Noob question

[Lawepy]

Hello all. I'm new to pedal building. Haven't even started any yet but currently learning and searching the web for ideas. I have a question about getting my pedal building off the ground. I want to build a simple fuzz like the buzz fuss or equivalent. I see some kits with already made pcb's and also a ton of perf layouts. Which would be better for a new builder to start with? A pcb already etched and ready for components or a perfboard layout. Would I learn more for future projects if I went with perf layout?
Thanks
Luke

[duck_arse]

hello, and welcome.

seeing as you are asking these type questions, you seem a perfect fit for a breadboard instead. get yrself a bunch of odd parts, a couple of circuits, learn what does who along the way, then worry about banging it onto board.

the easiest to start with would be a printed circuit board, unless you wanted to do your own mods, and could find the board to start with. perfboard would be next easiest, but I've never used it. you can lay out your layout much like the circuit diagram you're working from. vero comes next, and it drives those of us who let it, crazy. endless moveings and shufflings and mutterings.

with both vero and perf, and tagboard and turret, I suppose, you are only limited by your imagination, yr layout rules and the size of yr board.

a breadboard is great because you can try the bazz fuss, then turn it into an electra or a SHO, then a fuzzface or an ea trem, etc, etc, etc.

[GibsonGM]

Duck_Arse is right, because he has over 2,000 posts!     *just kidding DA, you're most always right and give awesome advice *

Yup, most/many of us started with a breadboard. I still do 99% of my builds on it first, so I can mod the circuit to sound good with MY gear.  Then I transfer the breadboarded circuit to perf board and build point to point.

I suggest getting a full kit of 1/4 watt resistors from Ebay or other source....some basic transistors, a few common opamps, 1N914 diodes, some LEDs.  For under $50 U.S., you could put together a VERY nice parts collection and then can build the majority of things you see talked about on here! 

Check out:  https://www.smallbearelec.com/home.html   for parts galore, some reading n. stuff.   

Welcome to the forum, and we look forward to hearing your comments/questions, etc!

[Lawepy]

Thanks for the info and advice. Since I'm mainly a bass player will I need any different component values for pedal building vs guitar? Also, is there anywhere that has a easy to understand instructional videos for using breadboards, veroboard, etc?

[deadastronaut]

^ it's same parts ...

breadboarding tutorials..

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=breadboard+basics

[Lawepy]

Mr. Astronaut,
I have only been reading up for a week or so and your builds seem to come up everywhere. I particularly like your flying saucer reverb. Showed it to my brother the guitar player and he started drooling. Lol. I know I'm getting ahead of myself but where would I find a vero layout or pcb available for that pedal? I told him I would build it for him if I got good enough.

[deadastronaut]

if he/you like the flying saucer reverb, you'll love the 'chasm' reverb...

i have fabbed pcb's available for that ok..(search 'chasm' )

[Lawepy]

Is it worth it to learn how to etch my own boards or just stick to vero layouts?

[Seljer]

Is it worth it to learn how to etch my own boards or just stick to vero layouts?

Making your own boards lets you fit bigger circuits in tinier spaces and use less time to assemble the thing. Also, it makes it really easy to build multiple copies of something. Downside is you have to spend more time on making the board and can't fire up the soldering iron directly. Sooner or later you'll probably tackle a large circuit where a PCB will be the way to go (though I've seen people on here build humongous  flangers and such on veroboard  )

Its really not hard at all to make PCBs, but it does require some equipment, the priciest thing probably being a drill press and some tiny drillbits to make holes for your components. There are different etching chemicals but whichever you use, $10 worth should last you for dozens of boards (it just gets less stronger over time). If you have a laser printer you can use and old clothes iron to transfer the artwork onto the copper board (if you don't have a laser printer you can use a photocopier). The press-n-peel stuff is nice but using glossy junk mail advertising works just fine too. The other way to transfer the artwork is using the UV sensitive boards/spray and developer. Do a search online, there are plenty of instruction guides for the different methods.

[GibsonGM]

...or, you can just do point-to-point on perfboard, as i do.   I build most of the things you read about on here, including the Easy Vibe, on perf.  That lets me control the size of the board, although I have to come up with my own layouts.   I think it helps me understand circuits better, but that's just my opinion.  I don't care for Vero, as it's "too easy", again opinion.     Some like it, but I wonder if they learn much when they don't have to think about the schematic....

At least doing your OWN PCB's gets you thinking!   

[pinkjimiphoton]

i built over 100 stompboxes i'll most likely never use or be able to selll cuz i was too brain dead to use my breadboard for the first 4 years or so of building my own stuff...

since the first time i used it, REALLY used it, there's been no looking back... no more wasting components on sketchy layouts, no more building stuff that just doesn't seem as amazing as the demo you got all hot for,
and you can build ANYTHING ya want. and decide if it's worthy.

before ya know it, you'll be plugging in transistors and stuff, and adding components at will til YOU, yes YOU are designing YOUR OWN CIRCUITS!!

please don't make the mistake i did... get a breadboard, or better, 3 or 4 of 'em.... and get ready to learn stuff you'll never learn any other way, and have a BLAST doing it, too.

[petey twofinger]

check ebay or elswhere for a breadboard and wire kit , they are very affordable .

i totally agree with what jimi was saying  , you can bypass that whole step of bread boarding , but you will end up regretting it if you do .

if you have an hour or so check out the video link i pmed you for more info on breadboarding .