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Projects => General Questions => Topic started by: AntKnee on July 22, 2014, 06:09:27 PM

Title: pedal works with tester, but not when plugged into cables
Post by: AntKnee on July 22, 2014, 06:09:27 PM
I did a rehouse on a Danelectro Chicken Salad... Something in the way I wired this is fighting me. It works when I use my tester with alligator clips connected to the power, ground, input and output. Sounds great. But when I plug my guitar and power cables into it, all I get is buzz, whether it is turned on or off. Did I create a ground loop that I am bypassing with the tester or something? Please have a look and help me out! The ground is wired as follows: Power jack into daughter board, then splits one lead to the pcb and the other lead daisy chains to 3pdt > output jack > input jack.
Title: Re: pedal works with tester, but not when plugged into cables
Post by: AntKnee on July 22, 2014, 07:06:12 PM
it is definitely something I dont know about the jacks. I swapped them out for regular open steel jacks and it works great. I assume it has something to do with ring vs sleeve. If anyone cares to explain, I'd appreciate it.
Title: Re: pedal works with tester, but not when plugged into cables
Post by: copachino on July 22, 2014, 07:44:41 PM
maybe you are using switched jacks, so when you plugged the jacks with the cable leave off the conections and it was souding like ground,
Title: Re: pedal works with tester, but not when plugged into cables
Post by: AntKnee on July 22, 2014, 09:59:28 PM
Quote from: copachino on July 22, 2014, 07:44:41 PM
maybe you are using switched jacks, so when you plugged the jacks with the cable leave off the conections and it was souding like ground,
I don't think they were switched jacks. I'm pretty sure I used them on 1590A builds with no problem.
Title: Re: pedal works with tester, but not when plugged into cables
Post by: GermanCdn on July 22, 2014, 10:06:10 PM
You have your grounds connected between the jacks, but you don't have them connected to ground.  Plastic jacks don't ground to the housing, so if you don't connect the grounding lugs to the circuit ground, you get no signal.

It looks like you've got the other side of the leaf on the ground lug hooked up to the ground, which becomes an open connection when you stick a plug in.
Title: Re: pedal works with tester, but not when plugged into cables
Post by: AntKnee on July 23, 2014, 03:47:08 AM
Quote from: GermanCdn on July 22, 2014, 10:06:10 PM
You have your grounds connected between the jacks, but you don't have them connected to ground.  Plastic jacks don't ground to the housing, so if you don't connect the grounding lugs to the circuit ground, you get no signal.

It looks like you've got the other side of the leaf on the ground lug hooked up to the ground, which becomes an open connection when you stick a plug in.

Ok, maybe they are switched then. I have both jacks grounded, but I used the tab on the bottom side of the input jack, not realizing it was switched. I assumed the tabs on each side of the jack were the same since the metal appears to wrap around to the other side. I guess when I used them in the past, I luckily happened to use the tabs on the same side.
Title: Re: pedal works with tester, but not when plugged into cables
Post by: copachino on July 23, 2014, 01:25:48 PM
if they are switched, when you plug the cord one side its left off the circuit, you can check it a multimeter
Title: Re: pedal works with tester, but not when plugged into cables
Post by: blearyeyes on July 24, 2014, 04:28:29 AM
yep, plastic doesn't ground.... bzzzzzzzzzzz. glad you figured it out.

You need the case to be grounded to become a Faraday Cage as well.....
Title: Re: pedal works with tester, but not when plugged into cables
Post by: AntKnee on July 25, 2014, 04:09:13 AM
Quote from: blearyeyes on July 24, 2014, 04:28:29 AM
yep, plastic doesn't ground.... bzzzzzzzzzzz. glad you figured it out.

You need the case to be grounded to become a Faraday Cage as well.....

Both jacks were grounded with a daisy chain to everything else. Thats what I dont understand. The case itself was not, I guess, but that shouldnt matter if everything else is on the ground wire, right?
Title: Re: pedal works with tester, but not when plugged into cables
Post by: blearyeyes on July 25, 2014, 05:11:44 AM

Quote from: AntKnee on July 25, 2014, 04:09:13 AM
Quote from: blearyeyes on July 24, 2014, 04:28:29 AM
yep, plastic doesn't ground.... bzzzzzzzzzzz. glad you figured it out.

You need the case to be grounded to become a Faraday Cage as well.....

Both jacks were grounded with a daisy chain to everything else. Thats what I dont understand. The case itself was not, I guess, but that shouldnt matter if everything else is on the ground wire, right?

Actually the case is a faraday cage that receives radio and other interference and runs it to ground. Sometimes when I have a circuit out of the box testing it can be pretty noisy even when all things are grounded.. Then when it's all nestled in its box it is quite. So yes you really need the case to be grounded.


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