Why doesnt the circuit work?

[ampp3]

lately i have been working on stomp boxes and simple little gadgets, and for some reason, none of them seem to work.  i know my solder jobs work good because current flows well.  i was curious if maybe i added to much heat when soldering, and if a transistor or diode or whatver got too hot.  would a slightly heated or hot resistor or transistor break?  and if not, would that ruin the circuit and have it not work?  maybe im just wiring it all wrong.  i also dont use any kind of switch on my stomp boxes, that could be a problem too.

[8mileshigh]

Why don't you built the circuit on a solderless breadboard just to make sure it works first, them put it to perf board after.  As a beginner, I like doing this cuz it helps me get it right faster.

8

[R.G.]

Why?

You might search for my name and "Mother Nature".

The real bottom line is that there is a whole complex set of what I call "Mother Nature's Rules". They're really just the physical laws and realities of the universe, but I like to personify that as Mother Nature. If you put things together observing all of the Rules, they work. If you miss any tiny, piddly insignificant part of the Rules, they don't. 

The problem you have is that you don't yet know all of the Rules. This is not because you have done anything wrong, necessarily, you just haven't learned enough of them yet.

The bottom line is: for a known working circuit design, if you build it with correctly functioning parts, and connect it up exactly as the circuit is specified, and power it with the power the design requires, make no extra connections not in the circuit, it works. It is incredibly easy as a beginner to make mistakes of omission or commission without knowing that the mistake has been made.

For instance, circuits won't work if there is a cut-off resistor lead underneath the board, shorting parts together. It won't work if there is an almost invisible thread of solder between two places that should not be connected. It won't work if the battery clip lead is broken inside the plastic covered clip where you can't see. It won't work if the board shorts to the metal case. It won't work if a resistor develops a tiny crack through it. It won't work if you didn't find and download the datasheet for the transistors, diodes, ICs, etc. and hook every single pin up correctly. It won't work if one lead of a part had grease on it and the solder just blobbed around the lead, not really making contact. It won't work if the little spring clips in your solderless breadboard are loose, dirty and intermittent. And these are just a few of the ways it can not work.

So what you have to do is this: limit the possible ways it can not work. Build something really simple, like the Beginner's Project. Read and post in that forum until it works. A light bulb will go on over your head. Every mistake you make, then find and correct, will be tucked away in your brain as a bit of knowledge that you probably won't do again. Don't jump from project to project. Pick a simple one, and stay on it until you get it to work. Don't let Mother Nature have a chance to sneak new Rules in by starting a different project.

You're not alone. A huge percentage of the people who post here - including especially me - have been where you are. The answer is to take faith from the fact that you already know that it's possible to make it work, just like it's possible to dance the tango. You just have to learn the steps.

Can getting things slightly heated kill them? No. Way too hot, like soldering with a Weller soldering iron? Absolutely. The devil is always in the details - and you just have to slog through learning the details.

[robbiemcm]

I've been through every single one of those things, and my Obsidian Overdrive still didn't work. Built the thing a second time using completely new components and it does the exact same thing as the first one. Due to the fact that that's happening, I'm assuming I've screwed up with the grounding some how and done it the same way in both projects. It's now a year later and it still doesn't work, I have however successfully built the Easy Drive.. the other option is that the Obsidian Overdrive's sheer power is frustrating my poor unshielded cable, and this is causing that incredibly loud 'scream' where the pitch varies with the gain pot.

My advice to you, ampp3, is to build some other things. Give the Easy Drive a shot.. breadboard it, then build a real one.. work your way up from there.. I'm yet to decide what my next project will be.

[brett]

Hi.

i was curious if maybe i added to much heat when soldering, and if a transistor or diode or whatver got too hot. 

A rough rule of thumb is to solder one lead per minute for semiconductors (ie for a BJT: solder pin 1, wait 1 minute, solder pin 2, wait one minute, solder pin 3).  Use sockets for all ICs, even if you have good soldering skills.

Also, the body of the device shouldn't get so hot that you can't hold it (ie >70 C).  It only takes about 2 seconds to make a good connection.  Longer times often result in a poorer connection, not a better one.

cheers

[RDV]

My little bit of advice is to never really give up.
You'll see posts of mine where I'll say "forget it, it's garbage, it'll never work", but don't believe a word of it. I never ever ever give up. I'm the Jim Valvano of electronics. I've not failed to at least get sound, yet. I don't plan on failing to either, it's not my nature. I've got a house full of dead horses I'm beating.

RDV