Building the Echo Base PCB

[Taylor]

Here's a place for questions specifically about building the Echo Base with the PCB I designed. That way I can check this thread for questions directed at me, while keeping the Echo Base thread uncluttered.

Here is the build PDF.

Also, what is the correct orientation of the pots? Do they go in on the top side just like all the other components? Meaning that all of the components will be facing the top of the enclosure and when opening the bottom of the enclosure the soldered side of the components is visable.. ?

Well, that's up to you, depending on how you're orienting your board and what size box you're using. Here are 2 possible ways:





The first might fit better in a 1590BB. The second is how I have mine and works best for a 125B.

Here's mine in a 125B. This is my prototype PCB, which is why it's green. I used the small Alpha stomps because I had them laying around, but 2 blue 3PDTs will fit in there just fine. The toggle with ribbon cable is the Tails switch. The extra stomp switch will be selectable using the other toggle - depending on the setting of this toggle, the extra stomp will either turn on/off modulation, or make the delay self-oscillate. Haven't gotten around to wiring this yet, but if anyone's interested and can't figure it out, I'll post my diagram for how I plan to achieve that.

Cool Thanks.

I'm going to keep posting some of my experiences with building this in this thread if anyone else is interested.. If you want me to stop then that's cool too ( I can PM instead )

I just did something silly with the build though. Well it was a two step dumb move. 1) I bought a 7805 instead of a 78L05 so it's the 3A 5v regulator and it sits too tall on the board when I want to put it into the enclosure.

So I unsoldered it thinking I could bend the pins and attach it to the the back side of the board. But the little pads on the top side of the pcb came off with the regulator..
I've been able to attach the regulator to the back side of the board since the pads were still on that side, and it's actually rigged up pretty well.

My only concern is, will the fact that the pads are gone on the top side affect any signal that uses the traces on the top side of the board? Or is it fine basically having the voltage regulator tacked onto the backside with no pads present on the top side?

Yes, that's a problem. When you're looking at the component side of the board, with the text right side up so you can read it, the rightmost pin on the regulator connects to the 9v rail (you can see the connection running to a thick line running around the edge of the PCB). This pin will need to be connected to 9v. I would connect it with a wire to the 9v entry on your power jack.

[thehoj]

Okay thanks. Do the other two pins for that regulator run on the front at all? It's hard for me to see..

[Taylor]

No, they're on the back.

[MarkR2955]

Great! Thanks for the thread...I'm still waiting on the board, but that's ok...My questions is actually about the enclosure....do you have a drill template you used for the 125b? That would be very helpful...sure I could just measure, but why reinvent the wheel?  (assuming such a wheel exists.)

[Taylor]

No, I don't have a template unfortunately, didn't use one. You can tell in the picture that my pots are a little wonky. I generally eyeball my drilling because it doesn't bother me for things to be a little off.

[thehoj]

So I've got it built outside of an enclosure right now. I initially had tons of hiss from the unit until I realized that I need the tails switch wired in, it does not seem to be optional.

It sounds really really good. The only thing I've noticed is that when I turn the LFO depth pot right down it for some reason starts to hiss quite badly. Also, if I have the Level pot way up I can hear a clock tick.
Is there much I can do about either of those things?

[Taylor]

If you don't want the tails switch, just hardwire whichever selection you prefer by connecting a jumper from the center pad to whichever outer pad you want.

For stuff about noise, I'd consult the original Echo Base thread. I know it may be confusing, but there's a ton of discussion already there regarding those things so a read through that thread would be a great help.

[MarkR2955]

No, I don't have a template unfortunately, didn't use one. You can tell in the picture that my pots are a little wonky. I generally eyeball my drilling because it doesn't bother me for things to be a little off.

That's cool...when my board gets here I'll play with it...Need to wait on some parts any way...Small Bear was out of stock on 1 pot I need!!

[NQbass7]

That's cool...when my board gets here I'll play with it...Need to wait on some parts any way...Small Bear was out of stock on 1 pot I need!!

The 50k lin PCB mount?  Yeah, I noticed that too.  Though I was buying parts for the Tap Trem too, so I have to wait for the 10k lin PCB mount pots as well.

[thehoj]

That's cool...when my board gets here I'll play with it...Need to wait on some parts any way...Small Bear was out of stock on 1 pot I need!!

The 50k lin PCB mount?  Yeah, I noticed that too.  Though I was buying parts for the Tap Trem too, so I have to wait for the 10k lin PCB mount pots as well.

I just bought the solder lug version of that 50K pot and ran very short wires from it to the pcb.

[NQbass7]

[I just bought the solder lug version of that 50K pot and ran very short wires from it to the pcb.

If I wasn't waiting for the 10k ones as well, and some 5k lin PCB mount ones, and a dual 100k log pot for a Klon, then I probably would have.  But I figured if I'm waiting for those anyways, might as well wait on these too.  I already have 10 other things to try to find time to build...

[slacker]

So I've got it built outside of an enclosure right now. I initially had tons of hiss from the unit until I realized that I need the tails switch wired in, it does not seem to be optional.

If you leave out the tails switch the effect will be on all the time and the bypass won't work, it shouldn't make it noisy though.

It sounds really really good. The only thing I've noticed is that when I turn the LFO depth pot right down it for some reason starts to hiss quite badly.

I've no idea why that would happen, I don't think it's a problem that's been raised before. I would check the wiring of the LFO depth pot and the components around there.

Also, if I have the Level pot way up I can hear a clock tick.

That's normal I'm afraid, on mine I only hear it with the pot virtually all the way up and with longer delay times. A resistor between the board and the clockwise lug of the put would get rid of it, not sure what value. This would basically reduce the maximum volume which would hopefully mean the clock noise would be masked.

[MarkR2955]

I just bought the solder lug version of that 50K pot and ran very short wires from it to the pcb.

That's what I was thinking - I have a 50k pot somewhere I can sub in for now...

[chi_boy]

No, I don't have a template unfortunately, didn't use one. You can tell in the picture that my pots are a little wonky. I generally eyeball my drilling because it doesn't bother me for things to be a little off.

That's cool...when my board gets here I'll play with it...Need to wait on some parts any way...Small Bear was out of stock on 1 pot I need!!

I try to support SmallBear as much as possible, but since they are out of stock, does anyone know of a Mouser part number for the PCB 50k pot?

I searched, but they don't seem to carry that type of pot.

[Taylor]

Mouser doesn't carry those particular right angle PC mount Alphas. It's a bummer, I know, as far as I know, nobody else on the web has them. You may be able to find something with the same pin spacing on Mouser, though. If you do, please let me know.

[ibodog]

I've been searching around for something echo base related, but haven't yet dug in to read the 48 page echo base thread yet.   

What I'd like to do is to have a momentary switch that punches in the guitar sound to the delay input while the switch is held down.  Then when the switch is released the delay will continue to sound behind the dry guitar sound.  Dub on the fly - like punching into an effects send on a mixing console.  Would that be an easy mod to add to the Echo Base?

[Taylor]

I think[i/] that all you need to do is connect a SPST momentary stomp to the Bypass pads and it will do that. My only hesitation is that I'm not positive whether the effect is on when the pads are connected (this is what you want) or when they are disconnected. I'm pretty sure it's set up the way you want. You can even connect the momentary switch in addition to the standard latching switch so you can have both regular bypass and dub punch-in.

[slacker]

Yeah that will work fine, the effect is on when the bypass wires are connected.

[slackboy29]

very easy build, the only problem i had was due to my poor soldering skill.

[Taylor]

I'm going to start building this tonight, and would like to add a PTAP at some point...would that work ok?

Supposedly, the PTAP does not work with the stock Echo Base, because the modulation messes up the accuracy of the delay.

It could be rigged up by disconnecting the modulation when you switch in the PTAP, but this would be fairly messy; I can't think of a really clean way to do that.

Alternatively, you could just try it and see. The tap tempo will not be very accurate, but it may work for what you want to do. Keep in mind that you can't put the time knob in the PCB the way it's supposed to go, you'd have to wire the digital pot of the PTAP there and connect the time knob to the PTAP board.