Very low vol on carbon black fuzz

[knappster]

I socketed the transistors to mess around with. Even with low gain 50-60hfe I'm getting super super low vol.

I'm waiting on 2n3903 in the mail but if I have the same issues, what's the first thing to approach...solder joints?

If I turn my amp up basically all the way, it sounds really really good. Lol

 

[ICTRock]

you're bleeding signal to ground
I'm going to regret my involvement but what exactly is supporting and/or insulating the solder side of the board?

 

[knappster]

you're bleeding signal to ground
I'm going to regret my involvement but what exactly is supporting and/or insulating the solder side of the board?

its floating from all the wires basically. the solder side isnt close at all to the bottom of the enclosure

 

[ICTRock]

its floating from all the wires basically. the solder side isnt close at all to the bottom of the enclosure

jesus ... alright and do I want to know why there is white electrical tape on your power supply wires?

my first tip would be to ensure that you've got continuity between the tip of the instrument cable going to the amp and your green out wire but not continuity between the enclosure and the green out wire

 

[knappster]

jesus ... alright and do I want to know why there is white electrical tape on your power supply wires?

my first tip would be to ensure that you've got continuity between the tip of the instrument cable and your green out wire but not continuity between the enclosure and the green out wire

I solder two wires together because they werent long enough lol. ill try that. thanks

 

[ICTRock]

I solder two wires together because they werent long enough lol. ill try that. thanks

make sure you're checking the output ... I want to be clear about that. I suspect you're shunting to ground on the output of the device if it is sounding glorious with your amp all the way up

 

[knappster]

I have continuity between the tip and the out wire and not with the enclosure/out wite

 

[Ginsly]

My guess is this has nothing to do with your problem, but sockets have given me issues before. You might want to remove the transistors, create a little zigzag at the bottom of the legs with needlenose pliers, and then insert them. Again, if that was an issue you’d probably get intermittent/no signal but it’s another “weak spot” to tighten up.

 

[knappster]

My guess is this has nothing to do with your problem, but sockets have given me issues before. You might want to remove the transistors, create a little zigzag at the bottom of the legs with needlenose pliers, and then insert them. Again, if that was an issue you’d probably get intermittent/no signal but it’s another “weak spot” to tighten up.

I have 2n3903 in the mail, im going to try them and ill solder them in the sockets to be sure no loose connections. I do believe this is part of the problem.

 

[Ginsly]

I have 2n3903 in the mail, im going to try them and ill solder them in the sockets to be sure no loose connections. I do believe this is part of the problem.

I'd check the sockets before you even get the other transistors. Whatever you have in there at the moment *might* be fine, but if the sockets themselves are poorly installed OR the transistor legs aren't making solid contact, that's something you can check before you even get the new transistors. I'd say @ICTRock has a better idea of what's going on here, but this is also something easy to check and rule out.

 

[ICTRock]

I can't really tell but is there enough clearance between the large transistor and the solder pads of the pot underneath?

 

[jwin615]

1)Is the volume low in bypass(turn amp down first, doh!)?
2)press on the transistors some to see if volume changes
3)verify the pinouts of your transistors. If one is supposed to be 2n3903 it will be laid out for a 3903 which is EBC pinout

 

[knappster]

I can't really tell but is there enough clearance between the large transistor and the solder pads of the pot underneath?

yeah, I used several different transistors with the same effect. I think they are very loose in the sockets. maybe at least one of them being very loose. ill check the sockets like @Ginsly said tomorrow. ill also solder whatever transistors I use in there and go from there. I checked continuity with all the pots to board.thinking maybe a bad connection with a wire. all good. basically checked everything my noob self could think off. ill reflow things. I used a 47k resistor instead of a 46k. dont think thats the issue tho

 

[knappster]

1)Is the volume low in bypass(turn amp down first, doh!)?
2)press on the transistors some to see if volume changes
3)verify the pinouts of your transistors. If one is supposed to be 2n3903 it will be laid out for a 3903 which is EBC pinout

vol is normal in bypass
pressing on the transistors makes some wild noises and changes the sounds like a wild alien is being assaulted
yeah all 3 are laid out for 3903. which ill try in a few days.

 

[jwin615]

vol is normal in bypass
pressing on the transistors makes some wild noises and changes the sounds like a wild alien is being assaulted
yeah all 3 are laid out for 3903. which ill try in a few days.

It may make noise. The key is does it get louder?
What transistors do you have currently installed?

 

[knappster]

I finally solved the issue, I changed out the TOP pot to a B50k and not only does it work. ITS LOUD. I think I may change out the vol pot to a B100k not sure how much of a difference that will make, I kind of like the B50k in that spot. I didnt strip the wire long enough and it wasnt getting a good connection.

 

[Robert]

I changed out the TOP pot to a B50k and not only does it work. ITS LOUD.

Make sure C5 is the correct value.

 

[knappster]

Make sure C5 is the correct value.

its a 2n2