jack's tester - needs tester

Started by duck_arse, March 21, 2016, 10:05:30 AM

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duck_arse

here is a tester, it seems fairly simple, may even prove useful, might even work - it needs someone to test it. it is intended to check that the wiring of the input jack, output jack and DC jack are what and where you think they are.



and for the colour averse, as usual, this:

I think it's used like this -
- do not ground/earth/common the tester.
- disconnect the pedal battery/supply.
- those two things marked 6.35mm etc are standard 1/4" stereo plugs, one plugs input, one plugs output.
- there is also a DC line plug, plug that into your pedals DC socket.
- the PROBE can be any handy, insulated, pointy, needle-type probe. it has an indicator and current limit of its own, to show that something is happening, even if it shouldn't be happening.
- so, poke with the probe and observe the indicators
  * the signal in at the board [fx-in]. repeat for signal out at the board [fx-out]
  * the signal ground at the board
  * the battery-clip negative (and positive, for completeness)
  * the case metal
  * the DC jack centre lug. repeat for the barrel and switched lugs.
  * a direct probe of each socket tip (ring) and sleeve, and each footswitch lug, may prove instructive.

what are all these flashing lights? the probe led should light each time something conducts: when it does, some other indicator should also light. if only the probe lights, either the wiring is wrong, or the wrong thing is being tested. work the F/S for each prod. the tip-in will light when probing the fx-in, and tip-out when probing the fx-out, but neither should light when the fx is (true)bypassed.

probe the battery negative should light the ring connection doing the supply switching, if used. probing board ground - might light ?both sleeve leds/both ring leds/nothing? probing case ground - might do the same. I think this is where the useful crosswiring indication starts.

with the stereo plug(s) in the power-switching jack, the case ground should be seperate from the supply ground, so sleeve and ring should not light together, perhaps sleeve ground doesn't light at all. I haven't thought about how the DC jack operates/indicates.

someone needs to build this, and test it on a proper wired jax set, and note the indicator behaviour, so a proper in-use manual can be written. anyone with any ideas on use or abuse or corrections, please, feel free to add comments.
" I will say no more "