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The Passinwind Open Source Preamp
- Thread starter Passinwind
- Start date
Sanj, your choice of colors on the outside of the box and their coordination is masterful, it's handsome! The inside is super tidy, too. Well done.
I've learned to solder SMD and while the first hour or two was a steep learning curve, folks were right, it's not that bad. I've got two boards going.
I'm really aware of where I can improve. Keeping the very end of the tip wet, where it makes contact, is a real challenge. I'm still adjusting to the notion that unlike big stuff, there can be too much solder on the tip.
I was surprised that the optical challenge with SMD wasn't as bad as I feared. I had seen folks with binoscopes, but I found a 5x magnifying glass/light ring on an arm and a pair of 2 diopter reading glasses was fine. And I'm getting cataract surgery in 6 weeks.
Sanj, did you have to write/change code to get the Passinwind logo a different color than the labels, or just ask for it?
Is the blue box Peacock Ore color?
I was surprised that the optical challenge with SMD wasn't as bad as I feared. I had seen folks with binoscopes, but I found a 5x magnifying glass/light ring on an arm and a pair of 2 diopter reading glasses was fine. And I'm getting cataract surgery in 6 weeks.
Sanj, did you have to write/change code to get the Passinwind logo a different color than the labels, or just ask for it?
Is the blue box Peacock Ore color?
I also struggled with wet vs. too much solder, it's tough. I was able to do the soldering with prescription reading glasses, and occasional use of an old magnifying lamp. I'm getting cataract surgery tomorrow, which is why I really wanted to get these finished today!
Charlie sent me a PDF file for his layout that I was able to import into Adobe Illustrator, which I use occasionally. Each piece of text/logo/etc. was already converted into outlines, all I had to do was select each and change the colors as desired. I added the the Input/Output/Footsw. text using the same free font he uses (Nasalization) before converting to outlines. AmplifyFun accepts Illustrator files, so I was good to go.
Good eye, it is indeed Peacock Ore. Way more beautiful than pictures.
Charlie sent me a PDF file for his layout that I was able to import into Adobe Illustrator, which I use occasionally. Each piece of text/logo/etc. was already converted into outlines, all I had to do was select each and change the colors as desired. I added the the Input/Output/Footsw. text using the same free font he uses (Nasalization) before converting to outlines. AmplifyFun accepts Illustrator files, so I was good to go.
Good eye, it is indeed Peacock Ore. Way more beautiful than pictures.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,042
- 45,885
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
Great job my friend! Hope your surgery goes well.
Many people find desoldering braid problematic, but I have been using it successfully for decades and sometimes use it cleaning up SMT overruns. IIRC I've been using 1.5mm braid for cleaning up SOIC-8 opamps. I had a ton of duff boards to practice on back when I started down the surface mount path, there's definitely a lot of trial and error involved to find your groove with this technology. I typically do cleanup on one whole side of pins in one shot, hopefully very quickly.
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Thanks, I'm hoping for much better vision going forward.
I recently discovered that using a bit of liquid flux on the braid makes desoldering braid SO much more effective!
I designed and hand-soldered this 25 years ago, I guess I'm losing my touch, lol!
I recently discovered that using a bit of liquid flux on the braid makes desoldering braid SO much more effective!
I designed and hand-soldered this 25 years ago, I guess I'm losing my touch, lol!
I was pretty wary of going to SMD but I just received a few practice projects, 5 projects for less than $10 from Aliexpress, so I can learn to solder surface mount components without burning up anything meaningful.
I've been building pre-EB 2-band Stingray preamps for about a year now and decided to step into the 21st century, so I'm paying a guy I found on Fiverr to redesign the circuit board for surface mount. I got an idea from an offshore guy (in Serbia or somewhere) who is using terminal blocks instead of soldering the wires directly to the board. That will drastically reduce assembly time while going to surface mount will cut the overall cost, and hopefully increase reliability. Unlike the two competitors of which I am aware, I include all components, all soldered up, and warranty the preamp for a year, parts and labor. No returns yet. I test when I complete each build, and again prior to shipment. It's a fun passtime, and generates a little cash to supplement my fixed income.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,042
- 45,885
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
Just a heads up: 50k reverse taper dual pots are finally back in stock at Tayda now. These are what my little breakout boards were actually designed for and section matching was often very good in the ones I bought there. Split shafts though, which can often make matching knobs a PITA, although we can use those brass adapters with typically OK-ish results.
And then Jerry at JTEX is now selling 100kC and 10kC dual pots in 9mm box format, with long bushings and solid shafts. I haven't picked any up yet, but for onboard builds these might be the new go-to: JTEX Electronics - STORE
And then Jerry at JTEX is now selling 100kC and 10kC dual pots in 9mm box format, with long bushings and solid shafts. I haven't picked any up yet, but for onboard builds these might be the new go-to: JTEX Electronics - STORE
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,042
- 45,885
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
Amplifyfun accepts PDFs and Affinity Designer files too BTW. Affinity Designer goes on sale pretty regularly and is a great solution for those of us who refuse the subscription model for software. That's what I used to build the original graphics file I sent you, and I'm happy to see that it worked out for you since I haven't used that format myself yet!
It might be worth noting that I modified a few things in the Nasalization font myself, which is fairly easy in either Designer or Illustrator once you've converted the lettering to vector format.
Oh, and I really dig the new purple color Stompbox Parts are doing now, the old one was almost more like oxblood.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,042
- 45,885
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
I'm not sure, as powdercoat colors can vary quite a bit from batch to batch. The older color I mentioned was called "dark purple plum" and looked like so:
Hi Everyone! -
I need some expert assistance. Sanj built two preamps, one for me and another for a friend of mine. Trying to search through over 1500 entries is too daunting so maybe one of you can explain the operation to me.
Mine has a gain, Bass, and Mids control, and those I understand. It also has HPF, Freq, and Reso controls and a switch just like the picture in post 1537 above. It is those four controls (3 pots, 1 switch) that I am not exactly sure what each of them do. A brief explanation would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance! - Bud
I need some expert assistance. Sanj built two preamps, one for me and another for a friend of mine. Trying to search through over 1500 entries is too daunting so maybe one of you can explain the operation to me.
Mine has a gain, Bass, and Mids control, and those I understand. It also has HPF, Freq, and Reso controls and a switch just like the picture in post 1537 above. It is those four controls (3 pots, 1 switch) that I am not exactly sure what each of them do. A brief explanation would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance! - Bud
HPF is a frequency cutoff control for a high-pass filter, Freq is the frequency cutoff control for a low-pass filter, Res is the resonance for the low-pass filter, the switch is (I believe) a midrange frequency selector
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,042
- 45,885
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
The 3 way switch gives you three midrange center frequencies and won’t do anything unless you have boost or cut dialed in via the Mid control.
The very first post in this thread shows the basic resonance and frequency functions, although your unit has a wider sweep range than the original design. I’d recommend leaving the Mid control at noon (flat) while you’re coming to grips with the the Res and Freq controls. If you just want to cut highs the Res control needs to be at nine o’clock or lower, then just sweep Freq until you get what you want. As soon as Res is higher than 9 o’clock it’s in boost mode, and at higher settings it can boost quite a lot. You can think of those two controls as a highly interactive variable frequency treble control, although it can go deep into the midrange area as well.
