Troubleshooting Aion Azimuth

Started by sabbathfan0220, January 31, 2021, 06:18:05 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

sabbathfan0220

Hello all, I'm new to this forum and a few months into pedal building overall (not a total rookie but not a seasoned pro).

This is my first Aion project and I'm having some sort of grounding issue I think. The project is the Azimuth: https://aionfx.com/project/azimuth-legacy/

Everything is soldered except the ground wires in black. I clipped them in place to make sure it worked before the final solder joint but I'm not getting power (LED won't light). If I twist the grounds together as pictured and do not ground it to the jack, the LED will light, but I can't get sound through it when plugged in.

I confirmed the leads on the DC jack are connected properly: red goes to the outside and black goes to the center for standard center negative hookup.

Hopefully something easy that I'm missing here? Thanks everyone.



Aph

Is that a metal sleeved power jack?

PRR

I don't see a black on either jack's sleeve terminal, nor to anywhere on the metal case. That might be bad for signal.
  • SUPPORTER

sabbathfan0220

Yes, metal sleeve power jack.

The black wire comes off the left side of the power jack and goes to ground.

11-90-an

If you're using a metal sleeve power jack, and a center negative psu, you are essentially shorting +9v to GND... i recommend you change that...

P.S. Welcome to the forum... :icon_biggrin:
flip flop flip flop flip

bluebunny

Quote from: 11-90-an on February 01, 2021, 03:11:47 AM
If you're using a metal sleeve power jack, and a center negative psu, you are essentially shorting +9v to GND... i recommend you change that...

P.S. Welcome to the forum... :icon_biggrin:

You can quickly check this by measuring the "9V" voltage where it enters the PCB.

And welcome.  :)
  • SUPPORTER
Ohm's Law - much like Coles Law, but with less cabbage...

iainpunk

some electrical tape can isolate the plug form the case, this would be a good temporary fix until you have a plastic sleeved power jack to install

cheers, Iain
friendly reminder: all holes are positive and have negative weight, despite not being there.

cheers

duck_arse

Quote from: sabbathfan0220 on February 01, 2021, 12:51:49 AM
Yes, metal sleeve power jack.

The black wire comes off the left side of the power jack and goes to ground.

but, as PRR says, you still need a wire [preferrerably a wire on each jack, nevermind what the build docs say about case groundings] between circuit ground and the jacks sleeves. it doesn't matter what colour the wire is.

and also welcome.
You hold the small basket while I strain the gnat.

sabbathfan0220

#8
Thanks guys! This is my first time using a metal DC jack. Is there any way to correct this (insulating it somehow) or should I just swap for a plastic jack?

EDIT: Just saw the post by iainpunk. Is there a more permanent solution, or is swapping for plastic the best way to go?

Aph

Try taking the power jack out of the case (still wired up), isolate it from the box, etc.,  and try the pedal... if it works, you're good to go... and then YES, replace the jack with a plastic one.

iainpunk

QuoteEDIT: Just saw the post by iainpunk. Is there a more permanent solution, or is swapping for plastic the best way to go?
maybe heat shrink wrap the jack, install it and then heat it and trim the edges, i do this often with output jacks, so only one jack is connected to the enclosure.

cheers, Iain
friendly reminder: all holes are positive and have negative weight, despite not being there.

cheers

sabbathfan0220

Quote from: Aph on February 01, 2021, 11:05:21 AM
Try taking the power jack out of the case (still wired up), isolate it from the box, etc.,  and try the pedal... if it works, you're good to go... and then YES, replace the jack with a plastic one.

It worked and it sounds fantastic! I really appreciate the help guys.

I have to ask, why would they make DC jacks that aren't insulated? I can't imagine how these are supposed to be used...

antonis

Quote from: sabbathfan0220 on February 01, 2021, 02:59:09 PM
I have to ask, why would they make DC jacks that aren't insulated? I can't imagine how these are supposed to be used...

On any center positive PSU with grounded chassis.. :icon_wink:
(almost everything except for pedals..)
"I'm getting older while being taught all the time" Solon the Athenian..
"I don't mind  being taught all the time but I do mind a lot getting old" Antonis the Thessalonian..

Marcos - Munky

As pointed by Antonis, almost everything uses positive center power supplies. Which makes so much sense when you think on a metal dc jack. The jack is in contact with the enclosure, and the enclosure is grounded, so the center have to be positive.

But, for some reason, somebody had the idea to reverse this for pedal power supplies, using a negative center. Since the enclosure is connected to ground, now an insulated jack is required. People got used to this, and then this became how the dc jacks should be wired for guitar pedals.

Of course, this led to loads of pedals that got damaged because people used power supplies on their pedals without checking the polarity.

Aph

Quote from: Marcos - Munky on February 01, 2021, 04:05:04 PM
But, for some reason, somebody had the idea to reverse this for pedal power supplies, using a negative center.
It actually has to do with backwards compatibility when using a battery in guitar pedals.

Marcos - Munky

For positive ground circuits? That makes sense.

DIY Bass

I always assumed that it was so the switch on a switched jack could be used to switch out the battery when a power supply is plugged in.

Aph

Yeah, it's a combination of the switched power jack and the fact that some pedals use a stereo jack (usually the input) to connect and disconnect the battery to ground.