Noisy Cricket - Fried?

skateboardnorth · April 22, 2015, 10:23:55 PM

Hey guys, I'm new to building electronics. I built a Noisy Cricket and it worked perfect....until I think I fried it. I had it sitting on my table(no enclosure) and I was playing it when it suddenly cut out. Now when I turn it on and plug in, it makes strange noises. I think it might have come into contact with metal(my table is full of junk) and probably fried something. I just want to know what might have fried, and what should be the first thing that I change to get it working again.

Here's a video of it. You can here a strange pulsing feedback http://youtu.be/0jPiuSQYJj8

Here is the schematic : http://www.beavisaudio.com/Projects/NoisyCricket/DIY/NoisyCricket_Mark2_BuildGuide.pdf

canman · April 22, 2015, 11:16:01 PM

Do you have an extra LM386 you could pop in there? I fried mine when I accidentally plugged in the wrong power supply...threw in a new chip and it fired right back up.

If it was working before and now it's not, look for maybe a connection that came loose as well. Probably not the case if it was just sitting there, but worth a check.

Did it get bumped at all while it was on your table?

skateboardnorth · April 23, 2015, 12:10:49 AM

I'll grab another LM386 tomorrow to try. They are cheap and always good to have around. Doesn't seem to be any loose connections. There is a lot of junk on my table so it may have shorted out on something. Thanks for the suggestion.

canman · April 23, 2015, 12:13:04 AM

Have you checked to make sure something isn't stuck on the solder side of the board? Maybe something is stuck to a couple connections causing a short?

skateboardnorth · April 23, 2015, 12:37:14 AM

Yeah I checked that. Made sure there is nothing touching that shouldn't be. I'll start with the LM386 like you suggested since it's the easiest to swap.

canman · April 23, 2015, 02:32:19 AM

Hopefully it'll fix the problem...good luck! Keep us posted!

Brisance · April 23, 2015, 03:17:51 AM

Quote from: skateboardnorth on April 23, 2015, 12:10:49 AMThey are cheap and always good to have around.

Dunno I think their sound pretty much sucks. I bought a tube of 50, used a few, don't want to anymore.

skateboardnorth · April 23, 2015, 01:43:22 PM

So it did turn out to be the Lm386. So happy it's working again. I'm going to finish the enclosure this weekend so I don't run into anymore problems.

skateboardnorth · April 23, 2015, 01:47:20 PM

Quote from: Brisance on April 23, 2015, 03:17:51 AM
Quote from: skateboardnorth on April 23, 2015, 12:10:49 AMThey are cheap and always good to have around.

Dunno I think their sound pretty much sucks. I bought a tube of 50, used a few, don't want to anymore.

It's good for beginner projects. I know it's not the best chip out there, but I just wanted a small amp more as a novelty. I'm actually surprised how good it does sound through a proper speaker cabinet though. A few of my friends want me to build them one now.

karbomusic · April 23, 2015, 02:11:26 PM

Quote from: skateboardnorth on April 23, 2015, 01:47:20 PM
I'm actually surprised how good it does sound through a proper speaker cabinet though.

Absolutely. I designed my own LM386 amp and a real cab is a must. I run a marshall 2x12 with mine and is my main home practice amp. It's not my tube amp but it wasn't supposed to replace one, albeit sounds great when running my pedals through it.

skateboardnorth · April 23, 2015, 02:34:52 PM

Nice. Yeah I have played it through a 2x12 and a single 12. Sounds great on both. The noisy cricket version also has a great range of tones, and a "grit" switch. It's pretty versatile for what it is. I have only run a delay through it so far.

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Noisy Cricket - Fried?