I really hate building stuff, and yet... when it's done... and it works...

[Digital Larry]

I finished up most of unit #2.  This one is going into a painted 1590BB.  Tomorrow I'm taking this to the beach where one of my favoritist bands in the whole world is playing.  I gave an earlier prototype to the guitarist and he took it home and after a couple weeks sent me some really nice comments about it.

But MAN!  What a pain to build this thing.  I have a board that fits really snug inside the 1590BB, but it's got holes in 4 planes (left, right, front , top) and it is a @#*($*( to drill all the holes just so.  So I have some oblong holes.  Then I assembled it and it totally didn't work, just distorted sound.  Was missing a resistor,  Then a switch didn't work and it turned out one end of an SMT transistor wasn't soldered. 

Then I have 3 LEDs standing an inch off the board poking through holes in the top, I wound up countersinking them from behind to make it easier to guide them through.    I got it all working outside of the case, put it in, and it stopped working.    Pulled it out again, found a power to ground short on a control pot, put it back together.  I'd say I put it together and pulled it apart maybe 15 times! 

However, this one went together as far as debugging much quicker than the first one.

The standing LEDs were the worst thing.  I'm trying to figure out how to get some cheap light pipes, one I saw that would work is probably 75 cents and I need 3 of them.  Was thinking about getting some lucite rods, melting and mashing the end if possible, then cut it off. 

[BubbaFet]

And this is why boutique pedals cost $300. 

[diffeq]

There are special spacers for standing LEDs to prevent any dangling: http://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/led-20/led-holder-round-5mm-2-pin/dp/9555200
Won't help mounting much if enclosure holes are way off. Unless you solder them to PCB while they are inside enclosure.

[anotherjim]

Buy spacers -  or chop up bic/biro pen bodies

[stallik]

The standing LEDs were the worst thing.  I'm trying to figure out how to get some cheap light pipes, one I saw that would work is probably 75 cents and I need 3 of them. 

How many are you planning on building? I appreciate the importance of keeping costs down but I can't help thinking that the time you've already expended just thinking about this exceeds, in monetary terms the cost of the light pipes.

[Digital Larry]

The standing LEDs were the worst thing.  I'm trying to figure out how to get some cheap light pipes, one I saw that would work is probably 75 cents and I need 3 of them. 

How many are you planning on building? I appreciate the importance of keeping costs down but I can't help thinking that the time you've already expended just thinking about this exceeds, in monetary terms the cost of the light pipes.

Yeah.  Ha ha.  No doubt.  Never said I was rational. 

So another way to look at it is: one can use spacers, which seem fool proof and cheaper than std lightpipes.  But I can't find spacers for 3 mm LEDs which I currently have.  I'll give the light pipes a fling, it would sure speed things up if they work well.

[Kipper4]

What about if you put a 3x led length of heat shrink. Heat up around the legs only.
Drill the led holes slightly larger. Pull the spare unheated heatshrink through the holes.
Thus guiding the led into place.
The heatshrink should be a tight fit in the hole.
Use an exacto to cut off the unwanted heat shrink on the top of the enclosure.

Sounded simple when I thought of it......

Carry on.