first and last pedal build unfortunately

[boof]

After thinking this would be fun, I decided to build the GGG ITS8.  I've rewired and resoldered plenty of stuff in the past including guitars, playstation chips, etc.,  but have never worked with circuit components like this.  Let me first say that if you have any color blindness, even mild like mine, seeing the difference between the tiny red/green/brown stripes on resistors is very difficult if not impossible. 

Anyway, after getting someone who can see colors perfectly normally to help me ID the resistors, I built the thing.  It lights up and also works in bypass beautifully, but when running, it's dead silent.  I used a volt/ohm meter and tested across the entire thing.  I didn't compare the meter values to the chart values but couldn't find any dead spots in the circuit.  I built an audio probe and it makes noise at the input on the board but right AFTER the initial 1.5m resistor, it's silent.  I've reworked the soldering but it's still silent even though the meter shows power is running through the resistor.

Perhaps, I'm just mildly retarded to go along with my color blindness.  Any ideas what I should do next?  Thanks.

[Taylor]

Don't give up. Debugging is part of the ride. I know it's a bummer but we all have to do it sometimes.

Now, you say that it is silent after the 1m5. One end of that resistor is connected to ground, so it should be silent. Instead, check either side of the .022uf cap connected to the 1m5. See if you have signal on both sides.

[jable1066]

Don't give up - once you get that thing working you'll be itching to try another one! My best tip is to check your guitar is going to the input and your amp into the output. I debugged a pedal for several hours before the penny dropped... frustrating times. Check the orientation of everything that's polarized too! Also check for shorts, solder bridges and dry joints with a mag glass. Check all your wiring loads and post up some good pics. If you have a clear head, and some patience the thing will be working in no time. There's a lot of very helpful, dedicated people on this board who'll steer you right! But yeah... pics will help out here because you could have got a part wrong with your colour-blindness - even with your friends help.

[caspercody]

Check your pin layout of the buffer transistor you are using. I have read many treads about this pedal, and it not working. Later to read about the transistor was the problem (as far as the orientation).

[nick d]

                       Even though I do not , as far as I know , suffer with colour vision problems , reading resistors is a pain - depending on
                        manufacturer , red can look like orange , grey like blue etc . W hen I worked at a college years ago , I always told the students -
                        if you're not sure of the value , check it with your DMM . I still do it regularly , especially after an hour or two with a bright light
                        on . Yeah , those little coloured stripes give us all headaches .

[boof]

Okay, my mistake on the circuit.  I didn't realize I was touching the ground with the audio probe.  This is definitely a learning experience and I admit I'm a complete amateur.  Thanks for the suggestions.  I'll try to get some pics up if I can't figure this out tonight.

I traced the circuit with the audio probe successfully up to the point where I got to one of the IC chip leads; which gave sound, but none of the other chip leads gave me any sound.  I tried another chip to see if that was the problem but the new chip got super hot right away and at one point, I saw the LEDs on the board light up.  The chip's dot was on the same side as the notch in the swapable port.

[diemilchmann]

Color blindness pride! It gets easier, your meter is your FRIEND!

[Nolind]

Bearing in mind the colourblind issue and the excess heat it sounds to me as if you have a wrong resister somewhere.  I did this on my last project by putting a 39k resister where there should have been a 390k. Just one nought but it turned the signal to porridge.

[LucifersTrip]

As a few others have said, definitely use a multimeter to check the resistor values. Forget about the stripes.

I would never give up....But it's not a sin to put it aside and try a different, easier project for a first build (Fuzzrite, Fuzz Face, Bazz Fuss, etc) and then come back to this
after you've got the stuff down.

Do you know how many forum members have put projects aside temporarily, then finished 'em at a later date...too many to count.

When I first started troubleshooting, I found one of the best things to do is simplify things...ie, leave the non-essential components out (like switches and leds).
Switches are many times a beginner problem spot, so get it out of the way and just wire it straight thru.


good luck

[Jaicen_solo]

The TS9 was my first IC build back in the day, after I built a handful of Fuzz Faces.
I had a similar problem, and it turns out that I'd forgotton to mirror the PCB layout, so my IC was backwards. I had to bend the leads back to make it fit correctly, after which it worked beautifully.

[jasperoosthoek]

Let me first say that if you have any color blindness, even mild like mine, seeing the difference between the tiny red/green/brown stripes on resistors is very difficult if not impossible. 

My old electronics professor couldn't distinguish between green, yellow and orange. He became mad at me that I actually put any trust in color codes!

So I asked him how he did it and he replied: "I measure everything first."

Don't let your first failure put you off. Build an even more simple device first... Why not a passive volume knob in a box? Get it right and you might want to add some gain and maybe some distortion. Stick to it .

[alparent]

Don't give up on your first try!

Where would you be today if your mother gave up on you the first time she took your diaper off and your crapped in your pants?!

You would stile be waring diapers today!

This forum as the kindest and most knowledgeable people you could find to help you out!

[askwho69]

maybe you accidentally reverse the input and output? its a small error but really possible right? if you tried it never mind this hehehe just want to remind

[alparent]

maybe you accidentally reverse the input and output? its a small error but really possible right?

I did that once! 

[jasperoosthoek]

All but two of my effects have their inputs and outputs reversed! As I never toughed any commercial effect before the first six builds (and I tend to read from left to right) I just didn't know they go from right to left! 

I only found out when I built a Fuzz Face for a friend who complained about it. I'm in the process of converting them because I've bought a pedal tuner that I don't want to rewire. As I'm right handed and right footed the most logical place for a wah (if it's in the beginning of the chain) is to the right... That's another reason to convert also.

[radio]

I m not colourblind but as "die milchmann" said I also see it(no pun intended) as a plus.

May be I m just more paranoid ,but I mesure ANY component ,expecting NOT to have

to doubt or to desolder components later. It just has become sth I do automaticly.

Of course you can't really mesure every solder joint for good. My blunder lately was to

stubbornly underestimate the bad shape of my solder tip. I probably should here also

get the automatism to change it every month!

Regards JM

[jasperoosthoek]

Your paranoia would have certainly avoided some mistakes on my last project.   I soldered the wrong resistors in the PCB simply because I wasn't paying attention.

[Heemis]

Don't give up!

I agree with everyone here about measuring your existing resistors if there is any doubt about their value, but in the future, you should check out these Vishay/Dale resistors:

http://www.mouser.com/catalog/catalogUSD/642/646.pdf

They actually have the value written on them, ie 10k, 4.7k... much easier than reading color codes if you're color blind!

[LucifersTrip]

They actually have the value written on them, ie 10k, 4.7k... much easier than reading color codes if you're color blind!

The 2 pedals I wasted the most time troubleshooting were because I didn't measure the resistors first. Why would I measure a component that actually had "100K" printed right on the side?  To make sure it actually worked.

After I checked connections, solder joints, voltage readings, etc for hours, I found that the resistor was DEAD while doing a simple continuity check with the DMM....and this happened to me twice.

Moral: check everything before you put it in, whether you can read stripes or not.

[Barcode80]

...I tried another chip to see if that was the problem but the new chip got super hot right away and at one point, I saw the LEDs on the board light up.  The chip's dot was on the same side as the notch in the swapable port.

hmm, no one noticed this in his post? Double check that you put in the socket for the IC in the right direction. Also, check for shorts between hot and ground. COunt the pins on the IC, starting at the upper left corner, and move counter clockwise. On pins 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7, you should have half the supply voltage (somewhere around 4.5 Volts). Pin 4 should be connected to ground, and pin 8 should be connected to supply.