need help with

[wrs]

Please help me clean off my kitchen counter.  Oops wrong forum.. just kiddin, Can anyone help me figure out/debugg my tycho octavia.  I have read the debugging pages and am confused.  Tried to search here but had server probs.  Well here is the issue.  Works out of box no worrky in box.  I know this question has been done to death. Do I need nylon washers on  all jacks?? Help.. PS This is a great site and I have gotten lots of good info.  THanks in advance.  Alomosot forgot, the project is on my kitchen table and has been for months. If I get it running I can eat again.  Or serve g-friend dinner on a surface not carpeted.

[R.G.]

It fails when you put it in the box because someplace other than just signal ground is touching the box.

You have a couple of alternatives.
(1) Carefully look at how you're mounting it in the box and hunt down what touches, then fix it.
(2) Wrap it all up in insulating paper, tape, plastic, etc. until it doesn't do that when you put it in the box.

You should not need nylon washers on the jacks, but maybe you also have a wiring error there.

Did you by chance use a metal external power jack which connects to the box?
How is the board mounted in the box? Tied down on insulating standoffs? Floating around?

Have you tried putting in all the jacks, but not the board, leaving the board hanging outside to see if it's the jacks and wiring?

[wrs]

Thanks R.G. I am at home now and will review the conx.  Standoffs, yes. No external jack for dc. Have not tried to attach the jacks  and board floating. Will try that. You say somethjing other than signal ground is touching the box Hmmmm.  That brings an idea to mind. First of all the board was made by general guitar gadgets (good stuff) and has a common area on one corner where grounds come together, maybe I have tied a signal ground to something I should not have?  But if that were the case the unit would not funtion at all right? box notwithstanding?



My apologies for the oft asked and oft answered question.  I have read your debugg stuf and A. Nelson's as well.  I have a bit of background with electronics (from waaaayy back so  I am handy with the tools etc.. but much forgotten) I have had great success in builnding diy's before, this one just messes with me.  This site is awesome and been a great help.  Will report back, or should I say will keep bugging LOL you guys here. 

[R.G.]

Just keep building and debugging. Each one teaches you something. It does me anyway.

The only mystery here is what touches when you put it together.

I once had an Austin Healey Sprite. I'm 6' 3" and about 240, so I didn't so much get in it is as put it on. But anyway, that was from the era where ignitions were done by electromechanical contacts in the distributor, and when I replaced the points on a periodic tune up, the dang thing would NOT work. Old points, yes, new points no.

Four solid hours later I noticed that I was putting in the new points with no electrical insulator on the spring and grounding them firmly EVERY SINGLE TIME. Carefully, even.

It's something simple you're not noticing.

[wrs]

Austin Healey at 6 foot plus?? I will reserve comments about dates and small cars.  Anyway, thank you for your time.  YOur suggestions were the trick/knowlege.  Here is what I have discovered:  To recap (no pun) Works out of box.  Insulated the board and tested with all conx attached.  No signal passing in either the on or off setting.  OK.  began removing the conx 1 by 1, testing all the while.  Net result, device fails to operate only when the 3dpdt switch is seperated by the good old atmospheric dialectric. If I touch (thank the big guy that this is a low power small signal device) the switch I get a great big ground hum.  Looks to me like I have miswired the switch.  I used yours and other's wrapper diagrams so I thought it would be correct, but then steps in OPERATOR ERROR. I am a bit dyslexic so reading  diagrams requiires some effort, but I digress.

Here I am now:  Pedal works fine with switch out of box, all other connx attached to case.  If I establish contact with switch housing and enclosure- no signal, if I touch switch housing I get ground buzz.  What to do?  Re-reading wrapper diagrams and everything "appears" ok.  I know something is wrong, I am just missing it but I am on the right track, I think.  Could this be a matter of just de-soldering two conx at switch and switching them solve the problem?  Problem is, which two to switch?  Thank you again for your patient assitance.  One more thing:  the octave is very subdued, not really a problem as the unit makes a great fuzz but is thier something I can do to increase the Fundamental/octave ratio in the output signal? This is a minor problem since you ain't gonna hear an octave if the device fails to operate. 

PS I do not know if you are the gentleman who is involved with a commercial enterprise that produces the BEST distortion/overdrive and chorus on the market but if so, good job, I own them both and looking for the one that refernces my home state Mississippi. Thank you again. WRS

[wrs]

Oops Aron, I thought you are someone else.  Praise all the same. Crow tastes good. For all of the folks who are not familiar with that expression, take my word for it, crow tasts bad.