[Factor]

As I build my CMoy, I'll post my progress, my concerns and photos of the project. Hopefully this will end up being a good resource for first-time CMoy builders when it's all done with.

Progress: I have all the parts except for a multimeter, which may be in my mailbox as I type. I cut the PCB, layed out some parts and started soldering the jumpers.

Concerns: I haven't soldered in years and I suck at it pretty bad, plus I have a massive headache from the fumes. The desoldering braid works much less smoothly than I thought it would. I also did some tests with a hole puncher and a spare mint tin. The results were disastrous. What's an economical way to make clean holes in a mint tin?

Photos

Dirty-ass soldering.

 

[PYROTAK]

unibit step drill bit.

 

[Factor]

Can I bore the hole with a drill bit alone? (Bear in mind, I don't even own a drill.)

 

[eyevancsu]

Use a single-hole hole punch. For larger holes, like for the pot, you might need a drill. Or, just punch a bunch of holes close enough to each other to stuff the pot into.

-ivan c.

 

[Factor]

I have a single hole punch. That's what I was using, and that's what I completely failed with.

Progress: Put on the M-jumpers and then the power caps.

Concerns: I'm still really bad at soldering. There are no visible bridges, but I definitely gave the areas between the copper a good burning. I hope I got the cap polarity right. Still thinking about mint tin hole-punching.

Pictures

 

[Earwax]

I'm not sure why you're having so much trouble with the hole punch, that's the only thing that's worked well for me. But since everyone is raving about the unibit/step bits, I have one of those on order now, since the hole punch only does 1/4 inch holes anyway. Regular drill bits just mangle the tin when I tried using them.

 

[Pars]

Never have tried a hole punch. I have used regular drill bits, and now I have the smallest Unibit (too bad they are pricey). With regular drill bits, you need to make sure that you back the area to drill up with a block of wood, and put in on a very stable surface (vice, etc.) Even with that, and center punching the hole first, some will get away from you, as the drill bit tends to try to grab the metal edge. It is doable, but I always farked up at least one hole per tin... not unusable, but not perfect either. The drill, of course, is not optional.

Chris

 

[was ist los?]

Anyone have experience with the punches available at Handmade?

 

[einolu]

factor, it looks like I have the same hole punch as you and it didnt work for me either. I just destroyed the holepuncher and it doesnt work anymore. I got mine at cvs so maybe some some other places have a better brand. I looked at a local art supply store and they didnt carry any... Drills seem messy, I guess Ill have to go on a search for the right hole puncher, hah.

as for my cmoy progress, mine keep messing up because of faulty parts, Im the unluckys person ever. First my pot broke, now my opamp is messed up, and now my soldering iron tip is wearing down, this stuff adds up, especially the emergancy visits to radioshack

.

~EO

ps: noob question, does leaving solder on the tip of your iron corrode the tip?

 

[thrice]

I gotta say the unibit/stepbit is the way to go. You can get a relatively inexpensive cordless drill at a hardware store. In the US I think I paid ~$17 for a small unibit ( 1/8" to 1/2" ). That will take care of all the hoels you need for a CMOY.

Remember, you don't need an excuse to buy a new tool

 

[jhawk22]

Factor,
Take off the paper collector thing on the hole punch. This may be the problem. I read a thread a few months ago that suggested removing this piece. I get a clean punch everytime.

 

[einolu]

anyway, leave the case for last, just getting the first circuit to work is a chore, at least for unlucky me!

 

[Voodoochile]

If you survive soldering on the radioshack protoboard, you will be confirmed! It's kind of like trying to braze steel with a bic lighter, except that it can be done.

 

[Factor]

Progress: I soldered R2 and R3, which was hard because I had no space to work with. Then I soldered the battery leads, which was also hard. But by far the most hellish part was wiring up R1 and the LED. I won't go into specifics, but it took me about 45 minutes of fixing soldering problems and creating new ones in the process, I had to take apart my first successful attempt because I forgot the heatshrink, and I burned myself twice. But now it works. This is good, because I came dangerously close to quitting. I was pissed.

Concerns: This would be much, much, much easier if I had some sort of clamp or vise. So far, the best alternative I could find was my GameCube with a rubber band around it, suspending the PCB loosely in the air. The heatshrink wasn't nearly as magical as I expected it to be. It shrunk a tiny bit, and then the tip caught on fire and I had to blow it out. Also, I discovered that in one of my hole-punching attempts I bent up the hole puncher, which is why all my subsequent attempts only served to chew up the tin.

Pictures

 

[BlindTiger]

Would any of the dremel bits work on a mint tin?
That's if you have a dremel/rotary tool, which I suggest, it's really a useful tool.
Good luck on your project, I just messed up my prebuilt cmoy by fiddling with it too much. along with dropping my portasol soldering iron on the plastic case which melted all the plastic into the soldering tip and cat convertor. I then used my dremel cutting disc to cut a big gash open.