Electrovibe no sound

[knappster]

This is my 2nd electrovibe. First one went perfectly. No issues.

This time no sound when engaged. Bypass sound works, LEDs light up. Click vibe and no sound. The bulb is lit but it's not pulsating...moving gain and bias brighten and dims. No pulsating tho.

Can someone explain to me like I'm 5 how to check things with a multimeter or what to check first. just kinda clueless now.

 

[knappster]

wow, Im such an idiot. I put in all the transistors in backwards. im pretty sure. lol

 

[knappster]

yup, ignore. im a fool. well....15 transistors to remove is going to be fun. wow...jesus murphy

 

[swelchy]

I totally feel your pain bro...... but lol.... that's a ton of trannies on that build.. have fun with that..lol
for real though I recomend you use some paste flux and some good braid first to soak up what you can then use the plunger..... Id also probably go ahead and clip off the tranny top and deal with the pins individually

 

[knappster]

I ended up just scraping the board. I already bought 2 more. It is what it is. I saved the bulb and footswitchs etc . Take it as a loss. Reminder to myself to pay attention when I'm on the devils lettuce lol

 

[andrewsrea]

Takes a smart person to admit a mistake and learn!

This is one of the reasons why I use sockets for most ICs, transistors, FETs and the like. The second reason is, less risk of temperature or static damage. The third is ease of any future repair or swap.

Once I know the system works, I dab a little silicone caulk on the devices (like T0-92 packaging) which may shake loose when the pedal is being used.

 

[knappster]

so I just built another one with the transistors in the correct way and the bulb still is not flashing. it turns on, works with bias and gain just not flashing. no univibe sound at all.

 

[knappster]

probably a dumb question but does it matter which way the bulb is installed?

 

[owlexifry]

probably a dumb question but does it matter which way the bulb is installed?

shouldn't matter. (and you've already confirmed that the bulb is getting lit, right?)

if it's not flashing/pulsing, then i would suspect there's an issue with the LFO circuit.

might be a good idea to closely check these are all correctly placed/soldered (e.g. electrolytic caps in correct orientation).

also - PHOTOS!

 

[knappster]

thanks for the response, I'll double check those areas. Here's a pick

 

[owlexifry]

View attachment 83365 thanks for the response, I'll double check those areas. Here's a pick

also, it just occurred to me - if there's any fault in the wiring to/from the speed switch - this will definitely affect the LFO

i'd be wanting to tidy this up a bit:

 

[Robert]

Did you insulate the two dual-gang potentiometers?

 

[knappster]

Did you insulate the two dual-gang potentiometers?

I put one layer of electrical tape. maybe I should add some more?

 

[knappster]

also, it just occurred to me - if there's any fault in the wiring to/from the speed switch - this will definitely affect the LFO

i'd be wanting to tidy this up a bit:
View attachment 83367

Yeah I have some ribbon cable coming and I'm just going to redue all of that

 

[Robert]

I put one layer of electrical tape. maybe I should add some more?

I'd try something a little more rigid than electrical tape if you can. The component leads tend to poke through even though you can't always see it.

That could definitely stop the LFO.

 

[knappster]

I'd try something a little more rigid than electrical tape if you can. The component leads tend to poke through even though you can't always see it.

That could definitely stop the LFO.

Okay, that may indeed be the issue. I'll do that in the next few days and see what happens

 

[jwin615]

Hate to be captain obvious but, you tested it with the back/lid on, right?

 

[knappster]

Hate to be captain obvious but, you tested it with the back/lid on, right?

Yes

 

[jwin615]

Yes

Just checking, from a guy who's plugged into the out jack a few dozen times too many...

 

[knappster]

I'd try something a little more rigid than electrical tape if you can. The component leads tend to poke through even though you can't always see it.

That could definitely stop the LFO.

This was the issue. Bulb is pulsating. So I know what to do for the next one