so i just completed my darkside build, followed everything just as in the .pdf, but it does not pass sound. either in bypass or engaged there is no sounds that gets through. also, the LED is not turning on. I thought this project was a little funky as how the switch is supposed to be wired, but i double checked that there are no shorts and everything goes to the correct spot.
i can take pics if you guys want....
Hi res pic might help. Check your input and output with a multimeter and make sure they are not grounded. Search "audio probe" on the forum for a tool that can help you figure out what's going on.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/Toomuchtherapy104/SAM_0024.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/Toomuchtherapy104/SAM_0025.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/Toomuchtherapy104/SAM_0028.jpg)
i do not have continuity from tip to tip. i have no clue where they go tho because they are wired to the PCB
Your LED seems to be disconnected on the board at the square pad. If it's connected, it may be barely hooked to the board since I can see the entire hole with no solder on the top what so ever. Also, check if your LED is backwards. I've found that Brian sometimes uses the square pad for negatives on diodes but uses the square for the positive on LEDs (which is a diode as well).
-Kaleb
i have actually tried it both ways before i made the thread lol. right now it is wired as the square as positive.
is the LED required to complete the circuit? also, i just built an audio probe, but prolly need to go to the hardware store to pick up some alligator clips as i dont have any.
ok, got my alligator clip, hooked up my signal generator to the input of my pedal, and started probing the circuit. i am getting a signal at every point in the circuit all the way to the tip of the output jack.
i am not sure if i am using the audio probe correctly tho.... should i be grounding it to the pedal or to the signal generator?
I didn't get to involved looking this over but...
1) Even if the LED is backwards the circuit will still work. Most of the time I don't even add the LED until the box up.
2) The audio probe needs to be grounded to the pedals ground.
Josh
sweet. just double checking i should wire the switch according to the diagram with the holes vertical and not horizontal correct?
Quote from: seven64 on July 08, 2011, 09:35:02 PM
sweet. just double checking i should wire the switch according to the diagram with the holes vertical and not horizontal correct?
Yes
Also, remember this is a buffered bypass pedal. Your switch wiring looks correct but if you have something incorrect with the pcb it won't pass the buffered bypass either.
do i need to ground my signal generator to the pedal as well?
Just plug a guitar, cd player, etc in the input jack. I'm not sure if you tested this out of box when you found the problem, if you did remember that both the input and output jacks need grounded for signal to pass in and out.
When you hook up the audio probe correctly, do you still get signal all the way to the output?
still trying to figure out how to hook the audio probe/signal generator up correctly.
i just built the cupcake last night and it worked perfectly which is why im a little frustrated with this......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/Toomuchtherapy104/SAM_0018.jpg)
One thing I noticed: with your output jack disconnected from the enclosure you should ground the sleeve.
One quick dirty way to test output is to disconnect the output wire on that jack, and put a nice long wire in its place. Now use the other end of that wire to test the output of the circuit at any point while you strum the guitar. It's not a very efficient way to do things, but it will work. You can put a small cap on the wire too and use the lead from the cap instead of the wire to test. That will prevent DC into the output.
basically like the socket audio probe?
well, i started checking voltages with the multimeter, and couldnt get past my 9v plug. switched the positive connections on the battery and the pcb/switch and viola! it works. but now unless all 3 knobs are all the way up there really isnt much if any distortion..... i get more if i turn the pot up on my cupcake.....
i used a 20k instead of a 25k pot for the tone knob.... didnt think it would make that much of a difference tho. should i try his suggested mod for a diff volume knob for a hotter output?
changed the sus and volume knobs out and got it up and running. it seems like this pedal only likes to be played very loud. may need to mod it to get rid of the bassy-ness next, but its pretty cool sounding. just doesnt seem like it has the range of distortion i was expecting. it goes from non to alot really quickly!