Build Your Own Clone Message Board

I tried your tip with the trim pot and controls setting but nothing changed. It's like I'm on bypass on both settings of the switch with the only difference being that the light comes on in one of them.

Thanks for the kind words of support crbmoa. I have to say that I was expecting the worse but now see light at the end of the tunnel and your right, I have learned a bunch for my nex build.

i think i can hook that up in a few minutes. do you mean the wiring that is not on the board, like the jackes, switch, etc.? I'll post everything but just wanted to know if I should focus on one thing or another.

That's EXACTLY what I mean!

will this work? I posted this previosly, but I didn't change anything in this part of the hookup yet. Actually, now that I'm looking at it in a blown up picture, I think this could use some cleanup as well. Ya think this could be the problem? I tell ya, I'm a quick learner...

Loud and clear my friend. I will have to get to this tomorrow as I've taken too much time from my better half today. Will post ow it goes. Hey man, thanks for all your help, this site is awesome and there's no way I could do this without the info and help ive received here. Cheers my friend!

A little time and patience will get you a long way! Glad to see you're making progress on this. Once you're done, you'll want to build another one!

Thanks Anna. You're absolutely right about that. I know I still haven't got mine to work, but I'm already thiking of all the things I'll do differently on my next one. I just wish I would have read Stephen's tips before my first attempt; I would have saved myself a lot of work, fear and frustration.
Cheers and thanks for your kind support!

I did an alright job on my first pedal, but after putting one together, I got a better idea about how to do the next one, and the next one... and so on. Take a look over at the completed builds thread and you can see all the different ways that everyone spruces up their builds. After a couple of builds, I decided to go back and clean up my first pedal. Now, I'm just addicted to this... I have a problem.

ok guys, I cleaned up everything real nice. It doesn't look quite like Stephens tutorial pictures, but it is pretty darn close. Unfortunately, I still don't hear the effect, just a straight signal. Could it be that the switch is damaged? Is there a way I can test the switch? I have no idea what to do next so if anyone's online and can give me any hints I will surely appreciate it. To summarize, the light is now working, I have a dry signal on bypass mode, and I have a dry signal when effect is activated. I toyed around with the trim pot and the controls. First I put the Sens at 11 o'clock and the attach at 5 o'clock and toyed with the trim pot. Then I just started doing all sorts of combination to see if I could get any difference in sound, but nothing.
In case it helps, I own a Fluke 73III Multimeter (which I don't know how to use, but I can follow instructions...). Thanks!

anyone? class? Buhler? Please dont abandon me yet, I'm almost there...

thanks dude! I will get that done as soon as I get home tonight.

Here's the pic of the off-board wiring...
The red lead that connects 3 to jack on the board look worse in picture than in real life. I don't believe the integrity of the lead was breached.

none whatsoever. I don't know what else to do at this point...

OK, let's do this: please post pics of the build as it is now. Your pictures have been great because they show what we need to see close-up. I know it's a pain but I'd like to see where the board is at now. Front side, back side of PCB plus all the off-board connections. Don't despair! We'll get it working!

I know I'm jumping in a bit late here. but I think it looks like 7th lug on the switch has been melted.
you can see some blue around the base instead of red. If I were you I would take the wires from the in's and out and
connect them dirrectly to the in and out sockets.
Big oh please make sure that your connecting the guitar and amp to the correct sides of the pedal.
when its upside down its backwards.

Yeah, it looks as though many parts of the build were a little over heated, which is such a common error in the beginning. I had to toss the 3pdt switch in my first build from overheating one of the lugs. Maybe a transistor was fried? I cant remember if you mentioned the pedal working in bypass mode.

I will post the pictures as soon as I get home. To answer some of the questions raised:
1. The unit is working in bypass mode
2. When i switch from bypass mode the light comes on
3. when the light is on the signal is still dry (no effect)
4. I did double check that I was connecting into the appropriate jack (I actually labeled them to make sure)
5. There is a strong possibility that the switch was damaged (at the begining I was using a 45w iron and, given my limited skills, Im sure something must of been overheated in the process)

I like the idea of connecting direct to jacks (bypassing switch I assume?) and see what happens. Can you tell me more on how to do this?

to bypass the switch connect the in wire to the tip of the input socket and out wire to the output socket.

thanks! I will try when I get home and report results.

here are the latest board pics. The off-board connections have not changed from the last picture (above).