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Interesting, as my 100uF caps are bigger, at 6.3x12 instead of 5x11...

Jacob

In this case, I'm fairly certain that either the 47uF or any non polarized value you would substitute in that place might actually affect your sound. I'm not precisely certain of that of course, but I'm fairly sure. You could try it out of course, but in my case I'd just wait the week for the right part to show.

jacob

Looking at the Rangemaster in particular, you've got two 47uF caps.

C5 is a power filtering capacitor. In that case, 100uF is a common value, but 47uF, 22uF and even 10uF "could" be used. Often, higher values are perferred, but there's no reason why a 33uF wouldn't work when only 47uF is called for.

C3 also works as a filter, only instead of being connected directly to ground it's going from the Emitter to ground. In this case, again I'm fairly certain that a 33uF value would be fine electrically. However, in this case you might find an impact on your sound.

In this case, because we're talking about less than 3 or 4 dollars, I would personally make the effort to find axial electrolytic caps rather than go with the less expensive tantalum parts. The only way that I might disregard my own advice was if I wanted the particular sound that another type of cap imparts. In my case, I've never really been able to hear a 'tone' difference between Electrolytic or Tantalum caps in a live band situation, so I've never worried about it.

Jacob

Those look great! Welcome to building your own pedals! Super start, much better than my first builds. No gut shots for us?

Getting a light plate going for 125B pedals would be something I would really like.

Jacob

It's also possible you had one of your diodes oriented the wrong way.

Jacob

Yeah, it's worth it to leave things and go at them again.

More than a year ago I started on a SW Auto Wah. It worked, but I had some sort of issue with it. I ended up rebuilding it, but then it just plain didn't work right at all. So, I went back to it after a while, but didn't find the issue.

I ended up leaving it until just this week. I took it apart, and began to look a little bit closer. Checked all the resistor values, checked all the cap values, checked all the part orientation... everything checked out. Then I checked the Pot values - behold I had switched two of the pots around during reassembly! I had a B50K where there should have been a C1M, and a B1M where there was supposed to be a B50K...

Now it works fine.

Jacob

That's pretty slick.

Jacob

I never give up, never surrender, whatever the cost may be.

Jacob

Fortitude ftw.

I'm very close to never giving up on a project. I've really only done it when I thought that the board was too mangled to work.

In this case, I actually needed two of the 220K metal film resistors that were on the non-working board, and I'd already previously wrecked the pads on one side of the vactrol slot. (I had it in backwards at first, and then I actually thought it blew because I was getting the same resistance both ways across the LED.) I then decided to nab a few other pricey parts (1uF boxes and such) and a few more pads came loose ... then I saw the 100K resistor where the 100R goes. I quite honestly thought that the board was buggered beyond repair in this case.

WINNING!

But seriously, I haven't really given up on anything I know should work except once. I had two PCBs made of a Phase 45, and after mangling the first PCB I ended up building on the second and it fired up right away. So that first PCB got chucked as I didn't need to try and repair it. I think I did the same with an EA tremolo, but it was one that came back for repair from a client, and instead of debug and repair it, it was simpler just to rebuild the pedal with a new PCB. I salvaged the parts later and chucked that PCB too. I think that's the only two times I didn't repair something, but it was pointless to.

Also, I have disassembled PCBs I didn't need any more like Josh. If you don't like it, or don't need it, no need to keep it with the parts on it. Though in most cases I save the PCB.

I have also disassembled PCBs and chucked them when I've found honest layout or schematic issues. When doing your own layouts, it's good to double and triple check your schem and layout. Otherwise you get Hotcake PCBs with no power connections, or SHOD circuits with a power feedback loop in them... Those PCBs should go in the garbage.

Jacob

I never give up, never surrender, whatever the cost may be.

Jacob

There's one in my local shop. I suspect it's a novelty item, like that pedalboard that uses the iPad mounted right on it. The last place I want to put an iPad is anywhere neat feet on stage at a show...

Jacob

You should head over to the Project Development blog section. In that, Bean has posted this:

http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=3914.0

Jacob

Have you connected the jack, power and DC grounds while testing?

Jacob

Cool knobs and awesome wiring = win!

Jacob

Looks like a fun effect! I have not seen anything else out there for this project.

Have you thought about doing your own layout? Or perhaps contracting it to someone else?

Jacob

And you've triple checked the value of your pots?

Jacob