DIY Axe-Fx Foot Controller for $50 (Open Project)

2) You will have long runs of uninsulated wire. This poses the risk of things touching each other when they really shouldn’t be touching each other. :)

sorry, your second point is not quiet clear. are you referring to my question about mixing 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm gauges ?
if so, i will do this because the 0.5 mm wire i have is solid core (LAN wire), and the 0.7 mm wire i have is stranded so that would be more flexible to work on the ground daisy chain.
my question was is it safe to use both gauges ?
thanks again.
 
Here are some pics of one of my builds. I solder the resistor directly to the LED terminals. It has always been made like that. It shouldn't be a problem.

I cover the resistor with heat-shrink tube and then I drop some hot glue to prevent movement on the LED socket


Axe001.jpg

Axe002.jpg

Axe003.jpg

Axe004.jpg
 
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Don't worry about the gauges. With these low voltages and currents it is not a concern. Use the one that suits you better.
OK, Thanks a lot for clarifying that, the reason i had to work with stranded 0.7 mm wire instead of the solid core LAN wire because some solder joints has three wires together, which make it difficult to handle if using solid core wire.
 
what about the wire gauges part, do you have any clue?

It should be fine. The wire gauges would only be a factor if you were dealing with higher currents. For example, house wiring, a 15 Amp circuit needs 14 gauge wire and a 20 Amp circuit needs 12 gauge wire, ie., larger diameter. The smaller the diameter the greater the resistance, which would cause the wire to heat up. With data wires the voltages and currents are minimal.
 
Ultimately, no it will be fine to solder resistors straight to the LED, especially for a prototype... I second Piing's idea of wrapping the exposed wire in heat shrink though, or even electrical tape!

The other side of the coin is also true, that any movement on that joint will stress the solder and potentially cause hard-to-debug problems. Eg if there is a lot of wire moving around when you transport the unit, it can flex that joint over time. You could mitigate that by tying all the wires together and neatly attaching the bundle to the chassis reduce movement, exactly like Piing has done in the pics above. (Lovely work btw, I love it!)

At the end of the day, for a prototype, it will probably be fine! If you were manufacturing a commercial product that would be a bit different, but if you're building it in a cardboard folder then I don't think durability is the main goal! :)

One thing I like to do is have all the components on a separate breadboard. So you run wire from arduino to the breadboard, through the resistor, then another wire out to the LED. That way it's all neatly in one place. But ultimately... just hook it all up and have fun - you'll probably make another one down the track, it's addictive!
 
Ultimately, no it will be fine to solder resistors straight to the LED, especially for a prototype...
I used to think the same thing when I was just starting out. Anything to minimize all that messing around with solder and wires. But it only takes one or two failures to change your mind. You lose all that time you saved when you have to debug and fix a problem that you could have avoided.

And it's not just stress on the wires and components. Any naked conductor that can physically contact another conductor (or terminal, or even the chassis) is a potential source of trouble. Just the act of closing the box can create connections that you didn't intend. o_O


At the end of the day, for a prototype, it will probably be fine!
The operative word here is "probably." Customers get angry when the work you did causes a failure at the gig. And if you are your own customer, that's just as unpleasant. Hard lessons have taught me that it pays to be patient and do the job right. Save your excitement for when you fire it up and give it a spin. :)


...if you're building it in a cardboard folder then I don't think durability is the main goal! :)
If your enclosure is a cardboard folder, that's all the more reason to make the wiring robust.. ;)


One thing I like to do is have all the components on a separate breadboard. So you run wire from arduino to the breadboard, through the resistor, then another wire out to the LED.
That's a good idea.
 
All true and wise words! As if to prove your point, I did in fact have my unit go a bit funny at a gig when the power cord jiggled a bit... a quick reboot fixed it, but an FC 12 was in the mail not long after! I guess I treat DIY as more of a hobby and proving to myself that I can do it.
 
Hello again :kissingcat:
I did the first row of switches.
3.JPG
for the LED(s) i twisted the the end of the Anodes just right after the solder joint to make them a lil shorter, then used heat shrink.
2.JPG

and for the switches, i tinted the terminals first
1.JPG
then soldered them to the tinted wires, however this was easy for single wire ends, but for the ground daisy chain side, it was a bit difficult, because i had to twist the end of three wires together (they become too thick for the switch terminal), (pic 4,5,6). i had to put a lil extra solder on the wires there to be able to solder them to the switch terminals. is that going to be a problem?
I also think it would be better to test all the joints and connections with a multimeter.
5.JPG6.JPG
 

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Nice. I can see that you've taken some care to do things well.


...for the switches, i tinted the terminals first (Pic 1), then soldered them to the tinted wires, however this was easy for single wire ends, but for the ground daisy chain side, it was a bit difficult, because i had to twist the end of three wires together (they become too thick for the switch terminal), (pic 4,5,6). i had to put a lil extra solder on the wires there to be able to solder them to the switch terminals. is that going to be a problem?
This will probably be okay (there's that word "probably" again :)). Next time, consider tying the LEDs into the ground bus, then taking a single wire from each to its corresponding switch terminal.
 
Nice. I can see that you've taken some care to do things well.



This will probably be okay (there's that word "probably" again :)). Next time, consider tying the LEDs into the ground bus, then taking a single wire from each to its corresponding switch terminal.

Can you recommend a type of "ground bus" to be used for such small circuits? "an image would help a lot, since i learn in a way similar to a chimp 🐵" actually i didn't know what a ground bus is till i saw it in google image search.

also i'd appreciate it, if you could tell me the recommend Ohm values i should get, and which points i should measure.
and if there's anything else you recommend to check before connecting everything to the board let me know about it as well

Thanks to everyone, you are so helpful guys @tysonlt @Piing @Rex @RoketRdr @iaresee @GotMetalBoy @Joe Bfstplk @Reaper.. i feel like i learnd a lot from you.
 
Can you recommend a type of "ground bus" to be used for such small circuits? "an image would help a lot, since i learn in a way similar to a chimp 🐵" actually i didn't know what a ground bus is till i saw it in google image search.

also i'd appreciate it, if you could tell me the recommend Ohm values i should get, and which points i should measure.
and if there's anything else you recommend to check before connecting everything to the board let me know about it as well

Thanks to everyone, you are so helpful guys @tysonlt @Piing @Rex @RoketRdr @iaresee @GotMetalBoy @Joe Bfstplk @Reaper.. i feel like i learnd a lot from you.
You can build a ground bus from wire and the grounded legs os the LEDs. Instead of combining three wires at the switch terminals, do it at the LED legs. Then you only need to send one wire to each switch terminal.
 
I built this thing using the same hammond box but added 10 oled and the nextion, it was a fun project, it has a teensy 3.6 at its heart and it runs BMC which has a desktop editor and automatically syncs with the axe fx 2 and ax8, i already had code to stnc with fractal goodies from my AxeLive app so added all the syncing to BMC as well, the library is only for teensy boards if anybody is interested is at https://github.com/neroroxxx/BMC the library doesnt require you to code anything you can have buttons, leds, pots, encoders and its all plug and play
 

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Hello everyone
So I finally done soldering and connecting everything,
DSC_0114.JPG

I attached a piece of wood at the edge with screws to add some stability, i also gonna glue some spray paint caps in the middle to make it even more stable.
But before uploading the code and try it, I wanted to share with you how I connect the LCD and the Midi Plug to confirm if everything is done right.

For the 16x2 LCD (couldn't find any larger LCDs), I connected as shown in here
16x2 LCD.png

For the Midi-out I connected it as follows :
Midi Pin 2 to ground pin (below pin 53)
Midi pin 4-220 ohm resistor to +5V (above pin 22)
Midi pin 5-220 ohm resistor to Tx3

* I Left the other Midi-in plug unconnected because I don’t think I need a Midi-in for now.

Now before I learn how to code the Arduino board properly to match what I exactly need to do with the FC which going to take some time, I need to play around with the FC and try some of the already built codes in this thread. and as I’m going to try it with my Axe fx II XL+, I think the most suitable code is ver 6.9 in post #21 by @Piing ? or is there’s another recommended version ? since most of the other versions are made for the AXE FX III
I belive.
Also is there any settings you advice to change in the AXE unit before I connect the FC ?

Thanks
 
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