Muzzle not gating

[entropia]

Hi!

This is my second pedal build. I got the kit from musikding.de I built the kit but now I'm having some troubles. The pedal powers on and led is lit. I get the signal through the key in & out but the led is not responding to playing. I know it should change color when I play indicating when the gate closes and opens. If I connect all four cables, I get the signal through. If I tweak the pot it acts like a volume control (all the way up the signal dissappears). If I engage the range switch the signal dissappears (and led turns to red). I did the testing with all the parts connected and inside the enclosure.

This kit had those 9 pin switching jacks. I wired them so that 4 & 3 were connected and used as a tip connection (blue) and 2 was used as a switched tip (black). The blue wire goes on the board to the connection with letter T next to it.

Here's some photos (I removed the led, but it was connected when testing).

 

[Robert]

There's another thread going with some issues possibly surrounding the THAT module, but what you are experiencing is a bit different from that situation.

There have been some questions about the proper pinout of those switched jacks before, let's get that out of the way first.

Disconnect the key jacks and jump the outer two pads for the Key on the PCB with a short piece of wire.

See if you have any gating then.

 

[entropia]

So to be clear: I disconnect both jacks and put a jumper on the board itself?

 

[Robert]

Right. The Key jacks.

Leave the normal In/Out jacks connected.

 

[entropia]

Hi! I removed the key jacks and installed a jumper jacble in their place. The pedal powers on and signal passes through (sounds healthy guitar), but there's no gating. The led doesn't react to playing and if I turn the pot, it acts like a volume (all the way up no signal, all the way down, normal signal).

 

[Robert]

It sounds like your problem is going to be somewhere in the RMS detector path, I would check for bad solders and make sure Q1 is fully seated in the socket and not loose.

The VCA is working since it is capable of muting the signal when the threshold control is turned up or when the Range switch is changed.

 

[entropia]

I did some checking and went through all the solders again. It works now! Thanks for help.

One thing though: the gate at the lowest setting there's a minor noise, it's like amplifying the basic noise floor. Also when I remove the key chain plug I get a high pitched squel. If all cablese are connected and I set the gate at normal working levels it dissappears. Should I solder the sidechain jack ground to the board?