First finished project. How'd I do??

[ItZaLLgOOd]

It's a Big Muff Pi from Tonepad.  Believe it or not I have never owned or heard a BM in person.  I had to ask my friend who requested it to listen to it to make sure it sounded like a BM.  He loves it.  Let me know where you see room for improvement.  Thanks, John 

[foxfire]

Let me know where you see room for improvement.

i know that my pride would be improved it that were my first finished project!

[arawn]

yaaah mine too i wish my wb looked half that good!!

[CGDARK]

Very good for a first project. Very good indeed.

CG

[jlullo]

yes, great wiring job!  i've made handfuls now, and i can't seem to get mine that neat!

enjoy the BM.  i love mine!

[petemoore]

  You could take transistor voltages, and audio probe it to see if each stage is doing what it should do. 1 boost, 2 boost/clip, 3 boost/clip, 4 recovery amplify...and if the tone and sustain controls work, passes all these tests you have a fine BMP.
  But if it sounds good and Boosts/Distorts/tone controls...it's just fine.

[mydementia]

Did you isolate the metal DC jack from the enclosure?  In most of those jacks, the body is common to the sleeve of the DC jack - not good for those of us with sleeve positive circuits... especially since the 1/4" jacks will ground to the chassis too.  Just something to think about/check.

Beautiful build, by the way!!  I've built close to 100 circuits and boxed ~25 and none look that tidy!!

Welcome to the fold...
Mike

[rogerinIowa]

I would say that it a job very well done! In fact, I want to know how you did that "engine-turned" metal finish...is there a special technique to getting the swirls to line up like that? What did you use as a bit to make the swirls? I would love to use that finish on one of mine!

So tell us how you did it!

Rogeriniowa

[searoad]

very good job!

something i found are...
1. the DC jack in the pic is metal instead of plastic.
if u didnt isolate it from metal box. u will have a big trouble!
since most pedals are negative ground. the metal jack will get short with the metal box.
2.u could socket the trannies. they are convenient to modify.

[ItZaLLgOOd]

Did you isolate the metal DC jack from the enclosure?  In most of those jacks, the body is common to the sleeve of the DC jack - not good for those of us with sleeve positive circuits... especially since the 1/4" jacks will ground to the chassis too.  Just something to think about/check.

I did not isolate it.  I didn't even think of it.  I always make the sleeve ground.  I will start though.

As for the finish, its pretty easy as long as you have a drill press.  It's harder to explain than it is to do.  I used an old intake valve out of a push mower with some heavy duty scotch-brite ( wife calls it scrubby pad,)glued to the end.  The green stuff does not work well at all.  I actually use old surface conditioning pads from a pneumatic DA (much tougher).  I could post a pic if that would help.  The pattern is up to you.  I just do it by eye but I'm sure you could mark it before you started to have a very precise pattern.

[mydementia]

Did you isolate the metal DC jack from the enclosure?  In most of those jacks, the body is common to the sleeve of the DC jack - not good for those of us with sleeve positive circuits... especially since the 1/4" jacks will ground to the chassis too.  Just something to think about/check.
I did not isolate it.  I didn't even think of it.  I always make the sleeve ground.  I will start though.

Careful - this could screw up folks you make pedals for...most stomp-box wall wart power supplies are set up for sleeve positive (just the way it is!).

[markm]

Looks Great!!
I like the finish ALOT! 

[ItZaLLgOOd]

Now you've got me worried.    The offboard wiring page at TonePad should give you that kind of info.  My friend did say that he would use an adapter but I'm not sure which.  Live and learn ( and hopefully not burn anyones house down in the process).

[breather-resistor]

what would be the best way to isolate such a jack?

[jmasciswannabe]

You can get rubber grommets from most hardware stores that will do the trick. It's kinda of a pain though, I always just get the ones from small bear that are isolated. Less work.

[oldrocker]

If it sounds as good as it looks then I would say NICE. 

[ItZaLLgOOd]

Thanks guys.  I appreciate the kind words.  It sounds like a Big muff, nothing to special.  I'm not a fan of the BM but the friend that I built it for really likes it.  To each his own  .

[foxfire]

Thanks guys.  I appreciate the kind words.  It sounds like a Big muff, nothing to special.  I'm not a fan of the BM but the friend that I built it for really likes it.  To each his own  .

with pedals like that can i be your friend?

[Mark Hammer]

what would be the best way to isolate such a jack?

It is indeed a pity that such jacks are often generally easier to find and cheaper than the somewhat larger plastic-body type.  I know I've bought a bunch when I saw them, without giving a thought to the insulation issue.  Isolating them will depend on the type of context you plan to use them in.  The threaded collets are long enough that it is sometimes possible to stick a plastic washer on each side of the hole where you plan to insert it through the chassis.  Assuming the hole is a large enough diameter to provide a space all around the collet, yet not so large as to make the jack+washers+nut unstable, that can work out okay sometimes.  Another approach some have adopted is to drill a bigger than needed hole, fill it up with Bondo or similar auto-body filler, and redrill the hole.  Alternatively, you can drill a bigger than needed hole, mount the jack on a piece of sturdy plastic or even a piece of copper-clad or perf-board, pop a couple of holes into the chassis at the sides of the opening, and retrofit the board by bolting it to the chassis (making sure that nothing inappropriate gets grounded to the chassis).

Personally, I tend to use mini (1/8") phone-jacks, the same kind that plenty of commercial manufacturers used over the years.  As long as you can remember to insert the plug before plugging in (or otherwise powering up) the wallwart, they work great.  They take up very little space (making it extremely easy to fit them along the rear skirt where the connecting cables can stay out of the way), are cheap like borscht, and you always know where the ground and hot are.

Of course, in the grand scheme of things (the Beta-vs-VHS war that barrel-type-vs-phone-type power jacks took on), there is considerable pressure to use the "Boss-style" barrel plugs/jacks, so I don't blame folks for succumbing to those pressures.  On the other hand, this is, for me, yet one more reason to advocate making yourself a "power-distribution box".  Wall-wart plugs into box.  Box provides several semi-isolated (a diode and a cap to ground) output jacks.  The user then has the freedom to make up connector cables with whatever plugs they want, to whatever lengths they want, with however many plugs daisy-chained they want.  That lets you use whatever power-jack  you want, whether phone-type or barrel-type.

EDIT:  Incidentally, nice work for a first project.  I don't think any of us here could have achieved that level of professionalism that stage, or maybe even later stages, 10 years ago.  Nice to see beginners benefit from both the accrued knowledge available here, and the materials/supplies that are now more readily available to beginners.

[ItZaLLgOOd]

EDIT:  Incidentally, nice work for a first project.  I don't think any of us here could have achieved that level of professionalism that stage, or maybe even later stages, 10 years ago.  Nice to see beginners benefit from both the accrued knowledge available here, and the materials/supplies that are now more readily available to beginners.

If it weren't for this site I wouldn't have been able to anything like this.  I have also built a tube amp from AX84 and can't believe the effort and support some of you guys put into helping others.  Someday maybe I can return the favor to someone down the line.  Thanks, John