DIY delay low volume

[Maui waui]

G'day I recently build my first stompbox, it's a delay bought it on eBay. When I stomp on it I can hear a very far away effect, but not making any difference in my world.
I read articles on this forum and it looks like I'm so not ready to debug this. I tried to check all connections and components weld, but even testing the continuity with my voltmeter on the back tracks it seems fine.
If someone has a chance to give me a hint to solve this issue it would be greatly appreciated.
I asked to the eBay supplier and he told me could be the transistors faulty.. but I don't know how to test them.. so at the moment I didn't follow that advice because the effect is there just very low volume.
Cheers

[GibsonGM]

Hi Maui,  welcome to the forum.

Well, maybe the transistor, if it got overheated when soldering.   Do you have a digital multimeter?  We can walk you thru some measurements you can take pretty easily if you do.

[Maui waui]

I do mate . Do I have to desolder it first or I can test it on the board? Thanks

[GibsonGM]

No desolder yet!    Connect your black probe to the "-" terminal of the battery, anywhere that terminal is connected to.  You may find the jacks have one wire going there (ground).  I see 2 ground symbols on the board, in the layout pic, at top.

Carefully use your red probe to take a DC voltage reading, and post it. 

Is there an actual schematic that comes with the kit you can post?  Call me blind, but I'm not seeing a separate "transistor"...I see what looks like a voltage regulator, the 78LC5.     So why don't you measure each pin of the TL072, and post those?  Don't short the legs together!   Might as well give us a battery voltage too.

The notch in the chip is "up"...the pins are numbered from left down 1234  then jump right 5678 up, like in a "U" shape...this will get us started.

[duck_arse]

I'd advise pulling the PT2399 out, because it is backwards in the socket. before refitting it [in fact, don't refit it], check for 5V on the supply pins, because your 78L05 is also backwards to the layout dia. then before that, check ALL your electros, I can see one 1uF deffo backwards, and another cap I think is backwards.

also, welcome to the forum. [where are you that you know the correct pronunciation of gday?]

[bluebunny]

[where are you that you know the correct pronunciation of gday?]

Could be anywhere.  "Neighbours" and "Home and Away" are global phenomena.   

And, yeah, welcome.   

[Maui waui]

Sorry for late answer, I'm in Sydney guys how are we? i noticed the backward components and today i will try to fix them, thanks for that.
About the testing of IC i really would like to give it a go, but i didn't get it...the DC battery has to be plugged in when i test the IC? and the PT2399 has 16 legs, the first (+5v)is the reference to check all the other legs, one at the time and record the value?
ps
Home and away sucked me in big time, now i finally quit!

[bluebunny]

Yep, apply power to your circuit, clamp your DMM's black lead to a known 0V point (the -ve terminal of your battery or DC jack would be good), then carefully jab your red lead at each of the pins and tell us what you get.  Pins are numbered like this:



Starting at pin 1, you should expect 5V, 2.5V, 0V, 0V, something insignificant x4 (down one side), then about 2.5V all the way up the other side.  But if it was reversed earlier, then it might be toast.    But making toast from semiconductors is part of the learning process.      Indeed, to avoid more toast, check the voltages on pins 1-4 without a (new) PT2399 inserted.

P.S. Mrs B. has been a Neighbours fan since the heady days of Jason and Kylie.  I stay well away...   I like to think it's not the zenith of Straylian drama...

[Maui waui]

I fixed the two component and the Delay works..i have to admit the lack of focus and my ignorance for sure caused the drama!
Thanks for your help!!!

Ps
just wondering what would it be the next project .... any good pedal you would like to suggest? id like the holy grail or the Memory man!!
is it hard to DIY an amp from the scratch???

[bluebunny]

Any good pedal??  Where would we start...? 

But out of the three suggestions you make, the amp would be the simplest by far.  Particularly if you're hankering after something like a Champ.  But bear in mind that it's also - potentially - the most likely to kill you.

Build some overdrives and distortions... 

[Maui waui]

I'd like to make the EVH 5150 overdrive...is it possible/makeable??? I couldn't find any DIY kit online for sale....Any input or advice? maybe link??

[nonoxxx]

I have seen the board, It will be easye to build a 5150 amp than this pedal , you shoul perhaps take a look at the AMT P1 or P2