SOLVED Crystal drive massive buzz.

[HunkFunkPedals]

Anyone ever run into this?

I've been trying everything and nothing seems to get rid of a fat honking buzz.

If anyone has any tips on how to narrow it down I'd love to hear it.

I had it on my test board and it had a slight buzz, I figured it might be a grounding issue but after baking it it's annoying ass hell.

 

[Coda]

Chances are your transistors are faulty or fried when soldering in.

I wouldn't be' surprised, lots of heat & transistor legs are way too short!
MPSA Transistors are prone to Heat damage!!!
Use of an Alligator clip on leg required when soldering!
Wait to Cool between Legs!

I don’t know about that. After all, we are dealing with the Mr. Miyagi of diy guitar pedals, apparently…

 

[thesmokingman]

well fuck me ... three whole successful builds ... where's the ignore button?

 

[zgrav]

I guess the other side of the PCB is like the dark side of the moon. It will remain out of sight, mysterious and nearly impossible to trouble-shoot. Nonetheless, given that the build docs contained no warning that using a different attachment system for the pots could impact the noise level, nor specifically called for finding a way to ground the project to the case if the builder used insulated jacks, I am still reluctant to jump to any conclusion that these would be bunk boards. I think user error is a much more likely explanation, as is the case with most of the problems I have with any of my builds. And with some better pics of both sides of the board and jacks, I am pretty sure things could be sorted out to work just fine with those pots and jacks.

 

[fig]

I have 2 of these boards and I'm having issues with both....they also seem like revisions from the original "crystal drive" boards I've seen......I think these boards are bunk.

Sounds like someone needs a hug....bring it in

 

[Cvoxdog]

I built this pcb recently and had no issues.

 

[Coda]

I built this pcb recently and had no issues.

Impossible.

 

[fig]

Your pots are not insulated from the solder-side of the board?

 

[Feral Feline]

I’m basically interpreting that boldly insinuating that barely insulating the pots as being the problem, and not the builder’s boards’ integrity being lacking … could be broadly, interestingly, maybe, misconstrued as borderline insulting.

 

[jimilee]

Jesus Christ, the OP seems to know that it isn’t his fault, why even bother asking for help, especially from the guy that designed the board??

 

[music6000]

Jesus Christ, the OP seems to know that it isn’t his fault, why even bother asking for help, especially from the guy that designed the board??

I think enough has been said, Let's just sort out the issue in hand if the OP is still up for it!!!!

 

[Feral Feline]

I didn’t realise JC was the OP…
Well surely if he can walk on water he can float on a voltage creek without a pulldown, ehr… problem.


Seriously though — OP, we sense and understand your frustration, but there’s a lot of supportive people here wanting and waiting to genuinely help you out with the problem at hand.

If the two boards exhibit the same symptoms, then it’s likely they share the same problem — so one fix may suffice for both builds.

 

[carlinb17]

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Mine works great, no probs. I think we've been trolled.

 

[giovanni]

Loud buzz sometimes happens when tip and sleeve are flipped but it doesn’t look like that’s the case here.

 

[giovanni]

Any difference between single coils and humbuckers?

 

[HunkFunkPedals]

I don’t know about that. After all, we are dealing with the Mr. Miyagi of diy guitar pedals, apparently…

Yep

 

[HunkFunkPedals]

I guess the other side of the PCB is like the dark side of the moon. It will remain out of sight, mysterious and nearly impossible to trouble-shoot. Nonetheless, given that the build docs contained no warning that using a different attachment system for the pots could impact the noise level, nor specifically called for finding a way to ground the project to the case if the builder used insulated jacks, I am still reluctant to jump to any conclusion that these would be bunk boards. I think user error is a much more likely explanation, as is the case with most of the problems I have with any of my builds. And with some better pics of both sides of the board and jacks, I am pretty sure things could be sorted out to work just fine with those pots and jacks.

 

[HunkFunkPedals]

Sounds like someone needs a hug....bring it in

Thanks

 

[HunkFunkPedals]

Jesus Christ, the OP seems to know that it isn’t his fault, why even bother asking for help, especially from the guy that designed the board??

Well....when troubleshooting 95% of possible issues the board itself has to be brought into question....especially when you build 2 exact boards and neither works right.

Fuck me!

....I guess....

 

[HunkFunkPedals]

Any difference between single coils and humbuckers?

I don't have any real humbuckers....just a double lipstick bucker. But I have a bunch of different wiring in guitars and nothing changes the buzz.