Here's a new one for me...

[hairyandy]

So I built a Rangemaster for a friend, my second as he broke his first one (don't ask--I still haven't seen it yet).  I've literally built about 40 of these things for people and I pretty much have the build process down now and can make them pretty bullet-proof.  That being said, I couldn't get this one to work to save my life.  There was continuity between ground and positive somewhere and I couldn't find it and I was just about going insane.  What was REALLY killing me is that this is such a simple circuit and I couldn't find it.  At this point, my soldering skills are pretty darn good (if I do say so myself) and I only use good parts (Switchcraft jacks, good pots, teflon wire, etc.) so I didn't think there were any errors there.  I checked everything over and over and over again and it all seemed fine

I finally pulled the LED (which wasn't lighting because of the short) to test it with just the battery.  It didn't work.  I just happened to have another battery sitting there so I tried using that.  It worked!  WTF?  So I'm thinking "WTF?" and I grabbed my meter and sure enough, the original battery that I had in the pedal HAD THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE TERMINALS REVERSED INTERNALLY!!!!!!!  I shit you not, I was so surprised that I almost fell off my chair.  I have never in all my life, at least that I've known about, experienced an internally mis-wired 9-volt battery.  Has anyone else?  Now granted, these are not Duracells.  They're Everking carbon batteries that I bought off Ebay very cheap, thinking "maybe I'll try using some non-alkalines instead".  I bought a case and they have all been great up until now.  How weird is that?  The bad one had a full charge, it was just backwards.

Now I think I've seen it all...at least most of it.  I instantly made a mental note to not ever take any of these batteries out with me to use at work!  I could just see me blowing up my Sennheiser In-Ear pack in the middle of a Sheryl gig...



Andy

[Dragonfly]

superb ! 

the battery gremlins are hard at work !

AC

[puretube]

How weird is that?

that is toooooooooooooooooo weird!!!

"never trust a batt off eb*y" 

(sorry, I really had to laugh - hey, and while reading, I expected which solution was coming up...
Glad, though, it didn`t happen at a Sheryl gig!).

[Mark Hammer]

...And unfortunately, the traditional "tongue test" can't tell you if the clip be flip.

[Peter Snowberg]

WOW! 

I've never seen that one either. I guess no Everking batteries for me.

[Meanderthal]

 Everking? I bought a case of Kingever batteries off ebay cheap... No problems yet, but I'll keep an eye out for this. Thanks!

[hairyandy]

Everking? I bought a case of Kingever batteries off ebay cheap... No problems yet, but I'll keep an eye out for this. Thanks!

Whoops, you're right they're Kingever!  I got it wrong, too many years spent reading Tolkien and that's what happens, you confuse yer Kings and Evers.  Make sure you meter them all!!!

Andy

[markm]

 
UNBELEIVABLE.

[MartyMart]

WIERD !!  BUT HEY, you can just switch the red/black battery leads around !!