The Parts Are In, Breadboard Done

Well, I got the parts in, then hastily breadboarded the thing and it worked, so naturally I was so excited to get it all soldered in I forgot to take breadboard pictures or sound samples (DOH!). It sounded rather well though if I do say so myself....

Here are a few pictures of what I have on the typical Radioshack PC board...








Please excuse the HORRIBLE soldering job on that last one... I'm ashamed but no shorts so it'll work for now!

I hope to finish it tomorrow as well as get "How to Build a Damn Chippy: Part II" up!

Check back later for more horrible soldering! :)

How to Build the "Damn Chippy" : Part I

Well then, I have an idea, a schematic, and will have parts tomorrow... I think it's time to build an amp! It will be based of off Beavis Audio's Noisy Cricket with a few of my personal touches.
I will be breadboarding the thing before I actually build it though. If the amp goes well, I may end up making PCB's (and/or entire amp kits) and selling them. Please leave a comment if you would be interested in such a deal.

Until I experiment with it and offer a kit, I will make your life easier and provide a Mouser bill of materials (BOM) that you can import into the "My Mouser" bill of materials importer.

311-1901F-1k|1
311-1901F-10k|1
311-1901F-100k|1
103-0132-EVX|1
103-0008-EVX|1
140-MLRL10V220-RC|2
140-PF2A473K|2
140-PF1H104K|4
513-NJM#386BD|1
512-MPF102D74Z|1
604-WP7113SEC|1
604-WP7113QBC/D|1
568-NYS229|2

Just copy and paste that into the text box. You can then just order the project and it will save you time tracking down all the parts!! No need to thank me! hehe

Now that your parts are on the way, you're in the same boat I am! They should be in tomorrow and I'll post the schematic, my breadboard layout, and some pictures. Who knows, I may even finish and start making a prototype PCB. One can only hope!

Amp Parts are in.... Houston

So the UPS tracking page says they arrived in Houston at 2:46 A.M. yesterday but they didn't come. I'm not sure why or how you don't get a package out of the door in that time frame but hey, I'll just have to wait another day...

I did get my breadboard, multimeter, etc. that I'll need for the build so really I'm just waiting on the parts....

Amp Type Chosen

Well, I've decided to go ahead and build a solid state amp as opposed to a tube amp like I had originally planned. It was a long thought decision but I think the heavier tone and the sheer price comparison will be better for my first amp!

I hope to be able to order the parts within the next weeks. You can bet there will be a worklog!!

Pictures of the Wood

Well I got the pics on my computer so here they are for your viewing pleasure:

Whole blank

Closeup

Rock Band + Real Drums = Great Project

Well Brett "Buzz" Dawson built himself a sweet new Rock Band controller... out of a real drum set! He also made a Guitar Hero controller out of what looks to be an Ibanez RG.

In the drum set he uses piezo sensors to create the output signal. That makes it as easy modification to do as well as maintaining the set's original playability.

I like the idea of using a real kick drum pedal though. The stock pedal uses a spring to provide resistance instead of a chain as in a real pedal. This substitution makes sense for a plastic controller but it also makes it hard to play in the higher levels of the game.

Well the Wood is In...

The wood for the guitar came in... but I'm not able to get pictures of it yet because I only have my phone camera but not the cable to connect it to the computer, I have no signal, and to top it off the laptop doesn't have Bluetooth as advertised with the computer!

If only I had my Mac... It has built in bluetooth!
I'll try to find alternate means of getting the pictures up but if not, I'll post them on Sunday.

How I hate Busyness!

I hate being busy! Going back to school has bogged me down in so many ways I'm not sure how I'm still breathing!

No update on the wood for the Les Paul and I'm still trying to fix the amp schematics and 3D model in so be looking for that...

Good news though, I built a 10 minute photo studio for photographing all my projects for you guys! Maybe I'll make an Instructable and post it. Look for that as well if you're interested!

Well, I hope to be back in full swing within a week or so!

Amp Parts Found!

Well I've finalized my parts list for the amp...
The total comes out to $155 (without shipping) which isn't horrible. Most of the cost is in the transformers! I never understood what makes them pricey. Oh well, it's not my business so I'll believe it costs that much to make them!

Still looking for a name and a logo so feel free to help me out!

The Mac Convert...

I am officially a Mac man now. For Christmas, my aunt gave me a Mac Mini and it is without a doubt the best piece of machinery ever built! In its tiny 6.5" x 6.5" x 2" shell it holds:

1. A brand new Intel 2GHz Core 2 Duo (Even though I'm an AMD guy, hats off to Intel)
2. 120GB hard drive
3. 2 Gigs of RAM
4. Wireless Connectivity via Bluetooth and WiFi
5. 4 USB slots and 1 FireWire port
6. Gigabit Ethernet
7. And most important of all Leopard....

Don't even get me started on the applications it can run! I thought at first I would be limited, as is the case with Linux, but wow! Most apps are better than the Windows counterpart they are trying to emulate!

Sorry to rant or sound like a fanboy, I just love this thing!Also, on a last note, anyone who has a Mac MUST have ConceptDraw (at version 7 as of post)

JCM800 2204 Build & SketchUp

I know I mentioned this before in my last post, but everyone MUST check out Joe Popp's Marshall JCM800 2204 build... It is amazing! He's used top of the line parts, old school turret boarding, and my favorite tubes on this planet! PLUS it's the bread and butter amp of Old School rock 'n' roll next to the Vox AC30! Anyways, check it out...

read his blog

Also, playing around with some CAD stuff, I've started using Google's SketchUp. This is an amazing program that makes it simple and easy! I may even be posting some amp/guitar pieces that I create along the way so be looking out for that!

Happy Shredding,
The Power Chord Addict

Plans Are In!!

Well, just got the templates for the Les Paul build in!
That means whenever the wood comes in we'll be able to start working on it! But it wont be until next weekend sadly. Then, after that it won't be for another 2 weekends because that's the schedule with divorced parents these days...

Anyway, on a lighter note, I'm sketching out some concepts for the amp so I'll post it if/when I finish.

Happy Shredding,
The Power Chord Addict

New Blog, New Wood, New Projects!

Well hello there!
Finally moving into my new blog where I can chronicle my little (and big!) projects.
Please excuse the plain look of the blog, its temporary until I can make my own look.

That's enough for the new blog, now onto the wood story. As many of you don't know, my dad and I are in the process of making a 1959 Gibson Les Paul and we ordered the body blank today!! A solid piece of mahogany too! It will be pretty I'm sure. Anyway, we got it from the lovely StewMac online store. Check back for photos and the build log!

My side project...
This one won't be my foremost concern, that will be the guitar, but after modding the plans for a MintAmp to work with a guitar (replacing 1/8" jacks with 1/4" as well as removing the output jack and replacing it with a 2.5" 8-ohm speaker) I found I enjoy the thrill of amp building! After seeing Joe Popps JCM800 2204 Build I was completely inspired! Alas... I must start small, with a little 1.5 watt amp! Still thinking of a name, and may possibly look to start selling kits or something if I like how it all goes. Any suggestions on a name for the amp or my "company" (i.e. Marshall, Line 6, etc.) name that will go on the amp are greatly appreciated!

Happy Shredding,
The Power Chord Addict