SOLVED Lead Solder LED not worrking

[Grazza]

Hi everyone,

I've just finished building a lead solder pedal. It was a pretty tight fit. The pedal works but the LED doesn't. I noticed the same issue with a thermionic I built, which is kinda same PCB pot layout. I have my LEDs in metal bezels, please correct me if I'm going down the wrong path here, but I feel like the LEDs legs are maybe getting crushed against the metal bezel or something under the PCB and shorting out. It's pretty much impossible to see what's going on in there without pulling everything out, which wouldn't let me see what's up anyway. Has anyone had this problem and am I on the correct path? I'll include a pic as well just in case.

 

[Giorfida]

Hi everyone,

I've just finished building a lead solder pedal. It was a pretty tight fit. The pedal works but the LED doesn't. I noticed the same issue with a thermionic I built, which is kinda same PCB pot layout. I have my LEDs in metal bezels, please correct me if I'm going down the wrong path here, but I feel like the LEDs legs are maybe getting crushed against the metal bezel or something under the PCB and shorting out. It's pretty much impossible to see what's going on in there without pulling everything out, which wouldn't let me see what's up anyway. Has anyone had this problem and am I on the correct path? I'll include a pic as well just in case.

Is it possible you have the LED polarity flipped?

 

[Grazza]

I did check, I've cut the leads shorter now though, but I'm 99% it's the right way round. Should there be continuity between both legs of the LEDs?

 

[Giorfida]

I did check, I've cut the leads shorter now though, but I'm 99% it's the right way round. Should there be continuity between both legs of the LEDs?

You should be able to measure a voltage drop across the LED, unless shorted.
Remove the LED and see if you get voltage on the led pads

 

[Grazza]

Will open it up again and have a look, I did try pulling just the switch out and trying to move the LED legs around through the switch hole, dont really kow if I was even moving them. I was avoiding pulling the whole lot out again, It's bugging me through, especially as there are 2 pedals same layout that have same problem. Might order some plastic LED bezels.

 

[jimilee]

Did the bezels come with plastic inserts that keep them from touching the metal?

 

[Grazza]

They did, but it was preventing the PCB with pots and switches from going in to the enclosure so I took it out to save some difficulty, hence why I feel like they are shorting out. I haven't hada chance to open it back up again. Good sounding pedal though.

 

[Grazza]

Problem solved, Thanks for your help, pulled it apart to have a better look and turns out I just had the polarity mixed up, thanks for your help, turns out I'm just an idiot. Now I gotta figure out why the neck pickup has stopped working in my sons les paul style guitar.