Re: The D.I.Y. thread.

[Gordon]

Hello!

I's like to make a stutter/killswitch pedal. Three switches: middle one is a kill switch, the one on the left is a momentary OFF (when the pedal is ON, it cuts the signal), the one on the right is momentary ON (when the pedal is OFF, it bypasses the killswitch). The LED is a bit optional, as it's rather clear if the pedal is ON or OFF, but it makes it easier to read; it's only connected to the middle switch, it doesn't change its state when the momentary switches are pressed, regardless of the signal going through or not. Momentary switches are soft presses.



By itself, it's not complicated, though I've yet to figure out the diagram. But I'm facing two issues:

- I don't have a drill large enough: is it doable with a simple Dremmel and a hand file?
- getting parts isn't that simple where I am, and shipping costs (+ import taxes) will turn the project into a $100 pedal quickly. It's not worth that. Do you know of an online store that would have all/most of the parts? The enclosure and the switches are the trickiest, I think I could source the rest locally with a bit of time... But being able to order everything at once would be easier.

Thanks!

[Steadyriot.]

Hello!

I's like to make a stutter/killswitch pedal. Three switches: middle one is a kill switch, the one on the left is a momentary OFF (when the pedal is ON, it cuts the signal), the one on the right is momentary ON (when the pedal is OFF, it bypasses the killswitch). The LED is a bit optional, as it's rather clear if the pedal is ON or OFF, but it makes it easier to read; it's only connected to the middle switch, it doesn't change its state when the momentary switches are pressed, regardless of the signal going through or not. Momentary switches are soft presses.



By itself, it's not complicated, though I've yet to figure out the diagram. But I'm facing two issues:

- I don't have a drill large enough: is it doable with a simple Dremmel and a hand file?
- getting parts isn't that simple where I am, and shipping costs (+ import taxes) will turn the project into a $100 pedal quickly. It's not worth that. Do you know of an online store that would have all/most of the parts? The enclosure and the switches are the trickiest, I think I could source the rest locally with a bit of time... But being able to order everything at once would be easier.

Thanks!

If you’re in Europe Musikding.de should have all the parts you need, including pre drilled enclosures!

[ThePearDream]

Hello!
...

Tayda electronics should have everything you'll need, and can even drill the enclosure for you.

From their shipping FAQ:
Depend on item availability and customer/recipient location, your order will be shipped from one of these locations, Singapore, Thailand and USA.

Good luck!

[Gordon]

If you’re in Europe Musikding.de should have all the parts you need, including pre drilled enclosures!

Will have a look, thanks!

Tayda electronics should have everything you'll need, and can even drill the enclosure for you.

From their shipping FAQ:
Depend on item availability and customer/recipient location, your order will be shipped from one of these locations, Singapore, Thailand and USA.

Good luck!

Oooooh... Definitely checking this, thanks!

[thenewromance]

I'm looking for pedal repair advice - hope this is the proper thread for it?

My ARC Big Green's footswitch has not been working properly lately. It switched on alright, reliably, but when switching it off sometimes the whole guitar signal cut out - as if the bypass wasn't working. Pressing the switch once or twice without actually switching the effect on brought it back (sooner or later). I decided that wasn't great and tried to fix it with this Youtube tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSfcurFpGdU, suspecting that grease or dirt inside the switch was causing the problems in bypass mode.

I managed to follow the instructions, but putting it back together I found out that while the effect was still working properly when switched on, the bypass has now fully gone to the great beyond and I get absolutely no signal, even when switching several times or pressing the switch without it actually clicking.

Might any of you have an idea what could be causing this, or what a remedy might be? Do I need to solder in a new footswitch?
(I was hoping to avoid that since I don't have a soldering iron, and as I found out yesterday, the footswitch isn't connected to the rest of the innards by single wires but by a small square PCB board soldered to its underside and connected to the main components (on a bigger PCB board) by a flat ribbon cable.)

Any help or directions to where I might get such are appreciated. I can also supply pictures if it helps. If this is not a DIY job for a beginner, feel free to suggest reputable stompbox repairpeople in the EU or (best case) Germany. Thanks!

[Fiddy]

^

At this point, id just replace the switch. But yeah desoldering from a pcb sucks.

[thenewromance]

Thanks for your assessment. I fear that will have be the course of action, thankfully I've found a friend who is adept at such things to help. Let's see what happens.

[OffYourFace]

Does anybody hear have a lot of experience modding Boss DS-1s? I just want to do a basic 'fattening' mod that I can put on one switch like the Boss DS-1W.

[hulakatt]

Hello!

I's like to make a stutter/killswitch pedal. Three switches: middle one is a kill switch, the one on the left is a momentary OFF (when the pedal is ON, it cuts the signal), the one on the right is momentary ON (when the pedal is OFF, it bypasses the killswitch). The LED is a bit optional, as it's rather clear if the pedal is ON or OFF, but it makes it easier to read; it's only connected to the middle switch, it doesn't change its state when the momentary switches are pressed, regardless of the signal going through or not. Momentary switches are soft presses.



By itself, it's not complicated, though I've yet to figure out the diagram. But I'm facing two issues:

- I don't have a drill large enough: is it doable with a simple Dremmel and a hand file?
- getting parts isn't that simple where I am, and shipping costs (+ import taxes) will turn the project into a $100 pedal quickly. It's not worth that. Do you know of an online store that would have all/most of the parts? The enclosure and the switches are the trickiest, I think I could source the rest locally with a bit of time... But being able to order everything at once would be easier.

Thanks!

Be a hell of a lot easier to buy an old DoD 270 A/B box, a momentary switch and some drill bits and replace the wiring with a simple momentary contact switch for a stutter switch and bypass the rest of that. Most of it is pretty redundant in practical use.

[Dr Tony Balls]

Does anybody hear have a lot of experience modding Boss DS-1s? I just want to do a basic 'fattening' mod that I can put on one switch like the Boss DS-1W.

I havent done any of this in 15 years or so, but my memory is that the most notable mod is (as one might expect) messing with clipping diodes. Swapping in germaniums or LEDs, asymmetrical clipping, whatever. So from that angle its quite easy. There are other mods for fidelity but they're more minor and at the end of the day you're talking about a low-noise DS1 and it kinda seems like the point has been missed.

[hulakatt]

True. That and the best DS-1 I've played is an Analogman modded one. I have a bunch of DS-1s from various modders and various years of production.

[OffYourFace]

Does anybody hear have a lot of experience modding Boss DS-1s? I just want to do a basic 'fattening' mod that I can put on one switch like the Boss DS-1W.

I havent done any of this in 15 years or so, but my memory is that the most notable mod is (as one might expect) messing with clipping diodes. Swapping in germaniums or LEDs, asymmetrical clipping, whatever. So from that angle its quite easy. There are other mods for fidelity but they're more minor and at the end of the day you're talking about a low-noise DS1 and it kinda seems like the point has been missed.

I wanted a DS-1 that can work well with a clean amp and then switch it back to stock to use as intended but now I'm thinking ehh forget it. I like the way my '90s one sounds so I'm just going to leave it alone.

True. That and the best DS-1 I've played is an Analogman modded one. I have a bunch of DS-1s from various modders and various years of production.

That's what a friend told me today and he has a bunch of different ones too. Did the AM one you played have the mids knob?

[hulakatt]

No. Here it is with a Weed one and an early MIT version

[del]

I’m seeking some advice:

I need to replace the pot on a somewhat recent MXR Micro Amp (green circuit board with pot and switch directly soldered and a 1/8” power jack).

I can’t remove the circuit board! Everything is unscrewed - pot, switch, 1/4” jacks - and it starts to come out smoothly, but it is very tight in the enclosure and the power jack *just slightly* catches in it’s hole and… blergh… I can’t remove it.

Some contact cleaner has helped the pot, but now I’m frustrated that I can remove the circuit board! I’d be very appreciative on any advice on how to do so.

Thanks!
~del

[hulakatt]

Pics?

All I can think of off the top of my head is that the board was soldered into place with all the pots and such mounted to the enclosure already so you may have to unsolder some parts to get the board out.

I have an older Micro AMp that's been modded by AnalogMan to have a more standard power jack (only mods) and it is a much better boost than it gets credit for. I overlooked them for years, chasing after boutique boosts until this one fell into my lap.