This is a LOT of freakin' parts....

[duhvoodooman***]

I've built less than a dozen pedals so I'm by no means as experienced as yourself in this regard, but I am concerned about one thing. Obviously if you paint the case you can remove enough paint from the socket area to get a good ground, but what happens when/if the jacks work loose over time? I'm concerned that a loose jack means an intermittent ground, and that might mean some less-than-tasty crackling and popping. I mean, a couple of star washers and a little Loctite (or nail polish) would minimize the risk, but if it were me, I'd be real, real tempted to connect up the jack grounds to the PCB ground, unless I actually noticed hum induced by a ground loop. I always thought ground loops were more likely in high voltage or high current circuits (in other words, Amps) as a result of voltage drop along the ground plane.

I have run into the grounding problem only once, on a customer's pedal that used a prepainted enclosure where the paint "overspray" got on the inside edges, where the metal jack makes contact. It still worked fine when the jack was tight, but when the jack became loose (from an unrelated issue), he experienced the typical grounding/popping behavior you get from a bad ground connection. In that case, I installed a ground wire from the output jack to the PCB, since an eyelet is provided on the board for that purpose.

The reason I don't do that routinely is that I have read several postings on the BYOC forum where builders have run into hum/buzz issues that were solved when the "extra" ground wire was cut. Seems to only happen very occasionally, so some special conditions are apparently present to trigger it. But getting rid of the 2nd ground usually solves the problem. For this reason, I generally use just the one, and I see many of the experienced BYOC builder's "gutshots" reflect this same practice. FWIW....

[duhvoodooman***]

Here's what I've roughed out for a graphics scheme for the pedal. Whaddya think?

[tunghaichuan***]

Looks pretty sweet, DVM. : : :

Here's what I've roughed out for a graphics scheme for the pedal. Whaddya think?

[piebaldpython***]

Very cool..... . Hey DVM, I was on the BYOC site and I see they will eventually be selling "amp kits". You gonna be "building amps" too?? :

[duhvoodooman***]

Hey DVM, I was on the BYOC site and I see they will eventually be selling "amp kits". You gonna be "building amps" too??

We'll have to see what Keith comes out with. I haven't heard anything definite yet, on either models or timing.

The idea of building & selling amps scares me. Nobody ever got electrocuted from a miswired 9V effect pedal, know what I mean, Vern? I think I'll leave that to the experienced amp jockeys, like Tung!

[tunghaichuan***]

The idea of building & selling amps scares me. Nobody ever got electrocuted from a miswired 9V effect pedal, know what I mean, Vern? I think I'll leave that to the experienced amp jockeys, like Tung!

Most of the amps I've built have been for my use, exclusively. The one time I built an amp for a friend, I really sweated it. I live in dread fear that the amp will malfunction and burn the guy's house down. The only reason I built the amp for him is that he had just sold his vintage Fender VibroChamp and needed a replacement.

Personally, I think people make too much of the electrocution issue. Sure it is possible to get electrocuted, but you really have to work at it. When this hobby was really widespread back in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, you never heard about people getting killed building amps. And there were a lot of kits available. In the ten years I've been building amps, I've never heard of even one person dying from building an amp. It's like everything else that is inherently dangerous: you have to respect it, and follow safety precautions. I'm more afraid of power tools than I am when building amps.

tung

[duhvoodooman***]

I'm more afraid of power tools than I am when building amps.

I won't go in the same room with a radial arm saw....






(Only kidding, but I get your point, Tung!)

[tunghaichuan***]

I won't go in the same room with a radial arm saw....

Yeah, me too. I have a few routers that I use in amp building, and they scare the sh*t out of me

tung

[Ch0jin]

The reason I don't do that routinely is that I have read several postings on the BYOC forum where builders have run into hum/buzz issues that were solved when the "extra" ground wire was cut. Seems to only happen very occasionally, so some special conditions are apparently present to trigger it. But getting rid of the 2nd ground usually solves the problem. For this reason, I generally use just the one, and I see many of the experienced BYOC builder's "gutshots" reflect this same practice. FWIW....

Thanks DVM. Good to know for my future builds

Personally, I think people make too much of the electrocution issue. Sure it is possible to get electrocuted, but you really have to work at it.

Yes and No.

I think people perhaps talk it up for the same reasons you refer to in saying you sweated on an amp you built for a friend and DVM alluded to in saying 9V DC never killed anyone. That reason is moral and legal liability. You know it's unlikely the person you sell the kit or completed amp to is going to be fatally electrocuted, but your mind (and you lawyer mind) a little voice keeps saying "Yeah, but what if?". I think it's a serious responsibility to make people well aware of the risks, slight as they may be.

So yeah, maybe we all talk it up, but I'm happy to continue that practice.

As I've mentioned elsewhere I have a background in repair of everything from toasters to data projectors and I'm not (very) ashamed to admit I've been zapped a handful of times over the years and I didn't have to work hard to do it, I just had to be complacent or ignorant of the risk. I can think of a couple of examples that may serve as warnings. My first hard core drop-me-to-the-ground-and-trip-all-the-breakers shock was from, of all things, a clock radio. It was in pieces and I forgot it was plugged in, so when i picked it up, I got 240VAC across the palm of my hand. Not cool, and it was "only" a clock radio. I've been done by TV's, both 240VAC and several KV leaping into my chest from an improperly discharged CRT. It's not only the risk of electrocution either. I have a permanent scar on one finger that was a result of holding a 12V car wiring loom that was incorrectly installed as the battery was attached. 12VDC from a car battery into a dead short will melt insulation and flesh before you even smell the burning. I've also been knocked over by a car spark whilst holding on to the insulated plug lead. The spark came out of the end and wrapped 180 degrees around into my hand. I also thought I'd blinded myself once after attempting to cut 2 wires that were supposed to be dead. The resulting 240V discharge melted my cutters and the flash had me seeing spots for the rest of the day.

I know what your thinking "Man this guy is hopeless". Maybe so, but I'm also a trained professional who worked on this stuff for around 15 years, so if I can rack up that much carnage (and there's more), then imagine what could happen to a first time amp builder who doesn't have the experience, or the respect thats needed to avoid injury.

[tunghaichuan***]

Yes and No.

I think people perhaps talk it up for the same reasons you refer to in saying you sweated on an amp you built for a friend and DVM alluded to in saying 9V DC never killed anyone. That reason is moral and legal liability. You know it's unlikely the person you sell the kit or completed amp to is going to be fatally electrocuted, but your mind (and you lawyer mind) a little voice keeps saying "Yeah, but what if?". I think it's a serious responsibility to make people well aware of the risks, slight as they may be.

So yeah, maybe we all talk it up, but I'm happy to continue that practice.

As I've mentioned elsewhere I have a background in repair of everything from toasters to data projectors and I'm not (very) ashamed to admit I've been zapped a handful of times over the years and I didn't have to work hard to do it, I just had to be complacent or ignorant of the risk. I can think of a couple of examples that may serve as warnings. My first hard core drop-me-to-the-ground-and-trip-all-the-breakers shock was from, of all things, a clock radio. It was in pieces and I forgot it was plugged in, so when i picked it up, I got 240VAC across the palm of my hand. Not cool, and it was "only" a clock radio. I've been done by TV's, both 240VAC and several KV leaping into my chest from an improperly discharged CRT. It's not only the risk of electrocution either. I have a permanent scar on one finger that was a result of holding a 12V car wiring loom that was incorrectly installed as the battery was attached. 12VDC from a car battery into a dead short will melt insulation and flesh before you even smell the burning. I've also been knocked over by a car spark whilst holding on to the insulated plug lead. The spark came out of the end and wrapped 180 degrees around into my hand. I also thought I'd blinded myself once after attempting to cut 2 wires that were supposed to be dead. The resulting 240V discharge melted my cutters and the flash had me seeing spots for the rest of the day.

All good points. I'm not blase about working on high voltage electronics. I strictly follow safety procedures and am happy to say I've only been shocked three or four times in the last 10 years. And never enough to impair me. It hurt like hell, but it didn't knock me across the room, or stop my heart, etc. But I understand about talking up the safety aspect. It is especially important to newbies.

The other thing that makes me sweat is helping newbies. I get a lot of beginners emailing me for advice, and it is kind of nerve wracking to answer them. I want to make sure I don't inadvertently give them some bad or misleading advice. I make sure I check my reply over two or three times before I send it.

I know what your thinking "Man this guy is hopeless". Maybe so, but I'm also a trained professional who worked on this stuff for around 15 years, so if I can rack up that much carnage (and there's more), then imagine what could happen to a first time amp builder who doesn't have the experience, or the respect thats needed to avoid injury.

Not at all. I'm a hobbyist at best, so coming from a seasoned pro, it is sage advice. Thanks for chiming in here.

tung

[duhvoodooman***]

Finished pedal:

[bigoldron]

If she sounds half as good as she looks, she's AWESOME!!! Great job as always, DVM!!!

[Ch0jin]

Nice work as always DVM

I'm counting 22 days from electronic build to finishing the casework though I thought water slides were easier than that! : :

[duhvoodooman***]

Nice work as always DVM

I'm counting 22 days from electronic build to finishing the casework though I thought water slides were easier than that!

When it's my own pedals, I've gotten so that I play 'em "naked" until I get a customer build that I need to paint & decal. Then I do a "campaign" of pedal finishing. Thanks to Piebaldpython for buying an Overdrive 2 that got me off my *** to do this one, my own OD2, and a BYOC Shredder I'd had assembled since....mid-January

[tot_Ou_tard]

Very cool Vood. I like the distortion in the delay. Sounds like rust mating.