a trip to the electronic warehouse : what to buy?

I'm tempted to attempt a first built that doesn't come into a kit. The SuperHardOn clone is what I wanna start with. I think I want to do it on a perfboard and figure out later how I will put it in an enclosure.

Since the shop isn't two corner away, I'd like to buy as much parts that I need for future projects : resistors, capacitors, opamp, diodes, wire, jacks, knobs.

I already have the basic tools, what would you suggest me to buy like basic stock that is common with most pedals built ?

For resistors, I'd recommend a stash of 1/4 or even 1/8 watt. The composition is up to you - I personally find regular carbon films to be adequate. Some resistors sizes to consider for popular projects:

- 100 ohm/220 ohm/390 ohm/470 ohm/680 ohm/820 ohm

- 1K/2.2K/4.7K/6.8K/10K/15K/22K/33K/39K/47K/56K/68K/82K

- 100K/150K/220K/330K/470K/560K/680K/820K

- 1M/1.5M/2.2M/10M

For diodes, I'd stick with the basics:

- 1N4148 silicon diodes
- 1N4001 to 1N4004 epoxy rectifier diodes
- probably a few zeners, like a 9.1V

Opamps are a taste thing, but typical DIP8 that's good for a variety of projects is the TL071/TL072, and for a quad there's the TL074. I actually like to get the cheap stuff and play around with it. I have some LM301's that will find their way into something, eventually. I got like 10 for a buck fifty (so I bought 30!). IDK if your local shop will stock anything like the JRC series (4558, etc.), but if they have them, it's a popular line of chips.

I like wire in a few types and gauges. I like 24 gauge stranded and 22 gauge solid. I use the solid for parts of the pedal that will never see any movement, and the stranded for anything that might. Some folks will make an argument for strictly one or the other - I see usefulness in either type, and it adds flexibility with the building process. I only buy wire in 100 ft. rolls or bigger, because they always have a way of running out at the worst possible time.

For jacks, knobs, switches, etc. I typically don't utilize the "local" electronics store for them. The prices are typically very high and not really optimized for stompboxes in many cases.

As for capacitors, that's tough. The ones in most stores will be BIG in relation to what the average pedal project will require. And you typically pay a premium for a run of the mill capacitor. And the stock on hand is usually limited to very popular sizes, like .001uF/.0047uF/.01uF/.022uF/.047uF/.1uF/.22uF/.47uF for film caps. You can usually find all the electrolytics in sizes that you need, but they may be axials instead of radials (the latter tend to fit better). Small caps (1pF - 1000pF) are usually in stock, or potentially in a grab bag of mixed sizes, but are usually limited to ceramics (no small signal poly or silver mica mojo caps). I tend to get caps online as well, as it works out to just pennies per cap, and I can order all sorts of goofy sizes, specific physical dimensions, proper "style" (radial vs. axial), and discounts for bulk purchases (usually 25 or more).

Here's the stuff that I like grabbing from my local electronics place (not RS, either):

- perfboard
- copper clad
- etchant
- heat shrink tubing
- solder
- wire
- desoldering braid

And I get stuff like "helping hands," wire speed strippers, cable ties, lock washers, and all of the other sort of odds and ends at my local Harbor Freight store. I'm already there typically to buy stuff for my powdercoating gun anyways (like inline water filters, latex gloves, unibits, etc.).

Thanks 11

I'm printing this response and off I go to the shop next week

""For resistors, I'd recommend a stash of 1/4 or even 1/8 watt.""

what does that mean ??!! :confused:

Switch, jacks, footswitch wise : I guess I can find them online at the Bear electronic shop for instance.

Footswitch wise : is there any superior footswitch then the one they provide at BYOC and GGG . I understand they are 3pdt dedicated to real true bypass. But I do hate that **cluck** sound when pressing on the switch. Sometime , on my Enveloppe filter built for exemple, I can hear that cluck thru my amp ! Life is short : why bothering with this ?

""For resistors, I'd recommend a stash of 1/4 or even 1/8 watt.""

what does that mean ??!! :confused:

The most common resistor (generically speaking) is a 1/2 watt unit, which in many instances is just too big when you have a bunch of them in a pedal. They're about a half an inch long, and the leads are heavier than with the smaller 1/4 and 1/8 watt.

The 1/4 watters fit easily in most builds, but 1/8 watt can allow for even more room, or more compact pcb layouts, for smaller enclosure possibilities.

Switch, jacks, footswitch wise : I guess I can find them online at the Bear electronic shop for instance.

Footswitch wise : is there any superior footswitch then the one they provide at BYOC and GGG . I understand they are 3pdt dedicated to real true bypass. But I do hate that **cluck** sound when pressing on the switch. Sometime , on my Enveloppe filter built for exemple, I can hear that cluck thru my amp ! Life is short : why bothering with this ?

Actually, Small Bear can be kinda slow getting your order out - I prefer Pedal Parts Plus or similar sites that have a good selection and get it to you fast.

As far as the blue footswitches go, anything "superior" gets to be quite expensive. To fix the switch pop, a 2.2 meg "pulldown" resistor on the input will typically negate most of the noise. Many pedals simply use a 1 meg pulldown, which just needs to be a bit higher. At ~$4 a switch, the blues are a pretty good deal for the DIY'er, IMO.

IMO, the "mac daddy" switching method is with a momentary switch that activates a relay, so you get 100% bypass, but no noise, and a switching mechanism that will last many magnitudes longer than the mechanical switch. But adding the relay circuitry is not particularly easy. The Cusack pedals use relay switching, as does the MXR Carbon Copy. Also the new Digitech Hardwire line. But these are all SMD pedals - the tiny components allow for the room necessary to add in the relay switching.

Relay switching, however, requires a flip-flop for push-on/push-off. You can use a 555 timer which won't need a transistor to drive the relay (it might need a diode in parallel with the relay coil to protect the IC from the back EMF when the magnetic field collapses, however). In addition, the 555 won't require debouncing the switch (CMOS NOR and NAND gates would require both debouncing and extra relay drive.