Aion Andromeda kit troubleshooting help needed

[Paul D]

Anyway I really do appreciate the time and effort to help me.  I didn't realize that Aion had no real tech support when I bought it.  It is a good kit, great documentation and all the parts were there, .....

we get a lot of questions here, about a lot of companies making kits, like Aion. but he actually does come in here now and then, and will help where he can with any problems. not like stew whatsis.

Yeah I didn't mean to sound disparaging, he seems like a nice dude and has been very helpful over email. This kit is rated as "intermediate" and I think I just overreached my abilities.  My only previous builds have been an Orange Squeezer and a Phase 90 which were both much simpler. Also my eyesight sucks now lol. And again from a quality standpoint it's a great kit, top shelf parts and documentation. The only thing missing is the skill of the builder

[PRR]

my eyesight sucks now

Light and lenses help for about 90% of "old eye" trouble. Decades ago I had four 35W fluorescent tubes over my bench, as well as strong "reading glasses" despite inborn nearsightedness.

[Paul D]

my eyesight sucks now

Light and lenses help for about 90% of "old eye" trouble. Decades ago I had four 35W fluorescent tubes over my bench, as well as strong "reading glasses" despite inborn nearsightedness.

Yes definitely! I have some 3-for-$20 +1.5 CVS readers that I use for daily stuff. I found I was still struggling to see the board when soldering so bought some +2.75s that helped immensely.  I also bought one of those 3rd hand things with a lighted magnifying lens which is a PITA to use but also quite helpful at times.  Once I got all that going I could actually see how horrific my soldering was with the +1.5s lol.  I think I probably damaged the trace using a little pick tool to make sure none of my pads were bridged. Oh well it's a learning experience.  At this point my hope is to get it working well enough to know if I like it enough to buy one, since I don't think I would trust my work on a gig. 

[PRR]

1.5 power readers are for reading a book in the hand in good light.

Even tube amps need more than that (once you pass 20 or 25).

I have 3.5 lenses which let me get close/big. I have flip-down 2.0 which clip on my 1.75 book-readers making well over 3.7.

Light absolutely is the other helper. If you force your pupils to pinholes (not with just drugs!) most things come to focus.

[FiveseveN]

So how's that bodge wire coming along?

[Paul D]

So how's that bodge wire coming along?

I finally got a few minutes last night to fool with it and just fired it up...and IT WORKS!!! Sounds incredible too, quiet and dynamic, extremely cool OD pedal.  I can't thank you enough for your help and patience while I got this sorted out. Honestly I was one step away from throwing it in the trash out of frustration. Made tons of mistakes mostly through impatience and stubbornness, but learned alot in the process.  I'm not sure if I'll try another one or not but at least I've got a working pedal to show for the embarrassing number of hours I spent hunched over this thing with a headlamp and readers on lol. Kudos to you and all the other kind souls on this site who generously give your time helping people like me who probably have no business doing any of this! Take care....