Tonepad 301 flanger build... not working. Help anyone?

[Morocotopo]

Hi, the time has come, my first not-able-to-make-it-work build 
Built it yesterday, got sound but distorted (not effected). When I moved the vr102 trimpot, the sound cleared, but got distorted again in a moment. In some moments I think I heard some delayed/effected signal, not really sure, but never quite flanged. I started testing voltages and audio probing it. There was signal at some points. Not sure exactly where, I was testing semi-randomly, mostly at the audio IC´s ins/outs. Eventually, the voltage regulator started heating to the point of too hot to touch, and I managed to break one of the pins. New regulator (MC78L12ACP), does the same thing, it heats up very much seconds after connecting power. I could test that at the regulator output pin I get about 1V (at the input about 17V, using two batts in series), before disconnecting power in fear of frying something.
The question is, if the regulator is working OK, what coud cause it to overheat and not supply the correct voltage? I checked for solder bridges with a magnifying glass, pretty sure it´s not that. Reflowed solder. Tested the PCB traces for continuity when I etched it. All caps are 25V or more. Checked continuity with the board populated between component points. Checked ground points are grounded. Checked component orientation with the datasheets, including the regulator.
If anyone can help, it will be very appreciated.

Thanks

Morocotopo

[Morocotopo]

Oh, I forgot, I used TL062´s instead of TL022 for the opamps and 1N4148 instead of 1N914 for the diode, but I don´t think that would make a difference.

[Mark Hammer]

If it makes you feel any better, I've never been able to get mine working either.

[Morocotopo]

At least I´m in high company... Frustration is more bearable when shared...
Did yours had the same behaviour (overheating regulator)?

[Aharon]

MAke sure Q106 (PNP) is oriented right, I think the original layout had this reversed,mine got stuck there too but it's working fine now.

Aharon

[Morocotopo]

When retesting today, I realized that other components of the circuit were getting hot also, so, looking around those parts I found out that I put a 2N3906 in place of Q101 (2N5088). Those little black bastards all look the same...

Dumb? Who? Me? Noooooooo, you must´ve mistaken me for someone else....



Hopefully I didn´t burn anything else.
Hopefully that´s the ONLY cause for it not working.
Corrections and testing later. Report after.

Morocotopo (yeah, you know him, the dumb guy who can´t even get his transistors right... he thinks he´s such a great FX builder...but ends up crying for help at the forum...)

[Morocotopo]

Hi, updates:
I not only used the wrong transistor for Q101, I also had IC 102 the wrong way around!
No wonder the voltage regulator got hot...
Once corrected, it kind of works, but the problems continue....

The output sounds distorted, not in a overdrive way, more like white noisey. The level is lower than the direct signal, and I think it has less bass, but because of the nature of the FX, it´s hard to tell.
When I move the VR102 (bias /6V trimmer), the sound cleans up, but in a few moments it gets distorted again.
At the junction of R121/C114 I get clean (not distorted), flanged sound.
All pots do what they are supposed to do, so, the LFO works, the MN3007 too.
IC 101: I - think - here may be the problem:
  at pin 7 (1 in the schem) I get gated, loud, distorted sound / 11,25V
  at pin 6 (2 in the schem) I get clean, flanged sound / 5,75V
  at pin 5 (3 in the schem) / 5,97V
  at pin 8 / 12,03V
  at pin 4 / 0,00V
Here´s the weird part: when I touch pin 6 with the DMM red probe set to DCV 20 scale and the black one to ground, the sound cleans up...why?
Tried swapping the IC for another: no change.
Anyone can help me? It´s frustrating, the thing ALMOST works. Grrrrr. Could I have fried something with my previous mistakes?
Since the FX kind of works, I believe the problem is in IC 101, the last op amp before the output.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. I don´t know what else to test/do, I guess the next step would be to start replacing components, but I do´t know where to start...

Morocotopo

[Aharon]

I would check for a wrong value resistor and check the board against a bright light for solder bridges/blobs.
Aharon

[Morocotopo]

Thanks Aharon. I tested everything I could think of, visual inspection with a magnifying glass under very bright light, solder bridges, values, orientations, voltages, audio probed it, changed the semiconductors, the IC sockets, prayed to the gods, cursed in several languages...
The audio problem appeared after the mixing resistors between the effected and the clean signal (R121/122), just before the last op amp (IC101 before the output). I changed all the components after those, still nothing.

I´m a stubborn man.

This thing will NOT defeat me! I will get it to work! Grrrr!!

So, what to do? Since, after all the testing I suspect the problem might be my home etched PCB (Altougth I tested it for continuity and shorts before populating it) Rebuild that part of the circuit offboard!!!!


YESSSSS!!!
It´s alive, Doktor Frankenstein!!! 
How i´m gonna get all that into a box, I don´t know, PCB, aux PCB, charge pump (wich you can see in the photo unconnected yet,  now it´s on two 9V batts in series), wiring, pots, etc... maybe with a Mark Hammer...errr... i mean with a hammer. 

It sounds goood. Even with the alligator wiring mess, it doesn´t tick at all.
Any opinions on what could have gone wrong?
Thanks for the support

Morocotopo