Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Yet another 'works in bypass. diode lights up, no sound when engaged' thread.

This is just the component side. If you think I need to show other side I can de-solder 9v attachment and upload as well.

Now the one issue I had was with the 22uF electrolytic cap. I accidentally attached it backwards and had to de-solder it. I bunged it up a bit and dented it trying to pull it with my needle nose pliers trying to get it out while heating it. I really could have used a 3rd arm. How sensitive are those to manhandling/slight malformation?

Yes, please. Would like to see the I/O jack and the footswitch wiring, as well. BTW, the connection from lug 2 of the footswitch looks like it's going to the #1 eyelet on the PCB, with a single wire strand going to eyelet #2. Am I seeing that right?


They're usually pretty tough, so you'd really have to chew it up to damage it. Of more concern would be damage to the PCB eyelets while trying to get the cap out.

Do you have access to a multimeter and know how to measure DC voltage with one?

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

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

Yes I do, what/where should I measure?

Take voltage readings on the collector of Q2 (upper transistor) with the Bias pot set to:

1. Full CCW
2. At the midpoint
3. Full CW

Report those results here.

Still need to see those additional photos.

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

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

OK havent pulled a reading off of Q2 yet because, a I dont know what CW and CCW mean (beyond Concealed Carry Weapon ) or where the collector is (Im presuming thats one of the 3 pins).

That said, I discovered that when the Bias as all the way counter clockwise, and I have the fuzz amount set from about 0 to almost 1/3 (starting from counterclockwise) I can hear it; and more over the three way switch works too.

CW = clockwise and CCW = counterclockwise.

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

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

it seems to be .8V no matter where the Bias is set.

Power diode stopped working now too...

Here's how to do it:

To measure the DC voltage level on a transistor leg, set your multimeter to the DC voltage mode, indicated by a straight line above a dotted line; use the 20VDC range setting if it's not an auto-ranging meter. Of course, your power source needs to be connected and there needs to be a cable in the input jack. If the pedal is assembled into the metal enclosure, put the black probe into one of the corner screw bosses of the enclosure--this is your ground connection. If the "guts" are out of the enclosure, use the sleeve tab of the input jack for the ground connection. Then touch the red probe to the test point that you want to measure and hold it there until the reading is stable within a couple of hundredths of a volt. In this case, you're measuring the collector of Q2, labeled with a "c".

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

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

no voltage off of c, and only .8v off of d (regardless of bias setting).

Got a bad feeling I really screwed the pooch on this

Need a couple more voltage readings, taken the same way:

• The left lead of the 330R resistor
• The left lug of the Bias pot, with the pot full CCW and then full CW
• The bottom lead of the 4K7 resistor, also with the Bias pot full CCW and then full CW

See marked up PCB diagram below for these test locations. Report your five voltage readings here.

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

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

Edit, I recalled I had a different multimeter that was my Dad's. Much more accurate than my old one

Anyway, here is what it measured:

Bias lug - CCW 3V CW 7-8 V

330R 8V

47K CCW 4V CW .5V

The transistor reading off of c leg
CW .5v Ctr 1v CCW 4v

By the way, thanks for your assistance and patience up to this point.

No problem--that's what we're here for.

Here are the values I see for this same set of readings on my own fully functional CF:

Left lead 330R: 9.7V
Left lug Bias pot
Full CCW: 3.6V
Full CW: 9.7V
Bottom lead 4K7 (same as Q2 collector)
Full CCW: 0.7V
Full CW: 6.5V

So your Q2 collector is running on the low side, but should still make plenty of fuzz at ~4V.

Let's check the function of your Level pot. Switch your meter to the resistance mode and disconnect power from the pedal. Measure the resistance between the righthand lead of the C6 cap (between Q2 and the toggle switch connections) and the middle lug of the Level pot. Do this at the two extremes of the Level pot's sweep. You should see ~0 resistance at full CW and ~100 Kohms at full CCW.

BTW, I would still pick up a new multimeter. This one should do the job for very little expense: https://www.harborfreight.com/7-functio ... 63759.html

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

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

OK picked up the aforementioned HF mulitmeter (God bless em being open New Years Day).

to update my prior readings, they are now as follows:

Bias lug CCW 3.25 CW 8.9

330R 9V

47K CCW .6v CW 4.9

Q2 transistor c leg CW 4.9 CCW .6

So, a bit more in line with your readings, but still slightly lower.



Its 0 and 97k, so pretty close

You should definitely be able to get a good fuzz output at a Q2 collector bias of 4.9V.

Please take the suggested resistance readings to verify the function of your Level pot.

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

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

I did the reading was 0 and 97k,

Close enough! So the Level pot works. Let's check for continuity from the Level pot through the footswitch. Leave the power disconnected but be sure that the footswitch is in the engaged mode. Leave the meter in resistance mode and measure between the middle lug of the Level pot and the solder tab for the tip of the output jack, i.e. where the wire from the "Out" eyelet on the PCB connects to the jack. You should only see a few ohms of resistance at the most.

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

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

If thats the one that connects to the 'OUT' on the right side of the board then the measurement is 97 ohms

OK so I saw that the connection to the #2 footswitch connection on the board had come off. Resoldering that brought back the diode, and my 'limited' fuzz capability. Meaning the pedal works under the following setting:

- Level has to be cranked all the way to get close to a level equal to/near the off/bypass position.
- I can crank the fuzz up to about 40% above 0, if the bias is full CW. Anything more and it fizzes and the sound disappears.
- if the fuzz is reduced to near zero, I can rotate the bias up about 30-40% of the pot sweep. Anything more and it fizzes and the sound disappears.
- All three modes work.

Well, that's progress, but clearly not how the pedal should behave.

Could you pull the PCB out of the enclosure and post a photo of the solder side of the PCB? Need to see if the problem might be originating there.

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

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

OK I believe it is fixed. As I suspected, the solder on the other side under 22U electrolytic cap was messed up. When I originally desoldered it to reverse the polarity and resoldered it, some of the solder formed a bridge between the two pads. A little Xacto knife surgery to clean it up, and put it back together, and it sounds great! There are still some areas where if the fuzz is high and you try to pull the bias down too much it will fizz out, but there is a much greater usable sweep between the two, so I'm guessing thats normal.

Now I just have to order some knobs for it, as mine didnt come with any. Thanks again for your help.

Glad to hear you got it running properly! Perseverance pays off!


Yes, that's normal behavior with the bias control.


If the kit didn't contain a set of knobs, BYOC will send you a set at no cost. Just contact sales@buildyourownclone.com.

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

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

I already ordered them, so no worries.

My one question that still remains is that the volume seems kinda low. I can only get the volume to be equal to source signal when the level is all the way up. And even then it seems slightly lower. That doesn't seem right to me. At what volume setting do you get 'parity' on yours? Should it be closer to 12 o'clock? If yes, any thoughts on areas to look at?

The Classic Fuzz is not a high output circuit. That said, you shouldn't need to "dime" the volume control to get unity gain (same output volume as the input). Higher bias and fuzz pot settings will increase the volume, but may not result in your favored fuzz character. If you find that you just can't get as much volume as you want at the fuzz & bias settings you prefer, my recommendation would be to run a clean boost after it.

On my own CF, I find that if I run the Bias pot at ~2 o'clock and the Fuzz pot at ~4 o'clock, I achieve unity volume at a Level pot setting in the 9 - 10 o'clock range. "YMMV", as we say....

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

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

Thanks for the feedback (no pun intended)