# Son of Ben no audio



## Joshdrain (Oct 7, 2019)

Anyone have issues with with one? Everything looks good but, no signal when engaged


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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 8, 2019)

Post a pic and we'll take a look.  Did you set the trimmers according to the schematic?  Where did you get your J201s?  There are counterfeit JFETs being sold on eBay and elsewhere.


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## Joshdrain (Oct 8, 2019)

I will get some photos when I get home.  I actually couldn't find any J201's so, I tried both 2N5458's and 2N5952's which seem to pin out the same and the voltage looks right but, no output.


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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 8, 2019)

Also provide the drain voltages for Q1 - Q3.  2N5458 has same pinout as J201, 2N5952 is reversed. Vp on 2N5458 & 2N5952 has a large range and can be much higher than J201, so also measure and report the source voltages. If Vp is at the high end of the range, their gain will be low and you may not be able to dial-in the drain voltage.  A better sub for J201 is PF5102.


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## Joshdrain (Oct 15, 2019)

I was able to get 1.67k  on Q1 with 4v on the drain of Q2 and 3. Still no output. I don’t think this is a jack ground issue as I have made sure path to ground is good.


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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 15, 2019)

What are the source and drain voltages on Q1?  Do you have an audio probe?


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## Joshdrain (Oct 15, 2019)

After trying the one J201 I had sitting around, I am pretty sure my problem stems from using 2N transistors as a substitution. The drain off the initial Q1 J201 is 12v but, that drops to a max of 2.1v drain using a 2N592 or 2N5458. I order some J201’s but, of course they are on a boat from over seas so, it will be weeks. Anyone have a couple extras they could part with for a little cash?


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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 15, 2019)

12V?  What are you using to power this?  NB: you cannot plug in just any old JFET and expect it to work.  There are subs that will work, but you need to match two critical parameters: Vp (aka Vgs,off) and Idss, with the original device fairly closely.  Getting the pinout right is kinda important too.  Any other part substitutions you want to tell us about?


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## Nostradoomus (Oct 15, 2019)




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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 15, 2019)

That giphy link not working too well.


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## Joshdrain (Oct 15, 2019)

Nope. I am using a Walrus Aetos 9v supply to power it. Every other part is to spec. There was just no stock of J201’s when I ordered my parts so, I had to order from another source which takes around a month to arrive. 

Note: my mistake, it is running at 5.82v on the drain of Q1


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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 15, 2019)

You might want to test your new JFETs before you install them.  There are two simple tests you can run with a 9V source and a DMM that will tell us Vp and Idss.  From that info, we will know A) are the parts real J201s and B) what to expect when they're installed.  If you've been following the JFET saga in this and other forums, you'll know that there are a LOT of counterfeit J201s being sold online.


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## Flipguitarist (Oct 16, 2019)

When I built my sorcerer at first I didn’t get sound, everything looked good as far as components and soldering. guess where the problem was with mine? Those same input jacks. When I replaced mine with the regular ones it worked. Make sure you soldered correctly where the ground and signal go. Those things confuse the shit out of me so I just stick with regular input jacks. Just my 2 cents. Newbie here as well.

Edit.
I meant to say this type of input jacks


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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 16, 2019)

Good point.  You can always download the spec sheet or break out the DMM to be absolutely sure which terminal is which.


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## music6000 (Oct 16, 2019)

Flipguitarist said:


> When I built my sorcerer at first I didn’t get sound, everything looked good as far as components and soldering. guess where the problem was with mine? Those same input jacks. When I replaced mine with the regular ones it worked. Make sure you soldered correctly where the ground and signal go. Those things confuse the shit out of me so I just stick with regular input jacks. Just my 2 cents. Newbie here as well.


I get mine from Small Bear, They are good Clones of the Switchcraft jacks @ $1.75









						1/4 in. Stereo Enclosed Jack
					

Small Bear Electronics DIY Parts




					smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com
				












						1/4 in. Mono Enclosed Jack
					






					smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com


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## Joshdrain (Nov 1, 2019)

I am fairly certain my Jacks are wired correctly because I do get signal when the effect is bypassed and I have used these jacks on 20 or 30 builds without issue. What I am seeing is the J201’s I ordered are reading out at .9v when wide open on the trim pot but, without the transistor in place it reads out at between 8 and 9v. It’s like all of my voltage is being eaten by the J201’s is this the sign of a fake batch?


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## mywmyw (Nov 1, 2019)

Joshdrain said:


> I am fairly certain my Jacks are wired correctly because I do get signal when the effect is bypassed and I have used these jacks on 20 or 30 builds without issue. What I am seeing is the J201’s I ordered are reading out at .9v when wide open on the trim pot but, without the transistor in place it reads out at between 8 and 9v. It’s like all of my voltage is being eaten by the J201’s is this the sign of a fake batch?



seems like it. are you sure of all your resistors being in the right place?


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## Chuck D. Bones (Nov 1, 2019)

On Oct 15 you have the correct drain voltages on Q2 & Q3.  What's the drain voltage on Q1 when the trimpot is set to 2K? So far, the evidence indicates your J201s are good.  Have you done any audio probing yet?


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## Joshdrain (Nov 2, 2019)

Solved!!!!! 

To recap the issue : the drain socket would read out at 9v but, when I would place the J201 the voltage would drop to around 1v wide open. I was finally able to get a new order of J201’s and it turns out the first two orders of J201’s were fakes. As soon as I popped in the legit J201’s boom! Worked as expected from the beginning. Thanks for the help to everyone that made suggestions. If you see this issue. I would be dollars to donuts you have bad J201’s


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## Chuck D. Bones (Nov 2, 2019)

Good to hear this was finally fixed.  
There is a way to mark this thread solved.  I think there is a button you can push at the bottom where you enter text.


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