Hipster fuzz issue

[HailToTheBlues]

Hey guys,
Yesterday i decided to swap the C2 from my hipster fuzz, from 10pf to 100pf, because i though it sounded better, without that big oscilation at the end of the fuzz sweep, and it was working perfectly, the bias well adjusted to 4.5v. Then i closed the enclosure, connected it to my pedalboard (cables, daisy chain, all that stuff) and the first time i engage it, it sounded really really quiet, like a fuzz on the backgroung when i played the strings. I took it from the pedalboard, tried it alone and open again, the same issue continued. I checked the bias again, and the best it can go now is to ~1,0v, and when i put it in that value theres a big static noise from it, the guitar almost silent. Did something happened to my trannies? Which by the way are a BC108 and a BC108C from a banzai kit.

Best Regards

[TGP39]

Hi Rafa. I'm sure you know this, but when a non-boxed, working effect suddenly stops working once it's in the box is almost always a result of a short or something coming loose in the circuit. Take the circuit back out of the box and A. See if it's working again or B. If it's not working, look for loose wiring.  If nothing is readily apparent, take some voltage readings and see if you are losing voltage somehow. The fact that your transistor can't be biased correctly can easily be a case of it not receiving the proper voltage in the first place. If you want, post some pics and we can take a look with you. I hope this helps as it sounds like you really liked this circuit before you boxed it. Good luck....will follow this thread.

Steve.

[HailToTheBlues]

Hi Rafa. I'm sure you know this, but when a non-boxed, working effect suddenly stops working once it's in the box is almost always a result of a short or something coming loose in the circuit. Take the circuit back out of the box and A. See if it's working again or B. If it's not working, look for loose wiring.  If nothing is readily apparent, take some voltage readings and see if you are losing voltage somehow. The fact that your transistor can't be biased correctly can easily be a case of it not receiving the proper voltage in the first place. If you want, post some pics and we can take a look with you. I hope this helps as it sounds like you really liked this circuit before you boxed it. Good luck....will follow this thread.

Steve.

Actually, that's not the case, i had it box for a long time now, but i always thought that it oscilated to much past the 3 o'clock on the fuzz pot, so i changed the ceramic capacitor c2 to 100pf, and adjusted the bias again, in the end it was working perfectly, in the box already. After i screw the back and installed it in the pedalboard, it started having issues right away, the ones i said earlier, i took the back again, and the issues were still there. I totally forgot to mention that this is in two-in-one box, with a mangler on his side, working properly, and they worked both fine till yesterday.

[HailToTheBlues]

Now i noticed something strange. When i usually disconnect my wallwart from power, while keeping the daisy chain in my pedals, their leds turn off slowly, but it happens in a instant, now i did that with the hipster, and the led didn't turn off, even thought the wallwart wasn't connected to the power. I know that the power supply hold a bit of energy till it dissipates, but it doesn't last that long, almost as if the energy is being hold in the pedal somewhere. Also, i noticed the pedal sounds just like when i played him once with an almost dead battery, so i assume the problem is somewhere in the power zone, but not in the dc, because the mangler works like a charm. So, any thoughts?

[TGP39]

I would definitely try to isolate the problem by trying the hipster fuzz pedal with its own power supply in a different outlet. Maybe something is going on with your regular power supply? But you say that the mangler works fine? Hmmm ?  I'm thinking that something is going on with a capacitor inside the Hipster. It's pulling power from the power supply when you turn it off (that's why the LED's go off quickly instead of slowly) and it's holding a charge when it's off (the hipster led stays on after power is turned off).
     We definitely need to take some voltage readings in the hipster circuit to try and see what's going on. Are you sure the cap you replaced is the correct capacitance? 


Steve.

[HailToTheBlues]

Aparently i slved the problem for now, but i'm not certain of what was causing it, since i tried a couple things at the same time. It sounds like it's working properly, but if it decides to stop working again, i'll repost here again. In the meantime, thanks for the help, and take care!