or 6 projects on the go at any one time and never getting round to fini.......
Oh my. I have a whole box full of "E"s. (No, not that sort...) Between contracts at the mo', so I should have no excuse for not making a bit of progress! (Having said that, the sun just came out here in leafy Berkshire. Yes, sun. Remember that?)
Quote from: Jdansti on July 10, 2012, 07:26:55 PM
Quote from: Paul Marossy on July 10, 2012, 03:14:44 PM
Here's another one of mine: I hate perfboard. Give me a PCB!
I agree, although I'll do perfboard occasionally. My problem with perfboard is I don't document the layout. When I come back to it later to modify or troubleshoot, the underside of the board looks unrecognizable.
I usually go back and forth between PCB and Vero.
I will only do perf for the simplest of projects, not for anything complex. I usually sketch up a layout so I don't go crazy trying to build the thing.
@bluebunny..
sun?...i resorted to drawing a yellow crayon sun on A4 and putting it on my wall and basking in front of it with shorts n shades on..ahhhhh feel those rays... ;D
i might try a crayon drawing of a few bikini clad women to complete the illusion :icon_cool:
Quote from: Canucker on July 11, 2012, 02:08:20 AM
Quote from: Jdansti on July 10, 2012, 03:13:10 AM
Quote from: Canucker on July 10, 2012, 02:59:59 AM
My weakness is my inability to accept the fact that I should buy proper enclosures but I really want to DIY everything...
Can we assume that you're not DIYing your own ICs and other components? ;)
At some point, we all have to purchase certain things that are manufactured by someone else. I do a lot of DIY home repair and remodeling. I've done woodwork, tile, pluming, and electrical. My wife wants granite countertops (solid pieces, not tile) and suggested that I should be able to do the job myself. At least she has a high opinion of my capabilities! :)
I modded my Playdough "mop top hair shop" so I can crank out any component I want. I just grab a bunch of random components...ball them up...roll em out with a rolling pin...ball them up again and crank them through the hair shop....and your ready to go!
I wish it were that simple!!! :)
ok so maybe I just got lucky with that working the one time. A also scavenge for parts sometimes...drive out on trash day and grab and old radio or two and rip it apart to find some parts...nothing actually valuable but its fun to see whats in there! enough electrolytic capacitors to choke a horse!
Yep. I've dismantled a 30-yr old perfectly good CB radio and a working HDTV converter box because I wanted the enclosures. I also scavenged a lot of caps and transistors from the radio. I've got an old picture tube TV sitting in the garage that's about to get a transformer-ectomy. I'll harvest whatever else I can too before I send it to the electronics recycling center.
never got any transistors that were usable....but wire...tons of wire. Enclosures are what its all about...and enclosures at yard sales/thrift stores and so on.
Quote from: Canucker on July 12, 2012, 02:07:53 AM
never got any transistors that were usable....but wire...tons of wire. Enclosures are what its all about...and enclosures at yard sales/thrift stores and so on.
you can get loads of silicon transistors from kiddie/baby toys at thrift shops/yard sales