Problems with My Arcadilator Pedal Build. Would love help :)

[Canadianguitarguy]

First off, this is only my 4th pedal build, so I am a bit of a noob. I was wondering if anyone has ever experienced this and maybe there is something I missed.

So I have my pedal build all wired up. When I turn on the pedal, the LED goes on and off no problem. When it is off, the guitar signal passes through to the amp with no issues. However, when it is on, the pedal kind of works, but it's so quiet that I have to crank the amp all the way up just to hear it. Obviously, it's not usable. I've rewired all the off-board wiring three times, thinking maybe I made a mistake, but I get the same results every time. I will include a picture of my current wiring for reference and also include the pedal's off-board wiring. (sorry it looks so terrible... learning lol)



Wiring Diagram:


PCB:

Maybe you can see something that I don't:

[Link to wiring diagram: https://www.parasitstudio.se/uploads/2/4/4/9/2449159/wiringrev3.pdf]
[Link to build doc: https://www.parasitstudio.se/uploads/2/4/4/9/2449159/arcadiator_3_doc.pdf]

Also, if it's not the off-board wiring, is there something on the PCB itself I can check? I have done voltage tests, and everything seems to be getting power. Anyways, I'm really stumped and looking for a little guidance.

Thanks,

-B

 

[Canadianguitarguy]

So it appear its might be inverted .... what would be the fix for that ? I know you mentioned if its inverted that the LED will be inverted too ...

 

[Canadianguitarguy]

also got a new IC and replaced the broken one .

 

[jwin615]

So it appear its might be inverted .... what would be the fix for that ? I know you mentioned if its inverted that the LED will be inverted too ...

First, double check your power supply is negative center. If good
Flip the jack wiring. Sleeve is positive. Probably easier done at the pcb.
Check the LED
Flat side is cathode, negative, to ground.

 

[Canadianguitarguy]

First, double check your power supply is negative center. If good
Flip the jack wiring. Sleeve is positive. Probably easier done at the pcb.
Check the LED
Flat side is cathode, negative, to ground.

Thats The Jack reading


This is the LED reading

I haven't changed anything just yet. Just wanted to get all the readings first. So next step might be switch the jacks ?

 

[Canadianguitarguy]

shoot that actually not right.. i had the red lead on COM and the Black lead on Volts on my DMM on the previous photos .... just re did it and it reads positive 12 volts now... sorry my bad ...

 

[Canadianguitarguy]

Honestly pretty stumped with this pedal. i can still hear it working super quiet when its on.. but it doesn't make much sense to me . In the instructions it mentions this: "This circuit works best with high output pickups. It is a gated circuitby nature of the CMOS logic. If you are using single coils and needmore sustain, try a boost or compressor in front. To improvetracking of the octave down, use your neck pickup with the tonerolled off."

I am using a Stratocaster with no boast...

might just move on to the next build for a bit... getting pretty burnt out trying to trouble shoot this. But i am sure i will come to back it in a few weeks .

 

[jwin615]

Stick a dirt pedal in front of it and boost the signal. That will rule out the pups.

 

[Feral Feline]

Couple things...

When the pedal is upside down and open, it is common to forget that the INPUT is on the left, because normally we're plugging into our pedals when finished and on the board and knob-side up and most people stick to the convention that input is on the right and output on the left when wiring their jacks — just about everybody plugs into the wrong jack at some point along their builder's path and sometimes gives symptoms of
"the pedal works, sort of, but I can barely hear it when fully cranked".


Some ICs *(and other components) are more sensitive to electrostatic discharges than others. The CD4070 datasheet says its inputs are protected by a CMOS protection network, but doesn't go on to explain what that means, specifically. I don't know how much the CD4070 can tolerate static but...
I noticed some of the pics for measurements with the DMM were taken on carpet — a situation that invites electrostatic discharges. Better a wood table or similar, and maybe consider getting a grounding wrist-band. Just a good practice to get into, making sure ESD can't rear its ugly head.

 

[Canadianguitarguy]

could this issue be i have the wrong power supply..... ? I know it needs 12 volts . Currently I have a negative power supply ... should i bee looking for a positive tip power supply? I went threw all the off board wiring and it all looks correct to me ... so this is the only thing i can think of... All other issues have been taken care of.

 

[p_wats]

could this issue be i have the wrong power supply..... ? I know it needs 12 volts . Currently I have a negative power supply ... should i bee looking for a positive tip power supply? I went threw all the off board wiring and it all looks correct to me ... so this is the only thing i can think of... All other issues have been taken care

You definitely need a power supply that is center-negative, like most other pedals. 9-12v should be fine