Pedal Creation
~ Chris Taylor
“Our pedal is made from scratch in-house. This means we control the parts, the sounds and the creation process.”
Designing since 1984
At the time, I had no idea how much that Commodore VIC20 was going to change my life. I became obsessed with knowing how each part, down to the transistor, worked together to make the machine work.
Decades later, I have been involved in all kinds of technology. I have built content filters, CEPH storage arrays, ISPs, proprietary software like cloud backups, shared files and more.
To this day, the how behind technology, both hardware and software, drives me to learn more, to design, and most of all, to create.
Creating the Pedal
Creating the pedal is a series of steps that began with looking at existing pedals for basic concepts, then studying the technical datasheets from component manufacturers. After experimenting with breadboards, we landed on our unique sound, the Whiskey.
Our process consists of four major stages:
- Creating the printed circuit board
- Assembling the PCB
- Prepping the box
- Assembling the pedal
Stage 1: Creating the printed circuit board
Creating the printed circuit board (PCB) is a series of steps, including:
- Painting the copper board
- Removing paint to create a mask on the board
- Removing the unnecessary copper
- Removing the remaining paint
- Placing the board in a tinning treatment to prevent corrosion
- Drilling holes for components and cutting the board
Stage 2: Assembling the printed circuit board
Assembling the printed circuit board includes using the holes drilled in the previous step and soldering all of the components onto the board and connecting them.
Stage 3: Prepping the box
Prepping the box for the pedal includes:
- Powder coating the box
- Covering the powder coated box and laser cutting the design into it
- Screen printing the design
- Drilling the holes for the control knobs
Stage 4: Assembling the pedal
Assembling the pedal includes:
- Cleaning up the holes from drilling
- Assembling the PCB board inside the box
- Adding knobs and controls
- Testing the pedal!
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