Marshall Origin 50 Drop-in PCB mod

[MadAsAHatter]

I've had the Evolve-DIY (Jason Tong) drop-in PCB mod for Marshall Origin on my project list for a bit. I was waiting to come across an Origin 50 at a good price. About a month ago I was able to get one from GC for $300. Cosmetically the shell was a little rough, but everything else was solid. Cosmetic issues weren't a problem since I planned to recover the shell anyway. After getting the Origin I ordered everything else I needed. That took a while for it all to be delivered. By mid this month I had everything in house and was ready to start.

I started populating the board the other weekend. I didn't get overly far in that sitting but it's a start.

Was able to work on it a little more this past weekend. I've gotten a good chunk of the resistors on the main board. There's 1 or 2 components like that 5 watt resistor that's slightly off kilter and bugs my OCD, but it's soldered on there solidly. So far I'm happy with the neatness and how it's all progressing.

 

[HomespunEffects]

As a staunch Marshall guy, I’m no fan of the Origin series. Having a full PCB replacement is the only hope. Keep us in the loop, I’m interested in the results.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

As a staunch Marshall guy, I’m no fan of the Origin series. Having a full PCB replacement is the only hope. Keep us in the loop, I’m interested in the results.

Here's Jason's demo and overview video of the mod.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

That looks like a cool project. I've never heard of Evolve DIY before. I was having a look on the site and man their pcbs are expensive.

 

[Humbug]

Was able to work on it a little more this past weekend. I've gotten a good chunk of the resistors on the main board. There's 1 or 2 components like that 5 watt resistor that's slightly off kilter and bugs my OCD, but it's soldered on there solidly. So far I'm happy with the neatness and how it's all progressing.

View attachment 42746

You got them off the board, that's the main thing.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

That looks like a cool project. I've never heard of Evolve DIY before. I was having a look on the site and man their pcbs are expensive.

The $150 Origin board set was a bit pricey, but worth the cost. At $45 the rest of them are pretty average price for PCB's. They're top quality. The board is nice and thick. The trace are heavy duty (for lack of a better word) that won't burn out if you make a mistake or go back and forth with mods. Plus you get all the documentation (schematic, layout, BoM, etc.) you need to complete a build. I got the 2 Merlin (Wizard) boards while I was at it for projects later down the road.

 

[Mikael Dez]

I've always wanted to do this but I have zero experience soldering board circuits and feel like I'd mess it up.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I've always wanted to do this but I have zero experience soldering board circuits and feel like I'd mess it up.

If you want to learn to solder start off with some basic pedal kits like low parts count boosts or get a bunch of scrap components and wire and just start connecting them.

It's pretty easy but it can take a while to make solid reliable connections. You'll definitely want some basic projects behind you before you tackle anything as big and complex as an amp.

 

[Mikael Dez]

If you want to learn to solder start off with some basic pedal kits like low parts count boosts or get a bunch of scrap components and wire and just start connecting them.

It's pretty easy but it can take a while to make solid reliable connections. You'll definitely want some basic projects behind you before you tackle anything as big and complex as an amp.

I’ve done a pickup swap and it was successful in that it works but damn is it messy lol - my shaky ass hands

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I’ve done a pickup swap and it was successful in that it works but damn is it messy lol - my shaky ass hands

A Big ass magnifier and blu tac were the top tips that helped me really nail soldering. A big blob of Blu tac is great for holding stuff steady while you solder. Oh and switching to using old school leaded solder and using flux really upped the quality of my joints.

 

[2dor]

I'd love to do something like this one day

 

[Humbug]

I'd love to do something like this one day

I couldn't find an appropriate "do it, do it"-style gif, so you'll just have to imagine it.

 

[gearJunkie]

and using flux really upped the quality of my joints.

^^^^ This ^^^^

 

[Humbug]

I've always wanted to do this but I have zero experience soldering board circuits and feel like I'd mess it up.

There are some fantastic soldering tutorials from The Olden Days when men were men and lead was healthy on YouTube. Like this series: