First pedal build!

jonnygreentrees · Post by **jonnygreentrees** » 08 Jun 2015, 11:35

Hi guys, thought I would finally take the leap and build a SHO clone as it is apparently easy. I've wired everything up using this schematic

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MgkMG0knqcQ/T ... 762360.png

which was included with a kit I bought off ebay.

It passes sound but sounds like an extremely gated fuzz and the volume pot doesn't seem to do anything

I did a continuity test to make sure I hadn't bridged any tracks on the veroboard and it seemed fine, any ideas where I should start troubleshooting? Can post photos if required

deltafred · Post by **deltafred** » 08 Jun 2015, 11:50

Welcome to FSB johnnygreentrees.

Fault diagnosis over the net is not easy at best and with the amount of info you have supplied almost impossible.

See this thread about asking for debugging help - https://www.freestompboxes.org/viewtopic ... 73&t=22602

jonnygreentrees · Post by **jonnygreentrees** » 08 Jun 2015, 12:45

Hi sorry I'm a complete n00b at this

here's the veroboard wired up

and here's the pot

I think I have got all the components in the right places, I was a bit confused about the pot though as the pedal came with two wiring diagrams, one of which showed a ground wire going from lug 2 to the jack which I added.

Going to take the switch out of the equation tonight and see if that narrows it down

jonnygreentrees · Post by **jonnygreentrees** » 08 Jun 2015, 12:52

And here's the wiring diagram which I followed and seems to contradict the pot wiring guide in the schematic

jonnygreentrees · Post by **jonnygreentrees** » 08 Jun 2015, 13:00

and finally here's the switch. I'm aware there's a lot of excess wire, my plan was to make sure it all worked and then tidy it up although I'm not sure that was the best idea

marmaliser · Post by **marmaliser** » 08 Jun 2015, 13:05

Picture of the bottom of the vero as well please

jonnygreentrees · Post by **jonnygreentrees** » 08 Jun 2015, 13:07

I thought I had taken one last night but apparently not, will take and upload when I get home from work!

jonnygreentrees · Post by **jonnygreentrees** » 08 Jun 2015, 13:09

btw this is the first pedal I have ever made and only my 3rd attempt at soldering EVER so please be kind to me!

deltafred · Post by **deltafred** » 08 Jun 2015, 17:01

jonnygreentrees wrote:btw this is the first pedal I have ever made and only my 3rd attempt at soldering EVER so please be kind to me!

For a beginner you actual soldering looks pretty good.

My only criticism is that you have stripped too much insulation from the wires before soldering them. You only need a small distance (1-3mm, 1/16 - 1/8th inch) of wire showing before the insulation.

This is bad soldering!

jonnygreentrees · Post by **jonnygreentrees** » 08 Jun 2015, 17:41

OK so I've taken the switch out of the equation and it is still doing it, currently got it laid out like this

Here's a shot of the rear of the veroboard

The pedal only makes an audible sound when I play really hard and that is the earlier described farty fuzzy sound like a broken speaker!

ubersam · Post by **ubersam** » 08 Jun 2015, 23:48

Check the pinout of your mosfet.

jonnygreentrees · Post by **jonnygreentrees** » 09 Jun 2015, 08:42

is the mosfet the DSG thing? I oriented it according to the schematic, will it cause any damage if I just flip it round to try it?

Thanks!

DrNomis · Post by **DrNomis** » 09 Jun 2015, 09:08

jonnygreentrees wrote:is the mosfet the DSG thing? I oriented it according to the schematic, will it cause any damage if I just flip it round to try it?

Thanks!

The Mosfet won't work properly if you flip it round, you need to make sure that the D,S, and G terminals are oriented correctly, do you have a Digital Multimeter you can use to measure the voltages?, if so, then use it to measure the voltages on the D,S, and G terminals, it sounds to me like the Mosfet isn't being biased correctly........

Also, check to make sure you have made any necessary breaks in the copper tracks in the correct places, and have a good look at the soldering with a strong magnifying glass to check to make sure you haven't made any inadvertent solder-bridges......

jonnygreentrees · Post by **jonnygreentrees** » 09 Jun 2015, 09:13

thanks will measure the voltages on the mosfet and report back (I'm guessing the circuit needs power for this to work?)

I don't think there are any solder bridges as I did a continuity check between adjacent tracks and it was fine and at one point I did have a solder bridge and the pedal made no sound at all!

induction · Post by **induction** » 09 Jun 2015, 10:10

jonnygreentrees wrote:OK so I've taken the switch out of the equation and it is still doing it, currently got it laid out like this

Is there a connection between the battery ground (black wire) and signal ground (red and blue wires) in this picture?

jonnygreentrees · Post by **jonnygreentrees** » 09 Jun 2015, 10:13

yeah I bunched them all together to test...is that correct?

induction · Post by **induction** » 09 Jun 2015, 10:31

Should be fine. It looked like the black was just one long wire, but I guess it's actually two separate wires joined together.

jonnygreentrees · Post by **jonnygreentrees** » 09 Jun 2015, 10:34

yeah it is!