Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Hello, first time builder here, hope I can get some help figuring out what's wrong with my Li'l Comp. Thanks in advance for the assistance.

I assembled everything as specified by the manual. As far as I can tell, and after double checking, everything is in the correct position and properly soldered. I did have to replace the electrolytic capacitors with the same specifications of a different brand. This was because I didn't leave enough slack in the leads to bend them over on the first try.

When I connect the power supply and test the pedal with an amp, the LED turns on but I only get noise. turning the knobs on the volume pot makes a scratchy sound, but otherwise has no effect. When bypassed, the guitar signal passes through the footswitch without issue.

I've tried turning the trimpot up, that didn't seem to have an effect. I've used a multimeter to test all of the components for continuity. I also get continuity from the in and out terminals.

Any ideas what could be going wrong here?

Welcome to your new addiction, and to the forum. Reflow all of your solder joints making sure they all look like little Hershey kisses. On the component side of the board, do you see how the solder flows through on some components and others you can see the whole pad with no solder on it?


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Pedal building is like the opposite of sex. All the fun stuff happens before you get in the box.

Could we see a larger photo of the solder side of the PCB, similar to the photo of the component side?

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“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

My Website * My Musical Gear * My DIY Pedals: Pg.1 - Pg.2

It couldn't hurt to go through and reflow your solder joints. A few of them look starved, meaning the eyelet is not all filled with solder.

If there's any way to take some better photos, that would be really helpful. Put it on your kitchen counter under some brighter lights, or better yet, take some photos outdoors. Make sure you're holding your phone or camera really still to avoid blurriness.

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Scott

My band, Austin Hollow

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I tried adding more solder to some of the joints. I can do more but only have a short amount of time right now. Will try more later.

Here's a pic of the other side of the PCB as requested.

It’s not necessarily adding more solder: in fact sometimes it’s taking some off and reflowing that works. Do you have a solder sucker? A handy thing to have to make those connections look right.

I do have a solder sucker I can use. Can you see any particularly bad looking joints where I should start?

As Jimi said above,

Now, two of those are empty because of how the trimpot fits in (3 legs, 5 holes); obviously don't worry about that. But there are a couple others that look like they're a little starved. If you don't see the "little Hershey kiss" shape, or if you can make out the ring of the eyelet clearly, that's probably a joint worth addressing. But don't just add more solder. You need to completely melt the existing joint too. When you do that, you may see that the solder flows better around the component lead all on its own. That's why we often recommend reflowing all your solder joints. This post has lots of details about that.

Your soldering isn't too bad—we've certainly seen a lot worse. This problem could also be due to misplaced components. But I still need to see better photos before I can check your resistor color bands. More in focus, and better lit. Try shooting in a brighter room, or outside. You can use a flash if you have to, but that tends to blow out parts of the images.

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Scott

My band, Austin Hollow

Is it just me or does the lower pot have a cold solder joint? Looks like there's definitely excessive solder.

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Ah, ok, I'm learning so much about soldering doing this. I hadn't even heard of a cold joint before. I'll try reflowing all of the joints and, if it still doesn't work, I'll post better pictures. Thanks for the advice and patience!

Good luck, we're cheering you on.

If you haven't already, I suggest you read through Stephen's Tips For A Successful Build. There is a wealth of information in that thread, including many pictures.

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Scott

My band, Austin Hollow

It's taken me a while to follow up with a post, but the li'l comp is now working great and is a proud always-on addition to my board. Thanks so much for your help!

I reflowed the solder, which I'm sure made a huge difference, but I also found that two of the resistors were mismatched! I guess I mistook a red for a brown or an orange for a red. After doing all that and putting it in the enclosure, it was good to go!

This was really fun and it sounds amazing. Love it!

Congrats, that's great news!

As we always say: welcome to your new addiction. Which kit are you going to build next?

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Scott

My band, Austin Hollow

I'm not sure. Maybe a fuzz or delay with tap tempo if I've got some extra cash. Definitely want to keep building, though!