Circuit Won't Pass Much Audio

Ok, you got your soldering iron and nothing is going to hold you back, but you have no clue where to start or what to build. There were others before you with the same questions... read them first.
Post Reply
User avatar
Rezzonate
Information
Posts: 4
Joined: 14 May 2011, 19:23
Has thanked: 1 time

Post by Rezzonate »

OK, so I'm brand new to the DIY electronics stuff. I have almost no background besides what I've read on this forum in the past few weeks, but I decided to give my own build a try. Right now, I'm stuck in the breadboard stage just trying to get a simple circuit to pass audio, much less produce a desirable effect. RIght now, I have the Bazz Fuss circuit (the version without a potentiometer!) sitting on my desktop on a breadboard. The circuit is 100% correct, but all I'm getting is a loud hum, and when I strum the guitar strings I get a faint signal. Funny thing is, I get more guitar audio with the battery out of the clip. I suspect my soldering skills are not up to snuff (I tinned and soldered some stranded wire to the audio jacks and inserted the other ends - also tinned - into the breadboard...so there are many places for it to go wrong). It's not very encouraging that even a simple circuit like this is giving me such fits! Any suggestions?

EDIT: So a follow-up question would be, how do I know if the problem is my soldering (the input/output jacks) or something else? Is there an easy test?

User avatar
Rezzonate
Information
Posts: 4
Joined: 14 May 2011, 19:23
Has thanked: 1 time

Post by Rezzonate »

So, a little update; hopefully this will clarify things some more. I grabbed a set of alligator clips and used those to attach the leads for the audio jacks and battery clip (to eliminate my soldering from the equation) and still have the same problem. I'm getting a loud hum, interference, and a faint guitar signal. When I unplug the battery, the guitar gets louder and the hum gets quieter (and it kills the interference). I'm stumped here. I've checked for short circuits multiple times. I think a bad component is less likely than an error on my part, but I've swapped the transistor a couple of times just to make sure.

User avatar
Rezzonate
Information
Posts: 4
Joined: 14 May 2011, 19:23
Has thanked: 1 time

Post by Rezzonate »

(Where's the edit link? I know I used it with the first post...)

Okay, so I'm an idiot. Mixed up power and ground. Chalk this one up to a debugging learning experience...

Post Reply