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Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Test Rig

Here's a couple test rigs you can use to test effects before boxing them up. They use the same board mounted jacks I used on the "board mounted everything" layouts I did at the beginning of the year. The first one is fairly simple, using a DPDT toggle to switch between the effect and bypass.


The second one is pretty much the same idea, but with a simple audio probe for debugging included. (Props to my buddy Cody for the idea) You can switch between test mode and debug mode with a SPDT on/on toggle.


Use sockets on the 5 pads in the middle so you can easily plug in wires from the effect you want to test. You can directly solder a wire to the Probe pad.

26 comments:

  1. This is very cool! I'm going to take the plunge and etch my first board so I can build this.

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  2. Great work, but can you share sources? I have stereo jacks and will make holes thicker (not goot transfer printer at home)

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    1. In/out jacks are Neutrik mono NYS 2152. There are probably several PCB mount DC jacks that will work, though I believe the specific jack the Eagle part model is based on is the Kobiconn 163-7620E. I got some 2.1mm barrel-type DC jacks from Tayda that work well. The switches are pretty generic, so just about anything should work there.

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    2. Can I use open frame mono jack?
      How can I solder it?
      Thanks a lot
      Andrew

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    3. You can, tho you'll probably want to mount the jacks to something. The outer pads of the board mounted jacks are ground and the inner pads that have a trace going to them are in the in/out pads.

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    4. Thanks.
      For connections (in,out,9v,ground) may I use crocodile clips test with the wires soldered to pcb?

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    5. Try it. Use what works best for you.

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  3. Hi! Sorry for my ignorance. How does this probe work? Does it act as a "bridge" using wires instead of plugs on the effect's pcb?

    Thanks for your answer!

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    1. Here's how the probe works:

      http://www.diystompboxes.com/pedals/debug.html

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  4. Very very useful! I don't know why i didn't have this idea before, seems so simple and effective! No more soldering and wires all over the PCB while testing my pedals! (:

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  5. Hi, do you have the library file for those Rean NYS2152? Thanks in advance, trying to use those but my eagle skills are still limited...

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    1. They're in the MadBean library (at least the 2012 library). You can find it and a lot of other Eagle related info over on the MB forum here:

      http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?board=45.0

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. That Kobiconn part you refer to, the datasheet and mouser report the pin diameter to be 2.0mm...I assume that'll work, but wonder if the standard 2.1mm plugs we use in the effects world would be too loose and cause intermittent connections under certain circumstances...thoughts?

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    1. Great, thanks! About to pull the trigger on my first board using that type of DC jack!

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  8. In wich folder is it on the transfer image library?

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  9. Do you have a eagle library with the NYS2152 from Rean?

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  10. is it possible to place a LED on that Board?

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  11. I redesigned it with an onboard boost converter to provide 9v to my pedals from a LiPo, and squeezed it in to a 1590A with board-mounted jacks. A spring-terminal connector is the icing on the cake.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/diypedals/comments/exhksi/my_test_rig/

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  12. Few questions about the labels on TEST RIG vIII: there's an 'L+' and 'L-" but also a spot for the LED down by the footswitch. Are both of these to test functionality or is one an LED for the Test Rig itself? And there's a 'GND' with the '+9v', but another 'GND' in the center, so which does what? Sorry for the silly questions and thanks for all the fun I'm having with the site!

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    1. The LED by the footswitch is for the Test Rig. The L- pad is there to test the functionality of an on/off indicator LED mounted on the board being tested, and the L+ pad similarly is there to test a board mounted CLR (current limiting resistor) that will connect to an LED off board. Personally, I don't use the L+/- pad all that much that part of a pedal is usually straight forward and works straight away, but it's nice to have just in case. The extra ground pad is just an extra to have. No difference between the two.

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