Build Guide
The pi-Stomp v3 kit requires no soldering. Assembly takes about 90 minutes with just a small Phillips head screwdriver (and a little patience).
The complete instructions, with photos of every step are available here: Full Build Instructions for pi-Stomp v3. This page is the companion: what to read before you start, a step index for finding your place again, and checks for when the last screw is in.
You can also watch a builder walk through the full process:
Before you begin
Disclaimers. By building and using a pi-Stomp kit, you assume all responsibility. Tree Fall Sound LLC will provide support, but cannot be held responsible for damages or injury during assembly or usage, or if your build does not function as expected. The official terms and conditions have the full text.
Tips:
- A small Phillips screwdriver is the only tool you need. Fingers work instead of a wrench for the hex spacers, jacks, and encoder hardware; if you do use a wrench, only lightly tighten.
- Work over a tray or shallow box — several small washers and nuts want to escape during assembly.
- On the wiki, click any photo to enlarge it.
Step index
Use this to jump back to a specific step on the wiki — for example, if you're resuming a half-finished build. If this is your first pass, ignore this table and follow the full guide in order instead.
| Step | What you do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Add nylon spacers to the PCB | 5 min |
| 2 | Attach Active Cooler to the Pi | 5 min |
| 3 | Prepare the LCD | 5 min |
| 4 | Attach LCD, audio card, and Pi to the PCB | 10 min |
| 5 | Prepare the enclosure | 5 min |
| 6 | Mount the PCB into the enclosure | 10 min |
| 7 | Connect footswitches | 5 min |
| 8 | Add knobs | 2 min |
| 9 | Flash the OS image | 20-30 min |
| 10 | Attach bottom plate | 2 min |
Hardware reference
Kit hardware comes in labelled bags — S6 for a 6 mm screw, H15 for the 15 mm Pi spacer, and so on. Each wiki step names the IDs it needs, so keep the bags sorted and work from the step rather than memorizing the list.
Common gotchas
- LCD ribbon orientation — only connect the top 8 pins of the LCD header. Connecting the wrong pins can damage the Pi or LCD.
- Audio card alignment — make sure the 3-pin sockets on both ends engage with the corresponding pins on the PCB.
- Pi pins — all 40 GPIO pins must engage fully. Rock the Pi gently into place.
- LCD ribbon clearance — you may need to flatten the ribbon cable before the bottom plate fits.
- Footswitch connectors — the Molex connectors are keyed; they only go in one way.
First power-up check
Apply power. The LCD will light up immediately in pure white; your CPU fan will spin up for a moment; second afterwards, the first-boot sequence appears on the LCD screen. Your pi-Stomp will restart once and then land on a pedalboard shortly after: this entire initial step should take about one minute (subsequent starts are around 15s, growing with the number of LV2 effects you have installed).
| Check | What should happen |
|---|---|
| Navigation encoder | Turning it moves the highlight around the LCD; clicking a plugin block toggles its fill between enabled and bypassed |
| Footswitches A–D | Each toggles a plugin, changes the footswitch icon on the LCD, and lights its LED |
| Tweak 1 and Tweak 2 | Turning either opens a parameter dialog and moves the value; clicking closes it |
| Output | Plug headphones into the 3.5 mm jack or an amp into Out 1, play something in, and you should hear it |
| Input LEDs | Plug a cable into In 1 and touch the other end's tip — the corresponding LED should flicker |
If a footswitch or encoder does nothing, ps-run --host test gives you a per-control readout over SSH; see Troubleshooting. If the LCD stays blank or stuck on the logo, the controller service failed to start — that's also in Troubleshooting, not a wiring fault.
Next step
Once the hardware is assembled, install the software.