Build Your Own Clone Message Board

I just finished the Scrambled Octave. It passes clean signal (off) just fine. It turns on fine (with the light) and when the blend pot is all the way down it passes clean signal but at a slightly lower volume than when off, no crackling. When the blend pot is turned up, there is fuzz but the volume decreases considerably. If I let a single note ring out from the guitar, the signal becomes intermittent and crackles with very loud short bursts. If I play hard the signal is there and more consistent but it's very quiet, almost sounds like a compressor is in line. I tried both a battery and a OneSpot with the same results so it doesn't seem like a power problem. The pedal was sitting still during the tests also so I don't think it's physical either. My solder points are pretty clean.

Did I fry a cap? Did I fry something else?

There is also a loud pop when the foot switch is pressed on/off.

Here are larger pics of each side.

I don't see any component misplacements or other obvious problems, so my first guess would be that there's a cold solder joint somewhere. I would suggest trying this procedure: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=52188

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

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

I reflowed each solder joint but it's doing the same thing. Here's an audio link if you want to hear it.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByGqVG ... sp=sharing

The pedal was sitting still while this was being recorded. (I swear I wasn't shaking it!)

I don't see any bridged joints (I double checked the close pads). Would it sound like that if the cap or transistor pads were shorting? Really stumped.

That's ugly sounding, for sure. I would suspect either a bad transistor or something that is causing a transistor to function improperly. I would first inspect the soldering around the four transistors very carefully--use a magnifying device, if possible. Be sure to check the solder joints on both sides of the PCB--it only takes a whisker of solder bridging between two legs of a transistor to "screw the pooch." If that doesn't turn up anything, you might want to try an isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol wash of the PCB. I see a lot of solder mask splash and residue, which has been known to cause conductivity problems in some cases, and the alcohol will wash that off. Dry thoroughly before reinstalling and testing. If that still doesn't help, your best bet would be to buy or make a signal tester and trace the signal paths through the circuit to pinpoint the problem.

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

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