News:

Forum may be experiencing issues.

Main Menu

Retrograde tone sounds thin

Started by oldsoul, November 24, 2021, 08:17:13 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

oldsoul

Just finished building a retrograde and noticing the bottom end really disappears until I switch the octave down. Regardless of settings the tone gets very thinned out unless I switch the octave down.
High Tech by day-Old School at Night

jimilee

What troubleshooting have you done so far?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Pedal building is like the opposite of sex.  All the fun stuff happens before you get in the box.

oldsoul

checked voltages at Q1-Q2-Q3 all seem really close to instructions. Checked for bad solder joints, all seem solid.
High Tech by day-Old School at Night

jimilee

Can you post some clear close up photos of the back and front?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Pedal building is like the opposite of sex.  All the fun stuff happens before you get in the box.

oldsoul

The octave switch it temp as its a On-Off-On, so its just pigtailed in. I'm waiting for the On/On to come in the mail.
High Tech by day-Old School at Night

Zerro

C7 - output capacitor is good? And what about C5 in emitter of Q3?
"Nudíte se? Kupte si našeho cvičeného ježka! Pobaví vás svými veselýmí kousky!"

oldsoul

Well they were new caps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
High Tech by day-Old School at Night

Zerro

Try to bridge them for a moment with the same ones.
"Nudíte se? Kupte si našeho cvičeného ježka! Pobaví vás svými veselýmí kousky!"

oldsoul

#8
Thanks, but how do I do that?
High Tech by day-Old School at Night

Zerro

At the copper tracks side solder it paralelly with them.
"Nudíte se? Kupte si našeho cvičeného ježka! Pobaví vás svými veselýmí kousky!"

jimilee

Quote from: oldsoul on November 25, 2021, 12:16:28 PM
Thanks, but how do I do that?
I don't think all of that is necessary just yet. Your soldering looks good, just needs a little extra. The solder should flow through the eyelets to the top side of the PCB. Your one switch pin needs a little attention too. It sounds monotonous, but it fixes a lot of issues. If you've already checked your component values, did you measure the diodes before you used them?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Pedal building is like the opposite of sex.  All the fun stuff happens before you get in the box.

oldsoul

Thanks jimmilee I planned to hit those joints again. You know I actually do not think I checked the diodes with my meter. Probably got lazy after checking the resistors. Can I check them in circuit or do I need to pull them out?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
High Tech by day-Old School at Night

jimilee

Quote from: oldsoul on November 25, 2021, 08:04:35 PM
Thanks jimmilee I planned to hit those joints again. You know I actually do not think I checked the diodes with my meter. Probably got lazy after checking the resistors. Can I check them in circuit or do I need to pull them out?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
You would have to pull just one end. Do the other first, you don't want to remove things you don't have to. If you didn't use the 1n34as, that won't be a factor. The GEs can be temperamental.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Pedal building is like the opposite of sex.  All the fun stuff happens before you get in the box.

oldsoul

So I touched up solder joints and re-checked voltages which all seem good. Still noticing a thinner tone unless the octave switch is engaged. Not sure if this is helpful but just recorded an iPhone video of what I'm hearing. https://www.dropbox.com/s/02jli7zowxfzb3a/IMG_0353.MOV?dl=0

High Tech by day-Old School at Night

Zerro

Technically, it seems that effect doesn't do anything at all. Now I must agree with Jimi Lee that diodes are the most suspicious.
"Nudíte se? Kupte si našeho cvičeného ježka! Pobaví vás svými veselýmí kousky!"