Silent Tube Reamer

[audioguy]

Built a Tube Reamer tonight- using Gringos layout at R.O.G.- and it was silent- well My first test the volume was REALLY REALLY low...  I found a bad grounding job, fixed it and then it went silent.
So I threw together another one- using the colorful diagram at R.O.G. and got even less- total silence from begining to end.
not a single item was used twice (except the pots)- the first build had a RC4558 and the second had NTEs 741 equivilant the NTE 858m.
I've gone over every connectoin with a fine tooth comb and it all looks good. I dont have any test equipment to take any measurments, so thats a bummer.
The only cap value that I did not adhear to was the 0.05 at the input- I couldnt find the 0.05 so I went with a 0.047 Might that be my problem?
Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Audioguy

[Alex C]

I'm not familiar with this circuit or that chip, but I can tell you that substituting a .047uf cap for a .05uf is no problem at all.   Sorry, that's all I can tell you.  

Alex

[audioguy]

I didnt think it would be a problem either..... then I tried removing that cap altogether, same problem.
I was just in the shower thinking... I had the Same problem building an Orange Squeezer with the 4558 chip- totally silent, everything LOOKED good, but wouldnt give me a single note. I havent revisited that build to troubleshoot it. Im guessing the problem is me some how- but I'll be damned if I can figure out how.
Maybe I'll try using sockets for my next attempt- it might be easier to TS that way.

Thanks

[Transmogrifox]

It sounds suspicious of either

1.  Your interpretation of the IC pinout is wrong.
2.  You put the chip in backward.

Take a 1/4" jack and solder some wires to it (ground and signal) and stick your output plug (to amp) in it.  Connect ground to the circuit ground (just twist it around something) and plug your guitar into the input of the circuit.

strum your strings and let them ring then start probing the circuit with the signal wire from the jack.   Start at the input jack and make sure it's connected correctly (ie, is there signal coming into the input of your circuit?), then move to the base of the first transistor, then the emitter of the transistor, then probe the input of the first op amp...and so on until you find out where you stop hearing the signal coming through.   When you find the place this happens, then double, triple and even 89 times check wiring and things.  If you don't find anything, forget about it for acouple days and come back to it fresh.

[petemoore]

Of the two opamps you mentioned. one is a dual the other is a single///sorry Just checking, 741 wont go in a 4558's  Socket..

[petemoore]

You indicated 'non-use' of socket for the opamp, therefore I'm wondering if soldering heat didn't get to it during installation.

[Athin]

what Transmogrifox suggested was to make an audio probe (geofex.com), though I'd add a cap in front. You don't want DC in your amp. (yeath, I know it probably has a DC-blocking cap already, but just in case it doesn't)
anyways - any progress?

[audioguy]

I havent had a chance to work on this project any over the last 2 days... maybe later tonight-

The possibility of not having the chip in correctly is a very good one- however how hard can the layouts and photos be to understand? The red dot, notch, or other small circle on the layouts indicate the small circle or notch on the chip- correct?

I'm rather certain i have not over heated 3 different chips rendering them all useless- I might be new to this, but not that new.

Thanks for everyones help!

Audioguy