# Gravitation reverb



## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

Hi guys I’m new to pedal building and this is my 3rd build the gravitation reverb. I had populated the board and I wired it to jacks and stomp switch I had bypass when it’s turned off but when engaged I get no sound even though the led light turns on. Which leads me to believe the problem is on the circuit board yet I have looked at others boards and mine doesn’t look any different I don’t if my parts are low quality if that a thing but all of my polarities on my electrolytic capacitors are right both my ic chips are on correctly, I do use bojack resistors from a kit but I don’t know if that will affect anything I did notice the legs are a bit thinner but others other than that they’re all the right values. I checked my pots and they’re on correctly and I do have the right belton reverb chip soldered directly the only the thing different I could notice was the voltage regulator the pub calls for L78L05 but I have LM78L05ACZ I don’t know if that’s it I read somewhere that the pin out might be different but I’ve gotten 2 different answers yes and no lol. I’m lead to believe this is the problem. Can anyone help me out here I’ve ordered a 2nd board and reverb chip since I feel like the parts could be duds……oh and I forgot to mention because of that confusion about the voltage regulator I’ve removed and tried backwards and the same thing and now I e ruined the eyelets where it’s needs to go idk if it’s salvageable but I’ll be posting pics please help lol


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

Here’s the current state of my circuit board but please be reminded that there was a voltage regulator in there the correct way and the opposite and both ways I was still getting no sound at all but my led was turning on


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## Robert (Jul 28, 2022)

We're going to need some pics.

You can forget about the Belton module and regulator for now, you should have a clean signal even without those installed.


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## jimilee (Jul 28, 2022)

Nope, pinout a on the regulators are the same. Just google the pin outs, pretty easy to match them up. Parts should be fine, and ruined eyelets aren’t a problem.


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## Robert (Jul 28, 2022)

Your 3PDT breakout board is upside down, but ignore that for now, that wouldn't cause the problem you're having.

Also, did you insulate the potentiometers that are under the PCB?


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

I did insulate the pots with black electric tape. I did not notice the 3pdt board being upside down! I don’t have one of the heating guns to desolder should I just buy another? With a breakout board?


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## Robert (Jul 28, 2022)

I wouldn't trust a 3PDT switch after removing a breakout board, but we can get to that after you get the pedal working.

That shouldn't affect the operation of the pedal.

Electrical tape isn't very good for insulating pots, component leads almost always poke through.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

I have no covers I will need to order some to continue but I do have a new board on the way and another chip should use the spare parts I have to build another? In other words do you thing this is still salvageable?


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## Robert (Jul 28, 2022)

Do you have a DMM?   We can try to get this one going.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

So I just checked the pots they’re raised from the board and they’re are no leads on either side touching I’m going to post more pics


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

I have cheap multimeter that doesn’t have many settings.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

Here’s the view of the pots


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

That what I have if you mean DMM lol


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## Robert (Jul 28, 2022)

Hmm I don't think that one is going to cut it, but just for the heck of it, put it on the 300VDC setting and measure across the DC jack and see what it reads.  (with power applied to the circuit)


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

Even with no regulator in there?


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

Tommorrow I’m going to buy a better DMM and try to troubleshoot you got me thinking this is salvageable lol


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

I just plugged up the power supply and ran it I’m getting 7 volts on the multimeter


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

To the power jack


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## Robert (Jul 28, 2022)

Yep, the regulator isn't important right now.   

Okay, it was worth a shot... I was hoping it'd measure 9V but since it's reading low we don't know if we can trust it's accuracy since the 300V range is waaay out of range for what we're trying to measure.

If you get a DMM we can go further.

I've never used it personally but a few folks here use a relatively inexpensive meter from Harbor Freight.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

That’s exactly where I’m going tommorrow first thing in the am that’s where I got this one I’m going to be getting to better one to continue this! Thank you for the support so far let’s hope this guy is still salvageable!


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

Hi guys I’m new to pedal building and this is my 3rd build the gravitation reverb. I had populated the board and I wired it to jacks and stomp switch I had bypass when it’s turned off but when engaged I get no sound even though the led light turns on. Which leads me to believe the problem is on the circuit board yet I have looked at others boards and mine doesn’t look any different I don’t if my parts are low quality if that a thing but all of my polarities on my electrolytic capacitors are right both my ic chips are on correctly, I do use bojack resistors from a kit but I don’t know if that will affect anything I did notice the legs are a bit thinner but others other than that they’re all the right values. I checked my pots and they’re on correctly and I do have the right belton reverb chip soldered directly the only the thing different I could notice was the voltage regulator the pub calls for L78L05 but I have LM78L05ACZ I don’t know if that’s it I read somewhere that the pin out might be different but I’ve gotten 2 different answers yes and no lol. I’m lead to believe this is the problem. Can anyone help me out here I’ve ordered a 2nd board and reverb chip since I feel like the parts could be duds……oh and I forgot to mention because of that confusion about the voltage regulator I’ve removed and tried backwards and the same thing and now I e ruined the eyelets where it’s needs to go idk if it’s salvageable but I’ll be posting pics please help lol


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## Chuck D. Bones (Jul 28, 2022)

You have to be pretty brutal to destroy the pads on one of these boards.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

yeah the constant reheating melted my eyelets again I’m very much a beginner lol 😆


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## Chuck D. Bones (Jul 29, 2022)

Consider this a practice run and do better next time.  What kind of soldering iron are you using?

Also, don't replace parts unless you know they are bad or installed wrong.  Do visual inspection to find the wrong part, bad solder joint, etc.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Im using a simple soldering that plugs directly into the wall it’s not a station and I use a fine tip to solder


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## Chuck D. Bones (Jul 29, 2022)

You need a temp controlled solder station to do this right.  Those cheap soldering irons get too hot and will damage boards and parts.  Keep using that iron and you're going to spend a lot of time & money fixing botched boards.  
Let me be candid: You need the right skills and tools to build pedals.  Skills take time to develop and tools cost money.  Many of us got into this thinking we were going to save money by building our own pedals. You _might _save a little $$$, but this is a labor of love and requires an investment of time and money if you're going to be successful.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

So I’ve listened to your advise and bought a new multimeter and solder station! The station is on its way but in the meantime I have been checking continuity throughout the board and there are definitely a couple of resistor, electrolytic caps and a couple pots not getting any power at the very least very little to the point the meter won’t beep. I’m not sure where I should go from here should I start trying to resolver all the joints?


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## Chuck D. Bones (Jul 29, 2022)

I think that board has seen enough heat already. Can you provide some specific examples of where you are measuring continuity and not getting the expected result?


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

I’m measuring from the power jack and touching all the components leads let me provide pics


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## Chuck D. Bones (Jul 29, 2022)

No, no, no.  You will not get continuity from the power jack to every component.  Electronics does not work that way.

Do you know how to read a schematic?


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

I do not sir I’m very much a beginner at this where should I start in terms of where to place the meter?


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

So this is the schematic here I’m not sure where I should start I circled ic3 because it seems to be connecting to everything else in the board but I’m not sure where that would be on the actually circuit board. Sorry guys if I’m not being super clear or if my inexperience bothers you guys just trying to fix my board if it’s fixable lol


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## Chuck D. Bones (Jul 29, 2022)

Where to place the meter is different for every circuit and troubleshooting situation.  By way of an example, you could check the bias on the opamps on your Gravitation board.  To do this, set the meter to measure DC volts.  Connect the DMM black (negative) lead to ground at the IN, OUT or POWER jack.  Apply power.  Touch the red (positive) lead to pin 1 or pin 7 on each of the TL072s (one at a time).  you should get about 4.5V.

We are not an accredited school, but we do provide a fair amount of instruction on basic electronics, pedal design, building and troubleshooting.  Peruse the forums and you'll find a wealth of information.

Here's a good starting point: https://forum.pedalpcb.com/forums/the-test-kitchen.32/


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## Chuck D. Bones (Jul 29, 2022)

steviejr92 said:


> So this is the schematic here I’m not sure where I should start I circled ic3 because it seems to be connecting to everything else in the board but I’m not sure where that would be on the actually circuit board. Sorry guys if I’m not being super clear or if my inexperience bothers you guys just trying to fix my board if it’s fixable lol


We all have readable copies of the schematics, no need to post photos of the build docs.

Read some of the other troubleshooting threads to get a flavor of how troubleshooting is done.  We help plenty of guys who are new to this and/or have little or no electronics background.  We can walk you thru the steps.  Visual inspection is your #1 troubleshooting tool.  Get used to doing that and you're more than half-way home.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Thank you so much for this this is going to be a big help this is a passion I just recently found and I’m sticking with it you’ve been a big help but to continue this I’m only getting .30 volts when I’m making contact with pin 1 and nothing else on either pins I did this with both opamps


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## Chuck D. Bones (Jul 29, 2022)

I'm going off the air for the rest of the day, maybe someone else can jump in and assist you.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

No problem sir thank you so much I will continue to use the forum and read up more info about how to troubleshoot thank you for your time again!


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## mybud (Jul 29, 2022)

steviejr92 said:


> I do not sir I’m very much a beginner at this where should I start in terms of where to place the meter?


Reading schematics is a good skill to develop, alongside the visual inspection @Chuck D. Bones recommends. Try to do this inspection from the start, so that you spot any soldering errors from the get-go. It helps to take it slow at the start (say, do five or so components at a time and then check that these are all ok), and take breaks to help your concentration recover. 

Adafruit has a basic soldering guide to help distinguish between joints that will work and dry or cold joints, which often appear dull. You’ll begin to get how basic circuits work soon enough, given that usually they are built out of smaller blocks (input stage, filters, and so on) combined in more or less regular fashion. Take it slow and enjoy what you are about to create. Maybe practise building some simple circuits to start. 

The troubleshooting threads are well worth checking out, as the man said. There’s a wealth of good info there. When you learn to combine passion and precision, you’ll reap the rewards of a highly addictive and seriously fun hobby. 😉


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

Lets start by making sure you're getting good readings with your DMM.

Set your meter to measure DC volts then power up the circuit and measure the voltage on the DC jack.   

Black lead on negative terminal, Red lead on positive terminal.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

So I just got 8.92 volts on the DMM


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

mybud said:


> Reading schematics is a good skill to develop, alongside the visual inspection @Chuck D. Bones recommends. Try to do this inspection from the start, so that you spot any soldering errors from the get-go. It helps to take it slow at the start (say, do five or so components at a time and then check that these are all ok), and take breaks to help your concentration recover.
> 
> Adafruit has a basic soldering guide to help distinguish between joints that will work and dry or cold joints, which often appear dull. You’ll begin to get how basic circuits work soon enough, given that usually they are built out of smaller blocks (input stage, filters, and so on) combined in more or less regular fashion. Take it slow and enjoy what you are about to create. Maybe practise building some simple circuits to start.
> 
> The troubleshooting threads are well worth checking out, as the man said. There’s a wealth of good info there. When you learn to combine passion and precision, you’ll reap the rewards of a highly addictive and seriously fun hobby. 😉


Thank you so much for the support! This is a fascinating hobby and to be honest I’ve never soldered or even took a class on electronics lol everything up to this point I’ve learned by myself and I continue to absorb so any advise and guidance is very much appreciated!


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

Hi guys I’m new to pedal building and this is my 3rd build the gravitation reverb. I had populated the board and I wired it to jacks and stomp switch I had bypass when it’s turned off but when engaged I get no sound even though the led light turns on. Which leads me to believe the problem is on the circuit board yet I have looked at others boards and mine doesn’t look any different I don’t if my parts are low quality if that a thing but all of my polarities on my electrolytic capacitors are right both my ic chips are on correctly, I do use bojack resistors from a kit but I don’t know if that will affect anything I did notice the legs are a bit thinner but others other than that they’re all the right values. I checked my pots and they’re on correctly and I do have the right belton reverb chip soldered directly the only the thing different I could notice was the voltage regulator the pub calls for L78L05 but I have LM78L05ACZ I don’t know if that’s it I read somewhere that the pin out might be different but I’ve gotten 2 different answers yes and no lol. I’m lead to believe this is the problem. Can anyone help me out here I’ve ordered a 2nd board and reverb chip since I feel like the parts could be duds……oh and I forgot to mention because of that confusion about the voltage regulator I’ve removed and tried backwards and the same thing and now I e ruined the eyelets where it’s needs to go idk if it’s salvageable but I’ll be posting pics please help lol


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

OK, good deal.    Now just so we know every other measurement is accurate, put the black lead on ground (sleeve of 1/4" jack will work) and then use the red lead to measure the positive lug of the DC jack again.    If you get a similar measurement voltage (near 9V) we can proceed.

Which ever point you chose for ground is what we'll use from this point forward.


Now measure the voltage on each pin of IC1 (the bottom opamp) and list them here.

This is the numbering of the pins, just in case you are unfamiliar.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

So I’m getting the same reading when I’m touching jack ground to the power jack but barely anything to the opamps the first opamp slightly less voltage than the 2nd


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## mybud (Jul 29, 2022)

steviejr92 said:


> So I’m getting the same reading when I’m touching jack ground to the power jack but barely anything to the opamps the first opamp slightly less voltage than the 2nd


List the voltages please. That helps those in the know (not I, I fear) to narrow down potential problem areas.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Certain pins have readings and others do not on both opamps!


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Ok I will give a list of the voltages


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## mybud (Jul 29, 2022)

steviejr92 said:


> Certain pins have readings and others do not on both opamps!


Your DMM should give specific DC voltages. Those are what’s in question here.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

So on opamp1 (ic1) 
pin 
1-.09 8- .00
2-.00 7-.08
3- .07 6- .09
4-.06 5- .2


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Opamp2 pins
1- .14 8-.08
2- .14 7- .00
3- .00 6-.00
4- .00 5- .08


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## mybud (Jul 29, 2022)

steviejr92 said:


> Opamp2 pins
> 1- .14 8-.08
> 2- .14 7- .00
> 3- .00 6-.00
> 4- .00 5- .08


I’ve never built this one, so can’t be of much help here. Those experienced with this particular build will no doubt chime in in time. Intuition tells me FWIW that those measurements indicate a problem. Sorry, can’t be of more use here.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

No problem thank you for the support!


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

Your DC Jack is wired backwards.

But let's confirm...  Black lead on - pad of PCB, red lead on + pad of PCB.

Is the reading positive or negative?


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

yes but not on the pad for the opamps I have no way I touching the pads on the back with out desoldering the reverb module so I’ve been touching legs as my contacts


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

they would fluctuate but when it stopped all the readings were positive


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

Post a close up pic of your DC jack wiring.


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## mybud (Jul 29, 2022)

steviejr92 said:


> No problem thank you for the support!


My pleasure. Seems to me you're in very good hands. Maybe for future reference try using different colours for 9V and ground (red and green work for me).


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

When Wiring the dc jack the negative side is the ground right?


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Ok gimme a sec


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

Yes, but the DC jack in pedals is wired backwards compared to most electronics.


This is what I was referring to.     Put the black lead on -,   red lead on +.


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)




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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

So this is my jack wired up my out ground jack just recently broke have to resolver that back on lol


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

Hi guys I’m new to pedal building and this is my 3rd build the gravitation reverb. I had populated the board and I wired it to jacks and stomp switch I had bypass when it’s turned off but when engaged I get no sound even though the led light turns on. Which leads me to believe the problem is on the circuit board yet I have looked at others boards and mine doesn’t look any different I don’t if my parts are low quality if that a thing but all of my polarities on my electrolytic capacitors are right both my ic chips are on correctly, I do use bojack resistors from a kit but I don’t know if that will affect anything I did notice the legs are a bit thinner but others other than that they’re all the right values. I checked my pots and they’re on correctly and I do have the right belton reverb chip soldered directly the only the thing different I could notice was the voltage regulator the pub calls for L78L05 but I have LM78L05ACZ I don’t know if that’s it I read somewhere that the pin out might be different but I’ve gotten 2 different answers yes and no lol. I’m lead to believe this is the problem. Can anyone help me out here I’ve ordered a 2nd board and reverb chip since I feel like the parts could be duds……oh and I forgot to mention because of that confusion about the voltage regulator I’ve removed and tried backwards and the same thing and now I e ruined the eyelets where it’s needs to go idk if it’s salvageable but I’ll be posting pics please help lol


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

It looked different in the pic above, but it was small so hard to say for sure.


OK, black lead on ground, then measure the voltage on both ends of the 1N5817 diode right there.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

So now on the dc jack it reads 8.92 volts but negative


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

What power supply are you using?


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

8.94 volts on the diode


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

On both ends of the diode?


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Scratch the negative thing I was confused lol


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Yes on both ends of the diodes


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

Disconnect power from the pedal.

Switch your meter to continuity mode (beep test).   Touch the leads together to make sure it beeps.

Now check for continuity from the Right end of the diode (Stripe) to Pin 8 of either opamp.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

I get no continuity on pin 8 of either opamp from striped side of diode


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

OK that's going to be the problem.   Make sure you have continuity between pin 8 of both opamps.

(Pin 8 of IC1 to Pin 8 of IC2)


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

In other words should I resolder? Problem being there’s a big reverb module in my way lol


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

I did buy another board from you guys should I rebuild I also bought a solder station so this time hopefully the joint will be made much better btw any advise on temp when soldering?


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## mybud (Jul 29, 2022)

'oh and I forgot to mention because of that confusion about the voltage regulator I’ve removed and tried backwards and the same thing and now I e ruined the eyelets where it’s needs to go idk if it’s salvageable but I’ll be posting pics please help lol'

Is this perhaps the culprit? Sorry, lurking with keen interest.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

I’ve been told by the admin that I should still be getting some kind of clean tone even with out the regulator there


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

If you have some insulated wire we can probably fix it, but we need to determine where the trace is damaged for sure first.

The measurement between pin 8 of the two opamps will help determine that.

I suspect @mybud is correct, it's broken at the regulator pad.


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

However, since you do have a new PCB coming, if you'd rather wait and rebuild you can do that as well.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

in your opinion should I just rebuild is there anything I can hervest from this oxbow or should I use all new parts? I also bought another module I have pretty much everything else to build another. I also have one more question the parts I used I’ve bought the caps pots diodes and hardware from stomp box parts and the resistors are from a kit I guess my question is are my parts quality at least for this build to work?


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

*pcb


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

If you have the parts it would probably be easier to rebuild with new rather than trying to salvage.

I'd save the opamps if they're socketed.

You can absolutely salvage the other components, but I would personally toss it into a box for later so you can start fresh and not add any new problems into the mix.

The components from StompBoxParts will be good quality, no problems there.

I can't comment on the resistors but as long as the value are correct you shouldn't have any problems.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

I have 24 Gauge wire will that do?


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

Hi guys I’m new to pedal building and this is my 3rd build the gravitation reverb. I had populated the board and I wired it to jacks and stomp switch I had bypass when it’s turned off but when engaged I get no sound even though the led light turns on. Which leads me to believe the problem is on the circuit board yet I have looked at others boards and mine doesn’t look any different I don’t if my parts are low quality if that a thing but all of my polarities on my electrolytic capacitors are right both my ic chips are on correctly, I do use bojack resistors from a kit but I don’t know if that will affect anything I did notice the legs are a bit thinner but others other than that they’re all the right values. I checked my pots and they’re on correctly and I do have the right belton reverb chip soldered directly the only the thing different I could notice was the voltage regulator the pub calls for L78L05 but I have LM78L05ACZ I don’t know if that’s it I read somewhere that the pin out might be different but I’ve gotten 2 different answers yes and no lol. I’m lead to believe this is the problem. Can anyone help me out here I’ve ordered a 2nd board and reverb chip since I feel like the parts could be duds……oh and I forgot to mention because of that confusion about the voltage regulator I’ve removed and tried backwards and the same thing and now I e ruined the eyelets where it’s needs to go idk if it’s salvageable but I’ll be posting pics please help lol


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

Yep.

Did you confirm you have continuity between pin 8 of the two opamps?


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Thank you so much scratch that last post I’ve made up my mind I will just wait and re use the opamps


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

yes I get continuity between pins 8 on both opamps


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Sorry man I’m like all over the place if I can get this thing going then let’s do it! Lol


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

Connect a wire from the right end of the 1N5817 diode (stripe) to pin 8 of the top opamp.

It'll be easiest if you do it on the bottom of the board.

We need to make a couple measurements before you power it up.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Any tips on how to get underneath the module I don’t have a solder gun to heat all the pins to pull it out all at once that was my problem with the regulator lol


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

Yeah don't try that.  Hang on.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

No problem!


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

OK, not being able to get under the brick is going to complicate things....

We can still do it if you're set on fixing it, but it's going to involve several jumper wires.  Especially when it comes time to reinstall that regulator.

If you want to do it for the point of doing it, we certainly can.


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

I wouldn't recommend trying to remove the brick though..  I have a wide blade soldering iron I use for that sort of job, it'll almost certainly take pads and traces out with it if you try with a regular iron.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Ok so I’m all ears to try to get this thing working if worst comes to worst I have another on the way. So what step one? Lol


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

OK, connect a wire from the Red point to either one of the Green points, whichever green point is easier for you to get to.

The top one will involve bending the pot out of the way, the bottom one might be too close to the brick and you don't want to melt it.


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

After you do that check for continuity from the right end of the diode to pin 8 of both opamps.

You should have continuity.


Then make sure you DON'T have continuity from the right end of the diode to ground.

You do not want continuity there.


If both of those check good you can plug it in and test, you _should_ have a clean signal (no reverb yet)


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## mybud (Jul 29, 2022)

Robert said:


> However, since you do have a new PCB coming, if you'd rather wait and rebuild you can do that as well.


And maybe socket the voltage regulator for next time 😉 if you didn’t.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

So I have continuity on pin 8 on both opamps from right side of diode not the left


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Have not plugged it up to see if I get clean tone gimme sec to confirm


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

That's correct.

Check to see if you have a clean signal with the pedal on now.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Ok so I plugged everything up again I get bypass but nothing when engaged light still turns on


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

mybud said:


> And maybe socket the voltage regulator for next time 😉 if you didn’t.


I will definitely think of that next I didn’t even know they made sockets for voltage regulators lol


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

Hmm.. okay, so there might be some other broken traces.    

This one might turn into a can of worms at this point.    One or two patched traces is no big deal but you don't want wires going everywhere looking like spaghetti.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 28, 2022)

Hi guys I’m new to pedal building and this is my 3rd build the gravitation reverb. I had populated the board and I wired it to jacks and stomp switch I had bypass when it’s turned off but when engaged I get no sound even though the led light turns on. Which leads me to believe the problem is on the circuit board yet I have looked at others boards and mine doesn’t look any different I don’t if my parts are low quality if that a thing but all of my polarities on my electrolytic capacitors are right both my ic chips are on correctly, I do use bojack resistors from a kit but I don’t know if that will affect anything I did notice the legs are a bit thinner but others other than that they’re all the right values. I checked my pots and they’re on correctly and I do have the right belton reverb chip soldered directly the only the thing different I could notice was the voltage regulator the pub calls for L78L05 but I have LM78L05ACZ I don’t know if that’s it I read somewhere that the pin out might be different but I’ve gotten 2 different answers yes and no lol. I’m lead to believe this is the problem. Can anyone help me out here I’ve ordered a 2nd board and reverb chip since I feel like the parts could be duds……oh and I forgot to mention because of that confusion about the voltage regulator I’ve removed and tried backwards and the same thing and now I e ruined the eyelets where it’s needs to go idk if it’s salvageable but I’ll be posting pics please help lol


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

Next time you order parts from Tayda (or where ever you get your parts) grab a strip or two of these:








						40 Pin 2.54mm DIP SIP IC Sockets Adaptor Solder Type
					

Lead Free - Get It Fast - Same Day Shipping




					www.taydaelectronics.com
				




You can break off the number of pins you need.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

My thoughts exactly I’m going to just wait for the new board to come and my new station comes in Sunday again I think with the new station I’ll be making better solder joints hopefully I feel like that along with damaging the eyelets of the regulator was the culprit Now that I have this new DMM I’m also going to be making sure all my components are right thank you guys for the support I will definitely be updating you guys in the next build!


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## Robert (Jul 29, 2022)

That's probably a good idea in this case.

Next time wait to install the Belton module until after you've tested the clean signal, it'll make it easier to get to the back of the PCB for any measurements if needed.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

that’s exactly what I’m going to do I’ve learned a lot from this thanks again! Trust me I’ll be bringing my problems back to you guys in no time 🤣


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## steviejr92 (Jul 29, 2022)

Robert said:


> Next time you order parts from Tayda (or where ever you get your parts) grab a strip or two of these:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Quick question I just ordered these do they work similar to the other sockets in terms on orientation to the circuit board? Or I just have to be sure my voltage regulator is in correctly?


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## mybud (Jul 30, 2022)

steviejr92 said:


> Quick question I just ordered these do they work similar to the other sockets in terms on orientation to the circuit board? Or I just have to be sure my voltage regulator is in correctly?





This is how the sockets work. Generally, semiconductors (diodes, transistors, and ICs) don’t like excessive direct heat from the iron. The socketing avoids this and means you can change parts as you need. In this case, we work from shortest component to tallest, beginning with resistors and diodes. You’ll want to see some solder on both sides of the board. There’s a moment when the solder flows easily and the right amount of time becomes a matter of experience (generally, two or three seconds works for me). 

I tick each installed component off against the BoM, to make double-sure the right components go to the right slots. Easy enough with @PedalPCB’s boards since the component values are provided for you but still worth checking against the document to ensure that common mistakes are avoided from the start. I’m familiar with resistor colour codes, but still check (and label each part) in case of slips or a mispackaged part (very uncommon, but human mistakes do happen).

With diodes, I solder one leg at a time and give them a moment to cool down. Then, I’ll use the DMM to check they are functioning correctly (by checking forward voltages are within the ballpark). With the sockets, it’s worth tack soldering a leg or two first and then carefully pressing down with the iron to check they are level. Don’t spend too much time on this step; the plastic can melt quite easily. 

Next, the caps.





Then, the elcaps in height order as you see here.





Next, offboard wiring (9V and ground, red and green), inputs and outputs (I use white and yellow to keep track). At this stage, I usually clean the board with Flux Off or some such. This gets rid of excess flux and any stray strands of wire which may cause shorts. You can also test the IC voltages at this point before installing them, as before DMM set to DC volts (black to ground and red probe to the appropriate pin) and check that the voltages in play are in the ballpark. The data sheet will tell you which pins to shoot for and roughly what voltages apply in each case. 

Then, install the ICs after taking precautions against electrostatic discharges (wrist strap, and so on). Some might prefer doing these after the onboard pots, but whatever works for you. Try to avoid the temptation of spraying Flux Off too near the pots, so maybe use a cotton swab to remove flux near the pot legs if you are so inclined. 

Next step is to test it out before boxing. I have a little test contraption which connects board in, board out, 9V, and ground on crocodile clips so you can test bypass and engaged functions at will. I kludge mount an LED (IOW, not soldered yet) to verify the board’s getting power and twist the ground and switch leads together temporarily to test this. If all is well, I’ll box it up and solder the jacks, power jack, switches, LED, what have you.

I guess everyone has different approaches to building but these basic principles work for me. YMMV. Good luck with the new build; let us know how you get on.


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## steviejr92 (Jul 30, 2022)

Thank you for this I will definitely be using this as a guide for the next build I have the new board on the way will be keeping you guys updated!


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