multimeter help

[jgelderloos]

so im trying to debug my first pedal and im having trouble with the multimeter. i set it too 20v and put the black lead on the ground and probe with the red but i get 0 all over. if i put the black lead on the negative of the battery then i get about 8.5 everywhere. what am i doing wrong?

[iaresee]

so im trying to debug my first pedal and im having trouble with the multimeter. i set it too 20v and put the black lead on the ground and probe with the red but i get 0 all over. if i put the black lead on the negative of the battery then i get about 8.5 everywhere. what am i doing wrong?

Could be a couple of things. First, are you sure the point you're using as ground is in fact a ground? If your MM has a continuity checker, can you check continuity between your ground point and a nearby point you'd expect to be higher than ground that's showing it's not? Is it continuous -- is there a path from ground to that point?

[Ardric]

Do you first need to plug a cable into the input jack to turn the pedal on?

[jgelderloos]

ok i get readings now with the input and out hooked up.. i just thought i didnt need to do that cause thats what it said in the debug post... anyways ill post my voltage and rename this post after i get them

[axg20202]

Yeah, the debug instructions are maybe not as clear as they could be in this regard for the beginner, although technically it does say 'no input signal' (as opposed to 'connection').     (In fact, there are occasions when an input signal is required for a debug).

If your input connection is hooked up as a switch to send power to the board only when a jack is inserted, stands to reason it needs a jack in it before starting to debug - you need power going to the circuit.