Build Your Own Clone Message Board

The effect works fine but the LED not so much... Crap...

In decreasing order of probability:

1) It's installed backwards.
2) You've got a bad solder joint in the LED connection path (+9V --> 4.7K CLR --> LED --> F/S Lug #1)
3) Bad LED

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

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

I will double check but I am pretty sure its in right. Solder joint is possible. They located it between two caps which makes it a difficult reach. The LED is not the stock one they shipped. It's possible its bad or requires more juice that the pedals supplies it.

Ok, I found the issue but First I have a question.. The square pad is usually positive correct?

I installed the LED on this kit with the positive leg of the LED in the square hole. It did not work. I replace the LED, again with long leg in the square pad. Still not working.

Did a little research and found this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=28247&p=225064&hilit=led+backward#p225064

Morgan states "The longer leg is the positive side, so insert the positive LED wire into the round hole, and the negative wire into the square hoe." Upon further inspection, the printing on on the PCB has the flat side near the square pad which also suggests that square is negative.

So, I figured what the hell, swapped the LED to have the negative leg in the square and of course it worked. Just for grins I went back and reread the instructions and its accurate, long leg to the round pad. So while its my own fault, I am confused as it seems they went against common practice. Have I made a bad assumption somewhere along the way here?

Regardless, the pedal works so I am pleased about that. Its not my best looking wiring by a long shot but things metered out properly and it seems pretty solid.

On to the next...

to be honest, I'm not sure there really is a convention for LEDs. But it would also make sense to me if the long leg went in the square hole, just like polarized caps. Of course, when considering it the cathode rather than the "short leg", it seems like the square pad is the right place. Guess it's best to just check the schematic or read the instruction extra carefully

glad you got the issue sorted!

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Yes there is a convention for LEDs. The long lead indicates the positive (anode). The flat on the opposite side of the rim of the plastic encapsulation indicates the cathode.

The problem with a lot of the BYOC PCBs is that the white overlay on the top side of the PCB is printed with the LED outline the wrong way round, with the flat on the positive side. Also the square PCB pad, which by convention would indicate the cathode connection (all diodes on the BYOC PCBs other than the LEDs follow this convention) for the LEDs on most of the PCBs is the positive, anode connection.

The BYOC build instructions solve this problem by specifically saying 'Insert the long lead of the LED into the hole in the square PCB pad'.

The earlier BYOC kits, of which the Lazy Sprocket is one, were constructed such that the anode/long leg went in the sound hole. Apparently, Keith realized this departure from convention and switched it to the square pad in the newer kits. (The LED outline on the PCB was left incorrect just to piss off Tark. )

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

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

You WHAT ???

The convention is the square pad is cathode. As far as I know all the diodes (apart from the LEDs) in the BYOC kits follow this convention - cathode of diode to square pad = stripe end of the diode.

And yes I know this may seem odd when you consider that by convention all + ends of electrolytics go to the square pad.

Good point--I'd never stopped to think about that. Maybe Keith made the change because novice DIY'ers were getting confused by that apparent inconsistency in the +/- convention when mounting the LED's? I dunno. In any case, there is this difference between older kits and newer ones, and you have to go by what the directions say.

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

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

Yeah. . Got caught not reading the directions........lol