Blue Box - octave problem

[duck_arse]

well, now, if Q1 collector is 0V, either it is not connected to R1 and the 9V at its other end, or te transistor is turned ON all the time, pulling that end of the resistor to ground. and the collector signal does ALL the clocking of the 4013 and provides the drive to one of the outputting transistors.

so, if pin7 of IC1 is showing an AC signal, it's not making it to Q1. check/remove/replace R7 and R9. check the solder connections and the copper traces to Q1 leads.

nearly there! then you can come and fix mine.

[Mario44]

KILL ME
I had NPN's turned 180 deg. Now they are all in good orientation. I don't know how I did it. However they are put the right way now and effect is still the same.
This is what I got with my audio probe. Q1 makes connection between all lugs, so it comes to ground and signal does not go through this part i marked in red. Everywhere else it goes.
The only sound I can hear all the time is that one coming through rectifier.

http://imageshack.com/a/img31/9187/hbpe.jpg

[Mario44]

And the winner is Q1. I took the baster hell out of my PCB. I checked continuity between lugs and here we go.
Got replaced this with new one and plugged into amp with my guitar.
WOAH! THIS ROCKS!

So basicly 2 things were wrong. Transistors orientation + meanwhile Q1 got toasted.

Now. What's happening to Your board? Can we see the pictures?

[duck_arse]

hooray! I was sure I asked about those transistors. oh, well.

mine? it was only on the breadboard, and somewhere between the theory and its application, my frontend was NBG. amplified so much 50Hz hum that it clocked the comparator as soon as the signal decayed. the parts have been spread to the four winds already. I've just drawn out a circuit for the roctave, start wrecking that tomorrow.

so, now you're the blue box expert, and well done. have you checked the f/2 switch option? it is also a fairly simple mod to add anothe transistor, pot and 56k resistors, and you get fuzz level, f/2 level AND f/4 level. let me know and I'll draw it up for you.

[Mario44]

I made 1 octave down mod too, it sounds better on lower notes. And yes, You could draw that, because I can't see that mod with another transistor.
I'm also wondering now how to switch octave down to octave up, or divide octave to for e.g. half octaves, so there could be some harmony.

[duck_arse]

above is the part circuit, with the mods. I've tried the extra transistor and extra pots, and that part I know works. you'll get some real junk outta that. the 4017 section is from the anderton mods for the rocktave, and I haven't tried that part, but don't see any reason it wouldn't work here.

the part numbers that match the tonepad circuit are the same parts, my added parts have all weird numbers. I got carried away. let me know how you go and if you try the extra.

[edit:] added img tags

[Mario44]

Ok, cool. I will try to built these extra mods. Just got me a breadboard, so this time breadboard goes first. Just one question.
Do I have to cut paths on my PCB or I can leave them and just plug in wires to R15/C8 and R7/R9 points since I'll no longer use PCB's output but this modded output? Can that affect the final sound
And btw, You didn't draw tone mod which is actually good thing

I need to buy few parts yet and give me several days or more because I don't have so much free time now.

[duck_arse]

exactly correct, I not draw tone mod. I didn't try it. no cuts on your board! I put those "to somewhere else" points so I wouldn't have to draw the whole thing. you only need those high numbered parts in addition to what's on your pcb and rearrange some pot wiring. I should also have a pull-down resistor on the IC22 clock line, as it is cmos. put a 1M to ground between R1X and pin14.

the jumpers drawn are not really necessary, I put them there to show where the divide by ten would be inserted. now you have breadboard, the world is your oyster! let me know any probs.

[Mario44]

Well.
I finished building this thing on my breadboard and I think there are more mistakes now.
I've got a nice motorboat while not playing and while playing nice distortion but with no octave again 

[duck_arse]

well, you're an expert at debugging this by now. what did you add/subtract from the original?

[Mario44]

I used 100k pots except vol pot which is 47k. Got addded that 1M from pin11 of 4017 to ground and Q1 is bc547 - rest 2n3904

[duck_arse]

well now, you know that the pinout of the bc548 is the opposite of the 2n3904, so I won't bother you with that.

with your signal to the input like we did before, check for a voltage on the ac range at pin14 and pin2 of the 4017. also check if you have those link connections made right, and check again for a reading on ac at pins 14, 13, 3  and 1 on the 4013. after that, it's checking the rectifier output and the collector voltages of those transistors, same as before.

the pot values shouldn't really matter in this config, IF you have them all wired correct.

as for the motorboating, I had a wiring mistake when I did on breadboard, and when I fixxed that, I'd get 50Hz hum picked up in the first stage, amplified enough to trigger the rest of the circuit AT ALL TIMES there was no signal. a dying note would just change to 50Hz at a certain point. and I couldn't fix it, or find why it was. so, if you have anything like a soundcard oscilloscope, or and iphone "app" or maybe even a digital tuner, you could try and measure the frequency of yr m/boat. if it's 50 or 60Hz, well, there is always the rocktave.

[Mario44]

Nah. I'm gonna do it myself.
Your motorboating is different than mine. Yours was on op-amp stage I guess, but I dont have opamp stage on my breadboard but only octave thing. I will rebuild this thing starting from 4017. I wan't to check how it will work alone, so Q1 Q2 and Q3, 2 100kpots and 4017 should make it, then if it will work, gonna add 4013 back.
BTW

I noticed that on stock version sometimes when I hit the string really first sound became octaveup and then came octave down - not everytime but it happened. Any ideas, is it normal or maybe there should be more/less gain?

[duck_arse]

octave up? maybe. frankly, the whole thing sounded a giant metallic clanking racket to me. and with the 1/2 and 1/4 controls, it just goes more so.

digital stages shouldn't motorboat. that would suggest an input or an enable or a set was left floating. ALL inputs on a cmos chip MUST be held to either high or low. as long as your input into the first digital stage goes "high" enuff and "low" enuff, the digital stages will look after themselves.

with yr stripped version, no rect, connect the tops of R13//R214//R14 to positive. you can then clock through base of Q1.

[Mario44]

I've done this mod now and still nothing, same motor.
I will have to leave this crazy effect for this moment and hop to tubescreamer. I'm recently gathering effects for my one multieffect and I just need overdrive.

Did this and with 9V for r15/c8 - also nothing