In an attempt to ensure that I see this project all the way to the end, I'm posting this to document my construction progress and to get some suggestions as to how to improve its functionality. By posting it, hopefully there will be some interest in the project and others will want to see it completed. I'm not really someone who takes step-by-step pictures, but I have been taking them at the end of my working sessions. So let's go!

(June 6, 2015)
If you want to see the progress pics and skip my psychobabble, click here

The Goals:

1.) Rigidly mount these pedals (and one more standard sized pedal) on a board such that the only setup to use it are between my Stick and the board, and the board and the amp. I'm going to make a CAD model before I get to building the actual mounting board. I have some ideas how to minimize weight while still maintaining rigidity.



Left to right, top row:

Boss LS-2 : I use this to sum both sides after the effects to route to a single keyboard amp

Aphex Punch factory Optical Compressor : Bass side compression

Donner Yellow Fall Delay : Simple analog style delay I use on the melody side to fatten up the sound a bit. Adds some nice depth and this is an excellent inexpensive delay pedal, and by inexpensive I mean I paid $35 USD for the thing.

Korg PitchBlack tuner : Not much to say about it, it's a great tuner and cheaper than the Boss TU-3. It's metallic green because if you guys haven't guessed yet, it's my favorite color. It's fed from the StepABout's tuner output.

Left to right, bottom row:

Boss Bass Chorus : This pedal is super cool, it has a low pass filter to keep the bass frequencies in tact.

StepABout : We all know what this guy is for. first in the chain of command of course

Boss DS-1 : Melody side distortion, it's unmodded as of now, but I hope to change that shortly. It's quite harsh in the current state, so the tone knob is always all the way down.


2.) Enclose the board

My initial thought was to build the board with all the pedals mounted and then build the case around the board. BUT THEN, while at my dad's I found this old briefcase.





This case happened to be the perfect size. It will be a tight squeeze, but It's very heavy duty and has already taken some beating to prove it. It's nice to find use in something that otherwise would get thrown away.

3.) Electronics and wiring


I don't have a drawing/schematic at the moment, but I have the concept pretty well secured in the ol'noggin. The idea is to have the option to power everything from rechargeable AA batteries or plug into mains. I imagine I'll use a couple switches to be double sure the batteries aren't connected at the same time as the mains, but I'll figure it out when I get there.



The picture above shows a cheap voltmeter I found to monitor how much power is left in the batteries. Using 8 rechargeable AA batteries (each at 1.2 volts) in series ideally produces 9.6 volts, perfect for pedals. When they're fully charged they each produce a little more than 1.2 volts, but it's not too far above 9 volts. Pedals can handle it.

There will be the expected dual mono inputs on top of the board, these will route directly to the StepABout. I'm thinking of having switchable mono/stereo output, where the LS-2 can be bypassed to have direct stereo out. Also considering placing a DI circuit when using stereo outputs, thoughts and suggestions are welcome!

4.)The Processes:

The case was a bit dirty, based on the pictures I found inside the case I doubt much thought was given to it since we moved from West Point to Bismarck.
The left combo latch was broken, so I removed it. After I did that I realized it would be a good idea to take a picture of how the case started, so that's what's shown above. I gave it a good cleaning after these pictures were taken. I looked for a replacement latch, but I guess briefcase hardware is expensive.



I took out the "businessy" folder part on the lid. I also removed the hinge supports on the sides. The intent is to install lift-off hinges to separate the two halves.



I considered keeping the original liner, but I thought it looked kind of drab, and since more work needed to be done to the outside, I needed access on the inside, and it was just better to remove the entire liner. I scraped clean most of the glue and paper that was left inside. That was a hell of a pain. I probably should have used a heat gun. Oh well.
The original handle was missing a screw to attach it to the mounts, and I was a bit concerned that it might rattle from bass frequencies, so off it came. Into the parts bin for another project.



Here's some of the components that are going into this project. I'll go through them as they get used.





I picked up some dazzling red vinyl and convoluted foam from my favorite local hardware store. I still need to figure out how I'm going to handle the area with the latch. It protrudes into the case and would look stupid to just put vinyl loosely over it. I think I can come up with something, but as always I love suggestions. I've never done any upholstering, so this should be a good experience.
I haven't decided how I'm going to handle the foam. Currently I'm thinking of gluing it to the lid with some vinyl trim, but once again, to be determined, and suggestions welcome.



I put some pop rivets where the hinge supports were, along with another on the same sides to keep the aluminum trim held down securely.



Here's marking for the drawbolt latches and the extra rivets I mentioned. You can also see in this picture that I had to cut away some of the aluminum to mount the latches properly. I did these with a utility knife and some end nippers.



Same deal with the latches, measured out where they should be. The ruler helped to keep the latches parallel. The original hinge is still on there at this point too. Notice how the location of the holes spills over the trim. I worked around it, see the next pic.



Here's the solution, I cut away part of the aluminum where the hinge rests. I took some plastic from some credit card blanks and shaped it to take up the space. Lucky me that it was close enough thickness to make the surface flush. The holes are a tad bit over sized, and when the hinges get mounted they won't be seen. I hope they hold up, worst case scenario a third hinge gets added in the middle to take up the slack.



Here's a shot of the space the broken latch came out of. I have this spot patched up now, the glue is drying at the moment. I thought about getting some sheet metal and engraving my name on it. Turn a blemish into something useful. I was too cheap to shell out 5 bucks for some at the hardware store, if anyone knows a source of free sheet metal roughly 2" x 4" (5 x 10 cm), I'm all ears. In the mean time I have a piece of plastic mentioned above that I split in half and painted black.





One of the latches and the side mounted handle, outside and inside. The side mounted handle is probably unnecessary, but it might be useful. Both handles are mounted using T-nuts and a drop of super glue on the threads.
You can also see a rivet on the bottom holding one of the rubber feet.



And here's the bottom where you can all four rivets holding the feet.


Stay tuned for more and as said many times before, suggestions always welcome.


6/2/2015 amendment
The above pics show only the case for the board, the board itself has yet to be fully designed. So far, I have dimensioned hand sketches that I did to confirm I could actually use this case. When I get my CAD software situation sorted out I'll be able to put my vision into something I'd show other people.

I've done this maybe 100 times....

Look at this first: http://templeboards.com

Saw them at NAMM last year.
VERY VERY lightweight and strong and cheap.
The only downside is that you have to attach their hardware....but it works.
They weren't available yet but I will likely end up with one or two.

Those Temple pedal boards look pretty slick, but they don't appear to have any covering. Would pedals travel exposed and unprotected all the time?
Andy, this is a fascinating process. Apologies if you covered this, but I don't remember seeing it: How are you going to fasten the pedals inside the case? My first thought is to line the bottom of the case with some kind of velour that Velcro can hook into (maybe the red velvet will work fine), and put Velcro strips (the "hook" side)on the backs of the pedals. You'd be able to easily swap out pedals (provided they fit) if you wanted to.
As far as power supply: Any thoughts as to where those things will go? Maybe in the upper half of the case, fastened in the same manner?
What if the upper half wasn't hinged on? What if you could remove it (like an amp/effect rack case) and put it under the lower half, so that they stack? That way you wouldn't have the upper half sticking up in the air, which could possibly fall down and interfere with your foot's ability to stomp on the pedals. (And your audience's view of your cool creation wouldn't be blocked.)
Cool stuff, Andy!

Andy, I know the switches on the StepABout won't be a problem, but are the boss pedals too short for the lip on the bottom of the case? They have to be depressed pretty far to switch, so I just wanted to ask if you've tried them to see if there is enough clearance.

Making a pedalboard is always an exciting thing. For DIYers this is a lot of fun.

I'm lazy so I bought mine from lytpedalboards.com. Great pedalboard.
You may get some ideas from it.

Raising a level gives room to put power and cables underneath. Also fix any issues with pressing down on pedals.

Good Luck!

Hey Andy, this looks like a great project. Here are some of my opinions on the matter. Feel free to print this, wad into a ball and perhaps capture some video of lighting it on fire and posting it. I won't be sad. I think a board should be created using the following order of operations LAYOUT / BOARD, POWER, CABLES, PEDALS.

LAYOUT / BOARD
6-7 pedals should be enough. Looks like a pretty solid plan.

It's pretty awesome having something you made yourself, but I would rather spend the money than spend the time. I found a fantastic New York Pedalboard on eBay for $100. They are solid. You can get a 29" Custom board for new for about $130 plus tax and shipping.

POWER
My observation and suggestion would be to avoid the battery option. Seriously, stop it. You are pretty up on things with power so I know you know that these units will pull power while plugged in. If you are using pedals that will stay activated, like bass compressor and pedals that pull a lot of power, like a delay, you are not going to have a good time with rechargeable batteries.

Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 should be your first move. You'll be able to power all your pedals and not have to worry about disengaging pedals or which of the (insert number of AA batteries here) is running low. It has been my experience that rechargeable batteries are always going to be giving you about 78% of what you really need. Your big investment should be in power first, then quality of cables.

CABLES
George L's cable kit. Do not deviate. You can trim them to the length you want.

PEDALS
Pedals placement is going to change, so having a plan for being able to move them around should be a consideration. Also, as soon as you are happy with your setup, you are going to want to change it. Unless you are different than every other Stickist I have known.

I agree with your observations on the Boss DS-1 and I rarely use chorus, but appreciate those that know how to use it well.

Curious to know why you would use a pedal tuner when could use a more portable tuner like a Snark. I am not seeing a volume pedal in the layout, so perhaps that is the reason why. Nose pedal makes a pretty sweet stereo pedal for volume that also has a kill switch, not bad for $54.

The LS-2 is slam dunk for Stickists, good call.

All the options I am offering cost more money. It sounds like money might be a constraint (was it ever not?), so a DIY setup is ideal.

I've seen Bill Frisell just throw downs pedals and power them all up using a single power cable - it's the sound the matters, right? I love the sound he gets and it's different on any given night. It's easy to overthink this, but if you know the pedals you want, you've got a realistic plan for power and options for upgrading and updating all wrapped up in a portable solution, you're going to have a good time.

Thanks for posting, I enjoy your attention to detail and look forward to your progress!

Andy,
I love stompboxes too! Greg's idea of the clearance needed to turn on the Boss pedals is a good one, otherwise you "would be on point" all the time and the local production of the Nutcracker would be ringing your phone off the hook! Plus it would turn into frustration and maybe lead to "not using THAT PEDAL" SHHEESH.

Two ideas
1) you need a tuner on there last after your sum to the amp. I have a Planet Waves Stage Chromatic that is the size of a Boss, hardwired so no signal loss and covers the range of the Stick
2) for power- consider a Voodoo Labs Power Pedal 2 Plus that has all the connectors for all the pedals incl Line 6, and can even do a "voltage sag" if you are so inclined. This way the pedals can be permanently mounted or with velcro and can stay put, and you have a reliable power source.

All the best and you'll love it once it is done, ...... then you'll want to change it.

junkfoodforthought,
Dave B "DBro"

I feel like I missed mentioning an important aspect to this project so I'll amend the initial post to avoid future confusion:

The above pics show only the case for the board, the board itself has yet to be fully designed. So far, I have dimensioned hand sketches that I did to confirm I could actually use this case. When I get my CAD software situation sorted out I'll be able to put my vision into something I'd show other people.

As far as building vs. buying, I have access to most of the materials necessary to complete the thing for little to no money. I'll do a cost breakdown when I get closer to completion to show what my investment has been, it hasn't been much, and really I could have completely forgone some of of the supplies as they're more to make it look nice and over protect everything rather than functional additions.

As far as securing pedals to said board, my plan is to use the bike chain link method.
I'm going to have to be very careful not to mar the StepABout when doing that. Since the screws are on the sides, I'm probably going to chalk some links in the machinist's vise and make some right angle links.

I do understand I'm limiting the potential to add more pedals in the future. I've gotten the volume pedal suggestion a few times now and I agree, it would be an excellent addition. I'm toying with the idea of mounting the LS-2 on the underside of the actual board, I'm never going to need to have access to it in the way I've been using it anyway. So I'll see how that goes when I get to modeling.

I thought for a long time what pedals were absolutely essential for solo playing. The only thing missing, which is the last pedal to go on there which isn't pictured, is a bass side fuzz and that's on the project block too. I suppose I could make another thread for that thing's construction.



I think I cleared up this dilemma but this raises an interesting point. When I raise up the pedals on the actual board, the StepABout gets a bit high up. I measured out the StepABout and it has a 10 degree slope. Since I intend on angling my board upward, my current plan is to have the StepABout on its own sloping downward platform to make it level with the surface.



Way ahead of you Luc!



For power concerns, there are only 6 pedals, and collectively speaking, (not including the StepABout) they only nominally draw 86 mA collectively (at least that's what their manuals say), so if I use a factor of safety of 2, I'm at 172 mA. The batteries I have are rated as 2200 mA-h, if they're at 78% capacity, that equates to 1716 mA-h. So I'm at roughly 10 hours of operation on those batteries if they were all on at the same time. I think I'm in good shape with the batteries.

I also have in mind to mount an IEC inlet wired to a couple outlets underneath the board to plug in the two power supplies I use for the pedals and StepABout. I haven't had any noise issues yet since the tuner isn't inline with the other pedals. The StepABout scores another point with that one!

For cabling, I ransacked the local closing Radio Shack and snagged some of these 1/4" plugs. They are incredibly flat and space saving, and they're excellent quality:




I only wish I could find more of these. Any online I've seen have been similar, but not quite the same. I picked up some of the similar ones and the difference is pretty noticeable. The only place I've been able to find these is on Hosa cables, and they cost an arm and a leg compared to making them myself. Same goes for George L's cable kits, pretty expensive. I'm pretty good with a soldering iron so I made some cables with some cabling from Mammoth Electronics and the similar plugs I mentioned earlier. Probably came out to about a dollar per cable if even that. The cable above is made with the good plugs I have and lava cable that I sourced locally. Much higher quality, but if the cables are mounted permanently and are never moving, I'm not too concerned.


I appreciate the interest, guys! That's exactly what I was hoping for to keep the fire under my ass to get it done.

Yep, you sure did! Thanks for clearing up!

Good job on the cables and the clarity.

Still not a fan of the battery option. Rechargeable batteries can lose a good deal of charge in a single day, so it seems like you would need at least two full sets of 8 for a total of 16. You could be switching these out on a weekly basis or working off a low charge which would affect every aspect of your sound.

If you are paying ~$12 + tax for a set of 4, you are $50. If you are looking to get a decent high speed charger, you're looking at least ~$30 for a decent charger. For $20 more, you can get a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power I for ~$100 and save you the effort. Using batteries unnecessarily introduces a single point of failure into your design which could be easily remediated with a pedal designed specifically for this purpose.

Every aspect of the design is solid right down to the case. Being dependent on DC power just doesn't make sense to me. I think Dbro was pretty spot on with his analysis - Pedal Power for the win.