SOLVED Minnow no guitar signal with effect on

[master_hugues]

Dear all, I'm not getting any guitar signal through my effect, although I can hear a miniscule ticking in time with the rate LED. The LEDs light/blink as well, and I can control the rate. I can hear signal with an audio probe at IC3 pins 7 and 8, but not at pin 5. (Unless I'm reading the schematic wrong, I'd expect to hear it there.)

The JFETs are J201 SMDs mounted on mini-PCBs. I tested the soldering before installation and they seemed good. Also, the connections in the sockets seem firm.

Last, I haven't actually wired the off-board stuff properly yet. The LEDs are currently just resting in place (I drilled the holes too big for 3mm LEDs, so I'm waiting to buy bigger ones to solder them in), and I added a temporary jumper connecting the SW and GND pads on the bottom of the PCB. I'm sending signal in and out from the IN OUT pads down there as well, but not via a footswitch. Battery is hooked up to the + and - at the top of the board. I can wait until it's properly assembled to try again, but I would have expected it to work with this setup, temporary though it is.

I got these voltages on IC3 (LM13700):
1 -5.39
2 -5.53
3 -6.06
4 0.03
5 6.31
6 0.00
7 -0.01
8 -1.13
9 0.00
10 0.00
11 7.03
12 -6.02
13 0.19
14 0.00
15 0.00
16 -5.31

My voltages on the MAX1044 are a bit low, could it be due to powering it with a battery?
1 7.91
2 4.63
3 0.00
4 -3.03
5 -7.42
6 3.20
7 3.66
8 7.90

I tested the transistors too, can post those values if needed. I haven't tested the other op amps yet.

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[master_hugues]

Here's a photo. Remember, off-board stuff isn't wired up properly yet. I'm just trying to test the board right now.

 

[master_hugues]

Bumping my own post. Can anybody give me some direction? I'm not sure what to do, and I haven't found any clues in other threads...

 

[BuddytheReow]

Do you have an audio probe? Trace the circuit via the schematic to find out where you signal dies. Also post a pic of the other side of the board (solder side)

 

[Mr Phil]

Are your J201’s installed backwards?

 

[master_hugues]

Thanks for the replies!
Mr Phil, I had consulted the pinout from Beavis Audio's page, and it's exactly the opposite of the one you provided!
http://beavisaudio.com/techpages/transistorpinouts/

I'll try reversing them when I get home!

 

[master_hugues]

Are your J201’s installed backwards?

That was it! Thank you so much for catching that. I'd always heard that certain transistors exist with different pinouts. I'm not sure if the J201 is one of them, or if Beavis Audio just got that one wrong? I was far from scientific, but after Mr Phil's response I did quickly search, and I'm pretty sure all the info I saw confirmed DSG. Only Beavis had GSD, that I saw.

Edited to say that I'm an idiot: Beavis Audio's diagrams are from the perspective of the bottom of the transistor. I was reading it backwards. Now I feel bad for blaming an excellent website for my own carelessness!

Anyway, the pedal is working now and sounds amazing. Not only is the S&H effect great, this is also maybe the best envelope follower pedal I've used. I'm very excited to sneak this onto my pedalboard and scare my bandmates at practice.

 

[BuddytheReow]

Now I feel bad for blaming an excellent website for my own carelessness!

No, the website blames you! LOL

Glad you got it working.

 

[Mr Phil]

Anyway, the pedal is working now and sounds amazing. Not only is the S&H effect great, this is also maybe the best envelope follower pedal I've used.

Glad you got it working!