Help with my prototype MiniDrive... pretty pics inside...

[AdamB]

Eazy now,

So, I've finished my first prototype overdrive 'dongle' which I've called the Bradley MiniDrive, based on Joe's single transistor Easydrive (using the torchy vero layout, I've not done a PCB for this yet).

Basically, this is a small unit that plugs directly into the guitar (male 1/4" connector input) and then you plug your lead going to your effects on the floor or your amp into it's output jack. It comes in a cool blue translucent box, has true bypass and an indicator LED (used a crap orange one on this as I was building it mostly from spare parts and I didn't want to have to order another LED). It only runs on a 9V battery - no DC jack, as obviously you can't really plug it into a mains adapter as you'd be tripping over the wire when you're playing guitar. It has no controls (except the on/off toggle switch), tho the point of it plugging directly into the guitar is so that you can change it's gain etc. without having to bend down to your floor effects (while your playing). So, with this in mind, I intend to try and squeeze at least 1 pot into the next prototype. (are there pots smaller than the 16mm alpha pots that could be used?)

Considering it's made from thin plastic, I've not had any RF problems so far. It's remarkably quiet.













Here's what I need some help with...

Originally it was using a plastic male connector, which was long enougth to allow the unit to be plugged into a strat type guitar (the contoured input slot on the face of the guitar). However, this melted quite badly when I applied the hot glue to hold it into place, so I had to replace it with a metal one. The tragedy being that the metal one is shorter than the plastic one and therefore the unit will only plug into a guitar that doesn't have the contoured input on the face of the guitar (the plastic one was glued in by the flexible, rubbery part that is supposed to ease strain on the wires, but it just melted). Does anyone know of a box type of a similar size (3.8" x 1.8" x 0.9", I think it's a 1590A or something), preferably made of plastic, that is thinner at one end than the other, so that it would fit into a strat? Or maybe a longer, metal 1/4" male connector?

Sound wise it's, well, it's an overdrive. To be honest I haven't really been paying much attention to the sound as of yet. I had a quick play with it and it sounded ok, nothing spectacular but considering the minimal parts count, not bad. I first want to perfect the off-board layout etc. before I start tweaking the circuit or finding other circuits to put in (I was thinking maybe a JRC386D based dist. circuit, got the idea from taking apart my smokey and talking to a few people on the forums).

Any help would be appretiated,

Thanks,

-Adam

[fixr1984]

What if you were to make it similar to a wireless unit. Have your box attach to the guitar strap and have a 12'' or so cable hardwired in to the box that would plug into the guitar then it would be universal to whatever guitar you wanted to put it on.

[AdamB]

That's actually a pretty good idea,  if I could find someway to attach it to the strap without having to use tape or whatever.

Maybe velcro or something, any ideas? Maybe not velcro because once you put it on the strap it's there for good. Hrm...

-Adam

[fixr1984]

Something like a belt hook similar to the hook on a tape measure, you could hook it on the strap where the plastic adjusting piece is.
Or possibly some type of a loop on the box so you could hook it on the strap button.

[AdamB]

Hrm, any ideas where I could get something to make like a strap/belt thing to tie it to the strap with from? Maybe I could get some sort of small belt thing, and attach the belt to the unit with velcro then attack the belt around the strap, that would be funkadelic. That way you could easily swap the belt to attach it with onto different units pretty easily.

-Adam