Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Hello! I'm just finishing up the Leeds Fuzz and when adjusting the trim pot the sound got really quiet and the pot seemed to rotate without any effect. I'm wondering if it broke loose somehow? Does the pot have a limited range of motion? It now seems to rotate without a stopping point. I was being gentle but perhaps I broke it.

Oh and a clue is, when I unplug the power source, either battery or AC adapter, the volume jumps up really loudly before turning off. Maybe it's stuck in a bad bias position?

Before I try to solder in a new one, is there an easy way to test it? Or, since it's rotating freely, is it definitely toast?

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

Just to clarify, you're saying that the trimpot will rotate infinitely in either direction, CW or CCW? If so, it's broken. The pot should have a rotational span of about 300 degrees, from 7 o'clock to 5 o'clock.

If it broke without you exerting any significant force, then the pot was defective as received. Contact sales@buildyourownclone.com, explain that the pot was defective, and they'll send you a replacement at no cost.

BTW, components with 3 or more connections to the PCB can be difficult to remove without damaging the board. If it's the type of trimpot that sits up off the PCB, I'd recommend cutting the legs and then desoldering them individually and cleaning the residual solder out of the eyelets. If it's the type that is flush-mounted on the PCB, then you'll need to carefully desolder each leg to get it out. DON'T FORCE IT. I'd recommend that you get the right tools for this job: a solder sucker and good quality desoldering braid (links below). Remove as much of the solder from each joint as you can using the former, and clean up the residual solder with the latter. Patience is key, and avoid applying too much heat at one time--a couple of seconds of contact with your cleaned & tinned soldering iron should be sufficient to melt the solder and remove it.

Solder sucker: https://www.amazon.com/WEmake-WM-SP4-So ... 0002KRAAG/

Desoldering braid: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008O9VLA2/

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Thanks for the response. This is super helpful.
It seemed like the last couple trimpots I installed were by dafault at around 6 o-clock. The instructions were to set it around 12. I'm nervous to go in the wrong direction with the new one. I'll have to proceed very carefully. The one I installed on the chorus CE-2 clone seemed much more stout. Perhaps it was just a bad component.
Thanks again.