SOLVED Arkaim Fuzz troubleshooting (solved)

[justin35]

Hello,

I think i am close to finish the arkaim fuzz.

I had some troubles with the led but now they both turn on and off with the 3pdt switches . I left the middle one empty (i didn't solder the led located in the center of the pcb) . I have sound when it s not powered, if i plug in the 9v, i have a big buzz noise . I can cut this buzz sound with the left 3pdt switch (loocking from the back like the picture in the schematics )

I noticed that my pcb is slightly different from the one on the schematics . The pads of both led close to the two 3pdt switches have their pads in the opposite direction. + is - on my pcb where i see - and + on the internet . ( link: https://docs.pedalpcb.com/project/Arkaim.pdf )

My questions are : Should i make any change in the 3pdt switches wiring to fit with the change with the led's polarity ?
I received a mini pcb for one footswich, but since there is two footswitches, wich is the right one ?

 

[Nostradoomus]

Could you take a closer up picture? It’s hard to distinguish anything from that one.

The switch board is for your main bypass switch (top switch in the picture with the led flying over it.)

 

[justin35]

There is six holes in the switch board, in, out and ground are clear for me but not the switch and two more unnamed .

Here is more pics, please note : i have left the right led connected out of the box .

 

[justin35]

A few hours later, i have soldered the switch board and the wires as follow : in and out in the unnamed pads, the rest in the order they have on the main pcb . Still the same : a big buzz when i plug the 9v, only now i can't cut it with the left 3pdt switch and it comes and goes when i move the box.

 

[Nostradoomus]

Those wires are crazy long...it’s hard to make sense of any of that. Shorten them up and maybe we can get to the bottom of it.

You were correct to wire the pads to the in/out jacks.

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

We still need better pix. More resolution. Lots more. Take a look at the pix in the Build Reports forum and take pix like those.
Have you thoroughly inspected all of the solder joints under magnification?
Verified all of the component values?
Check the pots under the board and make sure there is an insulating material (a piece of thin cardboard will do) between the pots and the board.

 

[justin35]

Thank you for your help. Sorry for the bad quality, i hope these pictures are better, i quickly reach some loading limit when i go higher .

I have been busy and the big buzz noise has desappeared .
When i plug in the 9v, as usual the pedal is in bypass and i can hear my guitar .
The same when i switch on . The signal turns off when i push the second 3pdt switch ( first picture ) .

The only oustide component is one Led and it's brightly lit .
I cut the wires shorter, i hope its better for you now .

I did all kinds of inspections, and took exemple on this link : https://forum.pedalpcb.com/threads/troubleshooting-my-arkaim-fuzz-part-1.1787/

Clearly i hope he did his wiring right because i did everything after him .

I removed the switch board because i damaged it by too much heat .
the burnt black wire in the last pictures has been replaced .
I wonder why is there a Led inside the enclosure ? Is it supposed to be the little one ?

I am short of ideas to find the modulated signal.







here it's a little bit scratched ( fighting against shorts, it's not deep ) :

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Where to begin...
Don't take this the wrong way. The soldering is not good. Most of the joints look like the solder did not bond with board or the wires. There are soldering tutorials on youtube (or so I'm told). Get some perf board to practice on before you try to repair this pedal or build another one. You will save yourself a lot of angst. What kind of iron are you using?
It's likely that the stomp switches have been damaged by heat. Plan on scrapping and replacing them.
The circuit board may be salvageable, but you can only apply so much heat before the pads start lifting. If that happens, best move is to start over. Damaged traces are repairable, but it takes a lot of skill and patience.
Don't leave long leads on the parts. Everything should be seated down against the board.
Have you seen this? Lotta good tips and tricks there.
I don't want to discourage you. If you're willing to put in the effort to develop the skills, you can build pedals like the ones you see in Build Reports.

 

[justin35]

I am using something called solder wire CR 2.2°/. The iron is SOIR48DI, Nedis . I set it around 330° .


I have changed the 3pdt :

 

[justin35]

It's working !!!


yeeehaaa !

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Yay!

I run my iron at 400C.

 

[justin35]

I'll try 400° next time, Thank you for your help .

sounds great ! I'm surprised by the quality and versatility of the fuzz, and it gives me the curiosity to try the Megalith .

 

[Tornato]

I run my iron real hot but I have been soldering for 25 years. Its good to go hot and quick. Do not overheat parts by not having enough heat in that you are on the component too long.