Hi Folks, newbie on this forum, and have gleaned a LOT of good info so far...
Just finished an Aion Refractor (Klon Klone) build, when I plug it into my pedalboard, volume output from the pedal is really low, even with the output maxed, cuts 75% of my amps volume, and very low gain, with a low frequency hum. So here's what I've evaluated so far:
1. Isolated the Refractor from the other pedals on my board, it is the Refractor that is causing the issue.
2. Examined all three (3) PCB's for: solder bridges, solder shorts, bad solder joints, etc. None found.
3. Took a DMM to IC1, IC2, and IC3, and recorded pin voltages as follows: (see attached image)
Note IC1 Pin 3, not sure if this is a bad opamp, or something else? Any thoughts would be appreciated!
(https://i.postimg.cc/ctYnjPnt/Pin-Voltages.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/ctYnjPnt)
Welcome to the forum. You should have a lot of fun here :icon_mrgreen:
Which version of the Refractor are you building? Last time I checked there were two versions (I think ).
Don't be too worried about the voltage on IC1 pin 3 being a bit low as your meter may be loading the reading slightly.
Remove IC1 and measure pin 3 again. The voltage may rise slightly to 2.3V or so if your meter is loading it.
Some pictures will also be a great help if you can upload some. As clear as possible.
Well said, Ian, but shouldn't meter also load pin 7 on IC1..??
PS.
Welcome Liam..!!
Thank you for the prompt responses! Have a bunch of pics to load, the pix should tell the story much more eloquently than I! I believe the version (by the installation doc is: 1.0.3 (11-22-2018))
(https://i.postimg.cc/n9FpkTqQ/20190306-215029.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/n9FpkTqQ)
(https://i.postimg.cc/tZ5HYP8R/20190306-215036.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/tZ5HYP8R)
(https://i.postimg.cc/WdBVKsMV/20190306-215040.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/WdBVKsMV)
(https://i.postimg.cc/1fYsGGXf/20190306-215052.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/1fYsGGXf)
(https://i.postimg.cc/f3YsQ1K9/20190306-215055.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/f3YsQ1K9)
(https://i.postimg.cc/r0ckVgnY/20190306-215143.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/r0ckVgnY)
(https://i.postimg.cc/5jgx0dM5/20190306-215145.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/5jgx0dM5)
(https://i.postimg.cc/kB57R1n0/20190306-215321.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/kB57R1n0)
(https://i.postimg.cc/682wY84z/20190306-215323.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/682wY84z)
(https://i.postimg.cc/7JZr7hy3/20190306-215328.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/7JZr7hy3)
Good pictures indeed. These will be helpful. Reinstall IC1 by the way as there is no need for it to be out. You may wish to swap IC1 with IC2 just to see if the fault changes.
The build doco for this version can be downloaded from here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/aiyxb45ccgsncdb/refractor_documentation.pdf?dl=1 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/aiyxb45ccgsncdb/refractor_documentation.pdf?dl=1)
I note that you also photographed your multimeter which is also helpful.
After finding the specifications for your meter I found that its input impedance on the DC volt range is 1M (1 Megohm) which is good but is causing the low voltage reading on IC1 pin 3. 4.5V is supplied to pin 3 via a 2M resistor so a 1M meter would show about 1.55V....So don't worry about the low voltage reading.
Antonis wondered about why pin 7 of IC1 wasn't showing low due to meter loading but I suspect he meant pin 5. Pin 5 is supplied via one side of the 100K gain pot (dual pot) so the meter's load would not be very obvious.
Your build quality is very good which does help greatly. From the quick look that I've had at the pictures I can't see any obvious problems. Perhaps someone else may.
Your voltages appear OK so other than double-checking that you have all the components installed correctly the next step may be to do some signal tracing with an audio probe.
<Antonis wondered about why pin 7 of IC1 wasn't showing low due to meter loading but I suspect he meant pin 5. Pin 5 is supplied via one side of the 100K gain pot (dual pot) so the meter's load would not be very obvious.>
Brute guess without shematic tracing.. :icon_redface: :icon_redface:
(both inputs considered biased the same way..)
Thank you so much for your assistance! That was next on my troubleshooting list, ensure every component is in it's proper location, but swapping out IC's 1 & 2 is a great thought. I do have spares in stock, so I can swap both out if necessary. Will keep you apprised of what I discover. Thank you again!