First build, need help, dead effect, please, anyone

[panasonic_youth]

alright, i perfed it and soldered it all up.  nothing. no sound.  what do i do? i think it has something to do w/ the output, because when i touch the jack, it grounds out and stops humming, but when i touch the joint leading to the jack, i get nothing. help, please.

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

if it's humming, i'd wanna say check the grounding across the pedal... but look for goose eggs on the jacks. then run over the circuit itself. it's small enough that a thorough inspection should yield prompt results

[panasonic_youth]

well, now ive got it acctually responding to me grounding out parts of the guitar (the bridge etc) but still no actuall modulation.  i re-wired the output jack, the wire was messed up on that. im thinking its my wiring of the pot that would have done it. oh, the longer lead of an electrolytic cap is the + side, right?  also, i dont have it boxed, so im sure that is why it hums. do i wire all the ground points to the dead input prong?

[panasonic_youth]

so! i looked around here and found out how to ground the negative battery lead.  i soldered all the grounds to the dead lug on the input jack, then i searched around and found a picture of some pedals to see how they grounded the battery. i saw that on the big muff, they soldered the lead to the other stereo lug on the in, and then connected that to the dead out lug. i did that, and now all i have is bypass and some wierd christian radio staition. HELP!!!!!!!!

[panasonic_youth]

help.... please?

[petemoore]

alright, i perfed it and soldered it all up.  
 What is "It' ?
 nothing. no sound.  what do i do?
 >>>Check out the debugging pages
 i think it has something to do w/ the output, because when i touch the jack, it grounds out and stops humming, but when i touch the joint leading to the jack, i get nothing. help, please.

>>>The language is too non-descript for me to understand what it means.
 >>>Jacks have two or three connections, 'wrapper' [jacks switches box etc.] wiring pages are around...look at Small Bear Tweek-O build article.   GEO. I always test mine without switch 'n jacks, I use a test jig that has 2 jacks. Also has a ground wire an input wire and an output wire, each terminate to alligator clips which use to connect Cct board to testjig.
 To test to see what a jack does, I use DMM beep mode, plug the cable in the jack then test to see what comes through the jack from the sleeve and tip of the other end of the cable. [I always use mono cables]. Unplug and retest the lugs of the jack...especially demonstrative of how a stereo phono jack [often used for input sourse connection and battery disconnect] works.

[R.G.]

I realize that a first build not working is baffling, but so is
"My circuit doesn't work. Can anyone tell me what's wrong?"

To be of any help, we need to know
(a) what you tried to build, schematic and layout and
(b) what it's doing, in some detail.
As a practical matter, (b) involves getting DC voltage measurements on certain points in the circuit. Otherwise, all we can give you is guesses about things like "if it hums, it may be grounded wrong." Which isn't any help to you, either.

We really need more to go on so we can help.

[panasonic_youth]

sorry, i changed the topic title, it is a thing modulator.  basically i said it all. i wired all teh ground points to the dead (center) lug of a stereo 1/4 inch jack (input) and then wired the negative battery lead to the last remaining input lug and jumped that to the dead output lug. what did i do wrong as far as grounding goes?

[vanhansen]

sorry, i changed the topic title, it is a thing modulator.  basically i said it all. i wired all teh ground points to the dead (center) lug of a stereo 1/4 inch jack (input) and then wired the negative battery lead to the last remaining input lug and jumped that to the dead output lug. what did i do wrong as far as grounding goes?

Yes, that's wrong.  All your ground points should connect to each other on the circuit board itself.  With that done, connect the negative battery lead to the ring (center) lug of the input jack.  Then go from the sleeve to ground on the board.  That's it.  The grounds for your pots should also go to ground on the board, individually.  The tip of the input jack goes to the DPDT or 3PDT, whichever you're using, which then goes to the effect in on the board.

Take a look at the parts layout diagrams at general guitar gadgets.  Those pictures say a thousand words.

[petemoore]

Here's my advice
 1. Read the debugging page
 Identify parts and component labels like tip ring sleeve of jack, and what they do. testing cable and jack as described above tells a long story in a short time, use pen and paper to take notes of continuity/non continuity of jack lugs and cable with cable in and out...[mono jack these should be the same with cable in or out].
 Read GEO [all...but for now] about bypass switching...best way to test bypass switching prowess is with a working cct. Trying to figure out if a circuit works while trying to figure out if bypass wiring works is exponentially increasing your process of elimination, typing about that?...I'm not into it too much...maybe a little...maybe lose the jacks and switch till you get a circuit you know passes signal. Why gangle? by the time you debug the circuit, you may have loose wire, burnt looking insulation...Sw and J's occlude access to the board, increase complexity...bypass switching is and jack wiring should be subject for a different post, IMO, it's like trying a simple [insert key and turn] test of  a automobile starter with a battery that might have a charge....elimination of one of the problems allows one to isolate the possible problem to the other item, at least tell if there is one.
 The reads are available, and can allow a beginning debugger to phrase questions that concisely convey a scenario.
 First debugs can be frustrating, and time consuming. You are learning !!! This is the Silver Lining !! find new ways to apply the DMM during debugging.
 Here's my advice, from one who has a Phuncgnosis 'on the side' by th bench...
 Set that Thing aside, pick a project with no more than 2 components more than the smallest circuit, like NPN Boost in beginner section [Great Sounding Circuit, very useful], it is a great walk through, very educational, and has a great track record for success!!!
 Getting a couple simple debugs under your belt will increase your building prowess markedly, and you'll feel good learning and getting 'em going !!1

[panasonic_youth]

pete, not to be rude, but im not a moron. im not saying that you implied that, im just saying that you didnt make an adequate assesment of my knowledge. update: i re-wired the grounding system, nothing. i have it pretty much figured out: the pots are wired badly, the wire at the joint has all but broken, so i think i'll rewire those a bit later and hope for the best. after that i'll go get the multimeter from the shop (i dont own one, but i can use this) and go from there.

[GreenEye]

Every circuit I've tried so far (only five), I've messed up at first, with such bad results that I had to redo them twice, thrice, and four times until they worked.  Keener minds might be able to look at a circuit and see the faults, but I just need to put it down, take a few days or a week, and do it all over again.  Sometimes, even buying all the parts again and starting from an entirely new board.  Or, at the very least, leave out the switch and LED, and just have the board, battery, and jacks.  Eliminates at least some of the potential problems.  You'll get it....