Please help - after a week solid first build still won't go.

[R.G.]

Where the 9V+ lead meets the board it reads 9.19.
Where ground leaves the board it reads 0.

Q1 (2N3904)
C 9.03
B 0
E 0

Q2 (BC182L)
C9.14
B 0
E 9.03

LED + 9.17
LED - 9.19

The voltages say that ground is not getting to the transistors. If it reads 0 where it goes onto the board, it's open going to somewhere else.

The hum/buzz is exactly what would happen if the ground were open.

One thing that works very well in such cases (i.e. hidden open circuits) is to use your ohmmeter to trace out all the paths from the place ground touches the board to where it's used. Like this:
- disconnect power to the board
- clip your DMM (-) lead to the end of the wire that brings the (-) side of the battery/power to the board. Now touch the (+) side to the place where the (-) wire goes onto the board. Should show zero ohms.
- Now go fishing. Find every component in the schematic that should connect to ground, and poke every grounded side of the component with the (+) end of the DMM. Every one should show zero ohms on the meter.
- Now start with the resistors that connect to ground. Touch the (+) lead to the not-ground side of the resistors. Each one should read the resistor value (approximately).

[Naefunk]

Success rebuilding it unbackwards!! ...for a moment.

I went from clean to distorted and it sounded utterly beautiful. Like a million suns exploding in my face. Then I went to adjust the pot and it died. Now it buzzes, oscillates, comes back in drop out all when I'm moving the pot so now I know where to start looking next.

IT @#$%ING WORKED.

Thanks you guys. Now I have a new issue to address but in fairness I did do it as quickly (and efficiently) as possibel given that the whole process took me 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Plus I tried to be smart and jazz up some of the cable work. But - I've done it. This next part seems like a small business of wiring and double checking solder joints.

You guys are the best.

[R.G.]

Plus I tried to be smart and jazz up some of the cable work. But - I've done it. This next part seems like a small business of wiring and double checking solder joints.

You would be **amazed** at how many "it won't work!!" posts wind up with problems with soldering or wiring. High 90's percent.

Congratulations - you're really, really close.

[duck_arse]

Naefunk - my apologies, your cap is indeed the right way round, it's just my eyes are upside down.

I don't think you should need to rebuild the mirror board, did you pull it apart? if it only has those two cuts, which are electrically correct as far as I can see, it should be ok. what you NEED is the circuit diagram, and the transistor datasheets. sit down and work out which way is which, especially with the "L" type transistor. folow the tracks and see what doesn't line up with the circuit.

and then go back and work-out your first mirror build.

[LightSoundGeometry]

Ive been tying to build one of the fuzzes from the vero layouts there on that particular website for 4-5 months now. I am convinced they are not verified , and checked, and may not be laid out properly ..99.9% of the stuff there I try does not work..I think I tried the colorsound one knob and the mosrite each at least 100+ times ..probably wasted a 100 bucks in parts in doing so ..

probably just me - but since the stuff there never turns out, I have been forced to BB myself and now create my own layouts. I still cannot get a fuzz to turn out ..I think its the lack of proper transistors in my case now . I think I can BB a circuit up to 15-20 components now except a fuzz of fuzz type effect. the closet i got was the escobedo tightwad fuzz but it sounds like a distortion and not a fuzz.

If you read a few of the comments, the layout has clearly been built by more than a few people with success. Tagboardeffects is the site for vero layouts, dozens of comments on each layout with successes, debugging, etc. I just looked at the Mossrite that you mentioned - quite a few people commenting on their success, one even saying this was the best sounding layout of a few different ones. I'd first question your building skills, considering you are not only having trouble with vero, but mention breadboard as well, before slandering a website that has done an incredible amount of work for the community without any type of profit.

well help me then man ..and I apologize

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=111736.0


yeah I read teh fuzzrite comments..I have around 40-50 boards I can show pictures of that didnt turn out ..I must be a really horrible solderer

the comp fired up out of nowhere ..love it

it has to be my soldering or some type of off board wiring issue possibly ..but my anger come out in a self projection on the wonderful fellows who post this stuff ..do they have a donate button I can send some cash via paypal to them ? i am overlooking it on there website

[Naefunk]

Thank you everyone here who offered their thoughts and advice.

It now fully functional and sounding noisy as hell. I think I'm going to try a mod with this thing as it sound like a bright distortion and not so fuzzy - although it's quite responsive to tone and volume changes which, when tinkered with properly can give it a gentle fuzz nuance.

If it weren't for you guys I would have taken a much longer and more infuriating time to figure out why this wasn't working.

Combined with the help of the happy folks over at GuitarPCB I got this sorted in a few days.

Today is a great day for America and indeed, the world.

Hail Satan.

Edit- not american or satanist. Just excited.

[deadastronaut]

I have been forced to BB myself and now create my own layouts.

cool, thats a good sign,  it also makes you look at a circuit better too...and be able to tweak is essential imo etc

i breadboard everything now....no more audio ornaments, .

my philosophy, = BB BB BB... = 

[mcknib]

Aye but you're a pro Rob

I've breadboarded a PNP fuzz simple enough one would think can I get the B to work can I F

I've reverted back to NPN fires up first time used countless schematics back to PNP reversed polarity etc...not a sausage...I've never thrown a BB outta my window but I'm getting mighty close

Saying that I'm creeping to success slowly it's at least making a noise now albeit Rangemasterish  worse thing is I know it's staring me right in the face and I keep standing on the many resistors I've changed and thrown around the carpet in my bare feet!

Naefunk this is the very man I mentioned in the gpcb PM re: the Tremshifter and Abductor delay BTW I've not started it yet Rob people keep asking me to make stuff so I've got a Small Clone and a Double Tubescreamer with Blend to make and I'm on it I've been dying to get it done got all the bits apart from maybe a coupla resistors but hopefully they'll be somewhere's on the carpet and not out the window!

[LightSoundGeometry]

I have been forced to BB myself and now create my own layouts.

cool, thats a good sign,  it also makes you look at a circuit better too...and be able to tweak is essential imo etc

i breadboard everything now....no more audio ornaments, .

my philosophy, = BB BB BB... = 

got everything all worked on breadboard; and my very first vero layout. the lug 3 & lug 2, input, ground and 9v are not hooked up and its untested but after going over it visually, it looks like it will work.  needing to take a break, I will finish it up and test it tomorrow ..hoping it works! here is a pic of the top side














GE or SI  both worked and sounded best with what I had on hand using a bc108 unknown beta of 76 and a GE unbranded unknown beta of 40-50 while on the breadboard . i didnt bother to check the leakage of the second one because is sounded grrrreat lol !

thank you! the vero has 4 track cuts, 4 links and is 13 x 15 on my very first try lol ! I bet I can shrink by a row each way, or two, with some more practice.


two of those cuts do not need to be there, but put in case I needed to us the tracks in that area, it was sealed off from the other side of board. the other two are where the 2.2 goes to the 500K pot and back in from lug 1 - lug 2 to 50K lug 3, 2 output and 1 to ground

[mcknib]

Good luck LGS hope it works and wear slippers in case you throw things around! good idea to take a break as well my neighbours must think I'm nuts some of the things I shout out very loudly in frustration think I've called myself every effin expletive known to man, so it's always a good practice to stop and go back calm to revisit any potential problems of which I hope you have none.

[deadastronaut]

^ yeah been there too...swearing a lot is great..i usually swear at my cat..

i'm off to bed after breading 2 different cab sims....test tomorrow...nite nite..

@LSG hope it works out man..