pedal needs time to power

J

JimL

Member
Hello. I am new at pedal building. I just completed a second Article 59, At first the pedal sounded like it was muffled and scratchy unless I hit it or shook it so I redid all wiring. Still the same so reheated solder joints. Finally it works. A new issue has emerged (or is it?) where the pedal needs to be plugged in for a few seconds before it comes to full sound. Any ideas?

Ps: the LED plug above the footswitch is from my failed attempt to install a clipping LED.
 

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BuddytheReow said:
You mean once power is applied or once you activate the foot switch? Some pedals take a second to charge up all the electrolytic.
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I’m not sure. It’s like when you turn it on it sounds like it’s far away sputtering. Then if I shake it up, it works at full power. Yesterday I noticed when I plugged it in it would take a few seconds in order for the volume to come up to full power.
 
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Did you insulate the bottom row of pots so they can't make contact with the back of the PCB?

Electrical tape / double sided tape is almost never good enough, dust covers would be ideal.


Does the LED light instantly or does it illuminate at low brightness as well?
 
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Robert said:
Did you insulate the bottom row of pots so they can't make contact with the back of the PCB?

Electrical tape / double sided tape is almost never good enough, dust covers would be ideal.


Does the LED light instantly or does it illuminate at low brightness as well?
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I have foam pads for the bottom of the pots. And yes, the light comes on instantly.
 
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There's an intermittent connection of some sort, either short or open.

Obviously look for any bad solder connections and check/reseat your socketed ICs.

If all else fails, reinsulate those pots with something more substantial. This is almost always the issue.


Your build looks clean, but folks do sometimes have the tendency to damage pads/traces when using larger 1/2W resistors.

We can move on to some voltage measurements if needed, but eliminate the easiest first.


My guess is that a component lead has punctured the foam tape and is making contact with the back of one of the pots.
 
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Robert said:
There's an intermittent connection of some sort, either short or open.

Obviously look for any bad solder connections and check/reseat your socketed ICs.

If all else fails, reinsulate those pots with something more substantial. This is almost always the issue.


Your build looks clean, but folks do sometimes have the tendency to damage pads/traces when using larger 1/2W resistors.

We can move on to some voltage measurements if needed, but eliminate the easiest first.


My guess is that a component lead has punctured the foam tape and is making contact with the back of one of the pots.
Click to expand...
Thanks much. I think I work the board until it is unable to be worked any more.I found a pot that is broke. Then I replaced the 33178. Ten redid the solder. Then rewired. Syill not working. Then I removed an electrolytic and saw it was wrong, Once I sowed it all up it does not work at all. Maddening
I am moving on but i thank you for the push to do more checks
 

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JimL said:
Thanks much. I think I work the board until it is unable to be worked any more.I found a pot that is broke. Then I replaced the 33178. Ten redid the solder. Then rewired. Syill not working. Then I removed an electrolytic and saw it was wrong, Once I sowed it all up it does not work at all. Maddening
I am moving on but i thank you for the push to do more checks
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You mean the wrong value?
 
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