Build no. 2. Seamoon Funk Machine...

[Ed Nice]

Following on from my first foray into the fraught field of 'fects, I've done a Seamoon Funk Machine pedal.

Totally standard as per IVIark's schematic and bitsbox's kit, thanks both :)

It works, it will take a little time to figure out how to get the best from it (because it's totally awesome for funky guitar, which I don't really play too much of!), but it's VERY, VERY cool.

Pics below. I've left some of my really exclusive unobtanium tools lying around so you can all swoon with envy. :)



 

I didn't think for one minute that it would fit in that small box, but it did. I need to get a bit neater with wiring, but more with length and route/position than soldering, which has really improved. I need to figure out a good way to mount the board to something rather than just have it wedged in there... :p

Thanks again to IVIark for the schematic and the inspiration.

[Ciaran Haslett]

Good job Ed

There are a few ways you can secure your board.  I tend to always line the enclosure lid and side walls with PVC tape to avoid shorting to the enclosure itself.

I also use packing foam or just cut pieces of cardboard above and below the board which further prevents shorts and also stops the board from moving then its being carried to/from a gig.

Some guys use double sided tape and stick the board to the back of the pots but I'm not that neat

Depending on the size of the board I will put both the LED and DC jack beside the footswitch.  This will give you more room to put the board component side up which I prefer the look of.

Lastly...are you a freaky lefty???  You've have your in/out jacks opposite the standard orientation most pedal makers use.  If integrating this pedal on a pedalboard with store bought effects you'll have to use a few longer patch cables than normal.  Not a problem but again just thinking about ease of use/integration.

[Ed Nice]

Thanks Ciaran.

I have been putting 'leccy tape on the base and pressing it on the solder side to hold it all in as you mention. It works ok but the foam is a good idea. :) I'm not sure I'd like to stick the board to the pots, but I think that's how a lot of people do it?

Now you mention foam, I reckon some stuff with a consistency like polystyrene, cut out with a square the size if the board, then stuck to the base would be good. I could then push the board into the foam, then fasten it all up. Hmm... :)

And no, I'm not a cuddy wifter :) I just put the sockets in the wrong way round. I've swapped them back now...

[IvIark]

Haha good job Ed, I got that screwdriver set in a cracker too

[Travis]

lol does "cuddy wifter" mean left handed? That sounds hilarious, but I've never heard anyone say that before (I live in the US)

From the sound of that comment, it seems like you'll be fun to have around though :)


For mounting the boards I usually glue them onto the back of the pots with hot glue or bolt them to the chassis using standoffs.

If you get the alpha pots with the plastic covers on the back it's really easy to hot glue the board on without worrying about shorts. You can use regular uncovered pots too, but you'd have to use a thicker blob of glue and not press down too hard so the board doesn't short out on the metal

[alltrax74]

I also built the funkmachine about 2 years ago.
You will find that the effect is very sensitive to the input signal, so adding a little boost (SHO, LPB1) in front is something to consider

[Ed Nice]

Sorry, for all you chaps over the pond, a cuddy wifter is a left handed person.

For a bit of etymology, I think it's Anglo Saxon for 'left punch'? In the dark ages and medieval England, left handed people were considered evil and sinister and in fact, I think the English term sinister probably originates from the Latin 'sinistre' which means left.

I have tinkered with the input a bit and it is very sensitive to both guitar, palying and volume. I'm just going through my 10w Blackstar Id practice amp, so all the effects are post pedal, but I can definitely see it's got huge potential for wah/funk/phase :)

[Ed Nice]

Thanks Travis. I'll dig out the hot glue gun. I saw those pot condoms in another thread somewhere so I'll have a look for them.

I suppose the 'pro' method for all this is etched board and standoffs, but I'm really liking the vero stuff (which is new to me), although I did mess up my cutouts in the 'Deep Blue Delay' I'm doing next. Fortunately, it's like Bitsbox new I would and sent me a huge piece of board with each kit :)

Thanks again IVIark.  

[Beaker]

I thought that "Cuddy Wifter" was A Geordie / Northumbria expression - I've heard it used before by folks from those parts. I did not know that it is also a Kernow expression.

I'm from the East Midlands, and proud to say that I am a Kaggy Hander!

[motterpaul]

It is great that you are getting your first builds to work right away. I think most of us mount boards with the components facing the opening. I don't think it makes a difference but if you put a metal bottom against that solder you could have problems.

For wiring, I also struggled with that, but one trick for me was just to make each wire a little bit longer. A wire that is too short will cause a lot of problems, but an extra centimeter or two won't and it often makes it easier to get the board in the box.

Congrats on the build - keep going.

[Ed Nice]

Thanks motterpaul. I think I've been pretty lucky so far and although this vero stuff is a little trickier than some of the kits with a pre done pcb, it's great to have the bitsbox kits (certainly for a beginner who can put it all in a pot and figure it out by a process of elimination!) and this fantastic community to hassle :o

My next two builds will also be from [bitsbox] kits but the third will be a Box of Hall reverb, which will mean I will have to use my Brian and order the bits like a proper man :)

@Beaker: You may be right about cuddy wifter? I'm from manc and you do hear cack (rather than kaggy) handed for meaning 'the wrong way round'. It's close enough to probably have the same origins?