SOLVED Angry Mikey

[Mike McLane]

Just finished my Angry Andy build. Sounds like the amp is under a stack of heavy blankets. . . muffled, indistinct and low volume. When max'd out the volume is well below the amp volume when bypassed. However, the controls seem to be doing what is intended. I've done a quick check of the off board hookups, etc. and don't see anything wrong offhand. I'm not an "electronics guy" so I don't know where to begin to troubleshoot. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Nostradoomus]

Post a nice clear picture of the top and bottom of your board...sounds like a component value or two is off.

 

[Mike McLane]

Sir Doomus of Nostra. . . once again you ride to my rescue. Pics attached. I realize that I didn't wash the board down with flux cleaner. . . possible problem? With Volume at 10 and Gain at 0 I get nothing out of the amp. As I turn up the Gain I get volume up to a point that is somewhat lower than the bypass volume. I double checked the pot and cap values, but I have trouble distinguishing the color bands on the resistors so I'm coming up with some weird values (and measuring them with the meter is hit and miss due to their interaction with other components). Anything you note would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Robert]

R9 should be 470R, not 470K.

That'll probably take care of your problem.

 

[Nostradoomus]

Nailed it. It’s good practice for sure to clean up your board still.

 

[Mike McLane]

Wow! What a bunch you's guys are! Thx! That's the resistor I kept getting the weird number on that didn't jive. BTW, I checked out the 5-knob compressor on BYOC and it looks just like the ticket. HOWEVER, not only do they not have the IC in stock (which is understandable as it is obsolete, but found on Ebay), but the little PCB for the footswitch, header and header socket are not shown on there either. I emailed for clarification, but after over a week I have not had any reply (maybe its Xmas break). As the above testament would illustrate Robert's reply was in 30 minutes!!!! I'd much rather get it from PPCB. . . . along with that updated V3 Tommy Thanks, again.

 

[Robert]

Got a couple good compressors in the pipeline.....

 

[Mike McLane]

That's what I wanna hear!!! I'll wait. I may still tackle the Delegate before it's all over. Thx Roberto! OBTW, the Angry Andy. . . . swapped out the resistor. IT'S ALLLLLLLIVVVVE!

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

...not have the IC in stock (which is understandable as it is obsolete, but found on Ebay)...

If you are not an "electronics guy" then those guys on eBay selling hard-to-find ICs will LOVE you. Buying semiconductors on eBay is risky business. Many are untested or fake. They're not all shysters, but how will you know?

Here's some constructive feedback on your build:
Soldering looks good.
Wiring looks good.
Pots that go under the board should have dust caps or be spaced high enough to ensure that the pot body does not contact anything on the underside of the board.
Definitely you should clean the board. It's ok to get clean alcohol in the pots, but it's not ok to get alcohol laden with flux in the pots. I wash my boards before installing pots or sockets.
Speaking of sockets, those cheap stamped-pin sockets are unreliable. Machined-pin sockets are much better.
Learn the color code. Measure your resistors before installing them.
If you haven't already, read this.

Happy New Year!

 

[Mike McLane]

Thx Chuck. I hear you on the Ebay scam. I always test the components before installation. I obviously just bone-headed the 470 vs 470K error. Usually scrub things down with flux cleaner like you recommend, too. Just spaced it out this time. But scrubbing it BEFORE putting the pots in is a great tip. I don't put caps on the pots, but I do insulate them with electrical tape. My biggest problem with resistor color code is not being able to distinguish colors (i.e. brown vs purple). I have the color code chart down loaded to my "reference" folder though for quick reference.