Guitar Fetish MODboards install problems

[Johnny85]

Anyone had a go at installing these?

http://store.guitarfetish.com/modboards.html

I just got the DL-1 "analog" delay.  I want to put it in a sardine can and hang it off the guitar strap so I can do weird things with the delay whilst playing, and use it with all my guitars, and not cut up my beloved Strat.  Here's the delay:

http://store.guitarfetish.com/andeswansoin.html

So I wired up a stereo jack socket to the input hot and input ground, and did everything else just as the instructions said, using the "true" bypass connection on the modboard rather than the buffered output.  Connected the guitar in and the amp out, turned it on and...

Nothing.  Absolutely dead, not even a buzz or hum.  Flicking the switch for bypass lets the guitar signal through to the amp, undistorted, with a small-to-moderate amount of buzz/hum, maybe from the lights in my house.  I've emailed the company but I thought I'd post here too, in case anyone has used these before and had this sort of problem.

This thing cost $67, if I wanted a kill switch I'd have just bought a mini-toggle for a few cents! Plus I'm in the UK, so sending it back is a bit inconvenient (not to say expensive).

So if anyone reading this has any experience with getting these MODboards to work, especially if you've managed to install one in an enclosure of any type, I'd be very grateful for your advice.

Johnny

[slacker]

The most likely thing is you've wired up the battery connections wrong somewhow so the board isn't getting any power. I'd double check that first.

[Johnny85]

Thanks for the response, Slacker.  Battery was fine, connections were fine.  Problem was I was using a stereo jack and hadn't wired it for mono.  I linked the ring and sleeve with a broken-off resistor leg and now it works fine.  I like this delay, it's a cool little product.  Now to eat the sardines and build the enclosure...

[ScottB]

Maybe an altoids tin would work better, I'm not sure how you would put a lid back on a sardine tin. 

[Johnny85]

That's a good point Scott - at the moment I'm thinking of re-covering it with kitchen foil!  It'll be good to be able to get in there easily, for two reasons I think:

first is because there is a trimpot on the board (adjusted with a +-drive screwdriver) that controls the delay level, and I can't modify it to be controlled by a panel-mount pot;

second is because I expect this thing to EAT batteries!

If that turns out to be rubbish though, I'll use a tobacco tin I suppose...

This is probably a stupid question, but what are Altoids?  I saw someone's pictures with a little pedal in an Altoids tin...  Is it some sort of sweet?

[tiges_ tendres]

That's a good point Scott - at the moment I'm thinking of re-covering it with kitchen foil!  It'll be good to be able to get in there easily, for two reasons I think:

first is because there is a trimpot on the board (adjusted with a +-drive screwdriver) that controls the delay level, and I can't modify it to be controlled by a panel-mount pot;

second is because I expect this thing to EAT batteries!

If that turns out to be rubbish though, I'll use a tobacco tin I suppose...

This is probably a stupid question, but what are Altoids?  I saw someone's pictures with a little pedal in an Altoids tin...  Is it some sort of sweet?

Yes it's a brand of mint.  Although Altoids claim to be British, I never saw any the 22 years I lived there.

[ScottB]

Yes, and it was the only tin I could think of with a lid that would be about the right size for the whole circuit and a battery. I was thinking that grounding it would be adequate sheilding. Might have to ground both the base and the lid.

I find this interesting because I was wondering how those modboards worked as well. I don't think I want to go with active components right now though, but I am interested in what I can do passively in the guitar. After all, the tone circuit itself is an "effect" of sorts. I'm going to try and doi some clipping distortion or something. Probably won't be that great but what else is an old BC Rich good for? LOL!

[Johnny85]

Interesting that you should say that ScottB.  I've just finshed a project that I dreamt up a while ago, it's a Ge NPN Fuzz Face mounted inside a cheap (£50 new!) Strat copy. (OK, so not really "passive", but still...) 

Here's some photos from earlier on in the build.  When I take better pictures I'll post in a new topic, hopefully with a sound clip - it sounds amazing!

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/Schematics-etc/DSCF0236.jpg.html
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/Schematics-etc/DSCF0238.jpg.html
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/Schematics-etc/DSCF0240.jpg.html
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/Schematics-etc/DSCF0242.jpg.html

[ckyvick]

did you make sure that the two little switches on the pcb were set properly? and the trimpot turned all the way up?
i did replace that trimpot with a regular 100k pot, but i used it in a stompbox.

[Johnny85]

Thanks for the reply ckyvick, it's all working now - I hadn't wired the input jack plug for mono (d'oh!).

ScottB - have you seen this?

http://guitarheads.net/products/electronics/underdrive.html

It's a passive clipping unit that replaces the tone cap.  I don't know anyone who's used this.