Total newbie to DIY pedals

[5th_fret]

My wife has bought me a Box of Tone 50 kit from Fuzz Dog Pedals.

I can use a soldering iron but capacitors etc are new to me - I have no idea where to start really. The Fuzz Dog website gives a schematic and some tips but I don't really understand it. http://pedalparts.co.uk/docs/COT50-V2.pdf

Please can someone give you tops of how to start - what do I need to know before I start, what should I read ?

Thanks in anticipation!

[5th_fret]

I also have got a daughterboard : http://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/3PDT_True_Bypass_Daughterboard/p847124_12774515.aspx & http://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/Direct-Connect_pre-stripped_ribbon_cables,_4,_6,_7_and_9way/p847124_13242332.aspx
and
circuit tester, : http://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/Simple_Circuit_Tester/p847124_15641222.aspx
but again don't know what to do!

[stallik]

Welcome 5th fret. I hope you understand that building pedals can become a bit addictive. And this place is a bit like hotel California - you can check in any time you like...
Really, with the kit you received, you can put it together a bit like painting by numbers . Look at the photographs , identify the part and solder it in. However, you'll gain much more by learning what each part is and how to read the markings and symbols etc.
Resistors for example, are marked with coloured rings which give their value. There are many on line charts which will help you decipher these.
Capacitors come in different forms. The white boxes on your board are boxed film types while the round towers are electrolytic. These have a polarity and must be inserted the right way round and are usually marked with a white band indicating the negative side.
Hope that gets you started and if in doubt just ask questions

[5th_fret]

Thank you. Can you recommend any good online charts for capacitor values,  resistor values etc?

I'm certainly keen to learn.

[stallik]

Google is your friend there, do a search for resistor values, select images and choose the one that's most clear to you.
As you move onward, you will probably see recommendations to invest in a digital multimeter or DMM. Always good to have around the house even if you don't take to this lark. The DMM allows you to measure the values, check voltages, test circuits etc.

[Kipper4]

Welcome to the hotel 5th.

[5th_fret]

Thankyou. I have a multi meter already. Ill look online and see what I find.

[GibsonGM]

Welcome, 5th! Enjoy your 1st build, and don't hesitate to ask questions

[Rixen]

does your wife realise what she might have started here ? 

[DK1]

So far, my best investments have been inexpensive items. I do love my hakko, but I think a cheaper iron would be just fine. A decent functional dmm won't break the bank. The value I've found is in flush snips, good needle nose pliers, a solder sucker, and a flux pen. Those things make life so much easier, and mistakes hurt much less now.

Good luck!

[robthequiet]

At some point you need to relate a schematic to a layout, then understanding what the components do, then some basic theory. It's not that hard, really. If you're into reading, there's a lot out there. As stated above, search the web for basic questions until you find a site you like, then soak it in. Rod Elliot has a great site for diy-ers at all skill levels, and here is a link to his page for basics. Hope you find it as useful as I have.

[smallbearelec]

This is an Electra clone, which everyone here has built many times.

The documentation that's there is clear enough, but it presumes that you know resistor color codes. Look in the DIY FAQ here for the color code info, ID the resistors you got, and relate the physical items to the parts list and the layout drawing. At that point, you'll know where they have to be soldered to the board.

Another thing that might not be clear is identifying Tip, Ring and Sleeve of the jacks. See the pics in Figure 41 of this article:

http://diy.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/BreadboardUrsaMinor/BreadboardUrsaMinor.htm

and compare with what you have.

[cnspedalbuilder]

Welcome, a year ago I was in your shoes. Now I just built a tube amp!

A few purchases that I highly recommend:
A good wire stripper capable of stripping 24 gauge wire--I have one by Hakko that's great.
Good Quality Wire--often kits come with crap wire that is very unforgiving when you make mistakes. I like the 24 AWG stranded wire from Small Bear. They have an assortment set that will do great.
A Component Tester: I got a cheapo one on Ebay for $10 and use it all the time to make sure that I don't have the wrong value component. It's also great for testing whether you have a bad transistor or LED. Look up "transistor tester" on Ebay and you'll get on the right track.

That simple circuit tester you have is great btw! I have a much more clunky setup.

[duck_arse]

if that kit has supplied only one colour of wire (often purple, sometimes green), PLEASE, find another couple of colours, building in one colour is a recipe for disaster, and makes it hard for us to follow what is connected where.

datasheets - look one up for your transistor. it's fun and instructional. search - there are many threads hereabouts on 'how to build' and the like.

and welcome, like they say.

[PRR]

> My wife has bought me a Box of Tone 50 kit

Treasure that person!!