Help with hummmmm problem, Please..

[zapzap]

Hi there my name is stu.
I know a bit about electronics and i just made my first ever fx pedal. I'm trying to build "tim escobedo's HARMONIC JERKULATOR" cause i love albini....
Anyways i've built it on vero board and havent mounted it in a box yet. It kinda works but its got HEAPS of hummmmm. I'm running it off a battery. Maybe my leads are too long to the pots(5-6cm)? Also does the leg length off the transistors affect noise? 

is this cause i havent put it in a metal box? Would ferrite beads help......
Would really appreciate help on this one. ta.
STU
zapzap

[smnm]

I haven't built this but putting it in a box will probably help a lot - Tim's circuits are well designed and usually quiet.

5-6cm doesn't sound too long for the wires, but you might want to use screened cable, this will cut down the noise also.
Otherwise - double check values, transistor orientation etc, make sure you remembered the jumper from Q1, post voltages as per the 'what to do when it doesn't work' sticky...

[alteredsounds]

Some 'maybe' helpful things that I've discovered by trial and error:

Are all the ground connections DEF right?

One obvious but big thing, are you testing it anywhere near a possible source of interference? monitors etc...  sometimes the completely un-obvious can be causing noise problems.

Inside a box I think is always a better judge of noise issues.

Maybe not much help but it's things I've come across

[gez]

I've lost the link to Tim's site.  Any chance of posting it so that we can check over the schematic?

As alteredsounds mentioned, could be that your signal ground isn't connected...but might be something else (schematic would help).

[zapzap]

I havent got the schematic. Only the the vero board layout from dragonfly.  I was gonna have a go at drawing it.
Have checked the trannie configuration.
I'm gonna redo the wiring with shielded cable  .... Im also gonna check the earthing cause i noticed that when i touch the strings on the guitar the buzz/hum gets way worse.
Thanks so much for your help. Im a stompbox virgin so all help is appreciated.
Stu

[smnm]

the schematic is on this page (that I seem to look at every other day) http://www.geocities.com/tpe123/folkurban/fuzz/snippets.html - near the bottom

Im also gonna check the earthing cause i noticed that when i touch the strings on the guitar the buzz/hum gets way worse.

- sounds like the cuplrit!

[petemoore]

  Sounds 90% like a ground issue...[which means anything/nothing...you find a ground issue or it's something else...that's how debuggin' goes]

[gez]

Check that the ground wires from the in & out jacks connect to circuit ground, or reflow the joints where they do.