ampeg scrambler led problem

[drock4]

hey all. i just put together a tonepad-pcb based scrambler. i got it to work on the first go, sounded great too, couldn't believe it... but had problems with the led/socket. the led wouldn't light up for more than a second at a time and with lots of fiddling (i used this: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/VCC/CNX310220/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtEjy7lsqBi5fpvZ8ZsFxxnOvWA7JqHJJA%3d ). it's very possible i just didn't know how to use the socket correctly.

anyway, the pedal sounded perfect, with volume at perfect unity with the blend knob all the way down, with or without the led in the socket. i should've just let the led be, but tried to solder it in without the socket to see if it would light up then. well, it did, but the volume drop was enormous and the fuzz disappeared. i tried putting several different resistors in front of the led's positive lead, including a 220k, as was built into the socket, but to no effect.

i used tcobretti's wiring layout, which worked wonderfully when i was still using the socket:
did i place everything correctly? shouldn't it all work fine without the socket? i would just put the socket back in but it's a bit damaged now after i tried doing so much fiddling with it...

have i got the wiring correct? i have it just like in the picture above, with a 220k at R1. any suggestions at all would be really appreciated.

thanks!
derek

[PRR]

That picture shows several ground pads; the GGG picture shows just one. So I don't know what you did. It sounds like you connected it to a capacitor.

Try another LED. (Pop 'em out of old computer cases, VCRs, etc.) There are a few odd LEDs that blink or do other tricks; you want a dumb LED.

The resistor should be 470 ohms (Yel-vio-brn-gold) to 1K (brn-blk-red-gold). Not 100 ohms, not 220K.

Try LED and 1K resistor directly to a battery (get ALL your stompbox work out of the picture). That will prove the LED works. Then add the LED mount, though I don't know how it could go wrong except by shorting-out.

Wire it in the pedal direct TO the battery "-" lead -after- the jack-switch. So you know where it really goes. (Also this reduces pop from LED turn-on bumping-up the "signal ground" wire.)

[drock4]

thanks so much for the help... but it still doesn't quite work. well, the led lights up now, but the sound coming out of it all is the same, exactly. really quiet and no fuzz. any other ideas?

[drock4]

fixed! was missing a ground. thanks for your help.