New Pedalboard aka Nebulon B progress build

[Bogner]

Sorry To Hear Of The "Troubles" But Also Excited To See What Is To Come. I Know That Is Easy For Me To Say As I Am Not The One Doing The Heavy Lifting. Hopefully The "Pain" Is Minimal Once You Dive In And Get Going On It.

Sidenote: My Heart Smiled At The Mention Of Needing A Noise Gate Because A High Gainer Will Be Coming.

I Have Also Discovered (Sometimes Multiple Times Over) That Certain Things Just Aren't Me At My Core. I Like A Lot Of These Various Pedals And The Things They Do But When I Get Right Down To It, They Just Don't Do It For Me Overall Like They Do Others. No Matter How Many Times I Try It Never Is A Perfect Fit Long Term. Now I Need To Figure Out What To Do With A Lot Of The Mess I Have Made Down That Path. I Rarely Sell Anything So That May Need To Change OR I Keep The Stuff And Use It Very Sparingly If And When The Mood Ever Hits. The Other Thing I Am Thinking Of Doing Is Using A Lot Of That Stuff As Music Room Art/Decoration And As A Reminder To Myself To Always Be True With What You Know Works And Also As A Reminder To Not Do Anymore Foolish Things.

 

[Simon Says]

Sorry To Hear Of The "Troubles" But Also Excited To See What Is To Come. I Know That Is Easy For Me To Say As I Am Not The One Doing The Heavy Lifting. Hopefully The "Pain" Is Minimal Once You Dive In And Get Going On It.

Sidenote: My Heart Smiled At The Mention Of Needing A Noise Gate Because A High Gainer Will Be Coming.

I Have Also Discovered (Sometimes Multiple Times Over) That Certain Things Just Aren't Me At My Core. I Like A Lot Of These Various Pedals And The Things They Do But When I Get Right Down To It, They Just Don't Do It For Me Overall Like They Do Others. No Matter How Many Times I Try It Never Is A Perfect Fit Long Term. Now I Need To Figure Out What To Do With A Lot Of The Mess I Have Made Down That Path. I Rarely Sell Anything So That May Need To Change OR I Keep The Stuff And Use It Very Sparingly If And When The Mood Ever Hits. The Other Thing I Am Thinking Of Doing Is Using A Lot Of That Stuff As Music Room Art/Decoration And As A Reminder To Myself To Always Be True With What You Know Works And Also As A Reminder To Not Do Anymore Foolish Things.

Thanks, man. The EQ-200 arrived this morning, and I had much fun with it today. I shouldn't have sold it two years ago; it's such a powerful tone-shaping unit. I will play with the placement in the upcoming days to ensure the spot I want it in is the best for what I need. The A side placement that is as it won't be movable. The B side is whatever since it will be in the H90 insert loop, and I can place it anywhere within the FX loop I want.

I'm also excited about the return of Zuul and what comes with it Also, I am worried about my wallet. I will have to get the amp switcher to incorporate the new amp into my rig. The Zuul I bought is the Blackout, single-knob version. It's coming directly from Fortin, as I couldn't find any in the UK. The reason I chose this version is the simplicity of a single-control layout. The mini single-knob version I had before was very effective and easy to set up. It also has a single "key" input instead of a through input. I wasn't a fan of driving the input from the side of the pedalboard to the upper deck and then back again to the lower deck for QMX. Instead, I will split the signal with MXR MC406 and feed the "key" with a single line that will terminate with the gate. I will feed the buffered signal to Zull and the non-buffered one to the signal patch, just like I did with the Synergy setup I had before. The con is that I will have to fit the MC406 somewhere on the board, but I have the space. I will stack the Isolator on top of the MC406.

What took me a moment to figure out again was the power grid. As I mentioned, I refuse to have a shared power line for two (or, god forbid, three or more) units carrying audio. In the new plan for the pedalboard, I had to share power for EQ-200 and the Zuul in the upper deck and the MC406 and the POG Pico in the lower deck. *****I decided to make it happen by using GigRig Virtual Battery Simulators. These small boxes simulate batter power resistance (10 Ohms if I remember correctly). They have a little trimmer on the side where I can set the voltage from full potential to 6.5V. They also can handle up to 120mA fully isolated power. The last feature is the most important. Since this little gizmo can isolate power, I can split power with a Y cable in the upper deck and feed EQ-200 on one side and the Zuul via Virtual Battery Simulator on the other. On the lower deck, I can feed the MC406 with 9VDC from the Isolator and on the second 9VDC output from the MC406 (it has two 9VDC connectors) via the Virtual Battery Simulator, I can feed the Pico POG. I already have one GigRig VBS; the other is back-ordered.*****

*****DON'T DO IT, EXPLENATION BELOW

The sneak peak

 

[Bogner]

Thanks, man. The EQ-200 arrived this morning, and I had much fun with it today. I shouldn't have sold it two years ago; it's such a powerful tone-shaping unit. I will play with the placement in the upcoming days to ensure the spot I want it in is the best for what I need. The A side placement that is as it won't be movable. The B side is whatever since it will be in the H90 insert loop, and I can place it anywhere within the FX loop I want.

I'm also excited about the return of Zuul and what comes with it Also, I am worried about my wallet. I will have to get the amp switcher to incorporate the new amp into my rig. The Zuul I bought is the Blackout, single-knob version. It's coming directly from Fortin, as I couldn't find any in the UK. The reason I chose this version is the simplicity of a single-control layout. The mini single-knob version I had before was very effective and easy to set up. It also has a single "key" input instead of a through input. I wasn't a fan of driving the input from the side of the pedalboard to the upper deck and then back again to the lower deck for QMX. Instead, I will split the signal with MXR MC406 and feed the "key" with a single line that will terminate with the gate. I will feed the buffered signal to Zull and the non-buffered one to the signal patch, just like I did with the Synergy setup I had before. The con is that I will have to fit the MC406 somewhere on the board, but I have the space. I will stack the Isolator on top of the MC406.

What took me a moment to figure out again was the power grid. As I mentioned, I refuse to have a shared power line for two (or, god forbid, three or more) units carrying audio. In the new plan for the pedalboard, I had to share power for EQ-200 and the Zuul in the upper deck and the MC406 and the POG Pico in the lower deck. I decided to make it happen by using GigRig Virtual Battery Simulators. These small boxes simulate batter power resistance (10 Ohms if I remember correctly). They have a little trimmer on the side where I can set the voltage from full potential to 6.5V. They also can handle up to 120mA fully isolated power. The last feature is the most important. Since this little gizmo can isolate power, I can split power with a Y cable in the upper deck and feed EQ-200 on one side and the Zuul via Virtual Battery Simulator on the other. On the lower deck, I can feed the MC406 with 9VDC from the Isolator and on the second 9VDC output from the MC406 (it has two 9VDC connectors) via the Virtual Battery Simulator, I can feed the Pico POG. I already have one GigRig VBS; the other is back-ordered.

The sneak peak

Very Nice! Very Nice Indeed!!

I Wish I Was As Smart And Talented As You Are At This Stuff...Then Again, It May Be A Problem With My Pedal Binges...LOL.

 

[Simon Says]

Very Nice! Very Nice Indeed!!

I Wish I Was As Smart And Talented As You Are At This Stuff...Then Again, It May Be A Problem With My Pedal Binges...LOL.

Well, I wish I could have the capacity to stop playing with this damn pedalboard and my uncertainty of what rig works best for me and just start playing more guitar instead

I have yet to mention the new way of laying cable in the upper deck. I found it challenging to do clean runs of cable to the pedals as there is little room on the back of the pedalboard; the PSU is in the way. I may have a perfect solution, but I first need proof of concept. I will develop this topic once the accessories (also back ordered) arrive.

 

[Simon Says]

Build update lol

Quite sad to look at it right now

 

[László]

Build update lol

Quite sad to look at it right now

This is gonna get very interesting!

 

[Simon Says]

It took me a whole day to clean the Array's interior, leaving me with many scratches. These tie bases with 3M heavy-duty tape hold like hell. I have used WD40 to soften the glue, but it was only partially effective. Then I moved over to a mechanical solution: razor + scotch brite. I had some satin spray can, and I give it a pass with that, and to be fair, it looks great.

I have new decks on order from Martyn at Schmidt. I went with the P30 upper deck, which is 30mm deeper than the standard SA450 hinged deck. I also took a new bottom deck, this time straight, with no QMX cut out, which brings me to a new board concept.

It's no longer a hybrid board; this time, I will do an entire MIDI board. More on that after I get more than 5 hours of sleep.

BTW, the new decks will be red, RAL3001. I always liked the Black/Red colour scheme.

 

[LunarRock]

Try a dropper bottle of isopropyl alcohol, you probably have some at work

I used it to release adhesive that holds tablet screen on, was youtube tip from a tech, may work on 3M too

 

[László]

It took me a whole day to clean the Array's interior, leaving me with many scratches. These tie bases with 3M heavy-duty tape hold like hell. I have used WD40 to soften the glue, but it was only partially effective. Then I moved over to a mechanical solution: razor + scotch brite. I had some satin spray can, and I give it a pass with that, and to be fair, it looks great.

I have new decks on order from Martyn at Schmidt. I went with the P30 upper deck, which is 30mm deeper than the standard SA450 hinged deck. I also took a new bottom deck, this time straight, with no QMX cut out, which brings me to a new board concept.

It's no longer a hybrid board; this time, I will do an entire MIDI board. More on that after I get more than 5 hours of sleep.

BTW, the new decks will be red, RAL3001. I always liked the Black/Red colour scheme.

It occurs to me that we are a lot alike. You tweak your pedalboard a lot, I tweak the arrangement of my studio space a lot.

I'm about to go move my amps and switcher/power rack about six inches to the right, despite the complete lack of necessity, just because I want it that way,

Yeah, I'm that guy.

 

[Bogner]

Well...I Don't Know What To Say Other Than You Are All In Now!

It Will All Work Out In Time. We Just Need To Define "It" And "Time".

My Response To Your Post A Few Comments Earlier On Not Knowing What You Want/Need s To Play Without Any Pedals And See What Calls You And Go From There. It Has Worked Well At Times For Me.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

It took me a whole day to clean the Array's interior, leaving me with many scratches. These tie bases with 3M heavy-duty tape hold like hell. I have used WD40 to soften the glue, but it was only partially effective. Then I moved over to a mechanical solution: razor + scotch brite. I had some satin spray can, and I give it a pass with that, and to be fair, it looks great.

I have new decks on order from Martyn at Schmidt. I went with the P30 upper deck, which is 30mm deeper than the standard SA450 hinged deck. I also took a new bottom deck, this time straight, with no QMX cut out, which brings me to a new board concept.

It's no longer a hybrid board; this time, I will do an entire MIDI board. More on that after I get more than 5 hours of sleep.

BTW, the new decks will be red, RAL3001. I always liked the Black/Red colour scheme.

A warm hairdryer helps to remove adhesive as well.

 

[László]

A warm hairdryer helps to remove adhesive as well.

Some practical joker must have glued an old guy face onto my young guy face. It was a clever prank, but it's really on there tight, and won't come off with WD40.

I'll try the hair dryer trick.

 

[Simon Says]

Try a dropper bottle of isopropyl alcohol, you probably have some at work

I used it to release adhesive that holds tablet screen on, was youtube tip from a tech, may work on 3M too

I used lots of alcohol, alright. I wouldn't be able to made through it sober—part of the reason why it took me an entire day to do it.

It occurs to me that we are a lot alike. You tweak your pedalboard a lot, I tweak the arrangement of my studio space a lot.

I'm about to go move my amps and switcher/power rack about six inches to the right, despite the complete lack of necessity, just because I want it that way,

Yeah, I'm that guy.

Yeah, I can moan and complain, but I like it. Playing guitar and geeking with the rig is the only passion I have left.

Well...I Don't Know What To Say Other Than You Are All In Now!

It Will All Work Out In Time. We Just Need To Define "It" And "Time".

My Response To Your Post A Few Comments Earlier On Not Knowing What You Want/Need s To Play Without Any Pedals And See What Calls You And Go From There. It Has Worked Well At Times For Me.

The thing is, I know what I want, but I constantly battle with myself to stick to it. I want essentials only, but I always end up with one or two pedals I use rarely. Early in the thread, I said I could build a decent rig covering all my needs on a 250mm long array. I still believe it. You do not need much to play these sweet monster riffs, lol.

A warm hairdryer helps to remove adhesive as well.

Some practical joker must have glued an old guy face onto my young guy face. It was a clever prank, but it's really on there tight, and won't come off with WD40.

I'll try the hair dryer trick.

I tried the hair dryer, but it wasn't effective with 3M VHB tape; my only success was with chemicals and mechanical scrub. This thing is solid once settled. I never had a better bound for zip tie bases than this. For most cases, it's unnecessary, but if you expect a lot of stress, like the cable run from the bottom deck to the top, the standard self-adhesive pads will only be short. I ran out of VHB tape on one side of the last board, and the bases lifted quickly. When I was using the Evidence SIS pedalboard kit, I had entire rails lifting off the board. The SIS was sold-core and not elastic at all.

 

[Simon Says]

I just googled how to do it.

From the horse's mouth

 

[Bogner]

Can I Get An Amen For Sweet Monster Riffs!?!?

My Sweet Monster Riffs Are Best With A Noise Gate, Tuner And Some Volume So The People In The Back Can Feel The Focking Fury.

 

[Simon Says]

Can I Get An Amen For Sweet Monster Riffs!?!?

My Sweet Monster Riffs Are Best With A Noise Gate, Tuner And Some Volume So The People In The Back Can Feel The Focking Fury.

Amen to that, brother

Your amp collection is more than my lonely Fillmore. But not for long.

Edit: not for long lonely, I will never catch up to the count of fire-breathing monsters you got there

 

[Bogner]

Amen to that, brother

Your amp collection is more than my lonely Fillmore. But not for long.

Edit: not for long lonely, I will never catch up to the count of fire-breathing monsters you got there

Very Kind Of You Reverend But I Want So Many More Than I Have. I Can Find A Silver Lining In Most Any Amp LOL.

Get To Work On Your Collection. You Can Build Quick!

 

[Simon Says]

Very Kind Of You Reverend But I Want So Many More Than I Have. I Can Find A Silver Lining In Most Any Amp LOL.

Get To Work On Your Collection. You Can Build Quick!

That's the plan and the whole reason for the pedalboard rebuild

 

[Bogner]

That's the plan and the whole reason for the pedalboard rebuild

My Man!

 

[Simon Says]

What took me a moment to figure out again was the power grid. As I mentioned, I refuse to have a shared power line for two (or, god forbid, three or more) units carrying audio. In the new plan for the pedalboard, I had to share power for EQ-200 and the Zuul in the upper deck and the MC406 and the POG Pico in the lower deck. *****I decided to make it happen by using GigRig Virtual Battery Simulators. These small boxes simulate batter power resistance (10 Ohms if I remember correctly). They have a little trimmer on the side where I can set the voltage from full potential to 6.5V. They also can handle up to 120mA fully isolated power. The last feature is the most important. Since this little gizmo can isolate power, I can split power with a Y cable in the upper deck and feed EQ-200 on one side and the Zuul via Virtual Battery Simulator on the other. On the lower deck, I can feed the MC406 with 9VDC from the Isolator and on the second 9VDC output from the MC406 (it has two 9VDC connectors) via the Virtual Battery Simulator, I can feed the Pico POG. I already have one GigRig VBS; the other is back-ordered.*****

If someone wants to take it as advice, don't do it. This is just not working. Both pedals failed to power up, and I blew a protection diode in one pedal during testing. It's an easy fix, but it cured me from more experiments. The power grid has been redesigned to Cioks DC7, and one Isolator I already have which is enough to power all pedals and gizmos on the bottom deck, and I will be buying Cioks 4 Expander to power all hungry pedals on the upper deck. I'm already spending more money than I was hoping I will.

New decks from Schmidt Array are being made. Martyn gave me no ETA, but I'm not in a rush as I overspent this month and still have a few things to buy.

New layout:



And diagram