List of all parts that are needed for diy builds?

[khm9]

Hi,

I am tired of ordering and waiting parts for specific builds to arrive. My first build was a FuzzFace, I ordered just enough parts to finish it, waited almost 2 months, and after the parts arrived I finished the fuzz face in 4 days. As a result my builds are not productive at all, too much waiting, little building.

I'd rather have bunch of parts in stock and be building every day than every 2 months.

So, which oftenly used parts like resistors (especially resistors), caps, diodes, IC's, pots do I need?. Also which wire should i use 22, 24 awg? shrinking tubes, sizes?

Which parts do you stock up? any tips?

Thank you

[GibsonGM]

Hi Khm, this is from a post I was on earlier today.  This is just a start!!!

Add in a few TLO71 and '72 opamps...a few 741's, some 4558's and a few LM386 audio amp chips, don't forget some 555 timer IC's, and sockets for all....

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Estimated cost in parentheses - 'kits' are the way to go, you get like 100 pieces often....Here you go, get:

- a resistor kit, 1/4 carbon film type, from Ebay or Small Bear Electronics...Small Bear is assoc. with us here, great service, prices, and is keyed to this hobby so be sure to visit them...($10)

- a cap kit of poly-type caps, values usually .001u to about .5u, pretty much any will do (Ebay, Small Bear etc) ($10)

- 5 each of 1uF, 2.2u, 10u, 47u and 100u electrolytic caps to get started, if you can get non polarized that is nice (NP) but not essential ($5)

- a bunch of LEDs, I'd again get a kit of maybe 3mm "super bright" from somewhere, several colors...for this initial purchase what "kind" or size is trivial, this is just "stock" ($5)

- some potentiometers....B taper 1k, 10k, 100k, 500, 1M    A taper 10k, 100k, 250k ($10)

- bunch of 1N914 (1N4148 = same) diodes from ebay etc.  ($3).   

- bunch of 1N4001 diodes

DEFINITELY a few breadboards...3, 4 of them if you can....($15)

9V battery connectors ($5)

Alligator clips to make short jumpers with...small clips are easier to use ($5)

A bunch of 1/4" mono jacks to connect your circuits to amps n guitars ($5)

Some 2N5088, 2N3904, 2N3906(PNP), 2N2222 transistors to start with   ($6)

Decent DMM if you don't have one ($30)....solder...25W soldering iron, maybe with a "station" (holder)

shrink tubing, hookup wire (stranded AND solid)  I think hookup is 22 ga.?  Not critical, I got tons at RS when they were open here....

This will get you going, enjoy!!!     There is always more, trust me, but hey - the stuff is typically pretty cheap, don't let the number of things put you off....

[ElectricDruid]

I agree with Gibson's list in general - particularly in its scope. If you want to have enough parts to be able to build a pedal from stock, you're going to have quite a lot of stuff around. That's not impossible - a lot of us do.

I'd argue with some of the specific choices on GibsonGM's list: 1/4W carbon films? Ugh! 0.6W Metal film 1% are far superior! Otherwise all good!

Tom

[Jdansti]

I agree with Gibson's list in general - particularly in its scope. If you want to have enough parts to be able to build a pedal from stock, you're going to have quite a lot of stuff around. That's not impossible - a lot of us do.

I'd argue with some of the specific choices on GibsonGM's list: 1/4W carbon films? Ugh! 0.6W Metal film 1% are far superior! Otherwise all good!

Tom

Resistor snob!   

[BoxOfSnoo]

Don't forget AliExpress.  You can get ridiculously cheap bulk parts.  For example if you need resistors, why not get a pack of 300 for $1.60 US?  Or electrolytic capacitors for $3?  Or LEDs for $1.30?

Two things you need to beware of with AliExpress.  1) Some sellers might sell counterfeit stuff.  So if you want genuine Alpha pots, get them from somewhere else.  Let the price and common sense be your guide... though these are high-volume sellers... They will have stuff cheaper than most retailers. 2) shipping is slow.  Expect 30 days for every shipment.

An addendum to point 1 - you might take the "1%" in the resistors listing with a grain of salt, but even if they average down to 5%, it's still a lot of resistors for a couple of bucks.

[LightSoundGeometry]

I agree with Gibson's list in general - particularly in its scope. If you want to have enough parts to be able to build a pedal from stock, you're going to have quite a lot of stuff around. That's not impossible - a lot of us do.

I'd argue with some of the specific choices on GibsonGM's list: 1/4W carbon films? Ugh! 0.6W Metal film 1% are far superior! Otherwise all good!

Tom

Resistor snob!   

are they dissipating heat better or resisting more? or is it the tolerance of them being 1%? all the above?


no one has mentioned perf board, stripo board  or pcb clads you should stock up on if you want to build at a moments notice . I would also say to go with a min of 25 volt rated electros

[GibsonGM]

The metal film have better tolerance, as specified (1%)...in our hobby it makes little difference at all, but might make you feel better to use them!     Don't know if metal film is "quieter" than carbon film, could be, a TAD that we'll never hear, ha ha....to each their own.   Don't think you can "argue" with me on them, but you certainly can specify your preference!!   

Since Toms suggests .6W, that is over 1/2 watt, so THOSE would dissipate heat better than 1/4W, of course.  I suggested 1/4W as they are pretty standard in massive amounts of things, just fine a rating for what we do here, and if you're repairing something, it'll likely have 1/4W resistors.  Good physical size for handling and so on.

1/2W resistors are larger, take up more space.   I have 2 sets of THOSE, tho, too - for plate resistors and things    In the ideal world, we'd have a set of 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and 1W resistors!!   But I didn't want to freak out the OP with having to buy so much...  lol

[duck_arse]

nah, freak him out, he'll have to get used to it sooner or later.

[GibsonGM]

nah, freak him out, he'll have to get used to it sooner or later.

Ain't THAT true!!  Read about some great effect on the internet that you HAVE to build TONIGHT..but no .01u poly caps      NEXT time you'll be ready!!

[khm9]

Hi Khm, this is from a post I was on earlier today.  This is just a start!!!

Add in a few TLO71 and '72 opamps...a few 741's, some 4558's and a few LM386 audio amp chips, don't forget some 555 timer IC's, and sockets for all....

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Estimated cost in parentheses - 'kits' are the way to go, you get like 100 pieces often....Here you go, get:

- a resistor kit, 1/4 carbon film type, from Ebay or Small Bear Electronics...Small Bear is assoc. with us here, great service, prices, and is keyed to this hobby so be sure to visit them...($10)

- a cap kit of poly-type caps, values usually .001u to about .5u, pretty much any will do (Ebay, Small Bear etc) ($10)

- 5 each of 1uF, 2.2u, 10u, 47u and 100u electrolytic caps to get started, if you can get non polarized that is nice (NP) but not essential ($5)

- a bunch of LEDs, I'd again get a kit of maybe 3mm "super bright" from somewhere, several colors...for this initial purchase what "kind" or size is trivial, this is just "stock" ($5)

- some potentiometers....B taper 1k, 10k, 100k, 500, 1M    A taper 10k, 100k, 250k ($10)

- bunch of 1N914 (1N4148 = same) diodes from ebay etc.  ($3).   

- bunch of 1N4001 diodes

DEFINITELY a few breadboards...3, 4 of them if you can....($15)

9V battery connectors ($5)

Alligator clips to make short jumpers with...small clips are easier to use ($5)

A bunch of 1/4" mono jacks to connect your circuits to amps n guitars ($5)

Some 2N5088, 2N3904, 2N3906(PNP), 2N2222 transistors to start with   ($6)

Decent DMM if you don't have one ($30)....solder...25W soldering iron, maybe with a "station" (holder)

shrink tubing, hookup wire (stranded AND solid)  I think hookup is 22 ga.?  Not critical, I got tons at RS when they were open here....

This will get you going, enjoy!!!     There is always more, trust me, but hey - the stuff is typically pretty cheap, don't let the number of things put you off....

Wow, thank you for the list. It's great!
I'll follow your tips.

Anyway can you recommend a few decent DMMs which would get me through builds? so far I used a cheap dmm I think it wasnt more than €5.

I came across uni-t UT136 auto range multimeter for $15 on ebay. what do you think about this dmm?

[khm9]

I agree with Gibson's list in general - particularly in its scope. If you want to have enough parts to be able to build a pedal from stock, you're going to have quite a lot of stuff around. That's not impossible - a lot of us do.

I'd argue with some of the specific choices on GibsonGM's list: 1/4W carbon films? Ugh! 0.6W Metal film 1% are far superior! Otherwise all good!

Tom

Yes I disagree with carbon resistors as well. the price difference is so insignificant that metals are the way to go.

[PRR]

You will never regret $5-$10 for a box of "all" values carbon-film resistors (your favorite wattage).

I used to buy a dozen or 50 at a time. Never had the one odd value I wanted.

Though I never used more than 10% of the box, I was thrilled to dip into my 1000-boxes and always come out within 5% of what I wanted. (If I'm truly working to 1% matching, I'll get it working with 5%, verify, then order just the 1%s I need.)

Caps.... there's too many values and types to ever have "all" values and sizes on hand. Fake it with near-right uFd and over-spec voltage. Know your series/parallel combinations. When you get the perfect tone with five assorted values cobbled-up, then go order the just-right part to fit the box (or not, if space isn't vital).

Never figure your first build is your last build. Build it big, prove it out, then ponder if it fits your life better if re-built smaller.

[GibsonGM]

I agree with Gibson's list in general - particularly in its scope. If you want to have enough parts to be able to build a pedal from stock, you're going to have quite a lot of stuff around. That's not impossible - a lot of us do.

I'd argue with some of the specific choices on GibsonGM's list: 1/4W carbon films? Ugh! 0.6W Metal film 1% are far superior! Otherwise all good!

Tom

Yes I disagree with carbon resistors as well. the price difference is so insignificant that metals are the way to go.

You can disagree, but that's just opinion   As you said, the difference is so insignificant...I will defend my carbon film to the death, sir!!  LOL

I am not talking about carbon composition, but about carbon film...just to be clear.

[GGBB]

A note about component lead spacing and physical size for film caps in particular:

If you plan to use pre-fab PCBs or someone else's layouts (i.e. not vero and not your own layout), note that universally as far as I can tell, the pedal world uses 5mm/0.2" lead spacing for film caps, so make sure that your box caps match if you plan to buy box-style caps, and that other caps will fit either by design or by bending the leads. Also, most film caps need to be no wider than 2.5mm to fit along side another component in many layouts, the exception being large films like 0.47u and 1u where extra space for 5mm width is normally provided in the layout. High voltage films will likely be too physically large and might have 7.5mm or large spacing so avoid those. My rule of thumb is 50V or 63V for all box films (they don't seem to come any lower).

Resistors use 7.5mm lead spacing the vast majority of the time, but less universally as high power ones require 10mm or bigger for 1/2W and up and some tiny builds go down to 5mm (1/8W). Side note - last time I ordered resistors I was needing 5mm spacing for a particular PCB, but was able to buy 1/4W metal films that were the size of what we normally think of as 1/8W size.

Early on I bought some box caps with 7.5mm lead spacing and I've yet to use most of them. I also have a few 2.5mm lead spacing box caps that I picked up somewhere which have also gone unused.

[Ben Lyman]

Here's what I did to get started, then refill order as needed. I didn't plan it like this and I'm not saying I think it's the best way, it's just what happened.
I got this:
http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/capacitor-low-voltage-50-volt-poly-film-assortment/ 

and this:
http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/electrolytic-radial-assortment/

And ordered 10 each of selected values from here:
http://www.taydaelectronics.com/test-group-1760.html

Of course I got other stuff like pots, switches, jacks, perf, solder, hook up wire, DC jacks, battery snaps, transistors, LED's w/bezels and a (very BIG) enclosure! 

[khm9]

So, can anyone say anything about uni-t UT136 auto range multimeter? its $15 on ebay. is it okay dmm?

[DK1]

Suppliers:

I've had pretty good luck finding slightly higher quality stuff at element14/newark. Their shipping isn't bad, they do smaller lots, and they have a pretty dang good selection. If you look for their sale items, you can get some great buys. My last order was 175 electrolytic caps of various values, all Rubycon or Panasonic, and it was $11 shipped. I also got 225 Vishay C0G/NP0 5% ceramics for $8 shipped. I plan on using them for all my passives from here on out.

Tayda has been best for enclosures, pots, knobs, and other hardware.

DK1

[BoxOfSnoo]

So, can anyone say anything about uni-t UT136 auto range multimeter? its $15 on ebay. is it okay dmm?

There is a video review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URKSs02qz5c skip to about 14 minutes for the comparison with a better DMM.

Seems to be OK, don't ever ever use cheap bargain DMMs for AC.

[Marcos - Munky]

To me, a "must have in stock" list consists of:

- resistors: 47 ohm, 100 ohm, 470 ohm, 1K, 2K7, 3K3, 4K7, 10K, 22K, 27K, 33K, 47K, 100K, 220K, 330K, 470K, 1M
- caps: 100pF, 470pF, 1nF, 2n2, 4n7, 10nF, 22nF, 47nF, 100nF, 220nF, 1uF, 2u2, 10uF, 22uF, 47uF, 100uF, 220uF, 470uF
- diodes: 1N4001, 1N4148, leds
- transistors: some NPN (2N3904, 2N5089, BC549) and some PNP (2N3906, 2N5087, BC559). maybe a few fets too
- ICs: some single opamps (741, TL071), dual opamps (TL072, 4558), a few LM386
- pots: 1K, 5K, 10K, 25K, 50K, 100K, 250K, 500K, 1M
And some stuff like wires, jacks, boards, your favorite etchant, solder...

At least this is what I always need to have.

[ElectricDruid]

I agree with Gibson's list in general - particularly in its scope. If you want to have enough parts to be able to build a pedal from stock, you're going to have quite a lot of stuff around. That's not impossible - a lot of us do.

I'd argue with some of the specific choices on GibsonGM's list: 1/4W carbon films? Ugh! 0.6W Metal film 1% are far superior! Otherwise all good!

Tom

Yes I disagree with carbon resistors as well. the price difference is so insignificant that metals are the way to go.

You can disagree, but that's just opinion   As you said, the difference is so insignificant...I will defend my carbon film to the death, sir!!  LOL

I am not talking about carbon composition, but about carbon film...just to be clear.

What you use is up to you, but to say it's just opinion isn't quite true. It's measurable that metal film resistors produce less noise than carbon-film resistors, and higher rated resistors produce less noise than lower rated ones. That may or may not be significant, and you may or may not care in a particular application, and it may or may not be worth whatever the price difference is where you live. So yeah, it's a choice we make. There's a nice discussion here:
http://www.aikenamps.com/index.php/resistor-types-does-it-matter

I've heard people say (for example) "well, it's a fuzz pedal, it's going to be noisy anyway!" and stick some rubbish in it. Personally, those are exactly the situations where I'd be trying to keep the noise as low as possible - with all that gain it's probably never going to be quiet, but that's no reason to make it worse!

In general, there's usually more noise in a pedal than I'd like, so I'm always trying to limit it as much as possible. I want to hear the signal I put in coming out, and not get lost in a "noise floor" that's turned into a "noise ceiling"!

Tom