Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Hi all, thanks for taking the time to read this post.

I'm having trouble troubleshooting what the issue is with my build, please see text and photos below.

The yellow arrows pointing to the completed build indicate that I have continuity between the two plugged in jacks: Does this mean that the circuit is "complete" all the way through the PCB? (Second photo)

For the Pentiometer, does it only turn <1 full rotation? I've tried turning it all the way to the left, and then the right, but cannot any sound out of my amp. (All cables were checked, and volume was on on both amp and guitar). Battery was also brand new and tested.

Would appreciate some tips for figuring out where it went wrong. Thanks!

Photos below -

https://imgur.com/T3iKEPo
https://imgur.com/U1r8QrH
https://imgur.com/Q6Beyv1
https://imgur.com/Wk9jF6E

1. Clip all the excess component leads off of the back of the PCB.
2. Reflow all your solder joints.
3. set the trimpot so the dial is in the middle.
4. Make sure the alligator clip isn't touching any solder joints when you are testing it.

Let us know if that helps.

_________________
*patience is a virtue*

Please do not PM me. email is prefered. keith@buildyourownclone.com

Hi Byoc,

Thanks for the tips! I trimmed all the leads and tested it out again to find that it worked. (Also, w/o the alligator clip so that could have been the issue as well)

Should I always shoot for leads to be this length, or should I try to go even shorter?
https://imgur.com/JRPH45F

Do any of those solder joints look really bad? I burnt some of the PCB on one or two but it seems to work okay regardless.

That length looks good. There are a few joints that don't look great, but most of them are perfect.

_________________
*patience is a virtue*

Please do not PM me. email is prefered. keith@buildyourownclone.com

Those look good to me. The general rule of thumb is to get a conical solder joint that is smooth & shiny and completely covers the solder pad on the board. Then clip off the component lead right at the top of the solder joint. Avoid cutting the joint itself, as it is possible to lift the solder pad from the PCB doing this. Not generally a problem with BYOC boards, because they use "through-hole" eyelets with attached solder pads on each side of the PCB. But with single-sided boards that don't have this durable type of construction, it's quite easy to lift a pad if you try clipping through the middle of the joint.

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

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