Sexy on the inside

[seedlings]

I was just at the pictures thread (again) and.. there is nothing but awesome sauce going on there.  Kudos!

So, really, no joking, how do you get short, pretty wire runs from the board to the pots?  Wrapping all sides of the board?  I can only cut wires two ways: too long and too short.  How do you get three 3/4" lengths of wire to wrap tightly around to the back side of the board to a pot?  Which end do you solder first since both are 'hidden'?  It would take me hours of trying to not accomplish this.

As in this wicked awesome example of hundreds on this site:

Perhaps I am too impatient.  I'm happy when I can manage to fold this into the box:


Thanks, again!
CHAD

[Morocotopo]

To make those short wire runs, I guess the way is to carefully calculate lengths and solder everything before mounting it to the box, and then mount everything at the same time, kind of like trying to eat noodles, something always slips...

[DougH]

No offense intended to whoever took the pretty picture at the top, but you can't see from that photo how much wire is tucked under the board.

When I build stuff, I solder wires to the board before installing the board. Then I install all the hardware: pots, switch, jacks and board. Then I finish dressing the wires to the external components with everything mounted. That way I can accurately gauge how long the wires need to be and can route them neatly.

Example:

[merlinb]

It's neat for sure, but the neatest thing is board-mounted hardware. That's the pro way.

[rousejeremy]

It's neat for sure, but the neatest thing is board-mounted hardware. That's the pro way.

Unless it's jacks, then its broken solder joints in a couple years.

[Arcane Analog]

It's neat for sure, but the neatest thing is board-mounted hardware. That's the pro way.

Unless it's jacks, then its broken solder joints in a couple years.

..and footswitches, DC jacks and pots.

Board mounting these has nothing to do with being professional.

Edit: Unless by professional you mean a cost cutting measure to decrease build time and increase profit but thereby sacrificing durability and ease of repair, then yes, board-mounted hardware is very professional.

[seedlings]

My trouble is that I can get 3 out of 4 wires perfect every time.  But when I un-solder the 4th wire, the iron melts the insulation off of two of the first three wires.  When I un-solder that wire, I melt the first one, rinse and repeat.

Mounting to the board... that requires perfect drilling of enclosure holes... mm off here, mm off there means nothing fits at all.

The picture is starting to come together; that I need to keep my expectations low, yet stay optimistic.  

CHAD

[DougH]

It's neat for sure, but the neatest thing is board-mounted hardware. That's the pro way.

Unless it's jacks, then its broken solder joints in a couple years.

Yeah, I don't like board-mounted hardware. At all.

[Paul Marossy]

It's neat for sure, but the neatest thing is board-mounted hardware. That's the pro way.

I've started doing that on my personal builds. It also solves the "how do I mount the PCB?" problem as well.

[Paul Marossy]

It's neat for sure, but the neatest thing is board-mounted hardware. That's the pro way.

Unless it's jacks, then its broken solder joints in a couple years.

Only if it's done poorly.

[kingswayguitar]

for me, if it works.....

[Paul Marossy]

It's neat for sure, but the neatest thing is board-mounted hardware. That's the pro way.

Unless it's jacks, then its broken solder joints in a couple years.

..and footswitches, DC jacks and pots.

Board mounting these has nothing to do with being professional.

Edit: Unless by professional you mean a cost cutting measure to decrease build time and increase profit but thereby sacrificing durability and ease of repair, then yes, board-mounted hardware is very professional.

Try building sixty pedals at a time, having to wire every single pot and switch with individual little wires (three pots and two switches per unit) - it's a major pain in the butt. And it does take A LOT longer. If you ask me, it's more likely for a wire to break from a pot getting loose and twisting than it is for a board mounted pot to ever have a problem. Jacks and switches if done properly shouldn't be a problem either. if you ask me, there is no 100% effective way to gorilla-proof a stompbox.

[Arcane Analog]

If you have wire leads "twisting off" your pots you are doing it wrong. I have no idea how you could acomplish that unless you are soldering blind folded and leaving the pots rattling around in the enclosure.

More likely than a wire magically twisting off a pot is someone kicking a board-mounted component or strees from board mounted jacks. Really? Board mounted jacks are more durable that wired leads? Are you being serious?

The only reason you build them that way is to cust costs and save time. That is fine and dandy - nothing wrong with making a buck - but trying to say they will be more durable that way is a joke.

While I prefer custom builds, I do build runs of pedals. I do wire them up one at a time because they are stronger that way.

[DougH]

I agree. Board mounted components is a manufacturing cost-cutting move for when you have to turn out 300,000 widgets a month with a narrow margin. I'm not in that business so it's irrelevant to me. The only wires that ever broke in a pedal for me were the old flimsy battery clips they used in the folded aluminum EHX boxes back in the day. And that's because there's a lot of movement and stress on a wire when changing batteries. And if a wire breaks, so what? 5 minute soldering job and you're back in business. Not nearly as catastrophic as a pcb trace (or traces, or board) breaking due to unintended undue stress. And this is especially true in guitar amps when this kind of construction is used.

[Arcane Analog]

Amen, Doug.

I know I probably sound a touch crazy on here with regards to PCB mounted components but I see far too many of these in on my bench for repair. I am at the point where I only repair these types of devices if they are owned by a friend. Unsoldering a 3PDT from a PCB is a nightmare.

Call it what it is. PCB mounted builds by vendors are cost cutting measures only. That is fair game and nothing wrong with that. Claiming they are more durable is just garbage.

[R.G.]

Guys, you're oversimplifying. There are ways to do it better. Not that those ways are universally known or used, I grant you, but the universe is not stacked against board mounted anything.

By the way, on the OP's topic of neat wiring, I have this personal peeve - not against board mounted parts, although I do HATE to work on PCB stuff that's been done poorly and without insight, too, which is what I think you really mean - about PCBs held in Gulliver-in-Lilliput style, tied down by wires all around. Wires go on one edge of a PCB unless they are connectorized so they can all be removed easily.

[Arcane Analog]

 

Removing an all PCB mounted pedal is just as bad. Any more Google quotes to throw around?

[R.G.]

Removing an all PCB mounted pedal is just as bad. Any more Google quotes to throw around?

I have a whole lot of them. How many would you like?

[tubegeek]

For the OP:

One technique I have seen used to excellent effect is to make a soldering jig, so you can arrange the off-board components <ducking> as if they were installed in an enclosure, but you can still have good access to them. A jig can be as simple as holes of convenient size drilled in a piece of plywood, which supports the PCB and the off-board components.

here's an example:

[tony grazioso]

I was just at the pictures thread (again) and.. there is nothing but awesome sauce going on there.  Kudos!

So, really, no joking, how do you get short, pretty wire runs from the board to the pots?  Wrapping all sides of the board?  I can only cut wires two ways: too long and too short.  How do you get three 3/4" lengths of wire to wrap tightly around to the back side of the board to a pot?  Which end do you solder first since both are 'hidden'?  It would take me hours of trying to not accomplish this.

As in this wicked awesome example of hundreds on this site:

Perhaps I am too impatient.  I'm happy when I can manage to fold this into the box:


Thanks, again!
CHAD

Thank you very much for taking notice.....I measure my wire lengths ahead of time...I wire most of the circuit outside of the enclosure, then assemble it...I'm obsessive compulsive like that.  solid core wire helps too