Kliche overdrive volume knob. PLEASE HELP!

[cdwillis]

I'd check the diodes too. Germanium diodes aren't always consistently marked for the cathode so if you put one in backwards the other half of the waveform isn't going to get clipped and the result will be a much louder signal. I have a cheap test unit from Amazon to check diodes and transistors before I used them in my builds. I have a special Kliche board I'm building and the germanium diodes I had had a line marked on the anode side, not the cathode like you'd expect.

 

[Robert]

The only other thing I could think of is an issue with the type of diode I used for the third diode placement. I used a 1n4742 here

That's for overvoltage / reverse polarity protection, it wouldn't cause the issue you're experiencing.

 

[Guilherme Collateral]

I have a b10k in there now as that’s what the build called for

The log taper will give you more control and a more even response for the output knob

 

[Dondutch]

If I’m reading this correctly. I had the same issue.
Are you saying that the increasing the gain makes it too loud?

Things to double-check:
Make sure both Ge diodes are facing the correct direction.
Check that R15, R19, R21 & R22 are the correct values.

I had the wrong value in R15. I put in a 4.7k not a 47k and it made the pedal almost unusable! Swapped it out for the correct value and it made it perfect.

So have a look at those and let us know what you find.

Phil

 

[Phil hodson]

Yes sir that is EXACTLY what I’m saying! Checking resistors now

Definitely check R15. That was my downfall! And if it’s lower than the required 47k it means you’re slowing more signal (therefore more gain) into the op amp IC1.

 

[Dondutch]

Alright guys after going through I realized that I have 6 resistors with the wrong value. I usually double check the resistor value with a multimeter before soldering anything. Basically what happened was the distributor I purchased the resistors for had miss labeled the resistors, and like an idiot I assumed they were that the package said they were. Hard lesson learned. I am going to switch these resistors out now. I will post an update in about an hour. Still can’t believe I missed this!

 

[Phil hodson]

Alright guys after going through I realized that I have 6 resistors with the wrong value. I usually double check the resistor value with a multimeter before soldering anything. Basically what happened was the distributor I purchased the resistors for had miss labeled the resistors, and like an idiot I assumed they were that the package said they were. Hard lesson learned. I am going to switch these resistors out now. I will post an update in about an hour. Still can’t believe I missed this!

Well done. Let us know how you get on.

 

[swelchy]

See those metal parts on the dual pot?

They can make contact with the back of the PCB and cause the gain pot to behave oddly.

You generally want to put something insulative (plastic, etc) in between that and the PCB so they can't make contact.

Electrical tape almost never works. That's what these are for: https://www.pedalpcb.com/product/pot-insulator/

If you can slip something in between there like a thin guitar pick or some other thin plastic we can eliminate that as a problem.


View attachment 43274

Wait... what? is this a thing? I've had a few failures with Kliche builds that I could never get figured out... I've never actually insulated the back of the dual gangs right there.... I've built quite a few of them too

 

[Robert]

It's a possibility.

I've never insulated that one and never had a problem, but a couple folks have had issues because of that.

Almost every time there is a problem with a build that involves a dual-gang pot the problem is something making contact with the dual gang pot....
Almost every dang time.

 

[swelchy]

It's a possibility.

I've never insulated that one and never had a problem, but a couple folks have had issues because of that.

Almost every time there is a problem with a build that involves a dual-gang pot the problem is something making contact with the dual gang pot....
Almost every dang time.

I guess I better pull a couple of my failures out and poke around at them a bit more.... The pile is getting pretty deep... have about 10 boards I set aside and just built new ones..lol

 

[Dondutch]

Alright guys after going through I realized that I have 6 resistors with the wrong value. I usually double check the resistor value with a multimeter before soldering anything. Basically what happened was the distributor I purchased the resistors for had miss labeled the resistors, and like an idiot I assumed they were that the package said they were. Hard lesson learned. I am going to switch these resistors out now. I will post an update in about an hour. Still can’t believe I missed this!

After replacing the resistors all works as it should! Thanks guys for all the help! You guys rock! Lesson learned, never assume the distributor labels parts correctly!

 

[Kidlargo]

After replacing the resistors all works as it should! Thanks guys for all the help! You guys rock! Lesson learned, never assume the distributor labels parts correctly!

This might be overkill, but seeing as I'm new to building, I printed out the online Stewmac pages for the parts. I measured everything then placed them right on top of the picture of them. Yeah, I realize you won't get to do that with most other kits, but measuring and getting them in order made all 3 (yes 3 lol) kits a 1st time go. I had one bad 1044 take a crap on me but that's not on me. Glad your shit is up and running.