Questions of a beginner

[greenacarina]

OK, I've finally put a couple things together and I'm at the "why doesn't it work" stage. At this point I just have 2 questions before I start digging in with an audio probe. Here is the circuit I'm starting with- http://aronnelson.com/gallery/album17/EH_MUFF_FUZZ

1. Am I reading it correctly that the "tip" of each jack goes to one another and the "ring" is switched?
2. Is the jack where negative is connected the Input?
Thanks.
Chris

[mdh]

That diagram is a bit confusing, because it's not easy to see which lug is connected to which part of the jack. The sleeves of the two jacks should be wired together, and to ground on the board. The ring of the input jack is typically connected to the negative terminal of the battery, and the tips are connected to the bypass switch.

Take a look at "Jacks" and "True Bypass and Switching" in the DIY FAQ, linked at the top of the page. There are also some good general wiring diagrams on http://www.tonepad.com/ and http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/.

[Pushtone]

OK, I've finally put a couple things together and I'm at the "why doesn't it work" stage. At this point I just have 2 questions before I start digging in with an audio probe. Here is the circuit I'm starting with- http://aronnelson.com/gallery/album17/EH_MUFF_FUZZ

1. Am I reading it correctly that the "tip" of each jack goes to one another and the "ring" is switched?

No, not correct.

Here is another page to consult.
http://www.beavisaudio.com/techpages/StompboxWiring/index.htm

A stereo jack (the kind used for effect inputs that switches the battery power on) has Tip, Ring, and Sleeve.
Tip is the signal.
Ring connects the battery to ground through the sleeve.
Sleeve is your audio ground.

The grounds for each jack are joined. The tip goes to the 3PDT switch.

On that layout you posted...
The lavendar-ish lead goes from the "tip" to the 3PDT switch.
The green lead is audio ground.
The black lead is the battery ground.
And the dark purple lead goes from the 3PDT switch to the "tip" of the output jack.

[petemoore]

  Ring carries ground, and most metal jacks conduct the ring to the box, if the box is metal, read with DMM that both jacks are connected, some cleaning of paint etc may be necessary for conduction between jack/metal it's mounted in.
 Tips carry signal...to the input and from the output...like when the cable is in a live amp at one end, and the other ends tip touches something, the tip is the 'live' and carries the signal.
 A good way to get familiar with jacks is to start with a mono 14'' phono jack and a DMM set to beep mode, then test what goes through where.
 Some jacks can have their lugs assigned to 'do tricks' such as using a stereo phono jack to switch power supply on when a Mono Plug is inserted...the long sleeve of the plug serves as a power on switch when inserted into the stereo jack which carries the DC supply connection through Jack Sleeve>*Plug Sleeve>Jack Ring...the mono sleeve when removed disconnects the sleeve/ring connection...the Mono Plug sleeve is as long as and touches both the St. Jacks ring and sleeve conductors, connecting them when plugged in.
 The thing I learned to avoid when getting jacks are the 'switched stereo' [IIRC], which are just plain wierd...they break a connection between two lugs on the jack when any 1/4'' plug is inserted...again IIRC, I haven't found use for them other than [more confusing than]...1/4'' mono jack...I'm sure they have their uses..

[greenacarina]

OK, I've corrected a few things but still troubleshooting. In this circuit- http://aronnelson.com/gallery/album17/PARALLEL_UNIVERSE
the Gain and Starve pots each have an open lug. Is this correct, or should they be connected to ground?
Thanks again for all the help!!
Chris