Supplies

  • two piezo elements, such as Digi-Key part #102-1126-ND or #478-4764-ND (Either is fine; I used one of each.)

  • two small paper clips

  • an LM386 op amp IC

  • an 8-pin IC socket

  • two 10k ohm variable resistors (i.e., potentiometers or pots, preferably audio tapers, not linear tapers; see Audio Tapers vs. Linear Tapers in Building It for the distinction)

  • two control knob covers (RadioShack part #274-415 is a good buy.)

  • two 10k resistors (coded with brown-black-orange stripes)

  • a 100 μF electrolytic capacitor

  • an 8–1000 ohm audio output transformer, such as RadioShack part #273-1380

  • a spring (light, thin gauge and roughly 3″ or 4″ long when at rest)

  • two 1/4″ mono phone jacks (guitar jacks)

  • a 9-volt battery clip

  • a 9-volt battery

  • 24-gauge insulated hook-up wire

    Tools and supplies

    Figure 14-2. Tools and supplies

  • a small SPST switch, such as RadioShack part #275-612

  • pieces of sturdy corrugated cardboard or a small cardboard box around 6″ long

  • a largish, sturdy enclosure (A cigar box works well, since the reverb tank will take up a good deal of space.)

  • (optional) 22- or 24-gauge bare bus wire

On Enclosures

At its simplest, an enclosure is the box you cram an electronics project into: drill a few holes; stuff in the batteries and wires; label your knobs, switches, and jacks with a Sharpie; and you’re good to go. You can get cheap, sturdy electronic project enclosures at RadioShack, or go online to order the pro-grade die-cast enclosures and machined project boxes made by Velleman Incorporated and Hammond Manufacturing. Conversely, there are perfectly suitable ad hoc enclosures at the office supply store (look for the plastic storage boxes folks use to organize their pencils and paperclips) or craft supply store (many sell plastic organizers and plain wooden boxes in a variety of shapes and sizes). Even plastic food-storage boxes sold at the grocery will do in a pinch. If you’re looking for something a bit more quaint, keep your eyes peeled for old cigar boxes, pencil boxes, candy or cookie tins, lunch boxes, or military surplus equipment cases and kits.

Considerations when choosing enclosures:

  • Conductive or non-conductive? A conductive metal enclosure is great for a project like the Two-Transistor Fuzztone (Chapter 16), which works best when shielded from stray AM transmissions, and terrible for a project like the Marshmallow Muzzleloader (Chapter 24), where you are worried about an accidental shock.

  • Do you have access to the tools needed to modify the enclosure? You’ll need to add holes for jacks, switches, and pots; you can cut through an old plastic pencil box with a pocket knife but are going to have trouble piercing a steel ammo case with anything short of a drill press.

  • Is the box big enough to accommodate the circuit, its battery, jacks (with plugs inserted!), or other hardware without causing short circuits?

  • Will the box be able to withstand the intended abuse? A pretty little Chinese gift box makes a wicked cool Ticklebox (Chapter 7), but a terrible stomp box for gigging.

  • Does it look frikkin’ awesome?

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