Nice! Be prepared though, after going DIY I spent more time ordering parts, soldering, learning electronics rather than making music with the finished modules 😄 Make sure to clean the iron tip after you are done, it can oxydize really quick otherwise: remove the old solder with brass sponge and coat the tip with a blob of fresh solder and let it rest like this. Also depending on the type of flux in your solder, you might need to clean the board, as some of them are corrosive.
FWIW - I never had any luck with that kind of solder sucker. I have had the best luck with the "Engineer SS-02" that I got from Amazon. That coupled with high quality se-soldering braid seems to get things undone without damaging the board. May have to upgrade my iron though, my Weller only has a knob, no fancy displays...
Thanks! I used to have a cheaper soldering iron that I bought to do that guitar work and I remember it being a major struggle - put me off pursuing this... I have to say - the one I'm using is significantly easier to use! It's not that expensive either... might be worth an upgrade.
@@braintree56 + 1 to Andy's suggestion. I assumed suckers were a waste of time and used wicks for cleanup until I used an SS-02. The secret is the seal it gets on the joint by using that clear heat resistant tubing...
Nice job - I would recommend also screwing in the jack sockets onto the front plate, just to add stability when soldering :) .. also I’m myself dabbling with case building so very interested to see your process for this 👍
Thanks. Great idea. I'm pretty excited to dive into case building. Still have to learn more about power supplies and such. Have you built a powered one?
You might find gloves a bit of a pain. Not really needed for a bit of soldering. Just wash your hands and don't touch your eyes etc. Good start. You'll be hooked in no time :)
Agree. I was nervous and wore gloves at first but it’s a nuisance and I talked to many people who have soldered faaaaaar more than I ever will and they don’t use gloves either. As a guy who solders a module here and there I don’t think it’s necessary. I read that the real risk with lead is ingestion, not contact. So wash your hands before you eat 😊
Side note- don’t be scared away from ordering from Europe. Thonk ships to the us and cheapest shipping is about 10 bucks and gets to the us remarkably fast
Yeah, the kits that I was looking at were from "pusherman" products. They had a lot of great options, but the price point was just so much cheaper to order from inside the states. But good to know! :)
Nice! Be prepared though, after going DIY I spent more time ordering parts, soldering, learning electronics rather than making music with the finished modules 😄
Make sure to clean the iron tip after you are done, it can oxydize really quick otherwise: remove the old solder with brass sponge and coat the tip with a blob of fresh solder and let it rest like this.
Also depending on the type of flux in your solder, you might need to clean the board, as some of them are corrosive.
Excellent good tips!
Abe has been really helpful! I built the vca from him up in Portland. It was an SMD build, which was intense! Good stuff!
Awesome! Yeah, I've watched videos of the SMD stuff... It's unbelievable how small those chips are. Crazy stuff.
FWIW - I never had any luck with that kind of solder sucker. I have had the best luck with the "Engineer SS-02" that I got from Amazon. That coupled with high quality se-soldering braid seems to get things undone without damaging the board. May have to upgrade my iron though, my Weller only has a knob, no fancy displays...
Thanks! I used to have a cheaper soldering iron that I bought to do that guitar work and I remember it being a major struggle - put me off pursuing this... I have to say - the one I'm using is significantly easier to use! It's not that expensive either... might be worth an upgrade.
@@braintree56 + 1 to Andy's suggestion. I assumed suckers were a waste of time and used wicks for cleanup until I used an SS-02. The secret is the seal it gets on the joint by using that clear heat resistant tubing...
Nice job - I would recommend also screwing in the jack sockets onto the front plate, just to add stability when soldering :) .. also I’m myself dabbling with case building so very interested to see your process for this 👍
Thanks. Great idea. I'm pretty excited to dive into case building. Still have to learn more about power supplies and such. Have you built a powered one?
That's what I was going to say also... that way you know that it all lines up correctly and is level...
All the Music Thing stuff are great builds to start with!
+ 3. Mounting the plate before soldering jacks and switches and knobs will save your sanity.
Nice one. Something I have been meaning to do for years now but never found a kit to get under way. These could be the answer.
It was pretty fun!
You might find gloves a bit of a pain. Not really needed for a bit of soldering. Just wash your hands and don't touch your eyes etc. Good start. You'll be hooked in no time :)
Agree. I was nervous and wore gloves at first but it’s a nuisance and I talked to many people who have soldered faaaaaar more than I ever will and they don’t use gloves either. As a guy who solders a module here and there I don’t think it’s necessary. I read that the real risk with lead is ingestion, not contact. So wash your hands before you eat 😊
In the next build I gave it up... I think you're right.
Yes! You’re in it now…
Yep...
Could be wrong… but I think that first input normals all the way down so you can get up to 6 copies if you don’t use the second input.
You are correct. Thanks for pointing that out.
One thing you likely know, but when you have a cold or goopy joint you can always just reheat it to fix it up.
Side note- don’t be scared away from ordering from Europe. Thonk ships to the us and cheapest shipping is about 10 bucks and gets to the us remarkably fast
Good to note!
Yeah, the kits that I was looking at were from "pusherman" products. They had a lot of great options, but the price point was just so much cheaper to order from inside the states. But good to know! :)
Thonk is fantastic. Lots and lots of great stuff from Befaco. I also love the Dannysound system.
@@benoftroy yes to Befaco kits, and Thonk