Question About Test Rigs?

[icepot]

I was reading http://beavisaudio.com/Projects/TestRig/ and it made me wonder how it worked?
Do you still have to solder things together? that would make life so much easier...

Im just about to start my 3rd pedal, and the way i test my circuit is i just solder everything to together and if it works GREAT!... throw it in an enclosure. But if it doesnt work i just tinker with the soldered mess until i have to go buy everything all over again and resolder. is there away to get around soldering everything just to test the circuit, is this test rig a way to do that?

-mychael

[Headbuttking2]

Yeah, but only if it has a breadboard, which makes life easier...

Does anyone know where to get those DC volt guage meters for like less than $20?  I have only seen them at Mouser and if I could grab them for like 5 bux ea. that'd be nice.

[Pushtone]

Looks like this is everything but the populated PCB and maybe some pots.

I'm thinking you would solder the off-board leads to your PCB
and leave the ends stripped and tinned ready for final soldering.

Different leads with alagator clips at one end attach to the screw terms and clamp onto your tinned OB leads.
This would save soldering and desoldering to test a PCB.

When I saw this too, I said...
beavisaudio.com, you made MY LIST! 
Cool tester and well laid out.

Cheers

[John Lyons]

Here is what I use. You can get these at radio shack but they aren't really that cheap.
You can get a better one that's twice the size online at Parts Express or mouser.
These are good for small circuits but I run out of room pretty often, next time i'm going to get a unit twice this size.

You just plug all your parts into the holes, no solder. Easy to test and try out different parts values.
I drilled and attached the control plate so the knobs aren't just hanging all over the place...actually i still
have knobs hanging all over the place with this circuit...

[icepot]

Thanks for all your help everyone!

Basicaudio what is that board called? i like that, i think im going to go try and find one of those today as long as there not too expensive.

[icepot]

i think i found it, breadboard right? lol sorry... nevermind my last post.

[Headbuttking2]

Electronic Goldmine has a giant one for like 5 bux without binding posts...
The one I got for school was like $20 with them, but I think I am going to mount everything on a block of wood, so mounting posts wouldnt be necessary.

[icepot]

do you think http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104172&cp=&kw=breadboard&parentPage=search would be overkill?

[John Lyons]

They aren't expensive really. Maybe $20 I just have seen a few since I bought this that were cheaper and twice on more the size. Check out Parts Express, they have a lot of cool oddball stuff. Just request a catalog online and they will send one to you.

[John Lyons]

That radio shack one is the same one I posted a pic of. For most small circuits it will be fine for you.
You can get a bigger one cheaper as I was saying. That's what I'd do.

John

[twabelljr]

look here: http://www.web-tronics.com/breadboards---prototyping-boards-solderless-breadboards.html

Note: These also include PLENTY of jumpers.

[petemoore]

  The DigitalMultiMeter I bought at Marc's Discount store for .. yep 4 dollars has served well and has hit the floor a couple times to boot. I bought another just cause it was 4.

[mdh]

Well, you went and gave me an excuse to post a picture of my recently half-completed effects prototyping board. I intend to put a couple of switches for bypass, etc., but it's definitely usable at this point:



The lower board has connections to the 9 pots (from 1k to 1M, some dual-ganged, doubles of some values like 10k and 100k), but still has a lot of free real-estate for components. The upper board has input at the left and output at the right. Currently there's a Phuncgnosis on most of the upper board, and some other components kicking around from a Tube Reamer.

Of course my master plan was that I can put a circuit on there, tweak away, make a permanent version with any desired mods, and then tear out the temporary one. The reality is that I really need a few of these set-ups so that I can play with multiple circuits at once. Just the same, I highly recommend building something like this. Wiring all of those pots was a bit tedious, though!

[KORGULL]

Does anyone know where to get those DC volt guage meters for like less than $20?

Here's one place: http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category/385/Meters_(Panel).html

[John Lyons]

Lots of room on that one MDH! Nice...

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

http://www.geofex.com/buildfx.htm
there is a link to the Geofex one on this page.

Also, if you keep looking for "analog trainer" in ebay, you may get lucky one day
& snag one of those little suitcase prototyping setups (breadboard, power supply etc
in a case).

[gui74rg33k]

those trainers are sweet my school bought a new set this year for electronics, so I take one home when i got a stompbox to tese

[Pushtone]

IMHO I think there is an inherent difference between the bevisaudio "test rig" and the "prototyping rigs" being posted.
The test rig looks specifically designed to test a populated PCB before boxing it up. But it can not prototype like a breadboard setup. Is it just me, or are these two different things?

[cab42]

IMHO I think there is an inherent difference between the bevisaudio "test rig" and the "prototyping rigs" being posted.
The test rig looks specifically designed to test a populated PCB before boxing it up. But it can not prototype like a breadboard setup. Is it just me, or are these two different things?

I was thinking the same thing. I made a test rig a few month's ago as a lot of my errors was due to miswireing (?)  jacks,switch and power. Now I can leave that out of the equation. If something's wrong it's in the circuit.

It shouldn't be hard to modify it though, so it could take a breadboard instead of af PCB prototyping.

I have integrated a R.G. Q&D oscillator and an audio probe. No diy'er should live without any of these two!

Regards

Carsten