# Obsidius preamp problems



## Vildhjuggah

When I turn on my obsidius preamp the distorted signal doesn't come through (only raw sound and some sizzle). If I flip the toggle switches a million times it will come through, but then I try to flip it to the ones I like (or again at all) it cuts out again. To get it to the setting I like and work at the same time it takes awhile. Also, when I switch the pedal off and back on it normally goes back to no distortion (only raw sound and some sizzle) coming through.
I honestly don't know where to start diagnosing this problem. I'd guess check the switches but this happens no matter which switch I flip so I honestly don't know.


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## zgrav

start by reflowing the connections to your toggle switch.


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## Chuck D. Bones

Advice to newbies:
The vast majority of the problems we see here are due to workmanship.  Help us help you by doing these things:
1) Read the other posts in this forum.
2) Clean your board with IPA & a toothbrush.
3) Perform a thorough visual inspection of all components and solder joints.  Use good lighting and magnification.
3a) For examples of bad solder joints, look at the pix in this forum.
3b) For examples of good solder joints, look at the pix in the Build Reports forum.
4) Reflow / resolder only the joints that look bad.  You can resolder a joint only so many times before the traces start to lift or the parts get damaged.
5) If it still doesn't work, post detailed photos here.  
6) Make sure you have a DMM, even if it's one of the Harbor Freight freebies.  And an audio probe.

Good luck!


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## Vildhjuggah

numbering my responses to line up with yours
1, for this pedal there arent any useful posts that ive found on this forum
2,havent done that will admit, dont have an isopropyl alcohol atm
3-4 have done various times, including right after i built it as i was having these same problems initially (my other post was about this pedal and i ended up having these same issues after my initial problem where i fixed a couple solder joints), reflowed some today just in case, i also put electrical tape on the back of the blend to ensure the back of the pot doesn't short anything on large ic (there was no electrical tape at first so figured id do it just in case but doesn't seem to be changing my issue at all hope its not that)
5 alright
6 i have both but have never used an audio probe to test before


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## Chuck D. Bones

1.  True, but the general flavor of the troubleshooting discussions is relevant:
a) We always ask for pix.
b) We expect those who ask for help to do their due diligence and inspect everything first; they don't always do that.
c) Workmanship is the #1 cause of a pedal not working.
d) J201s are problem parts.
2.  OK
3.  OK
4.  OK
5.  Thanks for the pix.  Soldering on the top side looks good.  Part orientations look good.  Need a clearer pic of the solder side.

Apologies for inferring you were a noob.  But you did do something that the noobs do: You did not include pix with your initial request for help.

One end of R19 appears to be up against C101.  Make sure it hasn't breached the insulation and shorted to GND.

*I think I found something.  *R12 should be 470K resistor, is a capacitor.  To the right of the 4049, you have two caps.  Should be capacitor and resistor. This may not be the only problem.

You used electrolytics for the two 1uF caps, should be film.  Will probably work with electrolytics, provided you get the polarity right.  C5 probably doesn't matter.  C22 should have the + side closest to the edge of the board.

Lotta people have been having problems with J201s (as evidenced in this forum). Let's make sure they are happy.  Check the voltage on Q1-1.  Should be just above 4.5V.  Check the voltage on Q1-2.  Should be greater than zero.

Check the voltage on pins 1 & 7 on the TL072s.  They should all be near 4.5V.


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## Vildhjuggah

here is other side

and sorry if theres any confusion because me deleting the old photos and posting the new stuff


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## Chuck D. Bones

Yeah, I was playing catch-up as I wrote.  Solder side photo is still unclear, focus not good.  It is hard to get good photos with a smartphone unless it has macro capabilities (mine doesn't).  I use my trusty old Canon A590 for macro shots.  Not sure, but some of the solder joints might be cold.


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## Vildhjuggah

Its fine with the noob thing, what I had said previously was to help give an idea of my level of noobness lol. Like, i'm a noob but I have made one perfectly working on first try build from here lol, and have been soldering for awhile, wired my guitars/pickups etc...

Ics are correct, its just the picture/lighting.
Checked the r19/c101 thing up close and its fine.
The green electrolytics are supposed to be non polarized and don't have the marking so they should be fine (they are some of the non polarized electrolytics from mammoth electronics).

Good catch on the cap that is supposed to be a resistor! I honestly don't know what made me do that, and probably explains why I was missing a cap while building one of the other pedals I was building at the time lol.
After I fix that i'll test it, and then check the voltages!
I believe I have a few backup j201 and tl072. hopefully none of those are fried cuz i'm assuming not having that resistor could cause voltage issues from that big ic.


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## Chuck D. Bones

Cool.  Where did you get your J201s?  Some of the ones from eBay are bogus.  That cap in place of a resistor should not damage anything.


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## Vildhjuggah

I believe I ordered those from mammoth electronics as well, if not I got them from mouser.


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## Vildhjuggah

im following this, 1 and 7 im getting 0 on all now (pedal on, no playing through)
when i do 4 and 8 i get around 8 volts (using battery atm)|

fresher battery same thing except 9 instead of 8


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## Vildhjuggah

the j201 are both reading 4.5 from left to center pin (while looking at the side with the components)


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## Chuck D. Bones

All measurements are with respect to GND.  Those JFET measurements are not exactly what I asked for, but they do show that the JFETs are working.  Measure from Q1-2 to GND (Q1 is on the right).  Measure TL072's from pin 1 to GND.  Measure from pin 7 to GND.


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## Vildhjuggah

~4.5 on 1+gnd and on 7+gnd on all of them


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## Vildhjuggah

viewing from component side
left j201
left to center 4.1
right to center .22
left to right 2.9

right j201
left to center 4.2
right to center .18
left to right 2 (do i have to max out any of the knobs while measuring?)


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## Chuck D. Bones

You just don't want to put the black meter lead on ground when measuring the JFETs, hmmm?  Do not bother measuring pin 3 on the JFETs; the impedance is too high there and your meter loads the circuit down.  The other measurements look correct. Good news is, the JFETs and opamps are biased correctly.


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## Vildhjuggah

Sorry didn't think you meant do it to ground on the jfets too.
Oh btw, the toggle switches still seem to change the eq, and when the blend is to the raw signal it goes through fine, but when it's to the distorted side it barely comes through but eq is changed and it's not distorted or as loud as it's supposed to be.
I'm at work ATM so I cant test anything rn. And also after fixing the resistor I did flip the switches a good bit and the distorted signal didn't end up randomly working like it did before (maybe If I had more time to do it it would end up working), so I suppose I should check the diodes? Maybe while touching up some stuff I messed those up somehow?


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## Chuck D. Bones

Time to start testing with the audio probe.  Please post a picture of your audio probe so I can guide you on how to use it.  You're basically going to plug the probe into an amp, connect one wire to ground and touch various parts of your circuit with the other wire and listen to what you get.  If you have a pedal that will oscillate on it's own, like a Fuzz Factory, a delay or flanger that will oscillate when the feedback control is turned all the way up, you can use that for a signal source.  Otherwise you or an assistant will have to strum a guitar to make a test signal.


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## Nostradoomus

Looper pedals are the shiznit for this application!


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## Vildhjuggah

Sounds good, I'm at work right now so I looked for a picture on Google. The picture ooks exactly like mine (got it a long time ago). I do have a delay with a built in short looper so should be good on that.


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## Vildhjuggah

When I turn on my obsidius preamp the distorted signal doesn't come through (only raw sound and some sizzle). If I flip the toggle switches a million times it will come through, but then I try to flip it to the ones I like (or again at all) it cuts out again. To get it to the setting I like and work at the same time it takes awhile. Also, when I switch the pedal off and back on it normally goes back to no distortion (only raw sound and some sizzle) coming through.
I honestly don't know where to start diagnosing this problem. I'd guess check the switches but this happens no matter which switch I flip so I honestly don't know.


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## Chuck D. Bones

When you're ready, get your delay going with a more-or-less constant tone. Connect that to the input of you Obsidius. Connect the Audio Probe's ground clip to the ground lug on the IN or OUT jack. Power up the Obsidius. Set the BLEND to 0 (dry), DRIVE to 0 and LEVEL to noon. Set your amp's volume low. Connect the Obsidius output to you amp. Engage the stomp switch (not bypass). Once you have verified that signal is getting thru the Obsidius, unplug the amp from the Obsidius and plug the audio probe into the amp. You'll want to keep the amp volume low while you're moving the probe around because there will be hum and pops and all sorts of mean nasty ugly things.
Start with the probe on IC1-1. You should hear the same sound you heard when the amp was plugged into the Obsidius.
Check the following with the Audio Probe in the order given and report back when you find a dead spot.  Wherever you find a dead spot, the problem will be between there and the previous spot where you had sound.  The volume and eq will change as you move through the circuit, that is normal.  
1) Q1-1
2) IC3-3 try ATTACK switch in both positions
3) IC3-1
4) IC2-3  try GRUNT switch in both positions
5) IC2-2
6) IC3-7
7) IC4-7
8) IC4-1

If the signal is dead at step 5, measure the DC voltage on IC2-1 w.r.t. GND.


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## Vildhjuggah

Sounds good! Yesterday I didn't get off of work till 9 and today I get off at 6 so I'll do that after then!


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## Vildhjuggah

So because on the circuit board picture it doesn't label which ic (or transistor) is which number I'm gonna clarify as I go through

1) Transistors (not sure which is q1 but guessing the left one, putting both just in case)
If looking at the circuit on component side and in reference to the flat side of the transistor;
Q1 Left transistor: 
Left pin no signal, right pin loud signal.
Q2 Right transistor:
Left pin loud, right pin quiet signal.



Ic1 bottom left (seems to be the signal unaffected by switches so assuming that's one) 
Ic 2 is the cd4039 according to parts list
Ic 3 middle (I'm guessing cuz that seems to respond to the attack switch only which is what you said test it with)
Ic 4 bottom right (seems to be the last one in signal since it's affected by both eq switches so guessing that's 4)
That correct? 

2)ic3-3 working with attack switch
3)ic3-1 slightly louder than original signal
4)ic2-3 quiet but sometimes loud (seems to be the signal popping in and out thing maybe?)
5)ic2-2 louder than 3
Bonus question) 7.6 volts on ic2-1 to ground (running on battery at 8.5v)
6)ic3-7 sometimes quiet sometimes loud
7)ic4-7 quiet 
8)ic4-1 quiet

Testing while ic3-7 is loud
7/8) when tested while ic3-7 is loud it's about the same as original signal
4/5) probing these again seemed to make ic3-7 go quieter again


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## Vildhjuggah

Note to self, don't run delay/looper pedal on a battery while testing, went down to 7 volts


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## Chuck D. Bones

You had most of it right.  Q1 is on the right, Q2 is on the left.  If you look on the PCB, you can see a trace on the top layer connecting Q2's gate (pin 3) to two 1M resistors and a 22nF capacitor.  That's how I know which is which.  Or you can measure the voltage on pin 1.  Q2-1 will be at +9V.  IC1 is lower left.  IC4 is lower right.  IC2 is the big guy at the top.  IC3 is just below IC2.

1) 1st stage (Q1 & Q2) is working correctly.
2) Signal is getting to 2nd stage.
3) 2nd stage is working correctly.  IC3-1 should get louder if you turn DRIVE up.
4) Sound like there is an intermittent connection at the input to the 3rd stage.  Check both sides of R17 with the probe.  There are two 6.8K resistors above IC1.  R17 is the one on the right.  The signal on the bottom side of R17 should be quieter than the top side.  We're looking for intermittent signal.  
4a) +7.6V on IC2-1 sounds about right.  Normally, CMOS gates draw hardly any current.  But when we bias one into a linear region so we can use it as an amplifier, it starts drawing current.  In this case, about 9mA.  It will vary from one chip to the next.

The problem is on the input side of IC2.  Does switching the GRUNT switch make the problem come and go?  If so, then the switch or its solder joints are suspect.  If you used too much heat on the switch terminals, it may be damaged.  

Measure the DC voltage on IC2-3 and IC2-2 with no input signal.  They should be equal (assuming you are using a _good _DMM) and somewhere between 2.5 and 5V.

IC sockets are always suspect and I don't like to use them myself.  However, a socket is definitely a good idea when using 4049s in a pedal because some are noisy.  Inspect all of the solder joints around R17, IC2, D1 & D2.  Pull IC2 out of the socket and clean the socket out with IPA.

A word about DMMs.  I have two on my bench.  A good one that has 10M input impedance and a shitty one that has 1M input impedance.  I use them both, but I won't try to measure high-impedance circuits like the input side of IC2 with the shitty one.  If you use a cheap HF DMM that has 1M input impedance, the voltage on IC2-3 will read 2/3 of the voltage that is on IC2-2. 

We're getting closer to fixing this beast!


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## Vildhjuggah

Alright so after I get off work I need to test
(Making a new number list)
1) test if drive is making ic3 louder
2) see what happens on each side of r17
3) measure ic2-2 and 2-3 (my multimeter wasn't very expensive but it wasn't a free one from harbor freight haha but we'll see how it measures these)

Normally it was while switching the switch, but I had reflowed the connections just in case. But also, since I originally installed the potentiometers and switches on the front side before I looked at a few finished builds on the forum, it did take a while to get enough solder off the switch connections to pull it out, it's possible that the switch was damaged then, but it's so inconsistent on when the distorted side of the signal finally pops in.
So to be absolutely sure whether it's the switch or not.
4) check joints on switch, maybe take out switch and try using jumpers instead of the switch to see if that works

But the things that were making me think it wasn't the switch was that sometimes it'd pop in while flipping the attack switch previously, but that was working perfect in yesterday's testing. When I turn the pedal off while it's working properly, then back on, it wouldn't be working right anymore either. Also there was a few random times where ic3 got loud while poking around and not flipping the switch.

5) clean ic3 socket (also just in case check the electrical tape on back of pot that's above it)


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## Chuck D. Bones

Correction: the IC2 socket is the one that's suspect, clean that one.
I would not trust electrical tape, it is too easily cut by sharp leads.  I use either dust caps or a thin cardboard, like a business card or piece of a cereal box.
If you had to remove and replace the toggle switches, chances are that they were damaged. in the unsoldering process.  Been there, done that.  I won't reuse toggle switches that have been removed.  A failure in the ATTACK switch would be evident when probing IC3 pins 1 or 3.  A failure in the GRUNT switch would not affect IC3 pins 1 or 3, but would affect IC2.
Since you mentioned R & R'ing the pots and switches, you need to inspect carefully for collateral damage.  Look for lifted pads, cracked traces and parts that were nicked by the soldering iron.  Even a small nick or crack on a film resistor can break the resistive element.  The pix look fine, but you can see better than we can. The signal popping in and out when you probe makes me thing there is a loose solder joint, intermittent short or a cracked trace.


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## Vildhjuggah

Fair enough.
None of the pads lifted. (props to the PCB maker) I hope there's no track cracks. I'll check for any resistors that were touched by the soldering iron cuz I think there was one.

Once I get home I'll do all that, probably reflow the ic 2 socket as well.


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## Chuck D. Bones

Yes, thru-plated holes are pretty robust, but enough heat will mess them up too.
My advice is to not reflow a solder joint unless it looks bad or tests bad.  You can do more harm than good by reflowing solder joints that don't need it.
Try poking the audio probe around the area where the sound would come and go, you should be able to zero in on the intermittent connector.  Also try tapping various places and parts with a soft insulated tool.  A small chopstick works well for this (no joke!).


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## Vildhjuggah

Pedal is working for some reason atm, all i did was check the switch with the multimeter before doing these tests

1)Drive is making ic3 louder
2) r17 seems to be same volume on both sides
3)Ic2-2 and 2-3 are 2.79 and 2.75 (still running on battery at 8.5 v

Imma play through it for a bit
Flick some switches see if it's staying on right


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## Vildhjuggah

messing up again after messing around a bit


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## Chuck D. Bones

Repeat the last two measurements when it's messing up.  We have to catch it in the act of misbehaving.  You have a _good _meter if IC2 pins 2 & 3 read nearly equal.


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## Vildhjuggah

I went to go test and it's started working again, once it's messing up again I'll post more.
In the meantime I'll go ahead and let you know I've really appreciated your help and sorry for putting you through this. Lol


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## Vildhjuggah

messing up again, clean socket and board with ipa
working better, i probably just need to replace the switches, next time i order parts ill grab some so its worth the shipping (though i should probably try hardwiring switch point first)


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## Chuck D. Bones

Yeah, jumpering is a good idea to prove that the switches are the problem.  Toggle switches can fail in several ways:
1) a contact pair closing that should be open
2) a contact pair opening that should be closed
3) a contact shorting to the case
First try it with the switches installed.  At some point you'll need to remove the switches because you might be experiencing failure mode 1.  As long as the switches are not in contact with the box, failure mode 3 won't be an issue.


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## Vildhjuggah

The solder points of the switch aren't touching the case, but the the outside of the switch is of course.
Is that a bad thing?


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## Chuck D. Bones

The switch failures I was describing above would be inside the switch where we can't see them, but we can observe them with an audio probe or DMM.  If you're going to jumper the switches, it would be easier to do with the board outside the case, yes?  I'm suggesting that we test the board out of the case as well. 
Make sense?


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## Vildhjuggah

I replaced the switches and they should definitely be working properly.
The pedal however still isn't.
I ran through some of the tests you've had me do before.
Currently the issues I'm having in the test (with blend 0 raw, volume noon, drive 0, switches in middle position)
Ic 2-3 nothing (voltage 2.86)
ic2-2 (voltage 2.89) hiss and some sound
R17 you said the 6.8k one on the right (I'm assuming while looking at the components) getting nothing either way
The one to the left I get good signal on top nothing on bottom

So
"Inspect all of the solder joints around R17, IC2, D1 & D2. Pull IC2 out of the socket and clean the socket out with IPA"
Joints seem fine
I cleaned the socket


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## Vildhjuggah

Had to crop the picture cuz file too large but this is a picture of how I have it while testing


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## Chuck D. Bones

First, let's be clear about board orientation.  When we say left, right, up, down, top or bottom, we are referring the the view of the board as it appears on page 1 of the build docs.

You said you have good signal at R10 "The one to the left I get good signal on top nothing on bottom."  
You said you have no signal at R17 "R17 you said the 6.8k one on the right (I'm assuming while looking at the components) getting nothing either way."

That narrows the search for the short, open, bad part, or whatever is causing your pedal to malfunction.  It's somewhere between the output of the 1st stage (good signal at the top of R10) and the input to the 3rd stage (no signal on R17).

Verify you have good signal at IC3-1 (output of 2nd stage).  If you have signal there, but no signal on either side of R17, then the problem is right around the GRUNT sw, C11-C13 and R17.  

If you don't have signal at IC3-1, then check for signal at the bottom of R13 (470K to the left of the CD4049).

I do not trust the electrical tape you have under the BLEND pot.  Sharp trimmed leads can poke holes in it.  IC2 & IC3 are right under the BLEND pot and that's where we've been losing signal.


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## Vildhjuggah

When I turn on my obsidius preamp the distorted signal doesn't come through (only raw sound and some sizzle). If I flip the toggle switches a million times it will come through, but then I try to flip it to the ones I like (or again at all) it cuts out again. To get it to the setting I like and work at the same time it takes awhile. Also, when I switch the pedal off and back on it normally goes back to no distortion (only raw sound and some sizzle) coming through.
I honestly don't know where to start diagnosing this problem. I'd guess check the switches but this happens no matter which switch I flip so I honestly don't know.


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## Vildhjuggah

I'm at work right now but I'll check ic3-1 and I'll turn the drive knob like you had mentioned before as well while testing it.
In the earlier testing the back of the pot wasn't touching any of the other solder joints and I actually had the pot bent slightly forward because I looked at the joints under it. But will put something else beneath it before I put it back in the enclose.


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## Vildhjuggah

Volume noon still drive 0
Ic3-1 has signal
R17 nope
Maxed volume and drive because the volume to test;
Ic3-1 works (not like it should but there is signal)
R17 very little signal with drive maxed but only if the switch near it is up or down, middle position no


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## Vildhjuggah

R17 is reading 6.65k while circuit is off so it should be fine


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## Chuck D. Bones

You should have signal with the GRUNT sw in all 3 positions.  If there is no signal in the center position, then C11 (4.7nF, just above 1N5817), she's-a no good.  Since we can't read that capacitor in the photos, can you take a good look at C11 and verify that it is 4.7nF?  If it's marked 472 or 4.7n, then we're good. Also, C8, that fat red cap just to the right of the CD4049, is supposed to be 220pF, but it reads 222 which is 2.2nF.


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## Vildhjuggah

c11 says 472
good call on c8, i had been wondering why that cap was so big anyway and figured i order a weird size one but would still work, turns out i put the wrong one there (checked a lot of the other caps and so far they are correct)
so c8 should be saying 221?
sadly i cant find a cap that value, will have to ask a friend if he has any or order more but who knows if i'll need any other parts


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## Nostradoomus

Have you got anything close to that value? Like 180 or 250?


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## Chuck D. Bones

For now, just leave the ATTACK sw in the middle position.  Once we get the pedal working, then you can go about replacing C8.  220pF is a pretty common value in pedals, so you might as well buy a few.


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## Vildhjuggah

I don't nostra, I ordered specifically what I needed (and a few extra of some components like ic's and some of the caps I get extra) when I was building three pedals.
Yeah I'll order some extra when I do. Since mammoth closed I heard about small bear, which is nice cuz the website is better designed in terms of searching parts and their shipping is cheaper.
But I suppose I shouldn't order them until a little more diagnosing.


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## Vildhjuggah

I wonder if the cap I used to have beside c8 (that I had to swap with a resistor) was the correct one for c8


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## Chuck D. Bones

I'm gonna put the ball back in your court to visually verify all of the parts against the build docs.  That includes verifying orientation of polarized parts.  It's problematic for the person who built the board to inspect the board because we often see what we expect to see, as opposed to what's actually there.  That's one of the reasons we ask for pix.


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## Vildhjuggah

I believe those two caps that have been the wrong ones are the only wrong parts.

Checked all the caps, (except theres a couple of the box type that i cant see the label) and they're all good besides of course c8.
The green caps are supposed to be nonpolar and have no marks to indicate otherwise like the usual stripe.
The black and gold caps, i have the small gold stripe to the negative (which i know normally its a black stripe but on these nichicon the casing is black with a gold stripe instead so that should be correct).
Diodes/ transistors/ic's are correct in both orientation and item.
No potential shorts anywhere as far as i can tell. 
Resistors were easy because i just pull em from their bags and didn't have to do any conversions from uf/nf/pf and stuff so i should have all the resistors right but can go through with a multimeter if you'd like.
I do have some backup ic's of both I believe if its worth a shot swapping them.


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## Vildhjuggah

I measured all the resistors.
The ones i marked are reading at around half value, and its making me wonder whether they are in parallel or if a capacitor is messing up a reading or something so i figured id check with you first before i swapped them. I double checked by color codes and they are correct.


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## Chuck D. Bones

From left to right,
Top row: R13, R12
Middle row: R8, R7
Bottom row: R102, R101
Measuring large value resistors in-circuit is problematic.  If there is a DC path around the resistor, the meter will read low.  One thing you can do is measure the resistor one way, wait for the measurement to settle and write down the result. Then reverse the leads, wait for the measurement to settle and write down the result. Whichever reading is the highest will be closest to the truth.  May still read low.  R7, R8, R12 & R13 have a leakage path thru each other, Q1 and Q2.  R101 and R102 have a leakage path thru each other and everything connected to Vcc, Vref and ground.


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## Vildhjuggah

Alright I'll try that after work and put the highest reading here for each. But yeah besides that everything should be correct, it's just some of the box caps I can't see the label cuz some of them have it on one of the bigger sides instead of the top, but it's right beside another box cap


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## Chuck D. Bones

I think your resistors are fine.  Try replacing IC2.  CMOS ICs are very sensitive to static electricity damage.  Your CD4049s should be stored in an anti-static bag. You should *not *handle them in a dry (RH <30%) environment. Before you take it out of the bag, ground yourself by touching something grounded, then touch your circuit board, then take the part out of the bag and install it. Where did you buy your CD4049?


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## Vildhjuggah

I think I got those from mammoth electronics, if not then I got them from mouser, and they are the "ube" ones


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## Chuck D. Bones

Did they come in an anti-static container?  I expect they would from Mouser.  From Mammoth. who knows?  If you don't know how to identify an anti-static container, the good ones are metallized plastic bags.  The fair ones are pink or blue and have a slightly greasy feel to them.  Real anti-static containers are marked with one or both of these symbols.  Scotch tape on the ends of IC tubes is bad.  Other than DigiKey and Mouser, all of the online electronics parts vendors I've dealt with either don't know or don't care about ESD protection.  So far, I've been lucky, no obviously damaged parts.


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## Vildhjuggah

The bags look similiar to the bags in terms of the material that the ic's i got from mouser came in, but dont have the label no. :/


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## Chuck D. Bones

try changing out IC2 and see if your pedal starts working.


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## Vildhjuggah

Nope, did some quick probe on the ic points ic1-1, ic2-2. ic2-3 since it wasn't working and still weak signal on ic2-3 with drive and volume all the way up, blend to dist , flipped switches so they arent in middle (because louder when up or down instead). no distortion
flipping switches still isn't getting it to work anymore either


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## Vildhjuggah

When I turn on my obsidius preamp the distorted signal doesn't come through (only raw sound and some sizzle). If I flip the toggle switches a million times it will come through, but then I try to flip it to the ones I like (or again at all) it cuts out again. To get it to the setting I like and work at the same time it takes awhile. Also, when I switch the pedal off and back on it normally goes back to no distortion (only raw sound and some sizzle) coming through.
I honestly don't know where to start diagnosing this problem. I'd guess check the switches but this happens no matter which switch I flip so I honestly don't know.


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## Vildhjuggah

I guess my last options are, buy the cap I need, another cd4049, and 1n4148's. Swap them in that order and test in between, and if it doesnt work give up.


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## Chuck D. Bones

The DC voltages you measured on IC2 back on Sept 30th showed that IC2 was good and D1 & D2 weren't shorted.  So I doubt that changing any of them out will fix things.  With power off, measure resistance to GND on each side of R19.  R19 is the 10K resistor next to IC3 pin 5.  I'm starting to think we might have a short in that area.


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## Vildhjuggah

From either leg it reads around 1 meg (takes awhile to settle).
In one of the pictures it seems one of the legs is touching the cap but i moved it away just in case a while back.


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## Chuck D. Bones

Well damn.  Correct me if any of these statements are wrong.
You have signal at IC3-3.
You have a bigger signal at IC3-1 and how big it gets depends on the DRIVE pot.
Switching GRUNT does not affect the tone or volume at IC3-1.
You have more-or-less the same signal at the top of R17 (right-hand 6.8K) that changes volume and/or tone when you switch GRUNT.
The signal is weaker at IC2-3 and IC2-2.

Which is louder: IC2-3 or IC2-2?


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## Vildhjuggah

its working?

it was starting to cut in and out again while testing (specifically while poking ic3)

so i pulled ic3 out and then there was a short lead under the resistors beside it that i had never seen before (dont know if it was under ic3 the whole time or not, but i think at one point i pulled out ic3 cuz i decided to go ahead and clean it too way back before i had to wait for the switches i ordered to come in) so when i pulled the ic out a leg somehow jumped under the resistors, tried poking at it and it fell out so i kept looking to make sure it was gone, tried again cutting out then another footswitch wire broke loose and i soldered that back on, and now it seems to be working right 

but now while the pedal is off but plugged in the light is flickering?

If it was that one little lead the popped out of nowhere this whole time im gonna be mad but also so sorry you've wasted so much time (though i have learned a good bit and you did tell me about the 2 capacitors that i put in the wrong spot)

im gonna test it some more to make sure its actually working now
and maybe the lead moved and is causing the flicker somehow but i cant find it


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## Vildhjuggah

i have taken the board out of the box so many times i dont understand how a short lead was under that the whole time, i dont want to believe that was the issue.


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## Nostradoomus

Maaaan that sucks but it’s also awesome if it works now!


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## Vildhjuggah

ok the distortion is still cutting in and out(everything maxed for testing) while flipping switches every once in awhile
still doing the flickering when off


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## Chuck D. Bones

You have more debris in there I'll bet.  I recommend that you completely remove the board from the box, pull the ICs out of the sockets and try shaking out anything else that's stuck under sockets and parts.  Trimmed leads, bits of stranded wire, solder balls, etc.  If there is any sign of stickiness or flux residue, rinse the board thoroughly with alcohol.  Otherwise, the conductive bits will get stuck in the sticky stuff, only to come loose and wreck havoc later on.


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## Nostradoomus

A can of compressed air can go a long way!


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