Noisy projects

[plexiphile]

Hi-
I'm new to this. I've built several Fuzz Face and Tone Bender incarnations and just finished a Green Ringer using General Guitar Gadgets PCB design. Every thing I've done seems so damn noisy (as in humming). What are the most obvious culprits pertaining to hum? Any advice is greatly appreciated! I've really been enjoying this new hobby....

Thanks,
Jeff

[Timebutt]

First thing to check is your power supply: what are you using to power your effects? If it's a standard 9v wallwart you found somewhere it may not be regulated and filtered: instant hum
If it's not the power supply maybe check the wiring of your effects first: components that are not correctly grounded or connections that shouldn't be there ...
Many other good suggestions will probably follow, but my guess is that it's the power supply?

[PerroGrande]

Are you running with a power supply or with a battery?

If you're using a PS, make sure it is well regulated and filtered.  Run your noisy pedals one at a time doing an A/B comparison of "on power supply" vs. "on battery" to isolate if your hum is arriving via the PS.

[Processaurus]

Also be sure your enclosure is grounded somehow, if by any chance you are using plastic jacks.

[znowman]

if you've got single coil pickups, a crt monitor nearby causes lots of hum, i was debugging a pedal while sat at my computer, and it took a while for me to realise what was going on.

i also have one of those small battery powered amps for debugging, and if im running the amp with batteries and a pedal with mains dc, i get hum, if i run both with battery or both with mains, there is no hum

[plexiphile]

Everything I've made is wired for a 9v battery only, no power supply jack. Could wire types make a difference? I'm using wire salvaged from CPU wiring harnesses. I assume it's decent quality...

Thanks for your answers thus far!

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

It's not the wire.
I assume that commercial effects connected up in the same way are not humming?
If your effects are in a metal box, maybe the box is not connected to ground.

[plexiphile]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I narrowed it down to ground/ box issues, but they still aren't as quiet as I'd like them to be. Do the big manufacturers have any secrets?

Thanks again....solder on!

Jeff