How increase the quality of my pedals

[amptramp]

This is the anti-rotation washer:



The tang facing in catches a slot machined on the pot or switch and the tang facing out of the plane of the washer catches a hole in the enclosure or a plate used under the enclosure to keep the tang from showing on the unit.

[Elijah-Baley]

I guess I get how these washers work, if I see some example I will know how it looks. I'm not sure about the good looking of them.

By the way, what about the look of the pedal?
This is another aspect I economized. Natural enclosures, at max polished a bit, I already told it. And a transparent printed sheet, just some little text labels or the entire top face of the box. I couldn't use transparent spray, and if I don't pay care the sheet may ruins.

Could be cool if the enclosure was coloured, I have to spend something more. About the protection of the surface, there's nothing more to do that to use a transparent coat.

[Andrekp]

With veroboard is not easy fit the standoffs. The trick will be cut a larger board, but it could create confusion working on it, and, of course, take up more space.
I tried to use one (or even two) solid core wires between the board and footswitch or a pot if the board had much space to float, so the board has less chance to move.

The washer you meant, amptramp, are these? https://www.musikding.de/Contact-washer

I use vero/stripboard pretty much exclusively. One thing I've found to be immensely helpful is that, on the component side, using colored marker, I color the ground row(s) green, the power rail(s) red, put marks on the input, output, pot, connection spots, etc. whatever might be helpful n visualizing.  I have the same markings on my layout. It is far easier to think, "ok, this resistor goes from one above the power rail to ground," than,"from row 6 down to row 3."

[Elijah-Baley]

Thanks, Andrekp.

This:

http://effectslayouts.blogspot.com/2015/06/millenium-2-bypass.html

I have daughterboards of this configured for a 1590A.  Makes more room.  Works wonderfully.

MC

Now, I would come back to the bypass method.
In particular about the millennium bypass. http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/millenium/millen.htm
Some question to who has used or know it well.
1. Is the Millennium Bypass a REAL True Bypass.
2. Has it any problem with pop noise?

I guess the Millennium Bypass is really ok, just I wanna be sure. Coincidentally, I could use it to avoid to replace the original DPDT footswitch with a 3PDT in a old pedal without the indicator led.

[duck_arse]

I put the mill into most all my builds. it is true/hard bypass, as true as it can get, and as hard as bypass can get. it disconnects the circuit from the outside world completely. if your build is going to pop, the mill won't stop it popping. if the circuit doesn't pop, the mill won't make it pop.

[Elijah-Baley]

Oh, thank you, duck_arse.
I heard about a guy who solved the pop issue using the millennium bypass.

[thermionix]

I haven't looked into it, just seen it mentioned around here, but what is the advantage of the millennium bypass?  Is it just that you can use DP switches?

[Elijah-Baley]

I know the millennium bypass just like you. It was a trick to use the DPDT, indeed, because the 3PDT was very expensive. But I think the trick save money still work today.

Maybe I realize a thing about the pop: it could be that the millennium bypass can solve the pop issue if it depends from the LED.

I was considering the millennium bypass as a primitive true bypass method, but maybe I wrong.
We could list pros and cons of the millennium bypass and the 3PDT True Bypass. I'm pretty sure we can find out them somewhere else, but it will be easy to read them all here.

[chuckd666]

DPDT switches mean there's one less mechanical thing that can break. Which is good!

[italianguy63]

Reduced wiring.  (no ring wiring).  Also allows use of 2 mono jacks.

I do it for space.  Switch and LED are self-contained together.  No LED bezel.  Mostly, I used in 1590A's where real-estate is at a premium.

Also, quiet (solid state), and true-bypass.

Negatives.. I guess high componet count vs. just a switch.  But parts are all dirt cheap.

MC

[thermionix]

Well with no battery (99.9% of 1590A builds) you can always use mono jacks.

Is there a true bypass scheme that uses a momentary switch?  That soft touch would be a real benefit IMO, low mechanical wear.

[ElectricDruid]

Is there a true bypass scheme that uses a momentary switch?  That soft touch would be a real benefit IMO, low mechanical wear.

The only way would be with a relay. Here's an example:

https://www.coda-effects.com/2016/08/relay-bypass-with-anti-pop-system.html

Benoit pops up here sometimes, so maybe he can comment. There have been a few threads on this topic here too. Have a look for "relay bypass". You can use latching relays or other logic, but a microprocessor and a standard relay is probably easier/cheaper/smaller.

[italianguy63]

Well with no battery (99.9% of 1590A builds) you can always use mono jacks.

Hahahahhaha!  DUH!  My bad.

LOL

[Elijah-Baley]

[...]
Benoit pops up here sometimes, so maybe he can comment.
[...]

ElectricDruid, don't mention the word "pop" when you talk about switching.

Anyway, I early linked some relay switching bypass, PCB and layout, here: https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=120273.msg1125975#msg1125975

Here another pair:
http://effectslayouts.blogspot.it/2016/05/soft-latch-relay-switching.html
http://effectslayouts.blogspot.it/2016/06/555-relay-bypass.html

I think it is and advanced bypass method (more than standard 3PDT bypass), even if there's more work and more parts, and maybe it's more expensive.

PS Do somebody know how work the TC Electronics system switching?

[tonight, we ride]

I see a lot of people mentioning board mounted jacks/potentiometers here and would like to share a different opinion.

In my experience you will get much better reliability using wired leads to connect your board to any "external" components such as jacks or potentiometers. Basically, anything that you are going to physically interact with on the pedal should have some sort of strain-relief to its connection to the PCB/Vero as a way to isolate physical stress from any solder joints. Using a wire instead of a board mounted component allows some wiggling to take place without failure occurring at the solder joint.

When I hear quality, I think reliability, and this is one of the big ones for me. If a pedal is going to last then it either needs the board isolated from that physical stress, or you need to get serious with some Loctite to ensure that a loose potentiometer nut isn't going to put stress on your board-mounted solder connections which then causes your pedal to fail.

[thermionix]

^ I'm with you 100%.  I do (literally) tons of tube amp repairs, and by far the most common failure on newer amps is cracked solder joints on board-mounted jacks, pots, and tube sockets.  Even more than tube failures, and tubes are socketed because they're supposed to fail.

[Rob Strand]

In my experience you will get much better reliability using wired leads to connect your board to any "external" components such as jacks or potentiometers. Basically, anything that you are going to physically interact with on the pedal should have some sort of strain-relief to its connection to the PCB/Vero as a way to isolate physical stress from any solder joints. Using a wire instead of a board mounted component allows some wiggling to take place without failure occurring at the solder joint.

If you need a PCB for pots it's best to separate it on it's own board.  Perhaps even letting small boards float instead of being mounted to the chassis.

Pots with longer leads, like this help reduce stress,
http://www.negatron.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/onboardpots_508.jpg

[ElectricDruid]

I see a lot of people mentioning board mounted jacks/potentiometers here and would like to share a different opinion.

I'd like to share a different angle too. I design effects PCBs with a view to helping beginners build pretty complex things (flanger & digital delay so far) and using board mounted pots makes the builds "more reliable" in the sense that there's much less that can go wrong! You put the pots in, you solder, and (generally) it works. Off-board wiring is one of the major causes of "what's wrong with my X?" threads on here. You've got jacks, a 3PDT, and pots, and a wrong wire on any of them will make the thing go wonky. Anything you can do to reduce that is a massive plus.

Obviously this is only my personal slant, and other people have different priorities, but I'll happily trade an occasional cracked solder join on a pot for the support nightmare that off-board wiring represents. In fact, so far, I haven't received any mail about the pot solder joints (lucky me!). If I was designing stuff for gigging musicians to sling in and out of a van every night, or for their roadies to chuck down a flight of stairs, perhaps I'd make different design choices (probably pot the whole lot in resin or something!). It depends on your end user and your purpose.

T.

[amptramp]

The advice I got from a marketing man at the avionics company I worked at was, "Design it to be maintained by a guy with a bone through his nose."

If you design it for a roadie who says "Okk, ook", eats bananas and drags his knuckles on the ground, not only will you have a survivable piece of equipment, you will have a shockingly accurate picture of the roadies who abuse it, sort of like the monkeys on the American Tourister luggage ads a few years back.

[PRR]

> abuse it, sort of like the monkeys on the American Tourister luggage ads a few years back.

QUITE a few years. Maybe before some folks here were born. So here it is again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C-e96m4730