Fuzzdog kits

rico

Who has built any of the Fuzzdog kits? I have just ordered the EP boost and TS kits. 

Any advice for the first time pedal assembler? How long did they take you? Are there any accessories that make the job easier?

Cheers!

Adam_MD

Blu tack honestly it’s awesome.

start with the smallest components - resistors and work up in height to the largest caps.  take your time and go nice and slow checking everything if it’s your first time as desoldering parts from a double sided pcb is a pain in the ass.

Magnifying glasses are good too if you have shitty eyesight like me.  

Oh and be careful it’s really really addictive, 

RiftAmps

I’ve done a few for fun. No step-by-step instructions so a little thinking is required. Just take your time and enjoy.

I think the EP clone took me less than an hour

stickyfiddle

I've done *counts* maybe 8 of them? Rat, SHO, Fuzz Face, Big Muff, Fuzz Factory, Stratoblaster, Schaller Trem. Probably more I've forgotten.

I can knock out the simple stuff in under an hour. Very good kits and great quality PCBs.

If you have good quality iron, solder (leaded is MUCH better), a good brass wire sponge thing (link below) a "third hand" gizmo is good (combined croc-clip holder and magnifier/light). And good side cutters

This sort of thing: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arlent-Soldering-Cleaning-Nozzle-Cleaner/dp/B01A5PSLSW/ref=pd_day0_60_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Q993NFKDMRRX1HSNRKSY

english_bob

I haven't built any of the Fuzzdog kits, but I've done several BYOCs and a few perfboard builds.

@stickyfiddle 's  list of essential tools above is good- no doubt there's loads of other stuff you *could* have, but that covers all the really essential stuff.

My top tip would be to sort all your components before you start, and put them somewhere they can't move. For small to medium builds you can use a sheet of A4 paper and some sticky tape (for bigger ones, use more paper). Stick down all the components of whatever value in one place and label them- "100k resistor" or whatever- so that when it comes to soldering them you're sure what's what. There's a bill of materials ("BOM") in the instructions to help you, and doing this will also allow you to check early in the process that you've got all the bits you should have. A multimeter or a resistor colour band guide will help.



Don't pay too much attention to people's estimates of how long it's going to take to build. Just take your time and check everything twice before you solder anything- putting things right after you've ballsed it up (and after you've worked out *what* you ballsed up) is much more difficult than just not making the mistake in the first place. Worst case, you get through so much of the kit before you need to go do something else and you put the rest aside for later. If you've taped all the components in place it'll be simple to pick up again where you left off.

DannyP

I've done at least half a dozen. Good kits and good support. I'll defo be doing another once I finish my amp build.

stickyfiddle

Wis for @english_bob 's methodology. I forgot component sorting. A multimeter helps with the resistors if you're too lazy to use the chart, though for your kits it won't take long to work them out manually (the EP boost at least)

english_bob

stickyfiddle said:

Wis for @english_bob 's methodology. I forgot component sorting. A multimeter helps with the resistors if you're too lazy to use the chart, though for your kits it won't take long to work them out manually (the EP boost at least)

I haven't done it in a while- the last few builds I've done have been on perfboard, and when I order parts from Bitsbox all the components come individually bagged and labelled, so I haven't needed to. 

BYOC's bills of materials lists the resistor colour codes (resistors are the worst to sort) next to the values for total n00bs and people who don't have a multimeter, but a multimeter is better for removing all doubt- sometimes it's hard to tell whether that's an orange band or a red one, grey or black or whatever. If you're making a big kit, sorting by sight is a bloody nightmare. The last BYOC kit I built was a Divided Octave, which looks like this:

bbill335

I've done the Meathead clone and the Noisy Cricket amp so far. Quality components, PCBs are nice if a little cramped (only a problem if you're bad at being *delicate* like me). Some tips based on my mistakes:

If you're using the 3PDT daughterboard, the resistor marked CLR goes on that board, even though there's probably a space for it on the main board. If you understand circuits better than I did when I started, this should be obvious. This is just one of the things I learnt troubleshooting why the pedal worked fine but the LED didn't.

Also, the kits come with the 3PDT board as standard but don't come with the ribbon cable that really makes the insides tidy. You have to remember to order some of that separately (guess what I forgot to do?)

steer

I have done the Epic boost. Can't remember how long it took, but not that long. I am delighted with the results- absolutely excellent clean boost. 

I have a hankering for doing another one...

I assume that the ones in the tiny enclosures are more fiddly than the standard sized one. 

tampaxboo

rico said:

Who has built any of the Fuzzdog kits? I have just ordered the EP boost and TS kits. 

Any advice for the first time pedal assembler? How long did they take you? Are there any accessories that make the job easier?

Cheers!

i've built a few fuzzdogs and they are generally great quality, well laid out, and well engineered from a circuit perspective. that last one is what makes his kits stand out to me.
by which i mean that rather than simply translate known schematics onto pcb and leave it at that, he (Lee Fuzzdog, bloody nice bloke) actually puts time and thought into his r&d. he breadboards all his circuits and experirments with differerent values and options (diodes, transistors, etc). after which process he will either plan useful options into his designs, or mention them in his excellent build documents. that is going the extra mile.

only negative experiences or niggles i have had with his kits have been as a consequence of his (sometimes) use of coloured (painted) pcbs. sometimes it's really handy when trouble shooting to put a bright light behind the board to see immediately the track layout. but when the board is opaque black (for example) this is impossible. which then means cross-checking with the schematic then translating onto the pcb. so i always prefer boring old semi-transparent green pcbs for that reason.
they look nice in colours, as a product to market, but in practice (function) once they have been built and boxed you don't see them. semi-transparent makes an easier build experience.

as for tips and tools, i posted about a soldering iron in a soldering iron thread for beginners earlier this week re iron.

other things, get a grabby hands tool (stand with crocodile clips and magnifying glass), they make life so much easier.

safety glasses essential. solder can pop or spit or flick. don't risk your eyes
.
cheap digital multimeter. tap in DT-830B in ebay or amazon. that's what i started with. it works great for basics, volts, resistance, can even use it to select transitors or diodes when you understand why that is a good thing to be able to do. they cost £3 or something silly.
http://www.hobby-hour.com/electronics/dt830b-digital-multimeter.php

if you are going to be building a lot an extractor fan is useful to suck the flux smoke out of the way. charcoal filter one should cost no more than £20. or you can adapt a computer fan and use a oven exatractor charcoal filter and make your own.

good strong lamp, adjustable/directable over your work.

auto wire strippers very handy if making a lot. cheap ones work fine.

bitsbox is your friend for bits and pieces (uk based). https://www.bitsbox.co.uk/
Bob is the man! good prices and great service.

happy building. as others have said, it can be badly addictive. be warned.

rico

Thanks for all the comments guys, I just splurged on Amazon - wire stripper, fine side cutter, helping hand, multimeter, tip cleaner thing and a tin of flux.

On the subject of flux - when/how/why does one use it? I'm pretty sure the solder that came with my kit is leaded...

bbill335

rico said:

On the subject of flux - when/how/why does one use it? I'm pretty sure the solder that came with my kit is leaded...

I find that it makes it a bit easier to tin connections if i've dipped them in solder paste. terminals on jack sockets can be a bit of a pain without cooling the iron and swapping to a bigger tip. Soldering to the back of pots is another one where a bit of paste/flux is useful but if you're only doing pedals you might get by without.

rico

Well the kits arrived this morning however the epic boost kit is missing two 1M resistors. I've double and triple checked and they are definitely missing. Off to maplins I go...

english_bob

rico said:

Well the kits arrived this morning however the epic boost kit is missing two 1M resistors. I've double and triple checked and they are definitely missing. Off to maplins I go...

If you're not in a massive rush to get it built, try emailing Fuzzdog. They'll probably be very apologetic and send you the missing parts for free.

rico

Built the EP and you're right - I am addicted already. So much so that I started the Tubescreamer and it's missing a switch and I have one too many caps. Someone was obviously having an off day!

Adam_MD

Did you order full kits with enclosures?  Are you going to finish them with paint, sharpie or dymo labels?  Make sure you post pics when you’re done.

rico

Very quick gut shot and front pic. Not the neatest soldering particularly on the fly cables but I haven't held a soldering iron in ten years. On to the TS!

steer

good job!

TateFX

I know you've done it now, but I love fuzz dog. Good kits with good instructions.

Invest in an autoranging digital multimeter worth their wieght in gold, I find brown and red hard to read on resistors sometimes.

Also keep your iron tip clean I use a damp sponge to wipe it on.

rico

Stu_tate said:

I know you've done it now, but I love fuzz dog. Good kits with good instructions.

Invest in an autoranging digital multimeter worth their wieght in gold, I find brown and red hard to read on resistors sometimes.

Also keep your iron tip clean I use a damp sponge to wipe it on.

I did order a decent multimeter but it arrived about 5 minutes after I finished the build - likewise a tip cleaner thing.