Red Llama unsolved problem-please help

[AM]

Hi to everybody.
I had posted a few questions about a red llama project a while ago.
Since my last post I have built this project about three times using gaussmarkov's layout. I always got the same problem. The output volume is extremely weak. In my latest build I though of changing to a different layout and followed dragonfly's layout religiously. The layout can be found here:http://aronnelson.com/gallery/album06/WH_RED_LLAMA_001
Unfortunately, there was no success this time either.

After audioprobing my circuit, I found out that there is a huge volume drop at the one leg (strip 5, hole 5, counting from top left on the layout) of the 100pF ceramic cap.
I have uploaded a copy of the layout and I have drawn a red arrow to the point where the volume drop occurs. It can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/harm.on.x/Overdrive/photo#5091948242929114834
There is also a picture of the cap used, here:http://picasaweb.google.com/harm.on.x/Overdrive/photo#5091948242929114850
Please note that I have used two different caps of the exact same kind in this position and in both cases the problem persists.

Up to that point, there is always signal going to my amp when using my audioprobe. From that point afterwards the signal is barely audible.
The volume and gain controls have NO EFFECT on the signal throughout its entire travel through the circuit.
Can anybody help me please? In the beginning I thought that I was not following gaussmarkov's layout correctly but after building the circuit using dragonfly's layout without any alterations and with brand-new components I start to believe that there is something else going on. I tried all possible scenarios I could think of before posting and now I have arrived to a dead end  . I don't want to give up on the circuit because I've heard great things about it but it has given me so much frustration that I'm ready to go out and bite the neighbor's dog
Thanks for any responses in advance

[oskar]

Hi again!

What colours are the 1M and 100k resistors? (EDIT: the colour code...)
What chip is it?  All letters and numbers around where it says 4049...

oskar

[Dragonfly]

Youre using the unbuffered CD4049UBE , right ? A buffered CD4049 wont work properly.

The layout is a verified layout, so check your part numbers and values.

[AM]

Hi guys,
thanks for writing back. I know the layout is verified. I have no doubts that there is nothing wrong with the layout. The problem must be somewhere in my components.
The chip reads: CD4049UBE. To my knowledge that means that it is an unbuffered chip. It also reads: 68J9ECK E4.
Resistor color codes: red, orange, black, black, red for the 100k.
Red, yellow, black, black, red for the 1M. Red, red, black, black, red for the 1k. All resistors are the 0.25W blue ones.
I have posted a new copy of dragonfly's layout here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/harm.on.x/Overdrive/photo#5092031634014134018
I have circled in red the pins which give me an audible signal through my amp when I run a pre-recorded loop through the circuit and audioprobe it.
Once again, thanks a lot both of you for trying to help me out. I really appreciate it.

[oskar]

Resistor color codes: red, orange, black, black, red for the 100k.

2 3 0 1xzero 2%   I read 2300 ohm 2% tolerance.
or if it's read the other way 200k 2%
http://www.geocities.com/aliciainelpaso/schematics/resistor-color-code.gif
The 1-whatever resistors allways start with a brown ring...
100k  brown, black, yellow, gold       makes 100000 5% tolerance

I have circled in red the pins which give me an audible signal through my amp when I run a pre-recorded loop through the circuit and audioprobe it.

But the cap where you have a volume drop is connected to the circled legs...
It has the same volume! Right?

[AM]

Hi Oskar,
It was very late at night when I wrote back yesterday and I circled the wrong legs on my diagram. Sorry if I caused some confusion but I think my brain wasn't fully functioning at that point.
I have attached  a new photo of my board as you can see it from the top with all values and connections marked.
"j" stands for jumper. I have looked at your resistor chart and it appears that my resistors are of the right value. As I said it was really late when I was writing and I described as red what probably is brown in reality. I also used my multimeter to measure the resistors values. It's a digital meter with only a 4-digit screen and no needle. It gives me the followin readings for what I have marked as R1,R2,R3,R4,R5 on my photo.
R1,R2=1
R3=1000
R4,R5=1
I'm not sure why I'm getting a reading of 1 for the higher value resistors but comparing their color code with the chart you posted it seems like the values are the right ones. One more thing. When I connect the + and - pins of my meter to the legs of the resistors I get a bipping sound and an LED that indicates R lights up. That is happening on all resistors EXCEPT R4 which is the one connected in parallel with the 100pF cap. Also, the volume drop happens on the leg of the cap marked with a red circle. The signal on the other leg is audiable.
There is a difference in volume levels between the three pins of the 4049 but the huge volume drop happens right there at the marked cap leg. After that point probing on R5 etc gives almost non-audiable results.

Here is the photo of the board: http://picasaweb.google.com/harm.on.x/Overdrive/photo#5092217103586877218
Thank you so much for your help!!!!

[slacker]

Sorry to tell you this but you've built it wrong, somehow you've reversed the layout. The vero layout is viewed from the front, so your finished board should look exactly like the vero layout. It looks like you've built it as though the vero layout is seen from the underside like PCB layouts are often shown.

[oskar]

(slacker IS quick!)
This picture...
http://aronnelson.com/gallery/album06/WH_RED_LLAMA_001
shows the stripboard from the top.

This picture...
http://picasaweb.google.com/harm.on.x/Overdrive/photo#5092217103586877218
should have the components placed on the same spots...  It looks like you've inverted the whole thing?   

If you solder the chip-socket on the other side instead the thing would come out "görbra!" as they say in Karlstad...   
(EDIT... just maybe I should leave out swedish dialectal words? görbra means ~tip-top )
oskar

[AM]

Hey Ian, spot on,
I understand now....Sh***, I know where it all went wrong. While I was building I was double checking between the vero layout and a pcb layout I had which was reverse-printed. So I started building thinking that the vero layout was also reverse-printed.
Hmmm,...smart guy, smart guy
Guys can I ask you one more thing before I'll strip everything from the board and have another go? Is off-board wiring (volume and gain pots, DPDT switch) in this post
http://aronnelson.com/gallery/album06/WH_RED_LLAMA_001 shown from underneath or from above (as you would see them when the whole pedal is housed and you look at it from above)?

Thanks a lot both of you.

[fixr1984]

The bottom side of the pots are shown.

[oskar]

First things first!
http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=21427

If you can bare with the thought of imperfection you can just leave the socket and solder a new one on the bottom
(surfacemount... bend the legs out and solder it in upon the old IC leg. Then pop in the IC... should work shouldn't it?
You mirrored everything but the IC.

[AM]

The bottom side of the pots are shown.

Thanks Jason. I think now I have all the info I need

First things first!
http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=21427

Man!!!! that's it!!!! forget about pedals...forget about playing the guitar too....A new meaning in life!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Oskar, that was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Highest score so far: 173 ft. (EDIT: 317 ft, latest one). Hey it's just the beginning...I'll improve with time...

If you can bare with the thought of imperfection you can just leave the socket and solder a new one on the bottom
(surfacemount... bend the legs out and solder it in upon the old IC leg. Then pop in the IC... should work shouldn't it?
You mirrored everything but the IC.

Yeah it should work. The only problem is that I'm a bit of a perfectionist (or maybe a bit of a spastic). Look, if it was a circuit with too many components I would do exactly what you suggested. In this case, the building time is really short and because I'm planning on doing a dual channel version of the circuit (two pairs of volume and gain knobs wired through a 3pdt switch) I'd rather keep things as neat as possible.