Catch Up
So it has been a pretty long time since my last post. I moved city two weeks ago, and when I can I have been sanding and routing whenever I can. I am more or less settled into my new location now so full steam ahead!
To catch up:
I have finished routing the cavities for the guitar. The touchscreen now fits snuggly into the hole I've carved.
Because the hole is rather unsightly due to the dodgy router (router has since been replaced) A border will be placed on top to secure the screen and to provide a nicer look.
Adjusting the depth of the cavity, this is a clear shot of how bad the router guide was. Becoming more aware of how much space the cables will now take. I would like to keep everything interchangeable and modular.
Everything now fits! The bottom of the cavity will be filled with a thin foam layer for protection and insulation. It will also look a lot nicer!
Drilling holes for inputs, outputs and strap hooks.
This button will eventually power the computer. As previous I will try and light the LED when the power to the computer is on.
The plastic finally came. Was easy to shape as the dimensions I gave seemed to be spot on, however it was brittle and prone to snapping. Many of the corners have split already. Luckily I did buy a backup incase this happened, however the backup is a solid colour black. The see-through one will be a good comprise whilst I 'iron out cracks' and will offer increased functionality so I can see lights etc.
This is the finished pre painted article!
Notes:
- The pickups will be moved forward after painting. Because the margin for error is so small, I would rather paint then sand these sections, Last time when I sanded then painted, I needed to sand again after the layers added extra dimension.
- The border in this photo is card, of course this will not be the case on the finished article. I have some black acrylic which is awaiting being cut,
- Had an idea of using a border of black velvet under a border of see through acrylic over the touchscreen. This would continue the line of my guitars having an similar aesthetic. The velvet would have to be spot on, and acrylic perfectly cut. I've found it difficult working with acrylic since I do not have tools specialised to working with it.
- I'm finding Telecaster bridges needlessly fiddly, and bit of a pain to work with to be honest!
As I have been thinking more about the electronics as I progress I've made some observations on how I could make it more practical.
- The audio input to the computer is stereo. This could be useful as I could set each pickup to each channel, meaning I could simultaneously capture two audio signals from each of the pickups.
- After studying schematics of a USB cable, the signal part and power part of the cable are separate. I believe I can splice these and use them in conjunction with the 'power' button to supply power to the Raspberry Pi when the button is pressed.
- I could use a Male to Female Micro USB cable to charge the battery, and have the female side protrude from the case for easy access.
- There is still quite a lot of space inside even after the pre-amp. This could open possibilities of having a wireless system built in. Power would be a concern however.
