****Help!fuzz face doesnt work *****

fuzzchuff · Status: Offline

captntasty · Status: Offline

I can give you a hand but need to know some specifics - is it the FuzzFace project from this site and if so which one? Arbiter FuzzFace or AxisFace. If Axis is it silicon or germanium? What exactly is it doing or not doing?

Unfortunately this forum sort of died. I check back now and again... as for a diagram this should help - http://fuzzcentral.tripod.com/faq.html . It's generic switching and powering and can be applied to your pedal - what kind of switch is it? 3PDT or DPDT. Will you use a led indicator? Are using just a battery or battery/9v adaptor? Need some specifics to help you...

fuzzchuff · Status: Offline

Its the Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face project from this page with germanium PNP from smallbear with a 3pdt

the #2 ground wires on the layout diagram where do those go
and on the 3pdt switc diagram it says cuitcuit output where does that wire go?
heres a pic maybe you can spot somthin wrong

-- Edited by fuzzchuff at 20:49, 2006-08-28

captntasty · Status: Offline

We'll take this one step at a time - first let's get the power supply fixed...

"i have the batery pos. wire goin to the tip of the output jack and the other tip lug on the output jack has a wire going from the second vertical lug in the first row of the switch. the 3rd lug on the output jack so that wrong right one of them is a sleeve?ones a tip and ones i hoot a ground up to? but 2 of them look exactly the same."

Since you have the +/red battery lead going to a jack I assume this pedal is meant to be positive ground which is best for the fuzzface anyway(and now that I reread the project page it's how the project is meant to be anyway).

So, concerning the part of your post I quoted: A bit confusing so let's simplify things with some visuals...

It sounds like you might have wired the output to be your on/off switch which will work but it typically would be your input jack that is used as the power switch. What's happening in this jack is that either the ring or sleeve lug (doesn't matter which but typically the ring) is connected to the red battery lead/ground( red or + as this is a positive ground configuration - there is also negative grounding but that's not worth discussing here), and which ever one is not used (typically sleeve) goes to board ground. When you insert your 1/4" plug into the jack a connection is made along the sleeve of the plug because it is a mono plug, not stereo, thus completing the ground path which allows 9v current to flow through the circuit - long way to say it turns on. That leaves the tip lug on the jack which is your signal/what's coming in from your instrument. The tip is the little ball end of the 1/4" jack... This signal will go to your switch and from there be routed either to the board or straight out to the output jack. This jack has only two lugs - tip and sleeve. Tip will be the audio signal, sleeve goes to board ground. The input audio signal from the switch will go to the board input, through the circuit/effect back to switch and then off to the ouput jack and into your amp.

Well, I hope I'm not insulting your intelligence with my little lesson, just got carried away. I can see why you might have confusion if you are using the diagrams in the FAQ section... it's confusing at first when your looking at a schematic representation of a circuit. I'll save you and me pages worth of explanations and send you to a site that has a lot of great stuff. This diagram is of a souped-up FuzzFace but will provide a very clear wiring diagram for a pedal with 9v DC adaptor and LED. Just ignore the board and extra knobs as yours will be different, concentrate on the offboard wiring from point to point, again ignoring the extra pots. I couldn't tell from your photo if your using an LED indicator, this diagram accounts for that. I assumed you were as you used a blue 3PDT switch. If you don't have an LED (in which case you don't need a 3PDT) go to the main FF page and go the the Arbiter FF project - positive ground PNP - this one has no LED. This link is to the Boutique Fuzz Face Parts Layout and Wiring Diagram with 3PDT & LED Indicator and this is to the main Fuzz Faces page. There is a lot of helpful info the Tech Pages - first stop, Switching and Wiring.

I'll check back later to see if you have additional questions...

p.s. I forgot to mention - your board only has two pads for ground. I think you'll need at least one more - you can just drill holes right next to the 2 pads you have and bend the wire onto the copper part/pad and solder. It's best if all your ground wires run seperately to one point on the board rather than some connecting piggy-back style from another ground point.

fuzzchuff · Status: Offline

ok i hooked up the jacks how you said, now if i turn on the pedal i can hear the fuzz but it cuts in and out it sound pretty bad and turnnig that fuzz nob doesnt seem to do anything.

321 whenthe pot is shaft down with the lugs towerd you i think thats how they are numbered? so the number 1 lug on bolth pots are groundedthe number 2 lug on the volume nob is where i have the circuit output goin from the switch
i just added the led.
i live in CT also.
Thanks alot for your help.

-- Edited by fuzzchuff at 01:38, 2006-08-29

captntasty · Status: Offline

Fuzz pot lug 1 goes to board ground pad #2

vol pot lug 2 goes to goes to the switch. Signal output comes from the board/pad 6 into lug 3, through the pot and out lug 2 to the switch where it is then passed on to the output jack when the effect is engaged. Vol pot lug 1 goes to ground.

Here's a visual - you won't use the left side of the switch until you have an LED, therefore there is no need to bring power to the switch. We're using the 3PDT (triple pole/double throw) switch as DPDT (double pole/double throw) until you get the LED in there. That's good for now - less complicated.

We're getting there...

This is from the FuzzCentral FAQ edited for negative ground - I'm posting it here for viewing ease:

In your situation, with a positive ground pedal, you'll bring the black/negative lead from the battery in rather than the red/positive - we're using that for ground. To the circuit board will be -9v into pad #4 from the DC jack as shown. The lead that runs to the sleeve lug input jack should have another lead running from the same lug to the board ground. Red battery lead to input jack sleeve lug. This completes the ground path.

See where this info gets you...

Whoops... just saw your edit. I gotta crash - pick it up tomorrow. Where in CT...?

-- Edited by captntasty at 02:53, 2006-08-29

fuzzchuff · Status: Offline

Im from waterbury, you?
Ok... My volume pot and the fuzz work when the fuzz pot is turned down its plays fine clean then when turn the fuzz nob up it sounds really bad cuts in and out kinda sounds like a blown speaker,and its very basey.

maybe the transistors need to be biased
this is frustrating.
if i remove the ground wire from lug 1 of the fuzz pot i can hear aliens or somthin talkin throught the amp and the pedal still sounds like crap, but its cuts in and out less.
************************
i must have read everything on the internet about this over the past 3 days, but im still a dumb ass.
alright heres what i did i removed the a/c jack and 3pdt so now its a batery and a dpdt.im just trying simplify this a little.
looked over the traces with a loupe
quadrupal checked the transistor pinouts even emailed steve at smallbear to make sure i had the correct pinouts.

*The Switch,
lug 1 is to effect input.
lug 2 is from input jack tip.
lug 4 is to effect output (lug 2 on the volume pot).
lug 5 is to output jack tip.
lugs 3&6 are shorted together.

*The Pcb
#1 to lug 1 of switch
#2 has 4 grounds going to it lugs1 of volume and fuzz pot, and the sleeves of the input and output jacks
#3 fuzz pot lug 2
#4 is -9v lead from battery
#5 fizzpot lug 3
#6 volume pot lug 3

*Input jack
the tip goes to switch lug 4 (effect input).
the ring goes to the pos. batery lead.
the sleeve goes to ground.

*Output jack
the tip comes from lug 5 of the switch.
the sleeve goes to ground.

BUT...
it still sounds the same like a crap blown speaker and very basey, cuts in and out like it has a noise gate on it or somthin, so somthin is still wrong dammit.
this requires more coffee!, and a axe.

-- Edited by fuzzchuff at 04:47, 2006-08-30

captntasty · Status: Offline

Norwalk

This is good... you're making progress. I'm off to run around like a madman all day but will check over your post later on. No coffee, no workey!

fuzzchuff · Status: Offline

idk why this soudns so bad how do i check to the voltage going to the transistors becouse the paper i got from small bear say it should be 4.5v if i touch my neg probe to the battery and then take the pos prob and touch all the pins of the transistors they all say 7.70, 7.72, 7.80v and if im testing it right that isnt anywhre close to 4.5v?
ive just about given up on this thing im all out of ideas

-- Edited by fuzzchuff at 15:03, 2006-08-30

-- Edited by fuzzchuff at 17:14, 2006-08-30

captntasty · Status: Offline

Yeah, those voltages are off, but in this stage of debugging I wouldn't expect them to be right. I hate to leave you hanging but have some family "stuff" to deal with... so my advice is to head over to the forum at http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/ - you want the Building your own section. Head on over there, use the search function to search through 1000's of posts on the same sort of problems you are having - that's important, if you don't you will get razzed. The guys over there will help you and will probably be able to do it quicker than I can by myself. Just my family stuff wouldn't be enough for me to just drop this... I just read a post from Philip, (over at Aron's forum at diystompboxes.com), who runs this site and he has returned to it after a long absence. He's going to totally revamp this site and I believe it will basically disappear in a day or two or three...???

Use the same screen-name when you register and I'll keep an I out fer ya. You WILL get this effect working... I know it can be frustrating but keep at it - you've already made progress.

When you take your voltage readings you (this is what I do when I don't have an alligator clip on the end of the probe) stick the neg lead through any of the ground lug holes on a jack (really anywhere that is ground) so it rests in there snugly freeing your hands up. Positive lead to each of the tranny's pins, you will have to keep track of which pins you are measuring Q1 or transistor 1 Emitter, Base, Collector and Q2 or transistor 2 E,B,C. They will be different... Q2's Collector is the one you want to read 4.5v - 5v. I think there's still stuff to work out though before that step... almost forgot, in the whole process you need to have a jack inserted in the input (or whichever jack is used as the power switch) or you will more or less read the battery's voltage rather than what the circuit sees when it has power. That might be why you are seeing the voltages you are since they are all about the same - 7.7v would be a dead battery if that is the battery's voltage. Measure the battery by itself just so you know how much juice your battery has.

There is a sticky thread at the top of the other forum - something like DEBUGGING-what to do when it doesn't work. Read the whole thing, twice even three times if you have to.

Sorry that I couldn't stick with you though the whole thing... see you over there

-- Edited by captntasty at 00:12, 2006-08-31

-- Edited by captntasty at 00:21, 2006-08-31