Aion Halo Kit Issues

[firm_caboose]

I put together my first pedal kit and its not working as it should. The Tone knob is acting up and cutting volume really bad, the sustain doesn't really seem to do much and the distortion is extremely fuzzy and unpleasing. The Mid Cut on the switch cuts a huge chunk of volume, but neutral and boost work correctly. With all that said, the circuit board i got and what is in the documentation is completely different, which is disappointing. The solder connections are solid and don't have any overlap or shorting.

My board vs Diagram
https://dl3.pushbulletusercontent.com/OdAZN9Eba6Yw6CnHynO84LrbTcPuJVmp/20210501_160756.jpg

Back of Board (soldering points)
https://dl3.pushbulletusercontent.com/XIMFWQlNOa0cwIkViBzz2qwrx7ZDfYOq/20210501_155645.jpg

From Side
https://dl3.pushbulletusercontent.com/kbPl6jbyRvn69XVRBZ5AZ2b4hLoHepfr/20210501_155710.jpg

Assembly Instructions:
https://aionfx.com/app/files/docs/halo_kit_documentation.pdf

[antonis]

Hi & Welcome..

You realize that PCB and documentation assembly overview are two totally different cases, don't you..??

[firm_caboose]

I do, that is part of the problem. That documentation is the only thing i have for the kit.

[idy]

Aion apparently is shipping a board for which the docs have not been uploaded yet...

A lot of people use the same numbering for parts, going back to what, KitRae? I recently populated a Madbean Mudbunny while reading the parts list from an Anon Halo. Lucky me they both referred to the same schematic numbers...

What transistors are you using? Think about an audio probe and tracing the signal, finding out where it goes bad...

Interesting resistors you have with the values printed on them! New to me. It should be easier to double check...if we only had the relevant doc.

The earlier version had lists for different models... kind of nice. Odd that's gone.

[firm_caboose]

I am not sure what transistors came in the kit. I just soldered on them on lol.

What tips do you have for tracing down issues. This is my first kit, so i have no idea what im doing.

[Marcos - Munky]

Welcome!

Do you have a multimeter? If yes, then a good start is to measure your power supply disconnected to the board. Then connect the black probe on a ground point of the circuit (any one) and use the red probe to measure the voltages of each transistor leg and also on the +V pad (the one with that 3 white wires connector).

Also check what's written on your transistors, so we can identify them and see if you're using the correct pinout.

Interesting resistors you have with the values printed on them! New to me. It should be easier to double check...if we only had the relevant doc.

I saw those ones before, on photos. Never saw one in real life. Iirc, they're "regular" resistors, but with an added layer of paint and the values printed on them. Very nice indeed.

[firm_caboose]

It looks like the transistor are 2N - 5088 - H35.

When assembling it the Film Capacitors WIMA .01 63  seemed to be the issue. There were 10 in the kit, but spots for 6? or 8? its been a minute since i assembled it. There were a few remaining spots on the board, so i just installed them there.

Also I have another pedal that i put together, and the tone knob is adjust volume, along with the actual volume and distortion. What causes that? There aren't any touching solder points.

I def prefer having the resistors painted, im color blind so the stripes are a nightmare for me.