Build Your Own Clone Message Board

I'm a first-timer with building effects kits.

I'm having problems, namely that when it's assembled, and the footswitch pushed, it just doesn't turn on. no LED comes on at all, but i can hear the guitar going straight through with no effects.

I unsoldered the wiring altogether, because I suspected that was the problem and figured the job was sloppy (i was getting really tired toward the end and refused to take a break. how dumb was that). I'm waiting for a new switch as well as new wiring in the post now, but I'd like you guys to check and see if I soldered all the components of the PCB properly.

Thanks so much. I hope these photos are good enough.

All your resistors are in the right place, your diodes are oriented correctly and so are your electrolytic caps. I'm pretty sure the tant cap is OK, too but double check that for polarity. It looks like you chose to use the 2N5457 - make sure that is indeed a 5457 and not a 2N3904. The LED is oriented correctly and your soldering technique is good.

Put it back together and lets see some pictures with it all wired up.

Mike

I would recommend re-doing a lot of your soldering. Especially the solder joints where you can see the hole. Several others look solder starved.

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"It’s your soldering."

I don't see a socket under that IC...

It's possible the IC is fried. Easily done when soldering directly to PCB...

Most of those joints look ok to me but Stephen's advice is sound: go over the joints again would be a idea. As far as the chip goes, its pretty rare for a chip to fry on soldering unless really high heat is used or the iron is left on the legs a long time.

I'd say touch up the solder pads, reassemble and lets take it from there.

ARGH! i was trying to get the solder off the pads that the wires are connected to, and i accidentally peeled off two of them. i'm so screwed aren't i?

No, actually you can use a piece of wire (insulated if necessary) to connect the component where the pad used to be to the component the circuit would connect it to. It's. Easy enough to follow the trace to see where the connection needs to be made.

okay! now that it's all wired up, i'm finding it really difficult to adjust the trimpot. based on what i've read here, i should turn the sensitivity knob all the way clockwise, and the attack knob to "9:00", which i assume is a quarter of the way right? and then the trimpot in the center and adjust to taste.

when i do this, it doesn't do anything at all. only when i have the sens knob way down do i actually hear any effects, and what effects i hear are quickly choked out or gated. i take it that when i play a note it's supposed to sound like "whoommmm" but it sounds like "whhom-m-m-"

also! how on earth do i even know if the trimpot is in the center? i assume it's the flat, beveled part that shows where center is? also, what if i screwed up and kept turning it past the click a bunch of times? did i break it?

heeeelp! (please)

ok, looking at it again, now the trimpot just isn't doing anything at all. when i turn it it's either just normal sounds or it's extremely quiet.

Almost! Sensitivity to 9:00 and Attack all the way clockwise

Hm, I've done that, but the trimpot is either "on" or "off", meaning the volume's extremely low with no effects, or the proper volume with no effects. the knob for it just keeps turning around, and i thought i had the effect before, but now i can't even find it. this is frustrating.

Do you mean that the knob on the trimpot continually goes around and around? it doesn't stop at about 7:00 and 5:00? If that's the case you have a broken trimpot.

Ahh crud. I'll have to get a new one, yeah?

Me thinks, yeah but from what you described before, I think we can dial it in once you replace it. The BYOC parts store has it or you might try contacting sales@byoc.com - they might just send you one. They are pretty cool about that...

*EDIT* Sorry! that's sales@buildyourownclone.com. My bad!

Well, I've ordered it. i'll have to bug you guys again in a few days, or better yet, post a success story.

No worries, that's why we're here!

okay, i've installed the new trimpot and adjusted it. i sure wish i could make the swells longer though. even with the trimpot turned all the way to 5:00 it seems pretty short. i was hoping for a nice, long whhhoooom.

it also doesn't seem to handle chords at all?

chords produce a higher output from your guitar than single notes, so you will have to adjust the sensitivity to get the same swell on chords as you get on single notes. If you're using relatively hot pickups (most humbuckers, for instance), you may find it hard to get the sensitivity low enough.

there is a great thread with a verified mod to make the swell times longer. try a search and see if you can find it. I seem to recall it was pretty easy, like adding a resistor across a pot or something simple like that.

EDIT - here's the mod: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=25481&start=25&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=sprocket+swell+mod

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well, that looks dead simple. i'll try it. thank you.