Ruby amp DC jack and switch question

[winnetouch]

Hellow!
I just finnished building my first ever diy project that actually works I built a ruby amp and it works like a charm . But I do have a problem though. I built it using this guide:
www.generalguitargadgets.com/pdf/ggg_ruby.pdf

I wired it like it shows but the DC jack doesn't funcion. Whenever I plug the adapter the LED turns of and the amp doesn't get any power. I used a DC jack that looks like this: http://tangentsoft.net/audio/bitmaps/closed-circuit-dc.jpg

Posting pictures would probabl do no good since in this mess of wires even I have a hard time seeing what goes where Is it possible I used the wrong jack? Or did I wire it wrong? In the guide I can't really make out what pin is which .

P.s. I'm also thinking of putting in a toggle switch (since I have a habbit of leaving my guitar plugged in after playing) to be able to turn the amp on and off. Where would I have to wire it? I tried wirring it betwen the DC jack and + connection but then the amp turns off but the LED still stay on. Where would I have to wire the switch to turn of the amp and LED?

[PRR]

> I have a habbit of leaving my guitar plugged in

The easy path is to change your habit.

You actually do not care if the amp stays on as long as the battery is not run down. Therefore, break the battery wire, either one, and put the switch there.

To kill it on wall-wart also: note that this drawing shows TWO red wires coming from the jack: one to LED, one to board. That's a mechanical short-cut. Take the TWO wires off the lug, solder to one switch lug, run a wire from switch to jack.

> in this mess of wires even I have a hard time seeing what goes where

That's a problem you should fix. The electrons don't care, but the repair/mod-person (YOU) does.

I know what I am saying. I have projects which I will NOT touch again because I can't figure out the mess I made in there. When they break, I will have to run the Roto-Rooter through, scrape to bare metal, and do the whole thing over. Don't follow my bad example.

Here's an example (not mine!) that took weeks to re-do to working condition:
http://www.cepro.com/article/neat-o_worst_wiring_ever/

[winnetouch]

ok. I sorted out the mess a bit but i still can't seem to make a picture that's clear enough. Could someone be nice enough to tell me about all the pins on the ds jack? I'm thinking that it doesn't work because i connected the pins wrong. I don't even know which pin is witch anymore :p. Would it be better to use a different jack? Oh! And is there more than one type of 3 pin dc jack? Maybe i got the wrong one :p

I realise i'm a pain in the butt but i'm eager to learn since i want to make more diy stompboxes in the future and this seemed like a simple little circuit to strat with

[jefe]

ok. I sorted out the mess a bit but i still can't seem to make a picture that's clear enough. Could someone be nice enough to tell me about all the pins on the ds jack? I'm thinking that it doesn't work because i connected the pins wrong. I don't even know which pin is witch anymore :p. Would it be better to use a different jack? Oh! And is there more than one type of 3 pin dc jack? Maybe i got the wrong one :p

I realise i'm a pain in the butt but i'm eager to learn since i want to make more diy stompboxes in the future and this seemed like a simple little circuit to strat with

Yes, there are different types of dc jacks. Can you post a picture of the one you used? A close up pic of your work would be very helpful here.

Also, what kind of adapter are you using? I have a feeling it's the wrong polarity... I did this on my first Ruby build, and nearly fried the LM386.

[winnetouch]

My adapter is universal. You can switch the polarity



Here are the pictures of my DC jack and whole project. The thing is I used scrap wires in the project (something I will never do again ) and it's not clearly visible in the image what wire goes where. I hope you can make sense of it. Don't let the plastic connectors bother you. I'm going to soldier the jack directly to the board when I figure out how to connect it. This is just temporary for testing purposes.

[jefe]

My adapter is universal. You can switch the polarity

Ah, cool. Stupid question: have you tried switching the polarity?

Here are the pictures of my DC jack and whole project. The thing is I used scrap wires in the project (something I will never do again ) and it's not clearly visible in the image what wire goes where. I hope you can make sense of it. Don't let the plastic connectors bother you. I'm going to soldier the jack directly to the board when I figure out how to connect it. This is just temporary for testing purposes.

OK, this is a good start... that's not the standard type of jack that folks use in pedals, because it's made of metal (which causes gounding/shorting problems when mounted in a metal case - not currently a problem for you, because you haven't mounted it yet). Where did you get this jack? Do you know the manufacturer, part number, etc? Maybe we can find a datasheet that lays out the jack terminals.

Also, do you have a meter (DMM, or otherwise)? If you do, it's not too hard to figure the jack out.

[winnetouch]

Sorry I don't have a metter. And I bought this jack from the loacal electronics store around the corner from my appartment So no... I don't have any other information on this jack. What kind of a jack am I suppose to use anyway? Maybe I'll be able to see what I did wrong when I figure out what kind of jack is the right one ?

Oh. And the metal casing wont be a problem since I plan to use a wooden box for the casing.

Edit: I almost forgot. I tried to change the polarity but I fried the 386. So I changed the 386 and switched the polarity the way it was.

[jefe]

Sorry I don't have a metter.

No problem, you don't really need one for this. Do you have a battery, some wire, and an LED or flashlight bulb? You could wire up a simple test probe to test for continuity. The idea is to figrue out which tabs on the jack connect to which sections of the jack.

And I bought this jack from the loacal electronics store around the corner from my appartment So no... I don't have any other information on this jack. What kind of a jack am I suppose to use anyway? Maybe I'll be able to see what I did wrong when I figure out what kind of jack is the right one ?

Oh. And the metal casing wont be a problem since I plan to use a wooden box for the casing.

OK, if you're mounting this jack in wood, then it should be fine. For future reference, most people are using plastic jacks like this (again, only important when mounting it in a metal enclosure):
http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=93
OR
http://www.pedalpartsplus.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PPP&Product_Code=6004&Category_Code=JAC

Edit: I almost forgot. I tried to change the polarity but I fried the 386. So I changed the 386 and switched the polarity the way it was.

lol... OK, you probably have the polarity going the right way now, so I'd leave it there. It really does sound like you just need to re-wire your jack. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much more I'll be able to help you without actually being there, haha.. but I'll do my best!

[winnetouch]

No problem, you don't really need one for this. Do you have a battery, some wire, and an LED or flashlight bulb? You could wire up a simple test probe to test for continuity. The idea is to figrue out which tabs on the jack connect to which sections of the jack.

And what do I have to do exactly? I'm kinda aware what I'm suppose to do but I'm not sure where the third pin (ground) goes when I wire the thing

[jefe]

And what do I have to do exactly? I'm kinda aware what I'm suppose to do but I'm not sure where the third pin (ground) goes when I wire the thing

I wish I could explain this better, sorry...

If you go to the General Guitar Gadgets pdf file you linked to in your fist post, on page two, that shows it right there. One termial should go to ground (the black wire). One termial should go to your battery positive, and the remaining terminal... well, I guess you can see it in the picture, no need for me to explain it here. If all else fails, I guess you could buy a plastic jack like the ones I linked too, because they will look exactly like the one in the GGG pdf, and you can just follow the diagram there.

I'm probably not the best person to explain this, since I don't even use battery jacks, I only wire my jacks up for use with adapters.

[winnetouch]

Well i did that already actualy the led turns off whenever i plug in the jack So it works with the battery but not with the jack. I think I'll just go buy a plastic jack

I don't know if i said it already but thank you for your help. I really apreciate it.

[winnetouch]

I don't know what was wrong really but it looks like I had a faulty jack . I switched it for the plastic one and it works just fine now 

Thanks for all your help. I'm sure to be comming back when I build my Brian May treble booster

[jefe]

Very cool, and glad I could be of some (very limited) assistance.