Show me your 1590A enclosures/pedals...

[thelonious]

So clean! You'll convert us all to surface mount yet... I just tried my first couple 0805 components the other day, and somehow I managed not to melt them. So thanks for the inspiration!

Have you tried SMD trimmers, and if so, are they worth it? Seems like they would be awfully fragile.

[pickdropper]

So clean! You'll convert us all to surface mount yet... I just tried my first couple 0805 components the other day, and somehow I managed not to melt them. So thanks for the inspiration!

Have you tried SMD trimmers, and if so, are they worth it? Seems like they would be awfully fragile.

I have used them, but many of them are really tiny.  They come in different varieties.  I believe the ones I used were from Bournes.  They work fine, but they are more enjoyable for use with set and forget bias situations as opposed to something where you are going to fiddle a lot.

I decided not to use them for this build since it was intended to be a starter-level board for DIYers that may not have done SMT work before.  I am not trying to "convert" people as much as I am hoping that they will simply try it out.  It's a good skill to have.  I still build bunches of through-hole stuff, but it's good to be able to build SMT too if the need arises, particularly with many through-hole parts going EOL.  Just my take on it, of course.

[yeraym]

This is my first 1590A, its the Mictester Really Cheap Compressor.





I'm not a pro like most people here but I'm proud of this one 

[peterg]

This is my first 1590A, its the Mictester Really Cheap Compressor.

I'm not a pro like most people here but I'm proud of this one 

Looks like pro work to me! What's hiding under the heat shrink wrap?

Pickdropper: Do you use regular switches with through hole copper pcbs or do you use switches with pcb pins?

[pickdropper]

@yeraym, you should be proud of that; it looks great.

@Peterg, I usually use solder tab switches since they are wired off board.  The switch on the FaceBender build I posted above has a full-size body on it.  In retrospect, I would have made my life a bit easier if I used a smaller one .

[yeraym]

Looks like pro work to me! What's hiding under the heat shrink wrap?

Thanks!!  thats a homemade vactrol, two 3mm green leds against an ldr

[therealfindo]

This is my first 1590A, its the Mictester Really Cheap Compressor.





I'm not a pro like most people here but I'm proud of this one 

looks great! love the deep sea diver..
How does it sound?

[yeraym]

looks great! love the deep sea diver..
How does it sound?

It's a simple optical compressor, I built it with mods suggested for bass and it tames the sound when slapping or picking hard. For me it sounds awsome, it adds some punch  which I like.

[kurtlives]

My first 1590A, a gold horsey Klon

[thomasha]

a phase 90



and a big muff pi




Thomas

[jmwreck]

Here are:


And here are the VM Fuzz and the FuzzFace waiting for enclosure (still drying the paint) 


Do you still have the layout for the fuzzface, ive been trying to make a compact dual 12mm pot layout like that for a while now. Im not so good at it

I wanted to know if you managed to tweak the fuzz response since mine will only be aggressive on the 90% of the fuzz pot rotation

[joelster]

Thomas

^^^ I love this!

Gut shots, please?

[joelster]

Ok. Another fuzz. This time with a charge pump so I could use PNP trannies and power it with a board. Got some 2n404a's in there and I love the way they sound. Like buttah!

This is also my first attempt at etching.

[bluebunny]

Looks great.  First etch?  Surely you jest...     Loving the graphic on the back too.

[Hexjibber]

Looks great.  First etch?  Surely you jest...     Loving the graphic on the back too.

+1 on that, great etch on the box, top work!

[noobamp]

Ok. Another fuzz. This time with a charge pump so I could use PNP trannies and power it with a board. Got some 2n404a's in there and I love the way they sound. Like buttah!

This is also my first attempt at etching.

Awesome job!  that is super clean!

[joelster]

Thanks, guys.

I have found that the process that I've been using to etch boards has translated pretty well to etching enclosures.

Out of curiosity, what is everybody around here using as an etching for hammond boxes?

[joelster]

Hmmm... Autocorrect?

I meant to ask. What is everybody using as an etchant?

[thelonious]

What is everybody using as an etchant?

So far I've tried ferric chloride on one box and an amp faceplate, and HCl (muriatic acid)/H2O2 on a couple other boxes. The ferric worked better for me and the fumes aren't as bad. Mainly I tried the HCl because it's so cheap and is supposed to be better for the environment. But man... those fumes are intense. You need to do it in an open garage. I'd like to try sodium hydroxide and copper sulfate, but haven't gotten around to those yet.

There's a ton of info on the etched enclosures thread. It's definitely worth reading through. There are also several tutorials around, like Slade's and Hexjibber's.

[hylandren]

Out of curiosity, what is everybody around here using as an etching for hammond boxes?

PNP and Ferric Chloride.
For me, my etches got significantly sharper and cleaner when I:
1. Stopped using pixel based graphics (I.E. Photoshop) and switched to vector based graphics ( I.E. Illustrator). Vector images produce a much smoother edge.
2. Started going over all areas I don't want etched with nail enamel. I even go over the pnp resist, just to reinforce it. Otherwise, there are sometimes little holes in the php that will result in pits.

But while one person may prefer one method or etchant, someone else prefers something else. My favorite etchers all use a little different layout program/resist/etchant combo from both me and from each other.
Hope this helps.