Apologies for another post on Electra Distortion...

[9V]

sorry for another post..i am a major beginner, i don't even know what soldering and putting the tin on it, or the proper ways of building, (i've read on it so much though).

but i just want the goddamn thing to be working on some level...

anyways, i've got some pics on the site

http://www.geocities.com/filmonamountainrat/mypage.html

please have a look, and help me out, thank you.

[lightningfingers]

okay, first of all, does it bypass ok?
if not then my guess is you have a jack/switch wiring problem, because from where im sat that board looks fine.
if it does work when its bypassed then read the info at //www.geofex.com about building and using an audio probe to debug your board.

good luck

[RDV]

My best suggestion @ this point is try //www.photobucket.com so we might actually see your pics.

RDV

[petemoore]

I Always test circuits boards before adding the complexities of bypass switch and jacks or even a box.
 By laying the circuit on my test platform, and using alligator clips to connect Gnd, in and out, the debugging is much easier.
 I can't really tell from the pics, but those solder joints looked a bit 'cool', if you're uncertain about them...I'd retouch them and be certain that All the metals to be bonded achieve X temperature [when the solder 'grabs'...].
 When soldering diodes or transistors, it's recommended that a heat sink [ I use alligator clip] be used for each lead soldering...hook the alligator on the tranny/diode lead above the board [between where the iron will touch and the body of the transistor] to avoid heat damage.
 With a DMM, measure the 3 Transistor pin voltages from ground [and the battery's actual voltage], and post them here.
 We'll get this stage working properly !!!

[Jason Stout]

I can see them,



This looks good, although I do not know what transistor you are using, and I haven’t looked at your wiring yet. Different transistors have different pin-outs, or a different order of base, emitter, and collector pins. Tell us the numbers on your transistor.




This does not look good. Your soldering iron is not hot enough, a reliable solder connection looks like this:


Check out http://www.seas.upenn.edu/ese/rca/funstuff/soldering/soldering2.html

We need to eliminate some possible problems,
The first thing to do is make sure that the jacks are wired correctly. Take some pictures clearly showing the wiring of each jack, from the jack lugs to the board.
Next, remove the switch (for now) it just makes things complicated! When the effect works, you can replace the switch.
.

[Samuel]

i agree with jason, those solder joints don't look great. The key I've learned (through screwing up alot) with soldering is to make sure that you are heating both elements you are trying to solder together. When done properly, the solder will flow easily between the component lead and the copper. You've made it slightly harder on yourself by having such big pads around the components, since it will take more heat from the iron to properly heat up that much copper, but it should still be very do-able. remelt those solder joints and make sure that the solder flows into a nice even and smooth cone around the lead.

[9V]

why can't you see any of my pics? hmm weird...

yeah i kind of screwed it up cos i was thinking so hard to make them hersey kisses look-alike, maybe good soldering technique just comes from natural muscle memory and proper knowledge and endless practice.

anyways, the electronic store that sold me the ON/OFF switch, was a weird small (really) small looking one, the one i built two week ago, had a large DPDN on/off switch... maybe that is the problem?

also i followed every single footsteps in the

http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Library/1355/beginners.htm

yeah...but the NEW additional help from that site, wasn't clear to me (like the layout picture for buidling and the picture for the layout, seems so different), i didn't know what he/she was talking about.

hmmm...... so what now ?

[Jason Stout]

Did you do this?

1) lose the switch completely (put it away to the side unattached) and wire it up connecting the in and out jacks directly to the in and out on the pcb/circuit (two wires to each jack).

Do you know if your jacks are wired correctly? if so how do you know?

Are any the two steps above unclear in any way? if so ask.

My first pedal took much longer than it should have because I had the jacks wired incorrectly; in fact just today I was held up for two hours because a circuit wasn’t working correctly, I didn't have a ground bus connected on my breadboard.

It is worth it! Don’t give up!

[Rory]

If I remember correctly, the PCB layout has an error in the transistor.  The pinout is correct, but the picture is WRONG.  The "C" shape should fit with the triangle of the three connections.  Try turning the transistor around.

[Marcos - Munky]

If you used the layout that is online, there's a error in the switch wiring.

[petemoore]

If yer plannin on doin this, ..I...recommend some kinda EZ and cheep test jig
 Take a heavy enough [open top...RACO large] box to just 'sit', that you can install jacks in, then run a wire through the jacks ground and the 8-10'' to an alligator clip.
 Run 9-10'' wires from the 'hot' or tip jack lugs, each to their own alligator clip.
 Typing...before you add the clips feed the wires through a small card board table [8''x10'' or there abouts]..then add the clips to the wires.
 Poof...your own testing jig. I like edges on the table part so I used a sturdy box and cut it, the poke holes I can jam the pots through [if there are alot of pots I like to do this]...this keeps the circtuit from falling off.
 I like it tall that way but the jacks of course could be mounted on the sides.
 Anyway stick yer board in there and instead of switches and jacks [well you already tested the jig jacks so...] you can tweek the circuit, remove it easily for other debugging techniques or working on...I find circuits I build often have one thing missing...or something, with the clips...pow here's your board no strings attached.
 I loop the 9V battery clipconnection wires through a hole in the  circuit board, keeps the yanking off the solderjoint...course you could get test clips to do that too...
 Just put it together, then test it with DMM beep' to see all grounds are 'made'.
 Then just connect the hot wires clips in the jig [this turns it into a bypass unit, and see that when cables are plugged in, you get continuity between the two cables tips.  
 One of the best debug tech's I use is, 'isolating' or looking/testing one 'section at a time.

[9V]

losing the switch completely... well you see hehe, i don't even know what "Switch" is haha...

and wiring it up connecting the in and out jacks directly to the in and out on the pcb and circuit...

well the picture states that the input jack needs three wires and output needs two.. so i guess this is an error right? shit.....

i see that.. the silver points(on the diagram) on the site i put here, is the 9v/input/ground connections/100k/output...

well, i don't know heh.. if it is correct or not..

and i am going to try that transistor fliping thing, see if the "Cshape" works..


thank you all for all the help..

[9V]

hey guys it works!
turning the transistor around worked! thx rory

but it's extremely crappy, but man! i am happy,

it has this major.. major.. buzz+pop+grinding+beep going sound which Ain't sounding properly and nice,

it sounds as if my guitar is just buzzing, no distortion,

but then 100k works, it can decrease sound's volume, or (is it? tone? volume? dis? this thing has only one knob..) anyways, thanks all of you

only if that loud buzzing noise stopped and distorted nicely...it would be dream come true..

hmm...maybe cos of soldering problem?...maybe them wires? hmm..

oh yes btw.. the input stereo jack has three holes?posts?, and they are labled something like ring? shield? tip? and output mono jack has two holes like shield and tip? which one are they??, i've read it somewhere on the net (actually a picture of it...i forget where it was..)

[Fret Wire]

[9V]

yes that was sort of it,

well anyways, my project has no led light and the switch is dpdn one with six things comes out

so it is like


00
00
00

what will i subsitute the 9v purple line for? when having no middle part?
i put it on the pcb directly

thanx :cry:

[Fret Wire]

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/v2/diagrams/switch_lo_dpdt_std.gif

[9V]

yes thank you

but will it solve my problems?

1) the on seems nice, (actually this is more like octavia/distortion), but when this is off, the guitar goes dead, (no clean sounds)

2) the distortion is not really loud, you can barely hear it

3) it keeps buzzing, and buzzing...BUzZiNZzg

since it's working a little bit, if i would change the wires like the site instead of using the electra link.. i don't think it will solve problems,...will it?

and what would happen to my 100k pot? i don't see them connections..on the site you've told me..

sorry if i am ignorant, and impatient..

thanks again