My first build. Low tide. Made a mistake. Is this redeemable?

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boysenpai

Member
So this is my first build. I heard it was not recommended for beginners, but I've soldered my guitar electronics in the past and also, I just really wish to have Shallow Water for 5+ years and making my own was the only way I could afford it.

It went well until I started to solder chips. It came as a kit but there were no instructions as to how to solder particular components so I googled a lot with each new tier of components. Found a little bag with two chips, found their placing on the pcb, soldered them in. Cut off the residual pin tips. Then I opened next back and I noticed there were these slots and I couldn't pair them with anything. Then I realised these were slots for the chips that I already soldered straight onto the pcb and trimmed their pins.

Will the chips work when soldered straight into the pcb? Or, will the chips slide into the slot and work even with the tips of their pins trimmed? Or should I look for replacement?
 

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boysenpai said:
I don't have acetone or a paint thinner. Is there other way to find out if I got played?
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You could measure the J201, but that would require building/breadboarding a test rig to get it right (as per this post). In my case, turns out a batch of mine are way off spec to the point that they "work" depending on the circuit, but are likely fake.

Where are you located? I could send you a few, but I'm in Canada and it would likely take a long time to get to you. Otherwise I'd look at either getting them from a pedal-specific place, like guitarpcb, or using the SMD version instead (MMBFJ201), which you can get from Mouser, etc.
 
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p_wats said:
You could measure the J201, but that would require building/breadboarding a test rig to get it right (as per this post). In my case, turns out a batch of mine are way off spec to the point that they "work" depending on the circuit, but are likely fake.

Where are you located? I could send you a few, but I'm in Canada and it would likely take a long time to get to you. Otherwise I'd look at either getting them from a pedal-specific place, like guitarpcb, or using the SMD version instead (MMBFJ201), which you can get from Mouser, etc.
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I'm located in Czech Republic, Europe so I suppose I better source it from somwhere around me. You're very kind though.

I'm really trying to avoid the SMD version because soldering it was a huge pain in the *ss and now with the board completed the accessibility is even worse. God I paid about 10 dollars for the replacement J201s. Aggravating.
 
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boysenpai said:
I'm located in Czech Republic, Europe so I suppose I better source it from somwhere around me. You're very kind though.

I'm really trying to avoid the SMD version because soldering it was a huge pain in the *ss and now with the board completed the accessibility is even worse. God I paid about 10 dollars for the replacement J201s. Aggravating.
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Yeah, would be tricky to get in there with an SMD version. That said, you could do an MMBFJ201 on a thru-hole adapter, like the ones PedalPCB sells directly. Guaranteed to be an authentic J201 and will work in your socket.

I understand the frustration, for sure. For harder to find stuff, like J201s, I'd make sure to only source parts from a trusted seller who has tested them, if possible.
 
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p_wats said:
Yeah, would be tricky to get in there with an SMD version. That said, you could do an MMBFJ201 on a thru-hole adapter, like the ones PedalPCB sells directly. Guaranteed to be an authentic J201 and will work in your socket.

I understand the frustration, for sure. For harder to find stuff, like J201s, I'd make sure to only source parts from a trusted seller who has tested them, if possible.
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I'll contact the seller with some question. If some come to your mind, I'd be glad to hear them. As of now, all I wrote in the email draft is along the lines of "the transistors don't work, what will you do about it" and even I can see that it's weak.
 
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So after I finished my nails I went back to the soldering duty and applied the acetone remover on the lettering. It stays on, good as ever.

Should I build the breadboard thingie and test the resistor there? I could probably contact the seller and demand a refund but I feel like I should invest my energy elsewhere. As the wise old man Ellis from No Country For Old Men said "Well all the time ya spend trying to get back what's been took from ya, more is going out the door. " I'll just try to find a reputable seller that sells J201s specifically for pedal PCB boards. What do you think?
 
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boysenpai said:
Do you think these could be legit?
tomandtom.co

FairChild/OnSemi JFET J201 SMD to Thru Hole Gold Adapter( Pre-Soldered

the Pre-Soldered N-Channel J201 SMD Component adatped on to 2.54mm 3P Thru Hole pad. Great for DIY ! Since the thru-hole version of the Fairchild J201 is no longer in production, the good quality component is quite hard to find and many counterfeit product(s) are on the market.... after being a...
tomandtom.co tomandtom.co
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I'm no expert, but I don't think there's a market for fake SMD versions yet, as you can get real ones cheap, so I don't see why these would be fake. Never dealt with that shop before though
 
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