Arachnid wet signal faint and distorted

[indridcold70]

This is my first FV-1 build and only my 5th pedal build, so I am a bit new to this. I just completed an Arachnid build and my wet output signal is very faint and has a very distorted sound. I have to hit the guitar strings hard to get any output and it almost acts as if it's gated as it cuts off very abruptly. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[EGRENIER]

This is my first FV-1 build and only my 5th pedal build, so I am a bit new to this. I just completed an Arachnid build and my wet output signal is very faint and has a very distorted sound. I have to hit the guitar strings hard to get any output and it almost acts as if it's gated as it cuts off very abruptly. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

You’ll need to post pictures for any help.

Usually, people will expect that:

- you’ve done a clean up of the board
- you’ve done a visual inspection for solder bridge and bad solder point
- verified that all polarized components were installed correctly
- All pots have isolation (dust cover or others)
- You have triple checked all your component values

 

[indridcold70]

The only thing I didn't do on the checklist is triple-check the component values. Let me give a little background on how this build went. When I initially installed the FV-1, I wasn't paying attention and installed it upside-down. I know, I know, rookie mistake! So I desoldered it, cleaned up the pads, and installed it properly. I noticed my mistake before introducing any power to it. I don't think there are any bad solder joints on it and checked with a high-power magnifier. Is it possible I fried the FV-1?

 

[Robert]

Is the dry signal clean if you turn the Mix control all the way down?

 

[flemming]

I gave the components a quick once over and they look okay to me, though some of the colors are a little hard to see. Some of those joints appear a bit dry. I circled some examples where I can still see the solder pad fairly clearly. Some look like there might not be any solder at all on them.

 

[indridcold70]

Is the dry signal clean if you turn the Mix control all the way down?

Yes, the dry signal is clean.

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Is it possible to take pictures that are in focus? We can't tell if the solder joints are any good or not.

As long as you did not overheat the FV-1 by soldering it twice and unsoldering it, then it should be fine. Soldering SMD parts is difficult and it's easy to get a bad solder joint or a short.

Verify you have +3.3V on pins 6 & 8.

 

[indridcold70]

It looks like I have fixed the issue! I'm not sure what the exact problem was, but I checked and re-soldered all the questionable areas and it's good to go. Thank you everyone for all your input!

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Mark it SOLVED.