Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Hello!

I bought an optical compressor from BYOC, which I have built on. And now that I'm "finished", I have encountered a problem.
(A common, I would imagine)
When I have the pedal on standby mode, it works and I get sound from the guitar. But when I turn it on, it becomes silent and the LED is not lit. I would be very grateful for the response, there must be some who have experienced the same thing. If you don´t know what the problem is, I can post some pictures

Thank you!

I would double-check the power jack wiring first.

Yeah, it should be the power jack wiring, but I have done it right, and the battery snap is connected as it should be too. Even with battery it doesnt work, It should get some voltage, show any signs of life? Thanks for trying to help btw!

Per the link Stephen posted, we really need to see photos....

I might have the worst camera in the world. So if you can´t see something, tell me and I´ll try to fix it...

Next check the input jack wiring - the 'ring' contact on this stereo jack connects the battery to the circuit when a mono jack is inserted into the input. If that is OK and your LED still does not light it is probably the footswitch wiring. Frankly that is a mess and your pics aren't large or clear enough to tell what is going on. You do seem to have the wiring kinda upside down - the short link between pins 3 and 6 of the switch would normally face away from the PCB.

Components all look correctly placed. You've oriented your footswitch rather oddly in the photo, but the wiring seems to be right, if I'm tracing it correctly. I can't see the DC jack wiring clearly enough to know if it's right.

Do you have a multimeter available to do some continuity and voltage measurements?

I can't see the power connections or the jack connections very well in your pics.

I think that you have the board mounted upside down. The component side should be face up in the open enclosure. You have the pots in the right place but on the wrong side of the board. If the board is upside down then the in and out jacks can't be right.

LOL! (at myself) I can't believe I didn't notice that the pots were mounted on the wrong side. At a minimum, the pots will end up working backwards, and that assumes that everything is wired correctly and you keep the input and output jacks straight. Properly mounted, the pedal should look like this from the open back (though this photo isn't the OptiComp):

Okay thanks for your help guys! It all sounds very logical now.
But i always thought that the solder side was supposed to be pointing up.
Lesson learned!

I will try your tips tomorrow and we'll see how it goes...


Thanks!

Hello again!

I did a little soldering yesterday and tweaked all the errors on the pedal. But it did not work now either, same problem as before ...

Here are some pictures:

As I asked previously, do you have a multimeter available to you? And are you powering the pedal by battery or by AC/DC adapter?

duhvoodooman: I have run the pedal both through the ac/dc adaptor and battery, and Unfortunately I have no multimeter. If I get one, how will I do?

The quality of the soldering is pretty poor. The soldering of the op-amp is especially bad. Pins 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 look cold and solder starved. Several other solder joints look the same way.

If you can get your hands on a multimeter, we can walk you through how to use it--not difficult. First thing I want you to check is the DC voltage level in the circuit, since I'm concerned that the pedal isn't getting any power. That would account for no effect signal and a dark LED.

If you can't borrow one someplace, you can get an inexpensive (~$5) but serviceable unit at Harbor Freight, if you have one of their stores nearby. Radio Shack carries them, too, but at their usual rip-off pricing.

Okay thanks duh voodoo man, I will borrow a multimeter tomorrow, I can PM you when I have it?


Stephen, do you think it could be the problem?

Sure.

It certainly could be. Though it may seem like a scattershot approach, a common technique that we often recommend here is to just go through the ENTIRE BUILD and reflow every solder joint. You can apply a bit more solder to any that look "thin". A good joint should be smooth, shiny and conical in shape. Also, you should clip off any extra component leads or wire ends just above the solder joint, as these can be potential sources of shorts. I see several of those in your build, esp. the wire end protruding from the #2 eyelet to the footswitch.