Complete beginner.

[Mattpaddyjones]

Hi,

Sorry if I've put this in the wrong place. I'm on my first build which is a sho clone from fuzzdog pedal parts and have hit an issue. My board looks neat at the back with no solder touching. I've wired ip the jack sockets and battery as shown but when I plug it in to an amp I get no sound at all. However, if I plug in back to front (amp to input) I get a very quiet signal with no response from the pot. I have no idea what I've done wrong and just thought I'd see if this is (even slightly) a common thing and how to fix it.

Thanks in advance   

[GibsonGM]

Hi Matt, first - welcome!  Glad to have another new person interested in pedal building!  Your experience it totally normal

What you're hearing is likely some kind of 'leakage', probably something not soldered to the right place!  Most of what we do is to find where we make mistakes.  It can take some time, but the more you do it, the faster you get at it.

Go over EVERY part and its connections, be sure each part is going where it should...and that the part is the right value (especially resistors!).

Go here and read this - if you have a meter, you can post your voltages back here, too, in the format given:  http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=29816.0     The info you can give from that page will help us understand what's going on.

When you say you built it - was it a perf board, or a strip board....pre-made PCB with the holes all set for each part?  That info can help, too.

[Mattpaddyjones]

Hi, thanks for your response  its pretty made with holes. I spent a good hour making sure I had everything in the right place, only unsure about which way round I got one of the caps. The solder I've put on just fills the small holes on the back. Thought it was going great until I plugged it in! Would pictures help?

[induction]

Would pictures help?

Absolutely. Hi resolution if possible. Front and back of the board, and the offboard wiring, too.

Welcome to the forum.

[GibsonGM]

+1   Sometimes we make a mistake on wiring the switch, jacks, or one of the pots...

[Mattpaddyjones]

I managed it! I had the diode backwards. Its all boxed up and going to be painted asap. Thanks for everybody's replies. I'll be on here getting tips from now on!

[antonis]

if I plug in back to front (amp to input) I get a very quiet signal with no response from the pot.

I had the diode backwards.

Can you post a schematic..??
(maybe with the reverse placed diode marked..)

[Cozybuilder]

Fuzzdog SHO clone:

http://pedalparts.co.uk/docs/QuietBoost.pdf