Pedal popping fixes??

Good evening,
I've used 3 different PCB manufacturers so far and I seem to encounter engagement popping with the majority of my PedalPCB builds (Modus Operandi, Transcendence, Arche, Shrapnel, Guardian, Magnetron, Spirit Box, Duocast, Ocelot, etc...). The circuits sound fantastic once they're on, but engaging a pedal in the middle of a song, and hearing that pop, is a bit of a nuisance.
I searched through some of the posts and I see that a 100k resistor on the output is a common fix - as well as switching to tantalum on some of the electrolytic caps.
Question is, "where is the best place to place the 100k resistor from output to ground?" Should I put it on the footswitch PCB? Do I need to go directly from the output pad on the main board?
Thanks for any help you kind folks can offer? I'm asking here because I'm not experiencing this issue with other PCB manufacturers. On some of the problematic builds, I've tried 3 different brands of 3PDT footswitch, soldered transistors instead of socketing them, put on some additional RPD, etc... I'm wondering if I'm building all of these pedal incorrectly. Thanks again. (Pic is the latest build - Guardian)
IMG_6118.JPG
 
Some but not all you listed have an electrolytic cap as the output cap. These can have a tendency to leak DC more than the pull down can neutralize, so I’d start with replacing those with film or MLCC. 1uF is plenty for an output cap in most cases.
 
For one that already uses a film output cap, you could try replacing the 3pdt stomp with one of the relay bypass modules to see if that makes a difference.

As for the article, only the last diagram with the inline resistors is something pedalpcb kits don’t already accomplish. I haven’t seen it before but you could try it, by putting resistors instead of straight wire from the pcb to stomp switch on the input and output pins. I don’t think the article specified a value… just spitballing at say 1k. Would be interesting to see if it makes an improvement.
 
Oh one more thing, you can actually measure if you have a DC voltage sitting on the circuit input or output with a voltmeter. Could help in pinpointing the problem. Personally I haven’t had any issue with film or MLCC caps, just electrolytic.
 
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Good evening,
I've used 3 different PCB manufacturers so far and I seem to encounter engagement popping with the majority of my PedalPCB builds (Modus Operandi, Transcendence, Arche, Shrapnel, Guardian, Magnetron, Spirit Box, Duocast, Ocelot, etc...). The circuits sound fantastic once they're on, but engaging a pedal in the middle of a song, and hearing that pop, is a bit of a nuisance.
I searched through some of the posts and I see that a 100k resistor on the output is a common fix - as well as switching to tantalum on some of the electrolytic caps.
Question is, "where is the best place to place the 100k resistor from output to ground?" Should I put it on the footswitch PCB? Do I need to go directly from the output pad on the main board?
Thanks for any help you kind folks can offer? I'm asking here because I'm not experiencing this issue with other PCB manufacturers. On some of the problematic builds, I've tried 3 different brands of 3PDT footswitch, soldered transistors instead of socketing them, put on some additional RPD, etc... I'm wondering if I'm building all of these pedal incorrectly. Thanks again. (Pic is the latest build - Guardian)
View attachment 25974
I would start looking for bad solder joints on the pedals you mentioned as they all have been Built without your popping issue!
The footswitch will amplify a dodgy joint every time it is pressed!
or, you have cheap dodgy footswitch's ????
 
What do dodgy solder joints sound like? In the case of leaky E caps, some leak a lot, but not all, so it’s possible for one person to build without pop, and another to get pop, just based on components.
 
I would start looking for bad solder joints on the pedals you mentioned as they all have been Built without your popping issue!
The footswitch will amplify a dodgy joint every time it is pressed!
or, you have cheap dodgy footswitch's ????
Thank you. The first circuit I had trouble with was the Arche. I went through 3 different brands of footswitches and that didn’t fix anything.
 
What do dodgy solder joints sound like? In the case of leaky E caps, some leak a lot, but not all, so it’s possible for one person to build without pop, and another to get pop, just based on components.
I wouldn’t say I’m a master builder, but I have several (40+ estimate) successful builds with PCB, strip and perf board.
Not saying it can’t be my error, just not my first rodeo.
 
All Tayda sourced. I usually prefer blue for the color. Does higher Vf come into play there?
The LED can have an impact. The inrush current could be an issue. Since you're having the issue with different types of circuits (i.e., gain, modulation, time), I would look to what is shared by all of them. The switch itself and the LED circuit jump out at me. Check the link below for some more information about LED popping.

 
The LED can have an impact. The inrush current could be an issue. Since you're having the issue with different types of circuits (i.e., gain, modulation, time), I would look to what is shared by all of them. The switch itself and the LED circuit jump out at me. Check the link below for some more information about LED popping.

great stuff! I think I'll start here and simply swap LED colors.
 
I’ve read that the last electrolytic capacitor in the circuit can cause issues…especially if it’s a cheap capacitor. They can hold a residual charge that can cause a pop when the switch is pressed. Need to look into this since I have quite a few that use tantalum instead of electrolytic.
 
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