bartelby Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 (edited) Once it’s all connected, and a signal is going into the pedal, touch the probe to the input tab on the pedal and you should hear the signal through the probe. Then follow the signal path, touching the probe to every solder point until you reach where the signal fails. Edited January 7, 2019 by bartelby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown_User Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 29 minutes ago, bartelby said: Once it’s all connected, and a signal is going into the pedal, touch the probe to the input tab on the pedal and you should hear the signal through the probe. Then follow the signal path, touching the probe to every solder point until you reach where the signal fails. So you need the pedal powered up and to have a bass plugged in to the input and being played to generate a signal. Then the probe connected to a guitar cable attached to an amp. Then follow round each component around the board from the input to see where the signal stops being heard. Have I understood correctly? Also how likely am I to electrocute myself doing this? Thanks. Sorry to be dozy but I can't help it! 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oZZma Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 4 minutes ago, Unknown_User said: Also how likely am I to electrocute myself doing this? 😀 I'd like to ask that too, I also see some kits I ordered have DC Power in (no battery) so I wonder how safe is that for a beginner to plug their "product" direcly in the power grid 😥 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown_User Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 6 minutes ago, oZZma said: I'd like to ask that too, I also see some kits I ordered have DC Power in (no battery) so I wonder how safe is that for a beginner to plug their "product" direcly in the power grid 😥 I think 9v DC from a 9v battery is the same as 9v DC from a transformer plugged into the wall, but don't quote me on that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzonaut Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 34 minutes ago, Unknown_User said: So you need the pedal powered up and to have a bass plugged in to the input and being played to generate a signal. Then the probe connected to a guitar cable attached to an amp. Then follow round each component around the board from the input to see where the signal stops being heard. Have I understood correctly? Also how likely am I to electrocute myself doing this? Thanks. Sorry to be dozy but I can't help it! 😀 Here's a video that explains using the audio probe. I use a looper to have a signal while I'm "probing". As for the risks of electrocuting yourself, I'm pretty sure 9V (or less) won't do yo any harm - nothing happened to me so far, but yeah: don't quote me on that neither, please. You could also use this sort of cable with a battery to make sure: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown_User Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 2 minutes ago, fuzzonaut said: Here's a video that explains using the audio probe. I use a looper to have a signal while I'm "probing". As for the risks of electrocuting yourself, I'm pretty sure 9V (or less) won't do yo any harm - nothing happened to me so far, but yeah: don't quote me on that neither, please. You could also use this sort of cable with a battery to make sure: Cheers! I'll have a watch of that later! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 (edited) I use a signal generator app ,or just play a song, on an ipod plugged into the pedal. That saves having to strum the strings all the time. Edited January 7, 2019 by bartelby 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aitkenaudio Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 get a scope and signal generator if you want to save yourself and your ears more time haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 On 07/01/2019 at 11:28, Unknown_User said: So you need the pedal powered up and to have a bass plugged in to the input and being played to generate a signal. Then the probe connected to a guitar cable attached to an amp. Then follow round each component around the board from the input to see where the signal stops being heard. Have I understood correctly? Also how likely am I to electrocute myself doing this? Thanks. Sorry to be dozy but I can't help it! 😀 You won't electrocute yourself from 9v whether that's from a battery, or from a mains fed, DC power supply. You're right to be cautious, of course, but what gives shocks is current, not voltage. Some time back I was working on old style TVs and had a shock of 15,000 volts from the connection to the tube. It certainly woke me up and I don't recommend it, but I think I'm still alive. What is more of a risk on the 9v side is touching the wrong things together, shorting the circuit and blowing components, but this is the reason why we use 9v. It's a low enough "potential" that there is no risk to life, even in the wrong hands. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 (edited) Instead of a signal generator or a guitar-strumming buddy you could just put your (insert name of portable music player of choice) through the pedal with 1/4" to 1/8" adaptor. (I think I read once that Marshall heads were once set up this way using a radio playing Radio 3 into the input....may be apocryphal) Also I think I'd be happier not having the signal going into a bass or guitar amp whilst testing...every time you touch the probe you could get nasty pops through your speaker, perhaps listening to the item being tested via headphones or a stunt speaker might be an idea. Edited January 8, 2019 by ahpook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 Does anyone here need cable for wiring effects etc? If you want any of this, I can cut off some lengths, bundle some up and put it in the post for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbass4k Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 3 hours ago, ahpook said: Instead of a signal generator or a guitar-strumming buddy you could just put your (insert name of portable music player of choice) through the pedal with 1/4" to 1/8" adaptor. (I think I read once that Marshall heads were once set up this way using a radio playing Radio 3 into the input....may be apocryphal) Also I think I'd be happier not having the signal going into a bass or guitar amp whilst testing...every time you touch the probe you could get nasty pops through your speaker, perhaps listening to the item being tested via headphones or a stunt speaker might be an idea. Amen on both, I record a riff on the loop pedal and just feed that in. Doing test probes on amp also a bad idea, I use an old pair of headphones. It's pretty safe, 9v dc will just give you a bit of a buzz, you get used to it after a while to be honest. The bigger risk is to the pedal be very careful with the probe, any accidental shorts while power is on could blow something up or render it useless. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oZZma Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Today I have built my first kit, I need to do some troubleshooting yet because it doesn't work perfectly (LED does not light up and sound comes and goes intermittedly), but I didn't expect to got some sound out of It at my first attempt, so I'm happy anyways 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, oZZma said: Today I have built my first kit, I need to do some troubleshooting yet because it doesn't work perfectly (LED does not light up and sound comes and goes intermittedly), but I didn't expect to got some sound out of It at my first attempt, so I'm happy anyways 😁 Unless you've fitted it to the main pcb your current limiting resistor (clr) for your LED is missing. It won't work without it. Retouching a few of your solder joints may sort out your intermittent sound... And you should always check your build BEFORE you house it in the enclosure. Saves time in the long run! Edited January 12, 2019 by Bigwan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oZZma Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 47 minutes ago, Bigwan said: Unless you've fitted it to the main pcb your current limiting resistor (clr) for your LED is missing. It won't work without it. Retouching a few of your solder joints may sort out your intermittent sound... And you should always check your build BEFORE you house it in the enclosure. Saves time in the long run! THANKS A LOT! This part was totally confusing in the instructions. They mentioned "you should not solder the CLR to the mainboard but to the daughterboard", but I only got 2 restistors with this kit... And in the instructions for the motherboard they both go on the motherboard... So that's why doesnt work 🙄 And this was intended to be a "beginners/first build kit". 🙄 I put It in the enclosure because the power socket has the nut on the interior side so it can't be soldered BEFORE housing in the enclosure 😓 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oZZma Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Do you think I can cut away the battery? Will it work of I do it? I don't think I'll use it and it makes this mess even more messy. I wish I had made a cleaner job 😓 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown_User Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 11 hours ago, oZZma said: Do you think I can cut away the battery? Will it work of I do it? I don't think I'll use it and it makes this mess even more messy. I wish I had made a cleaner job 😓 The battery clip isn't required. You can take it away and it won't make a difference if you aren't using it. That pedal looks pretty tidy and minimalist inside. You should see the ones I do. Like a bird found some wire, stripboard and insulation tape and used them to make a nest in an aluminium box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oZZma Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 (edited) 32 minutes ago, Unknown_User said: The battery clip isn't required. You can take it away and it won't make a difference if you aren't using it. The thimg that is not clear to me is why is it connected to the input (stereo) jack. The "no battery" version has a MONO jack and that's not connected at all to the power socket This version has a stereo jack, the 2nd ring is connected to the battery and then to the power socket... How it works is still a mistery to me ☹️ Edited January 13, 2019 by oZZma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 1 hour ago, oZZma said: The thimg that is not clear to me is why is it connected to the input (stereo) jack. The "no battery" version has a MONO jack and that's not connected at all to the power socket This version has a stereo jack, the 2nd ring is connected to the battery and then to the power socket... How it works is still a mistery to me ☹️ The sleeve of the mono plug of your guitar lead shorts the negative side of the battery to the circuit. So the pedal doesn't use up your battery when it's not plugged in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oZZma Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 (edited) Thanks to your suggestion I managed to fix the LED this morning, everything worked fine but when I went to put everything in the enclosure and solder the last 2 joints (the ones on the power socket) I broke a wire into the board T_T It's not coming out from there, not even with the desoldering pump T_T I don't know if it can be fixed somehow Edited January 13, 2019 by oZZma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown_User Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 1 hour ago, oZZma said: Thanks to your suggestion I managed to fix the LED this morning, everything worked fine but when I went to put everything in the enclosure and solder the last 2 joints (the ones on the power socket) I broke a wire into the board T_T It's not coming out from there, not even with the desoldering pump T_T I don't know if it can be fixed somehow Can you grip the broken bit with some needlenose pliers and pull it out while you melt the solder on the joint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzonaut Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 1 hour ago, oZZma said: Thanks to your suggestion I managed to fix the LED this morning, everything worked fine but when I went to put everything in the enclosure and solder the last 2 joints (the ones on the power socket) I broke a wire into the board T_T It's not coming out from there, not even with the desoldering pump T_T I don't know if it can be fixed somehow Congrats on your first build, that looks pretty nice! You'll get it to work, don't worry. A broken wire can be fixed - basically, if you can't get it out as Unknown User suggested, try to solder the loose ends back together. It looks like it snapped off right where it goes into the footswitch board? Then, you could leave that bit there, take the loose end of the wire, making sure there is some of the wire sticking out of the plastic (got a wire stripper?) and solder that back to the board by heating up the blob of solder that is already there. If needed, apply some more solder. I just did the same to a non-working build that has been sitting on my desk for month (ColorTone Bass Fuzz). I tried to fix it back then, but all I managed was to break wires and make it worse. Now, all this "audio probe talk" made me try again and after resoldering some "dead spots" on the PCB and redoing some of the off-board wiring .... it works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oZZma Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 There was not enough wire left in the hole to make a joint Now in the attempt of fixing that connection with a desoldering pump, I broke the other one too, LOL This job definitely requires A LOT of patience Thank a lot for the advices, I hope I can see this pedal working (even if I made such a poor solder work on so many joints that I better start a new one from scratch), but if not... I have learned so much just making this one that AT LEAST I know a lot more for my next one about how NOT to make things. I see that the tip of my soldering iron is already oxidized (after just ONE day!! today I had to sandpaper it to continue working), even if I cleaned it continuously on the sponge... I wonder if I should switch off the iron while not soldering... or I missed some important part of the soldering iron care If you have any advice it would be much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gottastopbuyinggear Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I’ve always had better results with desoldering braid than a pump. Might be worth you giving some a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oZZma Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 16 minutes ago, Gottastopbuyinggear said: I’ve always had better results with desoldering braid than a pump. Might be worth you giving some a try. I'll try that, thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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