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PostPosted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 1:01 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2006 5:14 pm
Posts: 8659
Location: Truckee, CA
Congratulations on your purchase of the Confidence Boost kit and welcome to your new addiction! Prepare to have new vistas of sonic destruction open before you as...

...Oh, what's that? Your pedal doesn't work?

Here's what you do:

1) Relax. Chances are if you're posting here, you've been staring at your pedal for several
hours and scratching your head. Stand up. Stretch. Grab a snack. Play with your dog/girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband/butler...whatever. Maybe even park it for the evening and come back with fresh eyes in the morning. Anything to get your mind off the build and hit the "reset" button. As hokey as that sounds, you wouldn't believe how many times it proves to be true. The likelihood of you having a faulty part in your kit is probably less than 1%. The likelihood that you need a break is significantly higher.

2) You've chosen to disregard #1 and post a cry for help. Before you do, please use the search function to see if your question may already have an answer. When you do post, make sure to be specific in your thread title...not just "HELP!!!".

3) Just as your mechanic can't fix your car over the phone, we can't fix your pedal over the internet. At the very least, we're going to need some good photos and and an explanation of the problem. When you post photos, they need to be clear...this is very important. Front & back of the pcb. Pot & Switch wiring (if applicable). Jack wiring too. Some tips:

a) activate the flower icon on your camera. This automatically makes your pictures prettier. You know, like a flower. No silly, it's for close-ups.

b) Take your pictures in strong light. You're soldering at 3 in the morning and it's totally dark except for the light on your desk. These are not ideal conditions for photography. Good light will help your camera focus better.

c) Maybe you have one of those cool desk lamps with the magnifying glass in it? Take your pictures through the glass...it'll make your pictures even more detailed!

d) Host your photos somewhere free, like Photobucket. Photobucket automatically generates the various HTML codes you need. Use the one that starts with [IMG]. Don't make us follow links...we're far too lazy for that. And don't use sketchy hosting sites that redirect us to porn sites.

4) Somebody's going to say it, so i'll just say it now. REFLOW ALL YOUR SOLDER JOINTS. SERIOUSLY! Most of the problems that come up are related to poor soldering. So go slowly and meticulously over each soldering joint. Don't do it quickly...that's what got you here in the first place! And make sure your soldering iron is CLEAN (no oxidation), HOT (solder melts readily to the tip), and SHINY (tinned with solder).

5) Here's some preliminary mistakes to double check for: Is your IC (chip) in backwards? Is your transistor in backwards? Is your diode in backwards? Are your resistor and capacitor values in all the right places? Check those wire connections! This is the stuff you don't see when you're tired, so refer to #1.

6) Bear in mind that blurry pictures and a bad attitude are strongly discouraged. This is a friendly site with lots of great people willing to help. You will get out of it what you bring into it.


Now let's see if we can get you some help! Post Away!

_________________
MasterDelayer/Reverbrador/Ampaholic/TopJacker


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