The Electra Forums

You're right, I've made changes to enable some unique signal path options. As far as I'm concerned, it will be worth the additional flexibility. If the series/parallel switch is in the series position, a guitar is connected to the Module 1 input jack, and the output of Module 2 is connected to an amp-- the signal path is exactly the same as built into the MPC guitars. The only difference being, and this is important, the length of wire between the pickups and the input to the first module. Hi impedance inputs are sensitive to this, and it's probably making the loading worse in this case.

The LED indicators are kept entirely separate from the circuit by using the 3PDT switches, which also enables "full bypass" switching.

Thanks for the props on the hand wiring, Thorny. It's my studio tech background that causes me to do things that way. Thousands of wires running all over a facility can get pretty confusing. Just like being in 1st. Grade, neatness counts! You know that from building point to point amps-- where just moving a few wires a inch or so either direction can mean the difference between a hummy, noisy beast-- or a dead quiet stealthy amp.

Painted enclosure with Krylon Dark Bronze Hammertone finish & green LED's installed:










Here's a diagram will all controls labeled:

Man, that is so clean and professional looking, my hats off to you. I still say there may be a market for these on the Bay, of course I don't know how many (dozens of...) hours you've got into it. So do you put a short jumper between output of 1 and the input of 2? Or is this like the 60's and two guitarists can share half the pedal (trying to be funny, sorry)! Very impressed here, great work.

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Electra Guitar Videos ===> http://www.youtube.com/user/mjm33mjm?feature=watch

Thank you. I have poked my head into some of the DIY pedal forums, and there are some people doing really fantastic work out there. This is pretty bare-bones by comparison. I don't have the patience to do the really fancy hand painted designs and stuff. I'd rather get to the point where I can just plug it in and make noise!

No, a jumper isn't necessary. I'm using a combination of the series/parallel switch and some tricks with "normalling" the input jack on module #2:

With the switch in series, the input of #2 automatically gets it's signal from the output of module #1. Guitar plugs into input #1 and output #2 goes to the amp.

With the switch in parallel, the input of #2 automatically gets it's signal from the input of module #1. Guitar plugs into input #1 and outputs #1 and #2 go to the amps.

Or, two signals can go into inputs #1 and #2, with outputs #1 and #2 going to amps. This could be useful if you have a stereo effect feeding the inputs to the MPC box. Plugging in to input #2 automatically breaks the normalized signal flow that is used in the first two examples.

The first example, a single input and output with the modules in series, will be the most commonly used, I guess. But the options are "free," based upon the capability of the components-- so why not have them available? I guess I could have done a simpler version, without the series/parallel switch and with only one input and output jack.

And yes, you COULD connect two guitars into the two inputs!

That is very professional work you have done there. This looks awesome and I bet it sounds as good as it looks. I agree that if the time in production factor is not to high that these would move well on the bay. If and when you decide I will be in line for one. great job.

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Always give thanks for everyday, It may be your last so Rock On Semper Fi!!

Very impressive! They would sure sell on eBay if you got to that point. I remember a guy named Steve telling me 10 or 12 years ago he had plans to build an MPC floorboard but he thought they'd be pretty pricey. Even if you don't end up selling them, you might consider making 2 or 3 just to see if you could bring the cost down and if by the 3rd you could shave some time off...just a thought. Nice work!

Super impressive wiring skills. Awesome work.

Great job!

RCSBlues

Thank you! That's one of my professional gigs-- electronics and studio wiring.

So anyway, I'm going to be putting this box on ebay in the next week or so. I want to get an idea if anyone would be interested in a committing money to it, and what the perceived value is. I know what I have in it as far as time and materials, and the costs add up FAST if I intend to pay myself anything.

I'll be sure to post here when the auction goes live, although I'm sure it will show up in everyone's ebay MPC search profiles!

Sold on ebay in Aug. 2012.