Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Hey gang, newish guy here. I just soldered the last connector wire on a Silver Pony 2 build and totally forgot to install the charge pump and 3 op amps into the sockets before going to test it. I installed a battery and plugged in my guitar, the LEDs both lit but I got no sound. Thinking I just had a ground, I pulled the board from the enclosure to inspect it and tried again with the board still outside of the enclosure. LEDs didn’t light this time. Afterwards when I was looking at it I finally realized I hadn’t actually finished the build… finally installed the chips but it’s still not working. I know it’s possible that I broke a joint or wire, but what are the chances I fried one of the components by trying to run it like this, and if so how can I test them to find the misbehaver? I’m pretty bummer because I kept the connectors nice and tight on this one and overall it looked nice and tidy…

-Geezerwheels

Unlikely that you fried anything.

The LEDs are a separate little circuit, and the reason they didn't work with the board removed (I'm betting) is because the ground connection requires the input and output jacks to make contact with the metal inside the enclosure. You could test this theory by putting it back together and seeing if the lights come back on, or by running a jumper wire between the sleeves of the I/O jacks.

Does it pass clean signal in bypass mode? If so, we're looking at the most common problem we see here: light comes on, bypass works, no sound when engaged. Solution: reflowing all your solder joints. This post has lots of details about that.

For better help, please post photos of your build, making sure they are large and clear enough for us to see details such as the color bands on your resistors. Please include photos of both sides of the circuit board as well as your wiring. If you need help posting the photos, let us know.

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Scott

My band, Austin Hollow