Stompbox Fuzzface DIY Kit

[tikhon33]

I recently bought a Fuzzface DIY kit from Stompbox Parts and finished putting it together today and while the unit powers on, there is no sound when I plug my guitar into the unit.

I've never attempted a pedal build before this and this is the first attempt at soldering anything, however, the website description said this was a good project to start on.

(I discovered soldering is not easy, but the guy in the video sure made it look that way)..

Is there a way to troubleshoot something like this?

Also, I would think a better way to build something this would be in a stepwise manner (similar to writing software) where you test functionality in small chunks (maybe with a multimeter) to make sure all is working before going onto the next step.

I'll always remember one of my first compsci professors saying if you wait until your done writing a program to see if it your code works, the chances are it won't..

Perhaps I should practiced on an old PCB board, since I think my soldering skills are poor at best, however I think I may need to start again with different approach.

thanks in advance.

 

[jimilee]

I recently bought a Fuzzface DIY kit from Stompbox Parts and finished putting it together today and while the unit powers on, there is no sound when I plug my guitar into the unit.

I've never attempted a pedal build before this and this is the first attempt at soldering anything, however, the website description said this was a good project to start on.

(I discovered soldering is not easy, but the guy in the video sure made it look that way)..

Is there a way to troubleshoot something like this?

Also, I would think a better way to build something this would be in a stepwise manner (similar to writing software) where you test functionality in small chunks (maybe with a multimeter) to make sure all is working before going onto the next step.

I'll always remember one of my first compsci professors saying if you wait until your done writing a program to see if it your code works, the chances are it won't..

Perhaps I should practiced on an old PCB board, since I think my soldering skills are poor at best, however I think I may need to start again with different approach.

thanks in advance.

Post clear close up well lit pics of the front and back and the off board wiring. Chances are, if all the components and polarities are correct, you just need to go over your solder joints and reflow them.

 

[tikhon33]

Post clear close up well lit pics of the front and back and the off board wiring. Chances are, if all the components and polarities are correct, you just need to go over your solder joints and reflow them.

Thanks for your response..

I was really struggling with this, and i'm pretty sure that's evident..

thanks again.

 

[jimilee]

Go back and reflow all your solder joints so the solder flows through the board. They should all look like silver Hershey’s kisses. Some of the solder pads looks like there’s little no solder here. This is the most common new guy issue.

 

[Harry Klippton]

Remember that you want to heat the components and the solder pads. The heat from the pad and component is what melts the solder

 

[tikhon33]

Thank you all for your assistance and advice.

By following your direction here, I was able to get the pedal to function properly.

God Bless!

 

[Big Monk]

Thank you all for your assistance and advice.

By following your direction here, I was able to get the pedal to function properly.

God Bless!

First step is always to inspect and reflow.

Some people move right to freaking out and getting too heavy handed.

Even those of us that have built for a long time still solve 99% of problems with a simple inspect and reflow. Glad you got it working.

 

[jimilee]

First step is always to inspect and reflow.

Some people move right to freaking out and getting too heavy handed.

Even those of us that have built for a long time still solve 99% of problems with a simple inspect and reflow. Glad you got it working.

This all day long. Glad it’s up and running, you are officially a builder! Say goodbye to friends and family.