Breadboarding Parts List

[Harry]

I'm thinking of putting together a simple breadboarding kit to test some circuits. I was wondering which parts to include and would appreciate your suggestions. Which parts should I get? What values? How many? How much would I be looking at spending (I'd like to do it as cheaply as possible)?

[Hal]

from futurlec, order 10 of each of the E12 values of resistors - one penny each in 1s can not be beat. 
get the electro value pack
get some ICs...op-amps and 555s to start with
get a pack of Ge diodes and Si diodes
get some poly film caps (I dont know about the assortment they have)
get some common transistors (including a couple of darlingtons, MOSFETS and JFets).  This is the only thing they're kinda expensive on. 

[vanhansen]

The obvious stuff:
2 Jacks (can be mono for testing)
Pots - one of each: 5k, 10k, 25k, 50k, 100k, 500k, 1M.  That should cover most circuits.
If you can find one, a 3PDT toggle switch or just a regular DPDT toggle for bypassing the circuit.
Lots of alligator clips.

[phaeton]

One each of the Futurlec "Value Packs" (excluding 1/2W resistors) are a good place to start, IMHO. 

http://www.futurlec.com/ValuePacks.shtml

Then a breadboard and somehow to power it, preferrably with input/output jacks.  I mounted mine on top of a plastic tray and wired it up with in/out/wallwart jacks, switches, terminals, etc. YMMV.  You'll need some pots and switches.

Keep in mind that everything you order from futurlec will take a month to arrive.

Not required, but good karma to order everything else from these folks:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/cart/
http://www.smallbearelec.com/home.html
http://www.muzique.com/

They have lots of effects-oriented parts that you can't get otherwise anyway, such as the carling switches, germanium diodes and transistors (matched pairs, even) and some of the obsolete opto chips in older Craig Anderton designs.  On top of that they're all great folks and you can see them here on occasion.

[Harry]

Wow that futurelec pack is a great deal... does it have all the values I would probably need? Will those trans work for most applications (How about ge's, darlingtons, MOSFETS and JFets [Which ones and where]?)? Also how do you guys set it up? Do you just use those plastic breadboards?

[phaeton]

Yeah, the value packs are the way to go, IMHO.  I bought two sets of resistors, but as far as the values i think it's a great mix... 1 Ohm up to 1Meg, all the usual values.  I haven't had to buy any resistors since- I've always had what I needed or was able to put a couple together to get what I needed.  Caps are a good assortment.  Transistorwise I got about 10 each of:

2N2222
2N2907
2SC1815
BC327, 337, 338, 547, 548, 549
C9012, 9013
2N3904

All of which will work for most circuits, a few of them (BC's, 3904s) are first pick for some circuits.

No Ge's, no darlingtons, no mosfets, no jfets.  Go to the diystompboxes.com/cart link for the jfets and mosfets.  Go to the smallbearelec.com or muzique.com for the Ge transistors.  Go either place for Ge diodes, carling switches, and jacks.

ICs were a little less exciting- you get a bunch of 555 timers, comparators and voltage regulators.  Useful stuff if you do other electronics things, but for musical applications the only things you get that are fun are some HA17741s and LM386 opamps.  On second thought you could skip that and just order some opamps as needed from mouser or jameco.

Got about 10 each of 1N4001, 1N4004, 1N4007, 1N4148, all of which are useful.  I also got some other diodes that I can't identify, but their part number suggests that they are low current (400mW) zeners.  The usual round of LEDs- Red, Green, Yellow, a couple different sizes and shapes.

Keep in mind that it's very possible that you may end up with different stuff than what I did.  Who knows.  As best as I can tell, "futurlec" is a guy named AMP that lives in an apartment in Bankok that's packed floor to ceiling with rolls and boxes of parts that he buys by the 10,000 and spends all month separating and counting out.

While you're at futurlec you'll want to get some pots.  Probably a few 10K, 100K, 1K, 5K etc.  Some folks can probably give a better suggestion of what values to start out with.  Maybe sift through a few schematics of pedals you want to do right away and take note of what you'll need.

Breadboardwise, I mounted mine onto a plastic tray.  I have 1/4" jack input/outputs, and a place to plug in my 9V wallwart, along with a switch to turn power on or off.  Here's a horrible and huge picture of it:

http://home.mia.net/~phaeton/Anklebiter/proto.jpg

It's a little crude, and I've been meaning to build another.  I've actually had to move the input/output and power because high gain circuits would squeal.

Btw, take everything  i say with a grain of salt, as I'm a n00b too

[Harry]

Oil burner?! Is this a salvaged switch? Or is there some aspect I'm missing. Anyway thanks for all the ideas. I'm thinking just get board mount pots and jacks doing it all on the breadboard. Also what's a good breadboard? By good I mostly mean cheapest but adequet.

[Hal]

HAHA man thats even more ghetto than mine - I have jacks mounted on an old alarm clock.

I bought my bread from mouser.  I thought it was a decent deal, but you never know.  It was like $15 or so for a double board, 3 bus strips, 3 binding posts...

IMHO the resistor value packs arent that great.  They give tons of low values, and not as many 10k-1m values, the more useful stompbox values.  I think buying them in the 10 packs for 10 cents each is the better way to go - get the 48 E12 values (I think its 1, 1.2, 1.5, 1.7, 2.2, 2.7, 3, 3.3, 3.9, 4.7, 6.8, 8.6, and multiples thereof), its $4.80.  from 100 ohms - 1m. 

Anyway, I think the first thing you should build (besides a guitar effect) is an LM317 based power supply.  Well filtered, a switch for variable and 9v.  I think I put a post about mine at some point...Its the best $5 or so I've ever invested...

[phaeton]

Oil burner?! Is this a salvaged switch? Or is there some aspect I'm missing. Anyway thanks for all the ideas. I'm thinking just get board mount pots and jacks doing it all on the breadboard. Also what's a good breadboard? By good I mostly mean cheapest but adequet.

Naw... I just thought it'd be cool to have The Big Red Switch.  I thought about rubbing the text off the plate, but haven't.  I also considered a Spongebob switchplate that was in the same general area in Home Depot.

Btw, the terminal strips aren't all connected on the breadboards that I got from Futurlec, so I went ahead and created jumpers for all of them all the way across.

HAHA man thats even more ghetto than mine - I have jacks mounted on an old alarm clock.


I dunno... Jacks on an alarm clock sounds pretty ghetto.  Got any pics?  However, in that same directory are pictures of an amplifier I built into a Rubbermaid tub.  That's what the "Anklebiter" refers to in the URL.

[Hal]

HAHA man thats even more ghetto than mine - I have jacks mounted on an old alarm clock.


I dunno... Jacks on an alarm clock sounds pretty ghetto.  Got any pics?  However, in that same directory are pictures of an amplifier I built into a Rubbermaid tub.  That's what the "Anklebiter" refers to in the URL.

no...I actually don't, and they're home, and I'm not.  Next weekend my parents are bringing them up...I'm away at college .
I ment ghetto in a cool way :-D.

[phaeton]

no...I actually don't, and they're home, and I'm not.  Next weekend my parents are bringing them up...I'm away at college Undecided.
I ment ghetto in a cool way :-D.

But of course! 

I've also got a different type of (Sterilite) tub with two 6X9 speakers in it, wired so I can switch between 4ohm and 8ohm (I use this lil "speaker cabinet" to test out small amplifier circuits).  I couldn't find any suitable N.O.S. shag carpeting for the exterior, so I instead covered it with contact paper that emulates that neo-70s mobile-home style imitation wood paneling.

It's trailer trash.