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PostPosted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 12:12 pm 
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UPDATED 5/19/16:

BYOC has recently introduced a bunch of new "mini" pedal kits that offer that authentic vintage tone we've all come to love, while taking up a TINY amount of space on your pedal board. I've built all of them at this point, and can recommend them without reservation.

Overall, they're a quick and easy build, with just one rather challenging bit--squeezing the jacks, pots, footswitch and component-filled PCB into that tiny little enclosure doesn't leave much room for the wiring. And since it's imperative that the PCB fits tightly down against the two I/O jacks so that the cover plate will mount properly, you can't allow any of the wiring to get pinched in between. So no room for "spaghetti" wiring in these puppies--the wires need to tuck neatly into the little bits of available space between the hardware and the PCB. At the same time, you don't want to make the wires too short, or it becomes very difficult to disassemble/reassemble the pedal if you have to troubleshoot a problem. That's because it becomes almost impossible to get the I/O jacks out and back into the enclosure if the wires are too short. Starting to sound like wiring these mini-pedals is a hassle? Well, it can be, if not done correctly.

The good news is that there are several ways to wire up these pedals that will avoid these potential problems. Here's the method I've been using and found to work quite nicely:

  1. Populate your PCB with all of the components and set it aside.
  2. Mount the footswitch and the DC adapter jack into the enclosure, but leave the pots and I/O jacks out.
  3. Count the number of wires you'll need for the kit you're building--this will vary, based upon the number of pots in the kit.
  4. Cut the required number of lengths of wire. If you're an experienced builder and are confident that your chances of running into a pedal operating issue is small, make them each 1.5" long. If you're more of a novice and think that there's a pretty fair chance that the build may require some troubleshooting effort to get it running, make them 2" - 2.25".
  5. For the two wires that will be used to connect the DC jack to the PCB, strip 1/8" of insulation off each end. For all the others, strip 1/8" off one end and 1/4" off the other. Twist and tin ALL the wire ends.
  6. Solder all of the pieces of wire to their corresponding pieces of hardware. Use the longer stripped end for the I/O jack and pot connections, crimping the wire end over the connection lug before soldering. The I/O jacks and pots are easier to wire outside of the enclosure; mount them into the enclosure once you've soldered the wire connections.
  7. Here's the key part of my wiring method: Bend a U-shape into the middle of each length of wire, orienting the "U" so that it extends over an open space in the enclosure and away from the I/O jack bodies. The unsoldered end of the wire should protrude upward out of the enclosure. See the diagram below to help visualize this, as well as a photo of a pot prepped using this method and a couple of shots of a fully prepped enclosure, ready for PCB installation. The idea is that the "U" shape can expand or collapse within the space between the enclosure and PCB, once the latter is soldered to the wires.
  8. Now solder the various wires to the PCB by feeding their ends through the bottom of the board and soldering from the top side. I prefer to start from one long side and solder across to the other, though I suppose you could just as readily start at the top and work your way down. Use a small pair of tweezers or forceps to grip the wire ends and feed them up through the PCB eyelets. DON'T FORGET TO MOUNT THE LED before making the wire connections on that side of the PCB!
  9. Once all the wire connections are made, push the PCB straight down onto the footswitch lugs and against the top of the two I/O jack bodies. Assuming you positioned your wires correctly, the PCB should sit flat against the I/O jacks. Follow the instructions given in Step 4 of the "Wiring" section of the kit instructions for soldering the PCB to the footswitch. And don't forget to solder & trim the LED legs before you mount the rear cover plate.
That should do the trick. Now fire it up & rock out!! Image

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PostPosted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 5:03 pm 
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Thanks DVM. Very good system. Now that you've described it and I can visualize it (thanks for the drawing), it almost seems obvious. Could have used this several years ago. With a few adjustments, seems it would make sense in any size enclosure. Sometimes common sense isn't so common. Thanks again.

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PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 9:23 am 
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I took a different approach to assemble my mini pedals by using solid core wire. I attached pieces to all the off board components and then mounted them into the enclosure. Once I had the PCB assembled I dropped it down into the enclosure and carefully aligned the wires into their designated holes as I went. I used small pieces of wire insulation to prevent the wires from shorting out inside the enclosure.

I was even able to install both stomp switch nuts without any problems. Now I can torque down the outer nut without having to worry about pulling the threaded bushing out of the switch. I didn't use the toothed washer to give me as much clearance as possible when it came time to install the bottom plate.
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 10:31 am 
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Cool, Stephen. There's obviously more than one way to skin these little cats! I considered doing that same basic thing but was concerned about possible shorts with the bare wires. But your little insulation sleeves take care of that nicely. Clever idea!

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PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 11:05 am 
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I just like that it's a 1590a with full sized enclosed jacks. :-)


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 8:04 pm 
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 9:02 pm 
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Hey, I think I can see Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet hanging from the railing in the back!

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PostPosted: Sat Nov 07, 2015 8:31 am 
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Great idea Stephen

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 4:09 pm 
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Here is a method that has helped me with the final step of installing the wired PCB onto the foot switch lugs. Use a clamp (with plastic or other non-marring jaws) to hold the PCB in place while you solder the foot switch. The clamp stabilizes the PCB and keeps it still while you solder the switch lugs, which in turn makes sure the solder joints are strong and all of the switch lugs are bearing the same amount of pressure from the PCB.

I use a Panavise mini and it works great for this!

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 8:30 am 
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Very new to building and just finished my second mini pedal yesterday a lil reverb. My first was a lil russian beaver.

Learning as i go but curious about my builds both of which work successfully which is a miracle because my skill level on taking them apart to troubleshoot isnt quite there yet.

My first thing i learned is dont forget to tin the tips of the wire because holy cow trying to sit the pcb on top was not easy yesterday. I did cut my wires short but not too short. They stuck about a half inch out of the enclosure which was probably too short. But long story short the issue im having is i guess the wires didnt keeping the bend as the fit is super tight. Like really tight but it does close when i screw it shut. I did loosen the lid because i was worried about pressure against the components.

Is this something i need to desolder and rewire? Or should i call it a day and say if it works dont mess with it because i may break it trying to “fix” it? I did get a desolder pump, spring loaded one, but my experience with desoldering is low although it got some use yesterday. Also wondering if i should try solid core wire instead of the provided threaded wire or if that will introduce more problems at my experience level. Very interested in Stephens post with his solid wires making it possibly easier to not have unknown wires bending around in a direction that adds pressure on the pcb.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 5:42 pm 
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Stephens post on the small pedals inspired me to buy one and do one myself. Solder braid is a life saver. Solid core wire isn’t user friendly. My favorite wire is guitarpcb.com wire. Check it out.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 8:16 pm 
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brian_r wrote:
...But long story short the issue im having is i guess the wires didnt keeping the bend as the fit is super tight. Like really tight but it does close when i screw it shut. I did loosen the lid because i was worried about pressure against the components.

Is this something i need to desolder and rewire? Or should i call it a day and say if it works dont mess with it because i may break it trying to “fix” it?

Personally, I would leave the pedal as is, if it's currently operating properly. The pressure against the components shouldn't hurt anything unless it's really extreme. I would go ahead and screw down the cover plate and enjoy the pedal.

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 11:57 am 
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Location: Atlanta
Thanks yall!

Ill check out the guitarpcb wire. I love building these mini pedals so far and not sure why but its a blast and great way to spend an afternoon. One of these days as i keep building/collecting ill put together a normal size pedal thats probably easier to work inside haha


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