Grounding Question

[hose]

Hey- I am new to this forum. Really, really great information here and a great bunch of guys (ladies, too!).

I have built a few pedals from kits in the past but I am ready to venture out into trying one one from perfboard. I have built the Tube Sound Fuzz from a kit a while back. When I did so it was recommended that you use a separate grounding bar to ground your ground wires to. I did that and it did work. However, I noticed that nobody else really does it this way. It seems that all grounds are through jacks that are connected to the enclosure rather than grounding bars. Is it perfectly acceptable to ground ground wires to a jack that is attached to the enclosure? I did read the FAQ's here and it appears that is the case. Just wanted to double check. Also that would bring up the question, is it ok to paint the enclosure and still use those jacks as a ground point? Seems like most effects I see are done this way. I just have some conflicting, confusing information that I wanted to get sorted out.

Thanks so much in advance! I really do appreciate your time!

[jrem]

some circuits are prone to noise from ground loops, which is why there are different grounding strategies.  Tube amps are way more fussy than 9vdc stomp boxes.  The jacks are a convenient place to home run the grounds, some boards just put an outside trace for the grounds.

You typically don't paint the inside of the enclosure, so if your using switchcraft style jacks they make ground contact anyway, so paint away.  Regardless, the plastic euro style jacks I don't thing ground on the enclosure since they're plastic. 

[hose]

Thanks so much for the reply. I would be using Switchcraft style jacks. When you say, "so if your using switchcraft style jacks they make ground contact anyway...." do you mean because they are metal and make contact with the enclosure for ground? In that manner, wouldn't all metal style jacks ground the same way (to the enclosure) or is there something different about the Switchcraft ones?

So it seems as long as you do not paint the inside, you are good to go with grounding to the enclosure?

Thanks again for all the help.

[GibsonGM]

Yes, it's ok to ground to the jack(s).  If there's paint on the inside of the enclosure, you'd want to sand it off a little so the jack will make contact. Check it with a DMM, that's all.   The metal jacks will always contact the enclosure unless you specifically make them not (fiber washers or whatever).    Plastic jacks don't ground to the enclosure since they are not metal.

I would recommend using jack switching, where your main ground wire is switched in/out by plugging into the input.  ALSO, connect the board ground buss to the OUTPUT jack too.  This way, if either jack comes loose, you don't get a big "BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ" on stage. It's double security; I have had the BZZZZZZ and recommend against it, LOL.
 
If that creates a ground loop, you'd go back and remedy it after the pedal is built (by placing a dedicated screw in the side of the enclosure and going to that, perhaps).  I haven't had to do this on like 30 builds to-date; like it says above, 9v circuits usually aren't that sensitive.   

[hose]

That makes complete sense. Thanks so much for the reply.

Wow that is cool that you have done 30 some builds. What are some of the ones you've done? It'd be cool to hear.

Thanks again-