/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>16461
non lead-free is easier to solder. I always used that before they banned it in my country.
It isn't really a healt issue, it's more an environmental issue.
ANYWAY most important is the quality of the solder. The chap shit is just terrible, just NO. Spend the right amount of money on the solder or you will quit very soon.
As for the soldering Iron, 25W is more than adequate. Moar power will let you able to make bigger soldering work, but here we are talking about small ones.

>>16410
>I get the feeling when they do get around to charging my account they'll fuck up
wut

also a good project for the newbzs (semi related to yours):
Zvex Super Hard On
a very simple but sweet sounding booster

>>16384
You know what? I dunno.
I bought a breadboard when I started to mess with pedals but I found it a source of problems more than anything. False contacts everywhere. I guess it depends by the quality of it, but I remember I got it at a very decent components store and paid a fair amount of cash for it (I mean not 1€ at the chink shitshop) and it was plain trash.
Better have the iron always hot and prototype on stripboards (you can also build most pedals on 'em)

>>16336
Skills required for starting:
>can use a soldering iron
>can read schematic
>have some very basic knowledge of electronics, like knowing what a resistor or a capacitor is, basic safety rules etc.
>can use a MultiMeter

Things required:
>soldering iron
>a digital multimeter
>a place to buy components

And on the web there are plenty of tutorials for newbies. Just google 'em out.

>>16236
Do you use an external Power Supply? Try it with a battery.

>>16260
Listen I don't like all the POD thing, but some of their Tonecore pedals are actually awesome. They have a DSP developing kit and it's awesome.
The Echo Park and the Verbzilla are awesome. The DL4 is awesome.

>>16226
The origianl Univibe is not a mistery. But it's quite ancient in many aspects: the power supply and the fact it's not switchable (it's alway "on", the guitar signal passed thru it all the time just the LFO stops running).
The Noevibe is a nice compromise between the original circuit and modern practice.
A great reinterpretation has been made by Roger Mayer himself with the VooDoo Vibe, in which the LFO section is completely revised.

>>16190
yep basically what >>16212 said
In guitar amps reverbs are mostly still spring reverbs, because there is plenty of room and the power supply with hi-voltage is already there.
Some build "pedals" with reverb tanks and basic driver circuitry, but then IDK if all the hassles worth it. Digital offers great reverbs: Lexicons on top, and among pedals check the Line6 Verbzilla

>>16186
What I built is the NeoVibe version
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/projects/20-modulationecho/121-neovibe
and I did further modifications
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/projects/20-modulationecho/121-neovibe
check also
http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/univibe/univtech.htm

>WARNING a Univibe is quite advanced project, not very suited for newbies

>>16120
yes
and remember to connect it to the ground lead on the jack sockets
>>16124
The "Keeley mod" is very similar to this: a LED in place of one diode and replace all capacitors with quality ones (maybe values are changed also, check internet).
If you can solder, you can do it for like less than 5$.

>>16098
>common ground
well it means that you should have a conductive enclosure and ground it to the circuit thru one single wire-point. Yep it could cause noise-hum.
Anyway do you have a metal enclosure?

Anyway a great site is:
http://www.freestompboxes.org/
contains TONS of informations and people are not assholes.
For components it depends on where you live.
Being eurotrash I generally buy at
http://www.banzaimusic.com/

>>16071
what kind of fuzz?
NPN or PNP transistors?
If PNP you should use positive ground.

>>16019
The md-2 is not a "mod happy" pedal, and no popular diy mods are around.
The only shit I seen on the internet is an arcane "weed mod" did by one guy in Japan, but there are no schems around to my knowledge

>>16006
google for "Keley mod" or "DS-1 mods" in general.
The most used mod it the "seeing eye" that is replacing one diode in the clipping section with a red led (non ultrabright king, just the traditional) to have asymmetrical distortion ("sweeter" sound)

>>16004
that is called the switching section.
Here is the key element of most diy pedals: the 3PDT switch.
Basically, it does it all: one row control the input wire, one the output wire, the third is used to control the status LED. This way, is called "true bypass", that means that when your effect is off the guitar signal pass only thru the switch and no other circuitry (and can work without battery)
3P= 3 poles
DT = double throw, that means that the switch have "2 positions" (it's not obvious)

I'm quite skilled in diy stompboxes, and I build at least 20 of 'em (I mean diferent FXs).
Ask me anything.
pic semi related, I've built an UniVibe too