Build Your Own Clone Message Board

so I just finished my Echo Royal build, got it all powered up and everything and I'm finding an issue (there is an older thread about this that I didn't want to hijack, and their solutions didn't help as far as I can see).

Basically there's no wet effect. Bypassed signal comes through fine, I engage the pedal with the mix down and it's the same as bypassed, but as I roll up the mix knob the dry tone stays roughly the same until like 2 o'clock and then just gets quieter until it disappears, and no delay happens at all. I checked all my solder joints and made sure the IC chips and sockets are oriented correctly, and no dice. Did I miss a bad solder joint or put something in the wrong place? I've attached a video showing what happens, and photos of my build after.

Maybe it's just the perspective, but: In the bottom-right corner of the last photo, at the switch terminals, it sort of looks like you have a strand of one wire meeting the strands of the other wire (I guess it is SW1). (In the bottom-left of the next-to-last photo the angle prevents one from confirming this, as one wire end hides the other.)

Yeah it’s just perspective… there’s plenty of gap there between the wires. I do think I found a poor solder joint with a resistor in that corner though so maybe that’s it.

Your solder joints all look a little "cold". You have almost no flowout on any of the resistors. If you look at the top of the PCB, the solder should flow from the back of the PCB and fill in the eyelet holes. Most of your eyelet holes look empty. Then on some of the larger components like the pots and toggles, where the larger solder terminals act as a heat sink, the solder just looks like it wasn't hot enough. You should reflow them all. You need to either turn up the temp on your iron or just hold the iron to the joint longer.

_________________
*patience is a virtue*

Please do not PM me. email is prefered. keith@buildyourownclone.com

Guidance on the full reflow process: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=52188

_________________
“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

My Website * My Musical Gear * My DIY Pedals: Pg.1 - Pg.2

mannnnn I thought I did way better on this one than my last (first) build that looks like it was put together by a monkey with a flame thrower

We have no doubt that you did a far better job of soldering this time around, but let me point out three things:

• Solder issues are BY FAR the most common cause that we see here for pedal build problems.
• It only takes ONE bad solder joint in the wrong place to shut down an effect circuit.
• A complete solder reflow is generally only a 10 - 30 minute investment of time and is amazingly effective in solving problems like yours.

BTW, "Monkey with a Flame Thrower" would be a great name for a band....

_________________
“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

My Website * My Musical Gear * My DIY Pedals: Pg.1 - Pg.2

Your soldering is actually quite nice, in so much as it's neat. If you had just used a hotter iron, I think it would have been perfect.

_________________
*patience is a virtue*

Please do not PM me. email is prefered. keith@buildyourownclone.com

How hot though? I had it set to 425C

Geez, that should to the job. I run my station at 375C and never have an issue with flow. What kind of solder are you using?

_________________
“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

My Website * My Musical Gear * My DIY Pedals: Pg.1 - Pg.2

60/40 tin leaded, leaving the iron on the pad for 4-5 seconds before applying the solder.

Are you cleaning and re-tinning the tip of your iron every couple of solder joints to facilitate good heat transfer?

_________________
“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

My Website * My Musical Gear * My DIY Pedals: Pg.1 - Pg.2

Yeah probably every 3-4 components. I did a full reflow and got it working. Thanks guys. This will be a fun one.

Excellent news! Enjoy!!!

_________________
“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

My Website * My Musical Gear * My DIY Pedals: Pg.1 - Pg.2