Monroe Drive v2.0....

[Pierre]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

How'd you design it Mike? Perboard, breadboard, years of swapping..?

For mine I want to use a SD1 as a platform. First change diodes, chip, then move on to caps etc...take notes on different effects, then rehouse it.
Did you keep the buffer circuit in? I'd guess not, or else it'd mean A LOT of VERY TIGHT pcb working...Or you may just have fit in the tightest PCB ever

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

how did i do it?

loads of reading first about how the 808 works and what does what since that's where i wanted to start from. i tried messing with other ODs but the 808 or a modded version of it lives on the boards of many for a reason, it's a great starting point...it just needs a bunch of help IMO to shine. then loads of reading about mods others have tried and what seems to work and what doesn't. no need to try stuff "joe guy" already tried that killed the pedal or something silly like that. then i ordered a crapload of extra parts i knew i'd never need along with a few extra circuit boards....i'm good at being "xssive" when i do things i go all out!! lots of extra resistors, ICs, caps, diodes, leds and all that in various values and materials since they're dirt cheap so i got a ton of stuff and built a stock screamer to start. almost forgot the loads of time spent researching the parts themselves and finding who makes the best caps and resistors and what would using this material do vs that material etc etc. then pulled this part out and and tried that one then this one and that one etc etc. thank god i'm my own boss or i'd be fired from my day job with all the hours i spent messing with this. i tried loads of combos for clipping and different ICs and all the other typical mods. some stuff worked perfect some made hardly any change and some sucked lol. there's no real magic IF you're good with electronics and soldering, loads of people do the diy thing and i was just willing to spend the time to find out what mods work best for what i wanted it to do and i know i can package it in a way that isn't so DIY and be proud to sell it to others.

oha and a MUST HAVE...

desoldering pump

there would be NO Monroe Drive without that sucker lol. i think during R&D i desoldered as much as i soldered lol.

-Mike

 

[ErikH]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

Buy some sockets, Mike. Socket everything on one PCB for testing and such. It saves a lot of time, solder, and the PCB traces/pads. Well worth it.

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

that would be too easy.

actually i'm well aware of them i just have this issue with poor contacts and feel the need to solder everything even during R&D. is it logical....perhaps not but it works for me


i've NEVER burnt or damaged a trace or a part, that desoldering pump makes part swapping nearly as fast as a socket. you'd never know i pulled parts off boards and swapped them by looking at them. plus the boards i use are of the best quality and if a person could burn a trace on one they shouldn't be soldering lol.

-Mike

 

[Pierre]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

My own desoldering pump is my best friend :laugh2:

Sounds like you did it just the way I did for my DS1! Did loads of research, mixed and matched mods and my own values until I got a great sound. It's a hell of a lot of fun and I really want to do the same again with an SD1.

 

[Virtual Kevorkian]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

Hmm... with the switch where it is, it seems like you'd cause the pedal to lift off the ground, stepping on just the edge.


I might have to look into one of these in a few months...

 

[DankStar]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

Man, you have some cool stuff. I'm interested in what the price will be.

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

Hmm... with the switch where it is, it seems like you'd cause the pedal to lift off the ground, stepping on just the edge.

nope...it doesn't lift even with nothing plugged into it with no rubber feet on the bottom on a carpet (aka as slippery as possible). add in cables going in and out and it certainly won't move, then there's the fact that 9 out of 10 players will have it held to a board with velcro...it's not going anywhere!

as for price, i feel bad spamming the board with prices (which also isn't 100% set in stone yet only a ballpark) so please PM me about that. thanks!

-Mike

 

[nebucanazza]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

Any chance of letting out some finishing secrets..that pedal surely beats everything out there in terms of looks. You should roll out a pedal line with each pedal type having a different beautiful women as the finish. How about a 'hot' distortion pedal with Monica Belluci on it?

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

finishing tips...

here's one...don't try this at home LOL. seriously for every one i get right i screw up 5 lol. they're a royal pain in the rear to get done. i'm working on a better way to do the graphics now. the enclosure finishing takes me longer than the actual guts of the pedal...no kidding at all. i'd say about double or more time goes into the enclosure that's not even taking into count waiting for paint to dry lol.

to be honest that's all that's keeping me from taking orders now. the finish will never be 100% flawless, i'm human and they are done 100% by hand but i'm shooting for 95+% flawless since you do stand 5-6ft above it and step on it i think i can let some very slight human error slide lol. i'll NEVER let one with a big flaw go, i'll sooner throw it out and start over. i won't put my name on junk and i seriously do have an OCD about perfection so i try to make them as perfect as possible.

they certainly don't look home made or anything like that, what you see in the pic is what you get...actually they look even cooler when you have it in your hand, they seem to come to life i guess you can say.

-Mike

 

[Pierre]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

Dude if you ever have drilled cases you won't use because of the finish, I'm sure loads of guys could use that. You could sell them! Or have the possibility to buy them without the finishing.

 

[jotrimble23]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

Impressive XXSSIVE, i actually was curious about this pedal a while back the first time i saw your pedal board pictures. I should have pm'd you about it. Real cool, i've been on the market for a good OD pedal. .. i like your design, looks great!

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

Pierre...when i mess one up i can usualy start from scratch again on it so i don't need to toss the whole enclosure, just the hours of work that went into it before i messed up LOL.

jotrimble23...thanks very much!

-Mike

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

So, do you have a tracking # for mine?

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Monroe Drive v2.0....

lol once i finalize just a few more small details i should be able to take orders!

-Mike