HELP UK-Electronic Kit Zentaurus Rev 1.22

[lukasott]

Hello, I'm a complete novice when it comes to electronics and pedals. I purchased this kit as a fun project to delve into pedal making and electronics. It appears that I've made every rookie mistake possible (such as beginning with a circuit that's too complex and mounting the pedal before testing...). Now, I'm uncertain whether this build can be salvaged.

I'm hoping someone could advise me on whether I should discard this attempt and start anew, or if there's a chance to rectify the issues with the pedal.

Here are the details:

• This is the kit I've been working on. https://uk-electronic.de/onlineshop/product_info.php?products_id=1253
• I opted for the true-bypass version (although the true-bypass functionality didn't work as expected, and no audio signal passed through).
• I haven't installed the battery connector.
• I encountered difficulties during the soldering process, which makes me unsure if I may have damaged components due to excessive heat (though I've definitely gained a lot of learning from this experience ).
• When I attempted to measure the IC voltages on IC3 PIN 6, a bit of smoke appeared, and now the circuit appears to be malfunctioning (I'm currently measuring only 1V at the DC-Input, and I stopped troubleshooting after this incident).
• Additionally, I've noticed that the voltages I measured on the ICs are polarized incorrectly.
• I've attached a picture of the board, along with a PDF containing the measured voltages for reference. https://drive.proton.me/urls/RQQJ336G2M#x7GQ36bveqQu

   
   

   

   

   

   

[ElectricDruid]

Welcome!

The soldering needs a lot of work. Sorry, but it's true! 

It looks to me like the iron isn't hot enough, or you're being very over-cautious about applying heat. You need to keep the iron on the joint until the solder *flows* and runs into the joint. I can see on the topside of the board that in almost no cases has the solder come through to the top. If the joints are well-heated, the solder will "suck" into the through-hole and will be visible from the top side too.

The 3DPT wiring looks very iffy. You should strip the wire, then twist the end of it to hold the individual strands together (and maybe even tin them with the iron) before you solder the end of the wire to the switch. Yours look like they've got punk haircuts with little strands of wire sticking out at all angles.

What kind of soldering iron are you using?

If the 7660 smoked, something is up, but until you get the soldering sorted out, I don't think we need to get into that yet.

Don't worry, you'll get there, but it'll need some care and practice.

[MrStab]

+1 on the 3PDT. The wiring itself looks correct, but there appear to be a lot of shorts from frayed wire. If you can clean these up, prevent any pins from touching and manage to get signal in bypass mode, you're one step closer to figuring it all out.

[lukasott]

Thank you, everyone. After reading your responses, I realized that my inexpensive soldering iron is inadequate and has been causing unnecessary difficulties. I have ordered a "Weller WE 1010" soldering station and will attempt to fix the 3PDT switch as soon as it arrives.

[duck_arse]

also welcome. if your IC3 let out some smoke as you say, from the look of the photo, the insides have split the outsides as they escaped, and that IC is now kaput. in my opinion, you would be best putting this build in your specially selected box marked "to fix", and then build an electra boost. or an EA trem. or a dist+, and learn a bunch of stuff. then, you will know what needs fixing on your not-a-klon-clone machine thing.

but we'll help, every step, whether you like it or not.