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What's on your workbench?

This could be git related or not. So, what's on your workbench at the moment?

I have 4 scarf joint necks in different stages of work.

A 25" scale pine 5 string neck for a Banjo-Res, A 25" scale Red Oak neck for my 6 string Strat-Res build, A 24 & 1/2" scale Red Oak neck for my 6 string Double Cut Tele build and a 27" scale 6 string Baritone Conversion neck for a Modern Strat body I have.

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Permalink Reply by JL on October 6, 2017 at 2:31am

use the scout camping fork or spoon for a tail piece to hold the string ends

varnish the neck then use print-your-own water slide decals of the rank badges for the fret markers.

Use a first aid kit in the space between the mess kit and the neck to house the electronics: pickup, volume, tone, jack

"Be Prepared" woodburned into the headstock

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Permalink Reply by Kigar on October 6, 2017 at 4:38am

Thanks, some good ideas here. I left the space for a place to strum, but there is a ton of room there, especially like the first aid kit idea.

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Permalink Reply by Br Harold F Stubbs III on October 6, 2017 at 5:53am

What if it doesn't exactly fit on your workbench??

I been working on this 200watt amp ( 100 watt per channel stereo ) for the past week...

so far I can play music off my phone using an AUX cable but not so much luck with guitar / mic input / preamp stage.. sacrificed a few boards to the gods of magic smoke.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on October 6, 2017 at 7:35am

Nice!

What schematic are working off of? Tube or Solid State?

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Permalink Reply by Br Harold F Stubbs III on October 8, 2017 at 10:50am

schematic?

that's half my problem.. for the preamp stage initially I had just figured I would use something like Adafruit's 2.5W 5V mono amplifier board or one of the similar wattage mono and stereo amplifier boards I had ordered some time ago on ebay from a supplier in china..

but so far all the boards have either failed to make sound at all for some reason I can't get a handle on.. or I oopsed somewhere and let out magic smoke..

I have some transistors and a simple schematic of a 2 stage amplifier that could use them maybe, pulling 12V from the supply should work fine, but I don't have the selection of resistors I would need.. or at least I would have to go through some old boards from donor boom boxes and such to gather parts..

I have a mostly-intact amplifier board from a boom box.. I think it was a Lennoxx CD-102 model (or mine looks very much the same).. So far only checked a data sheet for the IC.

At this stage, I don't want to put a lot more time/money into it, I have other things to work on. I just ordered a Velleman K1803 mono amplifier kit.. I am hoping that pans out.

I just need to get mic level input to line level to drive the main board right... Only this is all new to me.. I mean, I know a bit about basic electronics and soldering but not familiar with audio electronics so much.

My current worse case would be to make an adapter so I could use the battery powered "dollar-store powered speaker board"-based preamp I already use with my cig pack guitar to boost it enough to be somewhat usable.. There isn't enough power coming out of that preamp to saturate the main board but it is a clean enough sound I can just put the volume as high as it can go.. I just know I can get clean sound from that main board at much higher volumes.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on October 9, 2017 at 8:40am

I really need to know more about electronics myself, it's been a learn as I go experience so far. I haven't blown anything up - yet.

I had a single 386 chip Ruby 1/2watt amp that I wired straight from the chip(no output cap) to a Radio Shack 20watt Mic PA with good results.

I would look at "Line Out" circuits on some amps schematics by Google search to get the ideas of what is needed for necessary components/circuits to adapt a preamp to a power amp. A little 1/2watt amp or even a Acoustic Preamp like Gitty sells with EQ could be of help.

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Permalink Reply by Br Harold F Stubbs III on October 9, 2017 at 11:58am

The funny thing about me and electronics is -

My grandfather was an electrical engineer.. He got into PCs with the TI 89/4A back in '83 and even used one as his main machine until the late '90s .. There was a bit of jerry rigging and soldering to make the after market / hobby boards work for it..

And I used to work at a small OEM manufacturer - its where I learned the standards for solder joints, making dozens of whatever thingamobob each day..

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on October 9, 2017 at 8:53pm

I used to rebuild Alternators, Generators, Starters and other various electric motors for Cars, Trucks and Buses. Then got into Computer repair. I was already into playing guitar and repairing guitars before that. Then moved into building guitars, effect pedals and small amps. I designed a dual 386 chip amp and now I have a couple tube amps waiting to be rebuilt. But it's all mostly a hobby for me.

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Permalink Reply by Timothy Hunter on October 9, 2017 at 8:53pm

yeah that didnt work because its a power amp too. you need a PRE amp circuit. the AUX cable worked because its a line level input. typically 1V . output from guitars is typically 300 to 400mV so you need a preamp that will give you up to 20db gain you should be able to find a preamp circuit on google easily enough. either a basic transister or fet preamp. or you could also use a op amp circuit with a 741 or something similar.

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Permalink Reply by Kigar on October 9, 2017 at 3:25pm

Really on the floor next to the bench, yesterday I made a batch of walnut stain. Walnuts are everywhere here right now. Some people boil them but I didn't have a suitable pot. Super easy to make it turns out, just filled a small pail with blackish ones and poured it full of clean boiling water. Covered it and a day later it is jet black. Dipped a couple scraps and it is already a nice medium stain. It will sit another day as I couldn't get to it tonite. Just needs to be strained and poured into a jar. If you try it wear gloves!