Because of the increasing demand for out-of-production guitar pedals, some classic pedals are selling for hundreds of dollars. Many guitarists have chosen to build their own pedals. Not only is it cheaper--it can be a lot of fun. Before you build your own versions of the classics, though, you need to know where to find information, where to buy parts, and assemble the parts.
Instructions
Gathering information, finding and assembling parts
1. There are many websites that provide schematics, parts lists and and build instructions for classic pedals. Some examples are GeneralGuitarGadgets.com, tonepad.com, and DIYStompboxes.com. General Guitar Gadgets is a good place to start because the site links to several other pedal-building sites.
2. Although many pedal parts can be purchased at a local electronics store, you will probably have to order some parts on-line. There are a handful of on-line dealers that can provide one-stop shopping for the parts you will need. PedalPartsPlus.com, EffectsConnection.com, and SmallBearElectronics.com all have a large selection of pedal parts. You might have to look elsewhere for the PC board (the board onto which all of the electrical parts are soldered). Tonepad.com sells PC boards for many popular clones.
3. Most clones instructions have a diagram showing where the various components go. This diagram---as well as the symbols on the PC board---also indicate the orientation of the components (which hole the positive side of the diode goes, which direction the transistor faces, and so on).
You can either solder each component immediately after you place it, or you can place all of them, bend the wires underneath so they don't fall out, and solder when you're finished.
4. Using a 25- or 30-watt soldering iron, solder the components to the board using resin-core solder. Only touch the iron to the wire very briefly, to avoid destroying the parts. Integrated Chips (ICs), and transistors are especially sensitive. Use a heat sink where possible. Simply clamp an alligator clip onto the wire between the main part of the component and the part of the wire that contacts the soldering iron.
5. You can order pre-drilled enclosures for your pedal or you can drill them yourself. You will likely find that the holes in pre-drilled enclosures are sometimes not where you want them. They are sometimes not evenly measured as well. If you drill the holes yourself, set the various components of the pedal on top of the enclosure (PC board, potentiometer, input and output jacks, AC adapter jack and battery) to make sure everything will fit. Mark the holes with a marker. To make drilling easier, you can punch the hole with a center punch and hammer. This will help prevent the drill bit from wandering. The size of each hole will depend on the style of component. When in doubt, measure the component and use a step bit. With each step of the bit, stop and see if the component fits. This will help prevent drilling an oversized hole.
Troubleshooting
6. If the pedal does not work, check the obvious things first. Are the cables plugged in correctly? Is the pedal plugged in? Is the battery dead? If those things are as they should be, you will have to retrace every line in the schematic or build diagram to make sure you have wired the pedal correctly.
7. If the pedal is wired correctly, check the orientation of the parts. The orientation does not matter for resistors and some capacitors, but the pedal will not work if a diode, transistor, or polarized capacitor are placed backwards. PC boards often have diagrams on them---either shapes or a plus sign---to indicate which way to place the components.
8. Check the values on all of the parts that you are able to. For example, measure the resistors with a meter to ensure that they are the value called for by the schematic. Check capacitors by looking at the value printed on them.
9. If you still haven't found the problem, disassemble the pedal and start over, being careful to check every component as you place it.
Tags: classic pedals, correctly pedal, help prevent, make sure, pedal parts
