Bass Brassmaster help needed

[SonicVI]

I need some help troubleshooting my Brassmaster clone. At first I thought maybe I burned up my transistors soldering them in, but have rebuilt the board using sockets, checked the pinouts with datasheets from fairchild, double checked wiring, looked for solder bridges or broken traces and still can't figure it out.  Here are voltages from the transistors:

V+ = 8.85
Q1
E = 4.22
B = 8.5
C = 0

Q2
E = 2.81
B = 8.18
C = 0

Q3
E = 8.19
B = 8.79
C = .28

Q4
E = 6.96
B = 8.01
C = 0

Q5
E = 8.01
B = 8.84
C = .15

Q6
E = 0
B = 8.51
C = .77

Q7
E = 1.89
B = 8.85
C = 1.28


Any hrlp would be appreciated.
Daniel

[Sir H C]

In general you expect about .7V difference between the base and the emitter of transistors that are operating correctly.  All of your transistors are way off from this.  Are you sure you have them oriented correctly?

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

All the collector voltages are very wrong. Maybe the +9 isn't going to them?
Check the voltage at both ends of the various resistors from colector to +9.
Where are you putting the black lead, when you are measuring the transistor voltages?? It doesn't look like ground (at least, not consistently).

[SonicVI]

I just held the black lead on the enclosure for ground after I checked for continuity between the board and the case.  I definitely had +9 up to Q1. All I get for the output is some hiss which goes away if I remove Q2 or Q3 (per RG Keen's layout) I can't remember which, I don't have it in front of me to be sure. I guess I'll re-check everything again and try what you suggest.  

thanks,
Daniel

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

If you had +9 onto the resistor coming from the collector of Q1 (or indeed any of the collector resistors) then, there is no way you could have a reading of 0 v on the collector!!

the only place you could get 0v, would be on an emitter, if there was no current flowign through that transistor (due to a bias error or being inserted wrongly).

Don't give up though, I've been in worse places & got out.. an inch at a time..

[SonicVI]

Sorry, I'm an idiot, I switched all the collectors and bases, I typed the C's and B's backwards, it should be
E
C
B

not

E
B
C

Not that it solves anything.

thanks again

[SonicVI]

Ok, I figured it out. I went back and rechecked all the components and turns out I had one resistor wrong, but that wasn't the trouble. I also went back and rechecked all my transistor pinouts against the schematic rather than RG's layout and that's where the problem was. I thought the transistor symbols on the layout showed where each pin goes, but apparently the ECB's are just part of the symbol RG used and are not necessarily showing the correct pinouts on the layout. So, it turns out I had a transistor or two in backwards. I suppose I've learned to not believe the ECB's on layouts anymore and should always refer to the schematic instead.  The fuzz is very cool and I get quite dramatic chanes in sound from both switches which differs from the report that one has very little effect on Moosapotamus' site.  So thanks for the help guys. Now it's time to start on the paint job.

Daniel

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

OK! you've got a great effect & learnt something.. it doesn't get better than this
As a wise man once said, "A circuit never misbehaves.. but sometimes it isn't the circuit you think it is."