Build Your Own Clone Message Board

My Crown Jewel drive channel stops making sound -- not even normal hum & noise -- when switched to the 18V mode.

It was working fine before I added the dry blend board. Now it doesn't. I know that the op-amps are getting the correct power at their pins, and I was able to find the bias point (R13/R14) on the bottom left of the board and it was correct. I wasn't able to find R21/R22, if someone can point me to it I'd appreciate it.

As for when this might have happened, two ideas. because I didn't read all the instructions beforehand like I knew I should have, I had to desolder a few components and put them on the underside of the board. I also nicked a couple components with my soldering iron while installing the wires. So that's two points I'd have been more likely to botch something.

Here's some bad images and worse soldering: https://imgur.com/a/VdzK2Py

Well, there's a big hint. I guess the first thing I'd check would be to see if you have +18V at that wire connection point on the dry blend board. You can also check if you still have 18V at the header of the boost module by sticking a piece of wire or component lead into that hole in the bottom header and test it with your multimeter.


Refer to the labeled PCB diagram below. It's the early version of the CJ board, but those two resistors are still in the same place, right near the middle of the board.

Did you make sure that you had the correct orientation of the 3904 tranny when you moved it to the back of the PCB? I don't know if it could cause this problem, but it's an easy mistake to make. Where the flat side faces up when mounted on the front of the board, it needs to face down when moved to the back. And I wouldn't worry too much about nicking a couple of components with your iron. It generally takes a LOT of abuse to damage them.

Oh, man--we see W-A-A-A-Y-Y worse than that around here!

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

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

It also wouldn't hurt to try another dual op amp in the dry blend board, if you have a spare one on hand, since that one runs off the 18V header. Any general purpose dual op amp should work--4558, TL072, TL082, NE5532, OPA2134, LM833, etc.

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

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

Aaaaaaand there it is...... I rolled when I should have pitched.

All major functions are now working! Thank you very much!!

I have a couple smaller issues I'm looking at now.

First is, the boost LED is kind of dim (I have an orange LED). Would R1 be the correct resistor to reduce? And it's in the same position on the drawing as in my board?

Second, I bought the BYOC style knobs, and the tiny little screw in one of the knobs broke as I tightened it. It was one of the sides that make up the slot for the screwdriver, so I don't know if I can get it back out. If that's true, how should I remove it? And can I get a replacement for that little screw without buying another knob (since that would make plastic waste)? What's the part number for them?

Third, my drive switch switches unreliably. I notice that it becomes consistent if I twist it so the eyelets are further away from the board. So it could be shorting to a component on the board, but I get a feeling the issue is one of the solder joints going bad -- I didn't like the look of them, but I had no idea how to solder the eyelet better. Got any tutorials on soldering those things? Maybe spend more time warming the eyelet?

Fourth -- and this is REALLY nitpicking -- as the guitar signal fades out and the signal is just barely clipping the drive stage, there's a sort of crackling over the sound. It sort of reminds me of the way digital aliasing sounds when a sound fades out, how there's all those little pops that decrease in frequency with the amplitude. Obviously this is a distortion pedal, so maybe it's normal, but it's kind of inharmonic and noisy, it doesn't sound like "part of" the guitar signal. I think I've heard people talking about this before and deciding it was an opamp problem. I'll have to try different opamps and see if it sounds better. LMK if this sounds familiar.

Glad to hear that re-orienting that tranny did the trick!

Yes, that's the correct LED, a 4.7K. Try dropping it to a 2.7K or 2.2K.

Try getting in there with a screwdriver that has a blade that is the same width as the screw hole (or very close to it). Unless you really torqued it down, you should be able to loosen it up. Contact sales@buildyourownclone.com and request a set screw for whatever type of knob your ordered with your CJ kit. I'm quite sure they'll send you one for no cost.

I would try re-flowing the solder joints on the drive switch and where the wires connect to the PCB. And tighten down the footswitch so that it doesn't turn; using a lock-washer will be a big help.

Not sure what would be causing that behavior, but if you have a wonky connection on the footswitch, that could be a possible cause. Can't hurt to try different op amps, but I kind of doubt that would be the cause. But I've been wrong before (and often!).

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

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