DIY enclosures

[corbs]

yeah, i'm having a similar thought, but maybe building one into some kind of case...

[mojotron]

That's pretty cool mojotron. Maybe someday I'll repackage some of my favorites and make a modular pedal board system.  

Thanks Paul, I actually got started down this path from looking at your work about a year ago - your's were the first DIY effects that I thought looked like a pro job - well better than pro really. Not that looks are everything, however I wished these j-boxes were a little more presentable like your's. Everything I've put in hammond boxes I've sold - the hammonds do come out looking a lot more "finished" than the j-boxes  - but this works for my personal rig - it always has an interesting effect on people too.  :shock:

I like the steel bracket idea too, the most convienent thing about these boxes is really the ability to have some options for handling a number of them at a time. The plywood thing has about run it's course, too heavy and a little on the thick side. However, I'm not sure how to attach the non DIY stuff I still use using steel brackets without drilling holes, but that is a good idea, thanks.

[mojotron]

hey, mojotron - get some steel brackets and then who needs a pedal board when you can just screw them together to form a block!

That's sort of my thinking, but it would be basically a large metal enclosure with a couple of rails on the top and bottom in two rows of effects, one above the other. The faceplates would then be attached to those rails with some screws. No need for velcro or anything like that, either. The more I think about it, the more that I like the idea.  :idea:

Ahh..  :idea:   :idea:  I see what you guys mean, ya your right - that is a cool idea. That would solve some of the issues I have with effects that span more than one of these j-boxes right now too. This has me thinking now.. Thanks  

[Paul Marossy]

I see what you guys mean, ya your right - that is a cool idea. That would solve some of the issues I have with effects that span more than one of these j-boxes right now too. This has me thinking now..

:wink:

[Quackzed]

I went to home depot to research materials for effects boxes...CHEAP effects boxes!
raco and bondo is a good choice but i wanted cheaper!! after a few hours of price checking, sketching etc.,  i came up with a pretty cheap idea for plastic enclosures...
sides..round 4" pvc pipe @18 bucks for 10 feet, at 1 1/2 inches deep per box thats @ 80 boxes @.25 ea!
tops and bottoms... .220 gauge acrylic sheets 36x30 @30 bucks makes @60 tops/bottoms for@.50 ea!!
shielding...roof sheathing!,14"x50ft @30 bucks will do 6 sides per foot or 9 top/bottoms per foot so 30 feet for tops/bottoms = 270 tops/bottoms and 20 ft for sides =120 sides.. @ .40 each to shield...

so with 10 ft of pvc(18$).. 50 ft of sheathing(30$), and 3 36X30 acrylic sheets(90$) you can make @80  boxes (with plenty of extra tops/bottoms and xtra sheathing left over) for 140$ or 1.70 per...

you'd have to make alot of boxes for it to be cost effective(if you could match up material sizes more exactly...you could get it down to around 1.00$ each box(1 top 1 bottom 1 round side piece and sheathing(1 top,1bottom,1 side(cut long to cut flaps to make contact with top/bottom shielding)
you'd have to really make that many boxes for it to be cost effective tho...

for me this wasn't really practical...but if you wanted to make a TON of cheap fuzzes for all your friends and friends friends and sell some and bring wonderfull affordable fuzz to the world at large...?!? you could sell em cheaper and give plenty away and still do ok...not a buiseness but, a side thing for fun and learning and some good ole' american can do satisfaction!!!

i thought about doing it... a little 1 man assembly line fuzz pedal deal, not to make money, but just to make lots of great fuzz boxes for people who, like most of us, cant afford to get into the $$$ "boutique" pedal buying fun!!! but wiring up 80 or so pedals (whew!!!) i don't know if i'd burn out on it long before the 80 mark... and don't really have a ton of money to just toss on something like this but...who knows..maybee my little home depot experiment will spark an interest in some fearless diy effects enthusiast??!!

Let there be fuzz!!!!

[Joecool85]

Not just fuzz either.  I know that my 5th Gear OD would fit in that no problem what so ever. 

[Quackzed]

sure, in a 4" round box you've got room to spare, and with some creative perf cutting you could fit just about anything in it with room for a battery... what can i say, i think in terms of fuzz!!!

for building just a few boxes tho, it probably wouldnt be worth it to buy all the stuff, but i bet anyone could find pvc and plexi scrap for a few!!!

[John Lyons]

Here are a couple of my ABS platic pipe caps.



Took a lot or sanding and polishing but they are sturdy and I think they look nice.
I used Acrylic plastic/plexiglass for the bottoms. I had to cut off the bottom 1/2 inch because they are so tall to start with.
I glued a 1/2 inch of the cut off in 2 dfferent symetrical places so I would have a few point to screw into to hold the back on.It's inset about 1/4 inch. There are some other neat things to do with the acrylic (in my case it's white) but i'm not going to give that away yet until I make some... Stay tuned

The Jacks are inset/recessed as well. The thickness is too think unless you do this.

Here are some other pedals and amps
you can check out....  www.mrdwab.com/john

John

[johngreene]

A friend of mine is currently in the process of building a bar in his garage and he's using aluminum for the top with edging made from aluminum diamond plate. He said that he is 'welding' it all together so I figured he went and bought himself a wire-welder or TIG or something but no, he's using this stuff:
http://durafix.com/
It allows you to 'solder' aluminum together and the bond is actually stronger than the aluminum it's bonding. You should be able to make some pretty awsome enclosures/amp chassis using this stuff.

--john

[343 Salty Beans]

I tend to use old old Hard drive or DVD-ROM cases from broken XBoxes...one day I'll try to cut down an XBox to size, make a really nice pedal enclosure. But that's once my wiring gets prettier and I can let it be seen without shame 

Does anyone else have a problem with making their wires way too long? I always overestimate.

Basic audio, that is NICE. 

[Also Wik]

How about this - SS practice amp inside of an old NES enclosure - pipe dream or plausible? I have a shell laying around...

[Joecool85]

Should be easily plausible.  Especially if you do a small one like a lm1785 (20w).  But even a single lm3886 setup should fit in there no problem if you plan it right.

[jrc4558]

Mojotron, are you having ny problems with noise due to such large openings in the enclosures? I was considering these doxes myself, but at a time had acheap supply of Hammonds and wasconcerned about the noise. Now that the supply of those cheap hammond boxes is gone, I'm looking to experiement with electrical junction boxes. So please, tell me, did you have a chance to compare the same cirquit in an aluminum hammon and in steel box and was there any difference in interference noise?
Thanks! Your pedals are sheer beauty and make mine look like lepers... 

[Quackzed]

those abs pipe cap pedals look SWEET!!! i love the round enclosure idea, i don't know if it's just unique or what.. i just think they look cool!!!  and a great finish too..
just a small question... do you spend alot of time on the roof ?!!
now i really do want to put some effects in pvc...

love the black too... very rock and roll!!!

[Quackzed]

Check out basic audio's site...those wood pedals look great!  I was going to make some wood boxes but i was worried about wall thickness and durability versus pot and jack mounting ease...(if the walls are too thick the nuts won't grab the threads) etc... but i liked that wood is so workable with basic tools and has such a nice look with natural finishes and stains... did you have to thin out parts of the box for jacks etc? or have any likes dislikes using wood? did you shield? i'd love to hear your opinion on the differences and pro's and con's of metal boxes VS. wood or ABS plastic...
... very creative too!
I think i'll make a wood fuzz, with real n.o.s. oak transist...er i mean oakziztors.. maybee maple for q1!!! for more sustain!!! and a smoother grain...

[mojotron]

Mojotron, are you having ny problems with noise due to such large openings in the enclosures? I was considering these doxes myself, but at a time had acheap supply of Hammonds and wasconcerned about the noise. Now that the supply of those cheap hammond boxes is gone, I'm looking to experiment with electrical junction boxes. So please, tell me, did you have a chance to compare the same cirquit in an aluminum hammon and in steel box and was there any difference in interference noise?

I figured the atenation of signals hitting the box is going to be pretty high in areas where there are holes 1cm - a 1cm wave length correspons to a 34,000Hz  signal and I'm pretty sure that no frequencies bellow 34,000Hz would really get inside due to that.

Subjectively, I would say that the FuzzFace is a great test for EM interference, and it's never been an issue with any circuit inside an electrical box.

Thanks! Your pedals are sheer beauty and make mine look like lepers... 

Thanks - really, that's cool - I had a lot of fun working on these. I got most of the painting ideas from people here that helped me greatly about a year ago, also - also having one flat surface like that makes it really simple to paint. You have to see the piles of prototypes and other "project pedals" - some of those are pretty ugly - but sound awesome.

IMO you can't beat working with Hammonds and Al, but the electrical boxes - while just a little tougher to work - are a very viable alternative.