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Question for those who know about troubleshooting electrical problems with pedals

#42
That whole board needs a reflow. One of the wires could be broken from inside the shielding. Theres enough bad solder joints on....everything to cause issues.

Like stated earlier , Grounds from pcbs, switch, power connector and input/output jacks are first priority in diagnosis.

But I feel bad for you. Thats not good soldering.

Now, you stated that earlier it did work for a few times, and then later it developed the issue. Okay, thats usually a bad solder connection. What you can easily do, is have it upside down on your computer desk. Plug it into your sound card or amp if you have a small amp. Plug your bass into it and play a note and let it sustain, while you are moving one wire at a time inside the pedal.
 
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#45
I'm glad others have said this and I am simply going to echo them: shoddy soldering job. I'm sure whatever company this is doesn't normally send out work like this. I would send the builder some of the pics you took for us and the serial number of the pedal just so they know about it. It doesn't sound like you're looking for any type of compensation, which is admirable, but a decent electronics technician should be able to fix this pretty fast and cheap. They builder may give you a discount on a later transaction.
 
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#47
Thanks all for answering. I really appreciate the time you all took to help me out on this.

I hear what y'all are saying about warranty, repairs etc, but like I said, the pedal was cheap enough that it's not worth the hassles. The builder is in California, I'm in NYC. I don't have the time to get to a post office without taking an hour off of work, where I can make more than the pedal is worth. Since it works when I touch it to a piece of metal, it has been relegated to recording duties only. It also may be a potential project for me to learn from as the months and years go on.
 
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#48
MGR said:
Thanks all for answering. I really appreciate the time you all took to help me out on this.

I hear what y'all are saying about warranty, repairs etc, but like I said, the pedal was cheap enough that it's not worth the hassles. The builder is in California, I'm in NYC. I don't have the time to get to a post office without taking an hour off of work, where I can make more than the pedal is worth. Since it works when I touch it to a piece of metal, it has been relegated to recording duties only. It also may be a potential project for me to learn from as the months and years go on.
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Read up on soldering technique. It's fairly easy to learn and a great skill to have when something like this happens.
 
#50
MGR said:
Thanks all for answering. I really appreciate the time you all took to help me out on this.

I hear what y'all are saying about warranty, repairs etc, but like I said, the pedal was cheap enough that it's not worth the hassles. The builder is in California, I'm in NYC. I don't have the time to get to a post office without taking an hour off of work, where I can make more than the pedal is worth. Since it works when I touch it to a piece of metal, it has been relegated to recording duties only. It also may be a potential project for me to learn from as the months and years go on.
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I'm curious as to the dollar amount that would justify you sending the defective product back to the builder?

Maybe you could help him/her out by sending them a link to this thread and a few instructional youtube soldering links, because they REALLY need to bone-up on their soldering skills and QC.

Good luck!
-Frank
 
#51
boomertech said:
I'm curious as to the dollar amount that would justify you sending the defective product back to the builder?

Maybe you could help him/her out by sending them a link to this thread and a few instructional youtube soldering links, because they REALLY need to bone-up on their soldering skills and QC.

Good luck!
-Frank
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Anything at about $150 and above would justify my time to return it.
 
#52
MGR said:
Well, my hourly rate is $100 an hour at work, so I would say anything at about $150 would justify it. For $99 bucks, I'll keep the working, but somewhat problematic pedal. Now, if it didn't work at all, you may have a point. But since all it needs is a quick touch with a paperclip, plus the fact that it is a recording pedal only, it's not worth my time to bother to send it back.
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I don't know if you are aware that USPS will deliver to you Priority shipping boxes for free and you can print the shipping labels and pay for postage on-line. This way you wouldn't have to take any time off from work. Even if you didn't ask the builder to reimburse you for the shipping it would only be about $11.

-Frank
 
#53
boomertech said:
I don't know if you are aware that USPS will deliver to you Priority shipping boxes for free and you can print the shipping labels and pay for postage on-line. This way you wouldn't have to take any time off from work. Even if you didn't ask the builder to reimburse you for the shipping it would only be about $11.

-Frank
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I run my own landscaping business so unless they could deliver to a random garden somewhere on any given day, I don't think it would work. I appreciate the time and your suggestions and i know it's coming from a good place, but believe me, I've done the math and the law of diminishing returns dictates that it isn't worth my time. I'll keep the pedal as a project piece to learn from. In addition, I will not be doing business again with the builder.
 
#54
MGR said:
I run my own landscaping business so unless they could deliver to a random garden somewhere on any given day, I don't think it would work. I appreciate the time and your suggestions and i know it's coming from a good place, but believe me, I've done the math and the law of diminishing returns dictates that it isn't worth my time. I'll keep the pedal as a project piece to learn from. In addition, I will not be doing business again with the builder.
Click to expand...

Damn!!! I only got paid $10 per yard, when I was younger, for cutting my neighbors' grass and bushes!:D Good for you!

-Frank
 

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