Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Working on my first build and I've had everything hooked up for a few days. I've got bypass and the LED cuts on without issue but when the effect is engaged nothing comes out. These seems to be the most common issue, by far, so I'm not too surprised. I've followed Stephen's Tips page and given reflowing a few tries but, as a total beginner, I'm not having much luck getting things to work as intended.

After some research, I was pointed in the direction of obtaining/building an audio probe; I definitely plan on this but it's a bit of a trip to the nearest electronic supply store. If only there was some kind of shack that specialized in these type of parts and equipment for radios... Oh well. In the meantime, it seems this is the place to go for guidance. I've taken a few pictures, which will be included - let me know if you need more and of what angle and I'll get them.

One big thing to note is that I posted the other day about one of the pins on my LM308 getting broken (viewtopic.php?f=50&t=60172) and while I was able to successfully solder a pin back on, I can't rule this out as a possible culprit. The pin fits into the socket without issue and I'm able to retract it with no trouble but I am a beginner so it's entirely possible I screwed that up.









I'm not proud of the burning on the PCB, either. My soldering iron is a pretty basic one and the temperature control on it kind of sucks. I'm thinking when I get out the the aforementioned supply shop I'm going to see what they have and if that's a no-go I'll give the 'Economy' iron on the BYOC shop a shot.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Do you have access to a multimeter and know how to measure DC voltage with one? If so, please take a set of DC voltage readings on the 8 IC pins. They are numbered as shown on the left side of the image below:

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

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

I don't actually own a multimeter, though I probably should look into getting one if I'm going to pursue this hobby. Not knowing much about them at all, would a multimeter be the type of thing that's worth spending a little extra on, or would the most basic/cheapest one at Home Depot do the job without any issue? Any brand recommendations?

In all honesty, if there's a better chance than not that the IC is the root of the problem I'll probably just go ahead and order a replacement since they're only $10 and in stock right now. As stated above, getting a multimeter is definitely something I need to do one way or another but the more I think about this the more my gut says it's probably best to be safe and replace the questionable part.

Oh and one thing to note that I forgot in the original post: I am able to produce a tapping sound by touching the 'Tone' pot while the effect is engaged. This probably doesn't actually mean anything, but it's the only part that responds to any stimulation when the pedal is on.

A lot of times this is caused by mixing up the input and output cables.

If you pull the chip out of the socket and jumper pins 3 and 6, you should be able to get some small, undistorted, amount of signal to pass when the pedal is "on". If this is the case, then I think you can safely assume that the chip is damaged. If not, the chip may still be damaged, but you've also got another problem somewhere else.

A digital multimeter is a very helpful tool in trouble shooting. You can find cheap ones at somewhere like Harbor Freight for under $10 that work just fine. Just be sure to get one with a digital read out. Avoid the analog multi-meters.

_________________
*patience is a virtue*

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

I just want to get clarification on this/make sure I understand: the idea is to use a piece of tinned wire to jump from socket 3 to socket 6 on the IC socket, since the chip is removed? Or am I misunderstanding, and the plan is to jump the pins on the chip and re-insert into socket? My gut says route 1 but just want to be positive.

The first one is correct. I probably wouldn't use tinned wire though. Might be too thick. Just use a piece of clipping from one of the resistors or capacitors or something like that.

_________________
*patience is a virtue*

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

Alright, I'm thinking it is the chip that's causing the issue. With a jumper between 3 and 6, there is definitely something like bypass happening with the effect on. It sounds like the volume pot on the guitar is turned way down, clean but weak. When I put the chip back in, no sound at all comes through with the effect engaged.

I've already got a replacement chip on the way. I'll report back once it's received and can test whether it's working.

Thanks for the guidance!

Chip in, still no sound but something has definitely changed. The clipping LEDs are lighting up when the pedal is engaged, but seem to flicker on and off - not sure if that's normal but I doubt it is. Additionally, I can hear a very, very faint distorted signal that sounds like a RAT. The filter knob definitely produces some results, with the hiss going from thin to having no treble.

I'm still waiting on some parts to arrive to make an audio probe and really need to mosey on over to a hardware shop to buy myself a multimeter - once I've got some proper testing tools I'll report back with any updates I can provide. In the meantime I guess I'll keep trying to reflow the joints since my gut tells me there's something not going through and maybe I can get lucky and find the right joint.

Actually, that's completely normal and an encouraging sign. The guitar signal is strongest at the initial attack of the notes, so that's when the LED's will clip and briefly light as they do so.


This really sounds like there's a weak solder joint somewhere that's causing most of the signal to be lost. The challenge is to locate & fix it.


Both are very useful troubleshooting tools, especially the multimeter. By all means, get yourself one of those SOON.

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

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

Okay so I finally got a multimeter, and have assembled 99% of the parts to build an audio probe but am still waiting on a capacitor for it. I've spent any free time I have over the past few days trying to reflow every joint and then trial and error the pedal but so far still no luck.

Now that I've got a multimeter on hand, what checks/tests can be done to troubleshoot any issues? I feel like I'm likely able to find something with it while I wait on the part I need for the probe.

First thing I would do would be to check the DC voltages on the 8 pins of the IC. To do this, set your multimeter to the DC voltage mode, indicated by a solid line above a dotted one. Use the 20VDC range setting if it's not an auto-ranging meter. Your power source needs to be connected and there needs to be a cable in the input jack. If the pedal is assembled into the metal enclosure, put the black probe into one of the corner screw bosses of the enclosure--this is your ground connection. If the "guts" are out of the enclosure, use the sleeve tab of the input jack for the ground connection. Then touch the red probe to each point that you want to measure. See left side of the image below for the numbering of the pins.

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

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

Alright so I get the following readings from the IC pins:

1. 8.6
2. 4.08
3. 3.61
4. 0.0

8. 9.12
7. 9.4
6. 8.74
5. 0.0

Nothing from 4 and 5.

Edit: I lost bypass for a bit but redid the wiring a third time and got it back. I guess one of the cables got jostled, but all is fine there. I can't seem to get the LEDs to light up again like they were before but when I moved the board (which isn't in the enclosure) I guess my finger completed a circuit of some kind as the LEDs flickered on and off. Still not working with the guitar input but touching the board does seem to cause them to react. Just wanting to note any and all activity I see.

Your results for pins 6 and 8 are out of whack--both should be in the 4.5V range. Please remove the IC from the socket and repeat the measurements on the socket itself.

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

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

Just to be 100% I retested it before pulling the IC out. The results are pretty similar:

1. 8.46
2. 4.08
3. 3.56
4. 0.0

8. 9.12
7.9.4
6.8.75
5. 0.0

After removing the IC (ever, ever so gently - having replaced one already I was sweating bullets) I got the following results:

1. 0.0
2. 0.20* It fluctuated up and down but seemed to rest between 0.10 and 0.30
3. 2.29
4. 0.0

8. 0.0
7. 9.41
6. 0.0* Again there was some fluctuation, with it starting around .35 before going down to 0.0 to 0.01
5. 0.0

One thing I'm not entirely sure about is socketing the IC socket itself - I'm plugging the chip into the 'outer' parts of the socket, not the VERY tiny holes on the 'inner' part. This seems extremely obvious to me but would feel foolish if it wasn't the case and want to be positive I'm using the correct ports.

For comparison, here are the voltages for my fully functional Mouse:



Though your pin 3 voltage on both the IC & socket is quite low, that wouldn't explain the high IC voltages at pins 6 and 8, so I suspect this IC is bad. Still, I would carefully inspect the solder joints for the socket and make sure that they look solid and aren't touching each other, and a quick solder reflow wouldn't hurt. You can GENTLY bend the Distortion pot up away from the PCB to be able to inspect and (if necessary) clean up those joints. A small flat-bladed screwdriver and an old toothbrush work well to scrape away the melted solder mask between/around the socket joints. I would then retest your voltages and if they still look about the same, I'd replace the IC.

One other thing to check would be to make sure that the voltage divider formed by the two 100K resistors on the lower left side of the board is working correctly. Take a DC voltage reading on the bottom lead of the inner 100K resistor and report that here.


Yes, that's correct.

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

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

Measure the voltage on the eyelet of the 1M resistor that is right next to the sheep logo on the PCB.

_________________
*patience is a virtue*

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

Using DC20 setting on the multimeter I get 4.48 from the bottom eyelet and 2.29 from the top one - this is from testing the eyelets on the 'back' of the board, with the sheep logo facing me. Flipping it around I get the same readings - just being thorough.



I get 4.44 using DC20.



I really hope it's not actually the IC since this is my second one for the build. Fingers crossed. I'll give the reflow on the IC socket a shot ASAP and report back and will check they aren't touching.

Edit: Just want to note that all of the above tests were without the IC socketed. With the IC inserted I get:

1m
bottom: 4.48 (same)
top: 3.63 but very jumpy

100k
inner, bottom: 4.44 (same)

Unfortunately, it does sound like the IC is bad. We'll send a replacement out right away. It's the chip that I pulled out of my own Mouse, so I know this one will work.

_________________
*patience is a virtue*

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

That's a bummer, but I definitely appreciate the insanely fast turnaround. I had an email saying the new chip was on the way, with shipping info, before I had a chance to check the forum for an update. Taking one from your personal stock is unbelievably generous to me and I can't say enough how much I appreciate it.

I'll report back once the new chip is in and see how that goes. In the mean time I'm trying to decide which project to try out next because this definitely isn't an addictive hobby.

Still nothing. Hardly any change in the IC pins readings. Barely any change in the resistors readings.

IC pins:
1. 8.62 (was 8.46)
2. 4.07 (was 4.08
3. 3.68 (was 3.56)
4. 0.0 (was 0.0)
8. 9.14 (was 9.12)
7. 9.4 (was 9.4)
6. 8.74 (was 8.75)
5. 0.0 (was 0.0)

1m
bottom: 4.46 (was 4.48)
top: 3.62 (was 3.63~)

100k
inner, bottom: 4.44 (was 4.44)

I'm starting to wonder if I fried the board or something equally stupid. I had honestly gotten my hopes up that the chip was going to do the trick.

Edit: Let me know if you want your LM308 chip back, I can get it returned in the mail ASAP.

Don't worry about returning the chip.

Can you please measure the resistance on your distortion pot. Measure between the two outer lugs or eyelets. Take a couple measurements. One with the knob full turn clockwise. Another with the pot full turn counter clockwise. And then another with the knob in the middle.

_________________
*patience is a virtue*

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

Sorry about the lack of update, I've had a crazy hectic week. Just wanted to chime in and let you know that after another round of reflowing I was able to get everything working and boxed up. It's still lacking a paint job but I don't feel like taking it out/back in will be much of a challenge at this point.

I've already got another Mouse kit to build as a gift to someone that really helped keep me encouraged during the build. It's been made clear that they'd like one of their own but aren't as excited about sitting down to make it. I'll create a new thread for that, if needed, but I'm feeling pretty confident in myself at this point.

Beyond that, I'm keeping an eye open for The Swede to come back in stock, but may just order the PCB and piece together the parts as needed. That may be a good challenge to step up the difficulty from this pedal.

Thank you guys so much for the help. I can't say enough how great it feels to have accomplished this, and there is no way it would have been possible without the help you've provided.

Finally, here's the cased Mouse, sans paint and knobs:

Glad to hear you got it sorted out. ENJOY!!

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

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