Question on Grounding Wires on Cardboard?

[icepot]

I built this on cardboard, and i am getting no distortion like it should...
I believe the way i made the ground connections that the the diodes get by passed. but im not sure. i'm new to this whole thing.
I connected the ground from both the input and output to the two diodes and the 680 resistor (The pot is also connected to this). Then the middle prong of the pot is connected to the output and then the other end of the pot is connected to the top of the diodes. The diodes are facing two different ways so i know thas not the problem...

here is a try at explaining what i did:


this is how it should be:



thank you for taking the time to look at this.

[dave_neal_59]

Are you getting any gain from the circuit (is it louder)?   Is the sound the same whether the pedal is on or not?

[icepot]

when the battery is not in, you still hear sound, and the volume works, but when you put a battery in the sound changes a little bit... you can't really notice but it sounds fuller. There is no distortion. And it suppose to be a distortion pedal.

Dave:
the volume is the same whether its plugged in or not, when the pedal is on there is only a little change. Hardly noticeable... unless your listening very carefully.


does it sound like i grounded this right? i mean there is no noise whatsoever, but i dont know if i was take the grounds and connect them to both the 680 resis (r1) and the diodes.

[dave_neal_59]

It's OK to have diodes and the 680 resistor tied to the same ground.   I don't think that's your problem.  I suspect you have a short somewhere and are not getting any amplification from your trasistor.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

If the transistor is backwards, it would act as you say.
This might not be the case, but it's the one I'd put money on. Good luck! We've all been there....