Video Tutorial: How to build your own guitar effects

[wnorcott]

Here is a three part video series I put together on YouTube about a year ago. It covers building your own guitar effects in 3 parts:

I. Make your own circuit board.

II. Building the pedal

III. Where to find plans and parts

It has been pretty well received on YouTube. I had asked Paul to add a stop box builders' forums so I could post stuff like this. So the forum is added today, and keep my part of the bargain here is the tutorial:

Build your own guitar effects Part I circuit boards



Build your own guitar effects Part II assembling the circuit



Build your own guitar effects Part III finding parts & plans




Bill

[Robbie W]

Cool set of videos!
Just yesterday I did this PCB for a pedal I am going to build.

I use the same process as your video, but I use Epson photo paper. It seems to transfer the ink to the copper better, but it involves a lot more work since the clay in the paper tends to stick to the PCB and requires some clean up. I use a toothbrush and soapy water, but you have be gentle or the traces come loose.

I'll probably etch this one later today.

[Robbie W]

Here is a pic after etching earlier today. Ready to drill and trim up a bit!

[wnorcott]

Lately I have been using my same process but using the Press'n'Peel transparencies which are designed for PCB printing, instead of the overhead projector transparencies. IT costs about $1.50 a sheet though but takes less rework or should I say fewer duds. The process is the same though.

The advantage of the press and peel is after you iron it on you immediately plunge into cold water and the transparency peels right off. Nothing to clean off, it comes off cleanly leaving the traces. The transparency film does the same thing most of the time (nothing to clean off) but sometimes a section of trace will lift off when you peel it off. In that case just trace over it with a Sharpie permanent marker.

I etch most of my own boards for the effects I build.

Bill

[Robbie W]

Tossing PCB's into cold water after ironing on the etch pattern works great for me as well. It seems to lift the paper off a lot smoother and cleanly. Plus, the little sizzling sound when you toss it in the water sounds cool

In fact, that is probably the best thing I started doing that made the PCB's come out better.

I've never used Press n Peel but I have heard it works better than anything else.

[chadp]

Thanks for the info and vids... I recently found out (by accident) here on the TDPRI that I had a pedal worth some $$$. It was a Digitech Whammy 1 and I just sold it on EBAY for $593.00!!! Of course, that cash will go into the toy fund and I've been spending a lot of time researching, YouTube-ing, and EBAYing different pedals...

I like the idea of making my own but I have to admit I'm a little intimidated by the more advanced technical details involved. I'm decent with a soldering iron and I have all the tools needed - except for a multimeter, which I don't really know how to use anyway.

Still, your vids are inspiring and it seems like I could give it a try for a reasonably small investment......

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by Robbie W

I use the same process as your video, but I use Epson photo paper. It seems to transfer the ink to the copper better, but it involves a lot more work since the clay in the paper tends to stick to the PCB and requires some clean up. I use a toothbrush and soapy water, but you have be gentle or the traces come loose.

Take a ganged printout of your pcb to Staples or similar, and make a photocopy on their best bonded paper (glossy). Jack up the settings so that you get max toner transfer.

I have to look into the details regarding their paper, but if you heat the dickens out of it, it puts A TON of toner onto the board. Since I didn't have acetone/brake cleaner/etc. with my last etch, I had to sand off the toner (but used really fine wet sand paper), and didn't rip a single trace. It took a lot of elbow grease.

But I try to make my traces as wide as possible, as well - I have some that approach 1/8" - this obviously isn't applicable where space is a premium, and isn't always practical if you're using IC's. Even so, my pcb has a 1/64" outline that didn't come off with the sanding...

[pengipete]

Thanks Bill - really nicely done.

[Artemio_Cruz]

Hi, reeally helpful videos right there, thanks Wnorcott.

anybody knows how many $ i would need to build some kind of fuzz, something like a tonebender probably, im ethcing the pcb myself

oh...and what are those songs in the first and third video?