First pedal build - making a RAT clone pedal from a kit

Megii

english_bob said:

Exciting times!

I just ordered the bits to make the Big Omar boost @juansolo sent me a PCB for. Gone for a big knob (in keeping with the theme) and a 10mm yellow LED just for giggles- will be a bit different, and with just one knob on the pedal there will be plenty of room.

...also gone for some solid core wire instead of stranded. Going to see if I have the patience for those super neat wiring jobs:



(pretty sure I haven't).

Looks great - I know I wouldn't have the patience myself, but a joy to behold. Exciting times indeed though, and best of luck with the project @english_bob

Megii

stickyfiddle said:

Is that four knobs AND a switch? I'm assuming that's for the pot-based variable Ruetz mod plus a clipping switch?  Brilliant! 

I did those mods myself but great that they're available from stock now. THIS is why I love Fuzzdog

Absolutely @stickyfiddle, ;indeed the full 4 knobs with variable Ruez mod, plus 2-way switch for silicon or LED clipping - kind of my dream version of the RAT really, and great that I can just buy a kit to do it. Fuzzdog do give the option of sending germanium diodes for the YouDirtyRAT version, but I already know that it's the standard and turbo modes I really like.

Before I decided to go the kit building route, I did find that Fox pedals do a boutique "Wrath" pedal which is basically the same thing, but now I can build this one and have all the fun of that, and then be able to start on more projects.

ewal

Just to echo comments above - I don't find much use for a helping hands stand during the build because I am forever turning the PCB over. I have found it useful though in hole clearing/ solder sucking situations. and the magnifying glass is useful when checking for solder bridges etc...

One other tip - if you have gone for board mounted pots, very carefully check the PCB for bridges/shorts before soldering the pots, because it's harder to do this once they are in place.

Megii

Appreciate the advice @ewal - I have indeed gone for board mounted pots, so those thoughts are relevant.

Megii

Still twiddling my thumbs waiting for all the kit to arrive so I can start on the job - hopefully will be good to go by the weekend.

One thing that occurs is that I really do hope to understand how the circuit works, and what it's doing to the guitar signal, so I wonder if there's a book I could read that would clue me up about the electronics in guitar pedals - any suggestions?

TTBZ

I've just built up my first Fuzzdogs kit (my 2nd build, first was a byoc tubescreamer), a raw fuzz which is a fuzz war clone. Once I got my head round the resistor colour codes it was pretty simple. I kinda made a pigs ear of wiring the switch though (looks a right mess in there) so I've ordered a daughterboard and direct connect ribbon to tidy things up!

Be interested to see how you get on with the Rat clone. I have a keeley modded rat 2 but it's always sounded a bit too thin and "pedal like" for me, not sure if the mods in this kit would help.

Good luck, it's fun once you get going!

The raw fuzz sounds awesome btw, huge!

Megii

Cheers @TTBZ - at some stage I quite fancy doing a Skreddy P19 type fuzz - might be 3rd or 4th on my list, but I'll have to see how I get on with this one first. I am finding out about a lot of pedals in the process, and will have to check out the raw fuzz/fuzz war as I've not come across that one before. Sounds to be a good one anyhow.

Re what you say about the modded Rat 2 seeming a bit thin, I'd say try the Turbo Rat, or a clone with Turbo switching - to me it's like a bigger, beefier sounding version of the Rat, even at lower gain settings.

lasermonkey

@Megii the ElectroSmash website has in-depth analysis of a few pedals, including the Rat, Tubesreamer, DS-1 and Phase 90 (though bear in mind that the IC pin numbering is wrong on a few of their schematics). They break the circuit down into bite-sized chunks and explain what's going on. For the Big Muff, the Kit Rae site is the motherlode.

Megii

Cheers for that @lasermonkey - sounds great, I'll have that one bookmarked before you know it.

TTBZ

@Megii cool I will check out the turbo rat. The keeley one does have a "mighty mouse" setting which is a bit better. 

I'll make a new thread with clips etc of the Raw Fuzz when I have some time. It's basically thick stoner rock muff inspired heaven though 

Megii

Just set up the soldering iron, and tried to do a bit of practice soldering on the strip board. Tried to tin the iron tip, but it just doesn't want to take the solder. Tried a few temperatures, from 250 to 350 C - no good, the solder can be made to melt above 300 C ish but won't spread on the tip, and just forms a ball on the end of the reel. Is this sort of experience common? I've not had this when doing guitar wiring with my cheapo £10 iron.

Danny1969

Sounds like somethings coated on the new tip, try heating and wiping it through your cleaner until the solder takes to it

Megii

Danny1969 said:

Sounds like somethings coated on the new tip, try heating and wiping it through your cleaner until the solder takes to it

Thanks @Danny1969 - tried that for a while, but to no avail. However, I have some of Maplins "Lead-Free Silver Solder" (1mm) from having done work on guitar electrics, so I just tried that, and it tins the tip quite nicely. So I suspect the 0.5mm solder I bought from evilbay may be a bit rubbish - it is supposed to be "Multicore" i.e. a reputable brand, but it did arrive just coiled in a clear plastic bag, so I wonder if it's actually something else.

Tried soldering a resistor to the stripboard using the Maplins solder anyhow, and was struggling - couldn't seem to get enough heat in there - applied iron to one side of the joint, touching the metal strip and protruding lead, tried to feed in solder from the other side, but didn't want to do it. Hopefully all this is teething troubles, but I'm very glad I didn't just leap in on the PCB.

Danny1969

Ah you need a decent iron for lead free, a lot of people struggle with lead free. 

Practice with some resistor legs- heat joint - apply solder to joint not solder tip. There's where most people go wrong, they try and use solder like blobs of glue

Megii

Danny1969 said:

Ah you need a decent iron for lead free, a lot of people struggle with lead free. 

Practice with some resistor legs- heat joint - apply solder to joint not solder tip. There's where most people go wrong, they try and use solder like blobs of glue

Thanks again @Danny1969 - honestly I really was very much trying to heat the joint and then apply solder from the other side - certainly not trying to bring it in as a blob on the iron tip. I've learnt that much from doing guitar wiring work. The solder I got on evilbay does not seem to be easy to use with my iron though, and curious that the Maplins lead free silver stuff is actually better, although a bit to wide diameter for PCB work I'd say.

Thinking about things, I reckon I probably haven't quite got the right kit together yet. I may give in on the idea of using silver solder, and get some 0.5mm leaded type. Also, maybe the tip on the iron is a bit fine for what I want to do, so I'll try one that's a bit wider. But enough for today, I've lost the energy for now. Hopefully will get things working better eventually.  

lasermonkey

I'm very surprised that the Multicore stuff isn't playing ball. In the 34 years I've been doing this, I haven't found a better brand of solder.
 That said, I haven't used lead-free solder yet! My last job was making medical lasers, and we were exempt from using lead-free (as are  aerospace and the military, and for good reason!).
 I believe you need around 430° for lead-free. 60/40 tin/lead is lower, at around. 350° IIRC. In my experience, it's much easier to use, much easier to re-flow and much less likely to fail.

Megii

I do wonder if it really is Multicore to be honest @lasermonkey . At the moment, I'm thinking I'll get some 0.5mm 60/40 and make life as easy as possible. Appreciate your thoughts anyhow, cheers.

Adam_MD

I use the maplin lead free silver solder and its fine for vero or pcbs I've not had any trouble with the size.

Megii

Had another go practicing soldering this morning with the vero board, and using a broader (2.4mm) iron tip plus the 1mm Maplins lead-free silver solder. Seemed to do rather better, although it did seem to take a bit longer than 2 or 3 seconds to get enough heat in there to make the joints. And I know you're not supposed to bring in blobs of solder on the iron, but it did seem to help to have just a tiny tad of solder on the end of the tip - flame me if that's an absolute no-no though.

I do think a bit narrower diameter solder will help, and also just a little narrower iron tip, as the 2.4mm one feels just a bit too clunky for the job. I think I'll order a couple of 1.6mm tips - hopefully a good compromise between being able to get enough heat into the joint quickly, and not being too imprecise.

Still not sure whether to go for some 60 40 leaded solder - the tips that are on sale for my iron type (900M) all seem to come plated with lead-free silver solder, so I wonder if 60 40 would work OK - thoughts anyone?

So - all seems a bit of a faff getting off the ground, and heavy going, but I think it is teething troubles, and I don't mind waiting a little longer to have kit that works for me, and will allow me to do a good job.

lasermonkey

Having a small amount of solder on the tip will definitely help speed up the soldering process. It's known as "wetting" and it facilitates better heat transfer between the iron and the components. Just remember to wipe and re-wet the tip frequently, as any burnt flux will impede the task.
 May I ask what temperature you have your iron set to? A 60W iron with a 1.6mm tip should easily be able to flow the solder more or less instantly.