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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 3:50 pm
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Bluer Monkey wrote:
63supro wrote:
... Just be careful you don't get solder "bridges" with two components solder touching where they shouldn't be. ...
    Hi Supro and thanks for the info on the amp kits.

    Unfortunately it's going to be a while before I even attempt building the pedal let alone an amp. Just finished putting together the metronome kit and we have total failure. No tic, no toc, no blinking light. Nothing but silence. :(

    Image

    Image

    Now in spite of the failure, I did learn a few things so the endeavor was not a waste of time.

    Thanks for your help guys. I think I'll do some more reading, experimenting, and hopefully one day start my own amp build thread. .... Okay, .... a pedal build thread first. :lol:

    Cheers!
    BM


Sorry to hear that.

I do agree with 63supro. There are a number of solder joints that look close together. Maybe they are supposed to be that way, maybe not. It would have been nice if the instructions showed a photo of the solder side for comparison. The best you can do is try and trace the connections on the schematic. Pay close attention to the pin numbers on the IC.

Good luck. At least you don't have to worry about draining caps or getting shocked while you troubleshoot. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:18 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
Sorry to hear that.

I do agree with 63supro. There are a number of solder joints that look close together. Maybe they are supposed to be that way, maybe not. It would have been nice if the instructions showed a photo of the solder side for comparison. The best you can do is try and trace the connections on the schematic. Pay close attention to the pin numbers on the IC.

Good luck. At least you don't have to worry about draining caps or getting shocked while you troubleshoot. :wink:
    I'm not sure myself about the solder joints but if I were a betting man I'd put money down on bad soldering. I also suspect that I may have fried the speaker and the LED as well.

    Recent failure notwithstanding, I'm not discouraged and already looking forward to the next kit. In fact, I picked it up this afternoon:

    You'll notice that the circuit is even simpler than the metronome. :wink:

    I used 60/40 solder with a 0.8 mm diameter but I'm wondering if I should have used something thinner?

    Thanks & Cheers!
    BM

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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 8:59 pm
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Location: Natural Bridge, Virginia
Bluer Monkey wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
Sorry to hear that.

I do agree with 63supro. There are a number of solder joints that look close together. Maybe they are supposed to be that way, maybe not. It would have been nice if the instructions showed a photo of the solder side for comparison. The best you can do is try and trace the connections on the schematic. Pay close attention to the pin numbers on the IC.

Good luck. At least you don't have to worry about draining caps or getting shocked while you troubleshoot. :wink:
    I'm not sure myself about the solder joints but if I were a betting man I'd put money down on bad soldering. I also suspect that I may have fried the speaker and the LED as well.

    Recent failure notwithstanding, I'm not discouraged and already looking forward to the next kit. In fact, I picked it up this afternoon:

    You'll notice that the circuit is even simpler than the metronome. :wink:

    I used 60/40 solder with a 0.8 mm diameter but I'm wondering if I should have used something thinner?

    Thanks & Cheers!
    BM


Ummm, what is it? :lol:

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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 4:40 am
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bluesky636 wrote:
Ummm, what is it? :lol:
    It's a Sound-To-Light Unit but I prefer the French name (Orgue Lumineux Simple) which translates to Simple Light Organ. It just sounds more musical. :)

    Do you think that using a thinner solder would help or is the 0.8 mm thickness I used the correct size for this type of project?

    Cheers!
    BM


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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 6:18 am
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What's the wattage on your soldering iron? Be sure to keep the tip clean and tinned so the solder flows quickly especially on the LED's and IC's.

Here's a video of someone building a Tri Boost Pedal and he has some good tips. I build my stuff the same way. I also use masking tape to hold the parts and cut the leads before soldering.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-u4nSFFfBQ

Also BYOC has the Confidence Boost for fifteen bucks. It's really simple and doesn't come with a footswitch and has a trim pot for a volume control. I turned mine into a pedal and it's one of my favorites.

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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 1:22 pm
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I have a Solomon SL-20 iron which I had set at 680 F then went up a notch to 730F. The IC was placed in a socket so I don't think it was fried. Can't say the same about the LED and the speaker. :(

As for the confidence building kit, I considered buying it but I already had the metronome kit.

Meanwhile back at the FSR BJr which started this thread, I'm thinking of giving it a second chance. ... As fun as the DIY route will be, I'm afraid it's going to be a LOOOOONG time coming before I can build anything remotely comparable. :lol:

Cheers!
BM

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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 3:35 pm
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Bluer Monkey wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
Ummm, what is it? :lol:
    It's a Sound-To-Light Unit but I prefer the French name (Orgue Lumineux Simple) which translates to Simple Light Organ. It just sounds more musical. :)

    Do you think that using a thinner solder would help or is the 0.8 mm thickness I used the correct size for this type of project?

    Cheers!
    BM



I had one of these that I built from a kit back in the early 70's (1970's smart guy :lol: :lol: :lol: ). No that is not me. 8)


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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 3:39 pm
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Bluer Monkey wrote:
I have a Solomon SL-20 iron which I had set at 680 F then went up a notch to 730F. The IC was placed in a socket so I don't think it was fried. Can't say the same about the LED and the speaker. :(

As for the confidence building kit, I considered buying it but I already had the metronome kit.

Meanwhile back at the FSR BJr which started this thread, I'm thinking of giving it a second chance. ... As fun as the DIY route will be, I'm afraid it's going to be a LOOOOONG time coming before I can build anything remotely comparable. :lol:

Cheers!
BM


I just use two basic irons: a Weller 25 watt pencil and a Weller 40 watt pencil. No temperature control. I use a 60/40 solder I buy from Ace Hardware. Its diameter is given as "0.050". No idea if that is inches or mm.

Not saying that you fried the IC, but I see that a couple of pins are joined together. You need to make sure they are supposed to be that way.

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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 7:01 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
Bluer Monkey wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
Ummm, what is it? :lol:
    It's a Sound-To-Light Unit but I prefer the French name (Orgue Lumineux Simple) which translates to Simple Light Organ. It just sounds more musical. :)

    Do you think that using a thinner solder would help or is the 0.8 mm thickness I used the correct size for this type of project?

    Cheers!
    BM



I had one of these that I built from a kit back in the early 70's (1970's smart guy :lol: :lol:

:lol: ). No that is not me. 8)




Is that Wilson from Tool Time? :lol:

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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 7:17 pm
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63supro wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
I had one of these that I built from a kit back in the early 70's (1970's smart guy :lol: :lol:

:lol: ). No that is not me. 8)




Is that Wilson from Tool Time? :lol:


Just some whacked out kid. :shock:

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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 5:52 am
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bluesky636 wrote:
I just use two basic irons: a Weller 25 watt pencil and a Weller 40 watt pencil. No temperature control. I use a 60/40 solder I buy from Ace Hardware. Its diameter is given as "0.050". No idea if that is inches or mm.

Not saying that you fried the IC, but I see that a couple of pins are joined together. You need to make sure they are supposed to be that way.
    I'll take a closer look at the circuit and try to figure things out. At the same time I'll consult a book which has been collecting dust on the shelf: "Electronics for Dummies".

    Thanks for confirming my hunch about a temperature controlled iron. I was trying to give myself every chance (i.e. excuse :lol: ) but the truth is that someone who knows what they're doing and how to solder doesn't need temperature control. It's a matter of feel and knowing how to make the solder flow where it needs to go. ... practice, practice, practice ...

    As for the diameter of the solder, I thought that maybe I was using something too thick for a PCB but what you're using (0.05 inches = 1.27 mm) is actually 50% thicker than what I used so ... no excuse there for me.

    Cheers!
    BM




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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 2:13 pm
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UPDATE: UNBELIEVABLE SUCCESS!

In the big scheme of things it's just a baby step - maybe even half a baby step - but I must say that I was thrilled to see those LEDs light up when I strummed my Strat, especially after the failure of the metronome kit.

Of course I'm still very far from even beginning to think about building my own amp, but at least I know I'm on the right path.

Here is a picture of my solder joints. Not all that 'purdy' but I did make sure there were no solder bridges. The vise to hold the PCB made a huge difference.

      Image

And VOILA!!!

      Image

The next step will be to attempt the BYOC pedal.

Thanks very much for all your help and encouragement. It's much appreciated and it does make a difference.

Cheers!
BM

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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 3:02 pm
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Congrats. Time to build an amp. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 3:43 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
Congrats. Time to build an amp. :wink:
    Thanks, Bill. :)

    Before I build an amp I'm planning to do as you suggested and build the BYOC pedal. If the pedal turns out okay, then I'll start saving so that I can attend your amp building seminar. This will take a while but maybe I can convince the wife to take a second mortgage on the house. :lol:

    Cheers!
    BM

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Post subject: Re: FSR Blues Jr. Reverb DOA
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 4:18 pm
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Bluer Monkey wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
Congrats. Time to build an amp. :wink:
    Thanks, Bill. :)

    Before I build an amp I'm planning to do as you suggested and build the BYOC pedal. If the pedal turns out okay, then I'll start saving so that I can attend your amp building seminar. This will take a while but maybe I can convince the wife to take a second mortgage on the house. :lol:

    Cheers!
    BM


Hey, for you I'll only charge twice my normal price. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

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