Tonepad Wah Wah Troubleshoot

[The Rocket From The Tombs]

Here's the schematic: http://www.tonepad.com/getFile.asp?id=114 I followed everything to the diagram. I used the 33k resistor instead of the trimpot. The only irregularities may be that some of the resistors are smaller/bigger. Here's the wiring diagram: http://www.tonepad.com/getFile.asp?id=76

Voltage at the circuit board end of the red battery lead = -0.25
Voltage at the circuit board end of the black battery lead = 8.04

Q1
C= 0.00
B= -0.14
E= -0.16

Q2
C= 0.00
B= -0.10
E= -0.15      Note: The voltage readings for the transistors slowly decrease; If I measure them again the voltage only goes back up to what I let them drop to. Not sure if that's normal.

Z1 (zener)
Banded end= -0.23 (Voltage also drops)
No Band= 0.00

I appreciate any help!

EDIT: The problem with the pedal is it buzzes on wahwah mod or in bypass, no guitar can be heard. Just buzzing.

[pinkjimiphoton]

Here's the schematic: http://www.tonepad.com/getFile.asp?id=114 I followed everything to the diagram. I used the 33k resistor instead of the trimpot. The only irregularities may be that some of the resistors are smaller/bigger. Here's the wiring diagram: http://www.tonepad.com/getFile.asp?id=76

Voltage at the circuit board end of the red battery lead = -0.25
Voltage at the circuit board end of the black battery lead = 8.04

well, for one, your battery is backwards if those are the voltages you're reading.

Q1
C= 0.00
B= -0.14
E= -0.16


Q2
C= 0.00
B= -0.10
E= -0.15  

effectively, you have no power supply. did you re-do this thing finally, or are you still trying to get that last board working?
the board in your previous threads has too many fatal errors to work, and this one...at the least...
means your power supply is hooked up backwards.

   Note: The voltage readings for the transistors slowly decrease; If I measure them again the voltage only goes back up to what I let them drop to. Not sure if that's normal.

sounds like you're seeing the effect of some of the caps charging slightly from the meter, then bleeding thru the meter to ground.
methinks something is mega wrong, b'rah

Z1 (zener)
Banded end= -0.23 (Voltage also drops)
No Band= 0.00

I appreciate any help!

EDIT: The problem with the pedal is it buzzes on wahwah mod or in bypass, no guitar can be heard. Just buzzing.

from the stuff you posted, i'd say at the least your battery is backwards.
also, most likely, you have an open circuit still.

if this is the same layout you used before, you probably need to strip it and chuck it.
irregularities?

resistors smaller or bigger? you gotta bout a 20% tolerance. if outside of that tolerance, all bets are off.
that means if it says you need say a 100k resistor, anything from 80-120k will probably work.

pics would be good, but please use a legit photo host, that last place you used put some kinda shit on my puter i STILL can't get off. i'd suggest photobucket.

start with reversing the battery. see what you get then....if it works, cool. i don't expect it will tho. the buzz you hear is cuz you have the power supply with + going to where - (ground) should be.

you'll figure it out eventually. sorry to see ya having so much trouble. good luck man.

[The Rocket From The Tombs]

No, I threw out the old circuit weeks ago, this is all with the tonepad wah.

With the resistors, I mean by physical size. Pretty sure that's wattage.

Sorry about that man, I didn't realize. I'll take a few pics but, the board looks nasty. I kept snappin drill bits since the pads were so small and needed real thin bits, so I decided to just flip it over and surface mount the parts.

[pinkjimiphoton]

diggit, if you did that, make sure you didn't mount parts backwards...it's real easy to get polarized components backwards if mounting like that!! 50% chance!!

[pinkjimiphoton]

if you need a verified, working layout to go for, check guitarpcb.com.
you'll have to create an account, but i know barry's wah works, and it will fit in a crybaby no problem.

you can follow the layout guide there to make your own.

or, you may wanna ask the good folks on the forum if someone can help you either lay one out, or maybe etch one for you.

a lot of good peeps here, often a pay it forward is all they ask.

[The Rocket From The Tombs]

Okay, thanks man! I think I might have created an account there a few years ago.
Anyway, here's the photos:


http://s1124.beta.photobucket.com/user/FenderNGibson/media/IMG_02221_zpsb49f2876.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

http://s1124.beta.photobucket.com/user/FenderNGibson/media/IMG_02201_zpsd2dbb90d.jpg.html

http://s1124.beta.photobucket.com/user/FenderNGibson/media/IMG_02191_zps2fa7a75e.jpg.html

http://s1124.beta.photobucket.com/user/FenderNGibson/media/IMG_02181_zps69a8797b.jpg.html

Despite the sloppy wiring, I followed the wiring diagram exactly. The second one down with the DC jack.

[pinkjimiphoton]

sorry, but the pics are hard to see. looks to me like some components may be reversed.
pic 4 has a blue wire in the upper left corner that looks like it's shorting across some circuit traces.

be sure you reversed the pinout from the transistors, any diodes, and the electrolytics.

you didn't answer.....did you reverse the battery connections?
got voltage readings?

[The Rocket From The Tombs]

Sorry, yeah my camera takes really bad pictures. The blue wire in the corner comes close but, it's not touching the traces. I'll go reverse the battery n then I'll post back.

[pinkjimiphoton]

yah, unless you f'd up before, the battery is absolutely backwards.

[The Rocket From The Tombs]

Okay, so I reversed the battery and the result is still a bunch of buzzing. Although, now when I tap on the battery or the dpdt switch it's amplified like the old circuit did.

When I press the switch I hear a loud popping sound from the amp and the buzzing gets a lot louder.

Could this mean a problem with the transistors? I thought I'd put them in backwards so I flipped them around, could that have fried them?

[pinkjimiphoton]

possibly. look at your schematic, and make sure your trannies are right. also make sure all your electros are proper polarity, give us some voltage readings

[The Rocket From The Tombs]

I set the meter to 2000m, because when it's at 20 everything reads: 0.01.

Q1
C= 000 (Assuming C is the side connected to the 470 ohm resistor)
B= 006
E= 007

Q2
C= 000 (Connected to the 10k resistor)
B= 005
E= 008

Ya, somethings charging, cuz the first time I measured I got Q1 C=000 B=005
E=006. Now I'm getting 000, 007, 008. Although they don't go above (000, 008, 009).

4.7uf + = 007  I measured a second time and got 004
4.7uf - = 000

47uf + = 008  I measured a second time and got 001
47uf - = 000

Z1
+ = 002
- = 000

[pinkjimiphoton]

you have an open circuit, there's no connection somewhere. or multiple somewheres.

nothing's really changed, we're talking a couple fractions of a 100th of a volt is all that's showing.

i would start where the power supply goes in to the board, and check each trace for continuity. set your meter on 20volts, not what you have it at (it's showing nothing cuz there's nothing to show) and clip the black lead to negative on your battery. start checking voltages from where the + enters the circuit. you should be reading 9v there. follow the schematic. you should be reading roughly half the 9v on the collectors of each transistor. right now, you have no voltage feeding the pedal.

make sure all your traces are good..do a continuity check on every single one. make sure ground is connected to ground.

check each connection to each solder joint. if need be, check continuity at each point from trace side to where the component enters on the other.

you have something majorly wrong here, and the only way to debug is gonna be good old fashioned hard work.

[The Rocket From The Tombs]

When I measure the battery voltage I only get it on the negative battery connection.. I've tried reversing it both ways and measuring and the only difference is the reading will be negative. Which would be the correct way?

[pinkjimiphoton]

if it's reading a negative voltage with the black lead to - and the red lead to +, you have it backwards.

but it would seem to me much more likely you have either an open or shorted circuit. does the battery get hot?

what does it read...pull the battery out, read with red to + and black to -.

you should see around 9.5v there. that's also what you should see at the circuit board. if you don't, you have other issues.
did you check  continuity to see if you have a connection from the positive lead of the battery to the board? and from each component after?

[The Rocket From The Tombs]

Alright, I think I've found the problem, if not one of them. There's no continuity going through the ground or blue traces.

First of all, which way would the current flow through a polarized component? positive side to negative side or negative to positive?

I think the 22k resistor might be the problem, although I measured it's resistance and it was good.

EDIT: With many components my multimeter won't give me any readings for continuity but, when I move the probes around a bit, it'll flash a value really quickly and go back to 1. Does that still mean I have continuity? Or could I have a problem with my multimeter.. it's a cheap one.

[The Rocket From The Tombs]

So, I went over the circuit with an audio probe. And I found that...

* Theres a lot of loud buzzing that only quiets when I touch the metal shield of the guitar cable. I'm guessing that means I'm acting as a ground for the circuit, Although I'm pretty sure I have everything hooked up to ground, properly. 

*  Everything's pretty much flip flopped with the audio probe test, the areas where I was getting no continuity or voltage readings before, now gets signal. The areas where I was getting voltage readings and continuity (the red traces you see on the layout and ground) gets no signal. Anyone know why that might be?

*When I switch modes with the DPDT switch I get signal in the areas I didn't before except it's quieter and very bassy sounding. If I touch anywhere else on the board the signal gets SIGNIFICANTLY louder and at times is extremely gravely or staticy.