small stone clicking - lfo?

[jmasciswannabe]

Finally.....I got the small stone up and running after days of debugging. Now I am faced with a new problem. I got a click going on. I can't say I understand why though. I searched for small stone click/clicking and didn't find much. What can cause this click, other than wiring, which I don't believe is the case? Is there a way to find it using an audio probe?

Thanks
Ian

[jmasciswannabe]

checked through all ics and replaced transistors.....still clickin

[dr]

.....check the caps....see if any are bent too near to other components.....are there any disc caps?....

[jmasciswannabe]

no, I am not using disc caps, regular greenies.....the click is enhanced when put into color mode.....i will inspect these caps more this afternoon....thanks dr!!

[guitarhacknoise]

blind stab............
cap across the rails?
                    is it good?
?
-matthias

[jmasciswannabe]

Would that be c2 in this layout?

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/smallspl.gif

I am kinda fuzzy on the across the rails.....I am assuming its the 9v power traces?

ALso, I have notied that wiring a switch on this link shows the ground of the color button going to the output...

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/smallsrv.gif

I currently have it grounded on the board as referred to in the first diagram. Could this cause a problem?

THanks!!!
Ian

[dr]

.....how about the electrolytics? are their polarities correct?.....

[jmasciswannabe]

ya I am absolutly positive in that due to the immense amount of time debugging previously....

[guitarhacknoise]

Hello J,
I forgot to think about the fact that there are four ota's to make up the lfo!
on a regular ol'  dual op amp lfo, you can place a big electro (100Mf or more) from the +pin to the - pin, help keep the output from hitting the rails, it has helped with the clicking on those, not necessarily kill it but dull it.
I hav'nt tried it on an ota so...............
If no one objects..........(anyone?)
AND
you got the >$1.00 types
see if that do it

oh, and C2 , no .  but  you did say the color switch freaks huh...?

Remember, I break more shit than I fix!
-matthias

[puretube]

lots of info available on that click-issue @ the >search< button...   :wink:

[zachary vex]

generally, modulation effects will always have a risk of clicking getting into the audio.  the solution is to separate the digital electronics from the audio electronics by isolating the power supplies on each (usually i use something like a 100 or 470 ohm resistor feeding a 47 to 100uF cap to ground from the 9v supply to feed the audio, and leave the digital connected directly to the battery.) also, you need physical separation of all wires carrying modulation signals from the wires carrying audio.  also, you need to keep the modulation circuits away from the jacks and bypass switch.  also, ou need to physically lay out the circuit for maximum physical isolation.  also, a ground plane (copper fill) on a circuit board helps.  also, heavier copper (2oz) works better too.  also, having a specific point where the audio ground is heavily tied to the digital ground and that goes directly to the negative terminal on the battery through minimal wire (if that's where ground is headed) counts for a lot.  it's called star grounding.  there are more things you can do, but start with this list and do all, or as many as you can.

[jmasciswannabe]

puretube - i know i know  :oops: .....I guess I was just looking for some more specialized info regarding the small stone. I am still a beginner and a lot of the info I read didn't necessarily help me....I have read all the smalll stone posts a few times.  

what's wierd to me is that I have had two other issue j's that have worked with no audible clicks, so I know the layout is fine and the wiring too.....one thing that IS different on the EH boards is that the traces are covered in "rivers" of solder. The copper traces on my board aren't real strong and thick, in a few cases I have had to solder them together.

I love the sound of the small stone, not to mention the mods you can do to it. I think I am just going to go the look for one that works and mod it approach. This project has made me dread going to the workbench. I will continue to work on a solution for a while longer......thanks all for your help and advice!