Need help debugging Fuzz Factory

[mcastorena]

Hi, first time posting on this website. If I'm asking in the wrong section or wrong format please do correct me.

I just recently got into this hobby a few weeks ago and started off with this distortion pedal:
http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/21291-build-your-own-stompbox
I didn't/don't have much experience with electronics, the little knowledge I had previously I learned while working with arduinos.

It was really easy to assemble and decided to try this ZVex Fuzz Factory next:
http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/2012/10/zvex-fuzz-factory-compact-layout.html

Took me all day to put it together and when I tested it I got no noticeable distortion not even if I turn any of the knobs. Also when I turn the Gate pot all the way to the right it completely mutes the signal.

I made no substitutions. I took these measurements with my multimeter set on 20V mode

Out of circuit battery voltage: 0.01V (Touched red multimeter lead to postive battery terminal, black lead to ground terminal)

Q1
C - 0V
B - 0V
E - 0v

Q2
C - 0v
B - 0v
B - 0V

Q3
C - 0V
B - 0.1V
E - 0.1V

Transistor voltages were obtained by touching black multimeter lead to the ground battery terminal and the red multimeter lead to the corresponding pin. I'm not sure if I took the measurements wrong or maybe its a sign of a big problem?

Here are two pictures of my board, both front and back:

http://imgur.com/a/i6KAp

Any and all help would be appreciated, I really just wanna start using this 

[bluebunny]

Welcome.

Out of circuit battery voltage: 0.01V

Buy a new battery.

[Fndr8875]

ok, i am no expert but ill tell you what i see, first no sockets on transistors, ive never used GE trannys but have read they are way more head sensitive  than newer silicon ones. Second, cold solder joints everywhere, big blobs of solder everywhere. With basically no voltages on any of the transistors, again im sure there are tons of ppl on here who could tell you what why how and all that jsut by looking, but also the board doesnnt look to good, like it wasnt cleaned properly before built. what kind of solder and soldering iron do you use.. I see on some spots towards the edges or where cuts are its like the pad is partially lifted or burned away. I can spot that because ive done that several times, so id keep using more solder , and keep heating board etc. I think this build is cooked. minus the Trannys youve got like 5 bucks in parts, i dont always use sockets , but ive never built anything w an ic or tranny that cost more than 1 or 2 bucks. Matched fuzz factory GE sets are pricy, and not using sockets and being first build sounds and looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Im not being mean, shit i wasted 2 of those tayda veroboards just doing cuts on m y first build bc i was getting messed up on the Xray thing where cuts are shown on compenent side but are actually one solder side. But if you look you see a thread what to do when it doesnt work, read in there and follow the debug info. but i think at the very least youd be lucky if you didnt fry trannys.

PS There is prob a more helpful guide on the tagboard site bc your using his layout and he includes stip by step pics, and you can see how his boards look, ie solder joints etc.

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?action=post;topic=116692.0;last_msg=1081553

i know your new , but take a second to look around forum, i cant tell you how many times ive read ppl asking where does led go to or there is no vol2 listed , even thougthere is on bottom of layout, the led is under offboard wiring, verytop midde of page by Fault, which is link i poste above. I just say that for |\/|s sanity as ive read at least 100 ppl ask him those things, and hes always very polite, and has put god know how many hours into that site, i just think ppl could find the bar at the top of page with all that info in it. Again no offense just trying to help. I will say ppl seem very quick to correct you in a certain way , kept me away from posting alot of times. but honestly i bet 95 percent of ppl on here w no soldering/ or electronics exp failed on first build or first 10. I did., I fail more than i succeed. partially do to shit tools, bad habits, not a proper workspace, but ive kept at it. Gotta say takes some balls to do a ff w no sockets first build. Anyway if any of that came off as anythig but advice i didnt mean it to. Hopefully those links will help you, id say main thing is to get hose trannys outtta that board and hope they still work. your pots and jack are fine. maybe just practive getting smooth shiney joint with some reistors first, also i never paid attention to or justed flux until recently and when things wont flow a dab or rosin core flux with take care of that in no time. Good luck, pls post back, id like to knowif youare able to salvage build and what the state of the trannys are.

[Fndr8875]

have you looked at the pics? my money is on cold solder  joints and bridges and fried trannys, of course you cant definitvly know that until you have more than  .1 volts of power.

[duck_arse]

Fndr - I'm not having a shot at you, but if you use your meter to poke the board BEFORE connecting the power for the first time, you can "definately know that" without any volts.

mcastorena - also welcome, also not having a shot at you. if your battery is reading 0.01V whilst it is not connected to anything but your meter probes, I would say you are doing it wrong. that particular test is done with the batter off the clip, and the voltage read tells us about what the circuit is doing when connected and you tell us the voltage at the board.


as for bluebunny, well, I'll have a shot at him.

[bluebunny]

Hey, leave us fwuffy wabbits alone!   

[Fndr8875]

lol your an ARSE you know that!, well stranger things have happed that (no offense new guy) but i mean come on look at the board, its one big cold solder joint, with waaay to much solder, meaning hekept flowing and addiing heat and prob burned transistors up

Hes got a multi meter u can see the leads in pics, could start with continuity.



This one of Marks builds and so not fair to compare first time builder to someone with like idk 500.

I downloaded the FF and circled some spots that look to me as solder bridges, cold solder joints( they are darrrk grey, one spot where it looks like a Elecro cap is out of place, the bottom ground line has a lot of solder and and crossing over to the top/bottom of board w no holes. some strips where a cut is called for will just be missing copper for few holes past that, and spots where it looks like solder isnt filling hole. Hard to say could be the angle , lighting, alot of things.



As i keep stating im no expert and i mess up all the time to, but i dont think anything i offered as advice is that far off base. basically you fried the transistors, if you can verify they ar good get them out of that board, do another one with sockets and use less solder, and clean the board and use some flux if sodler isnt flowing so you arent adding more solder and more heat to a joint that ist wetting.