Reverb pedal doesn't work on bypass mode

[soybomb]

Hello

This is my first post here...seems like an excellent forum!  I'm a newbie who doesn't know any of the technical theory of electronics.  Everything I've modded and built has been by following wiring diagrams, instructional dvd, or photoessays.

I'm working on my second pedal ever; it's almost done - The Stage Center Reverb from GGGadgets.  The first pedal I did was the Tweak-O kit from Small Bear.  It worked, so I decided to try something more ambitious.  Here's a link to the Stage Center page:   http://generalguitargadgets.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=43&Itemid=26.
  Here's the wiring diagram I used for it with the true bypass/LED/charge pump:  http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/stage_center_reverb_lo3.gif

I couldn't find caps that looked exactly the same as the ones in their pictures of their finished stage center reverb, so I used radial ceramics where they used dipped looking caps.  They are the correct value caps though.

When I plugged the reverb pedal in for the first time, it didn't work at all (no sound with reverb on, no sound with reverb off). The LED worked, but that was it.  Then after doing some minor continuity testing - I decided to switch around the wires on the "tip" and "ring" lugs on the stereo input jack, since It seems that I never get those right when working with a stereo jack.  I'm forever confused about how to wire these darn stereo jacks!  I ran into the same problem when trying to wire a stereo input jack on an old wurly 206 (ended up just using a mono jack for it).

Anyways when I switched the tip and ring wires on the stereo input jack, the Reverb worked!  BUT, when I turn the effect off there's still no sound at all during bypass mode.  So you have to have the effect on to hear any of the guitar.  Surely there's an easy fix for this?  Is there an absolute solder lug #1 for a 3pdt switch?  Or can solder lug #1 be any lug you want it to be?  Do all 50k pots have the same solder lug layout as the ones in the wiring diagram for the Stage Center Reverb?

I've tested the pedal with a 9volt and with a power adapter...it works with both.  But the clean channel will not work.   I had a mishap when etching the PCB (my first one), so it ended up looking pretty rough.  When trying to debug the pedal the first time I soldered some bus wire all the way down a copper trace because I thought maybe my etching was to blame for the no sound at all issue.

Here are some pics of my pedal.

http://s197.photobucket.com/albums/aa263/soyproductions/?action=view&current=P1010028.jpg
http://s197.photobucket.com/albums/aa263/soyproductions/?action=view&current=P1010031.jpg
http://s197.photobucket.com/albums/aa263/soyproductions/?action=view&current=P1010030.jpg
http://s197.photobucket.com/albums/aa263/soyproductions/?action=view&current=P1010035.jpg
http://s197.photobucket.com/albums/aa263/soyproductions/?action=view&current=P1010036.jpg

[aron]

You probably have the 3PDT wired incorrectly.

See the beginner project pictures:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=970.0

[soybomb]

Thanks for the reply Aron, I'll be studying that link.

Did you look at the link to the SCReverb wiring diagram?  That's exactly how I wired
my 3PDT.  Is the diagram incorrect?  just curious...thanks again!!!

[slacker]

The SCReverb wiring diagram is wrong, you need to swap the brown and grey wires over on the switch. How it's shown on the diagram when you bypass it the input (blue wire) is connected to the output from the board (grey wire) rather than the output jack, that's why you get no sound.

[soybomb]

Thanks for that info slacker!

I got it working last night using a different method, but will try your recommendation now.