Using an audio probe

[bmcash]

Hi Everyone,

I need to de-bug a pedal and it is boxed up.  I can't figure out the problem by visual inspection and will now turn to an audio probe; it will be my first time using one.  In terms of wiring, do I need to disconnect anything from the circuit?  Please keep in mind the pedal is boxed up as if it were ready to be played.

Thanks for looking and reading the noobish question.

B$

[electricstorm]

You should not need to disconnect anything to use the audio probe. I usually use my amp's input and a probe with a .1uF cap to probe with. A suggestion though, if you have a tone generator I would use that on the input of the effect pedal as it gets to be a hassle to keep strumming the guitar each time you probe an area of the board.

Jim

[TreeSlayer]

You should not need to disconnect anything to use the audio probe. I usually use my amp's input and a probe with a .1uF cap to probe with. A suggestion though, if you have a tone generator I would use that on the input of the effect pedal as it gets to be a hassle to keep strumming the guitar each time you probe an area of the board.

Jim

you got that right, Jim! any suggestions on a tone generator? maybe it could be built?

[jimilee]

Ipod

[jkokura]

You should not need to disconnect anything to use the audio probe. I usually use my amp's input and a probe with a .1uF cap to probe with. A suggestion though, if you have a tone generator I would use that on the input of the effect pedal as it gets to be a hassle to keep strumming the guitar each time you probe an area of the board.

Jim

you got that right, Jim! any suggestions on a tone generator? maybe it could be built?

The tiny tester is designed specifically with this purpose in mind. There's a PCb you can purchase and a DIY project you can etch available through jmkpcbs.com

Jacob

[bmcash]

Thanks everyone for there input!  And, yes a tone generator would be great because  I constantly  must   strum the guitar.

[icecycle66]

I built a punk atari for my signal generator.
It works really good for anything but delay pedals. 

[alanp]

If you have some kind of looper, you can also use that as a signal generator. (Massive 'DUH' when I saw that tip in a video... after having my Loophole for months, and trying to strum the gat, and then tune the bias in before the echoes died away...)

[TreeSlayer]

Ipod

duh... i got like four of Ipods... thanks JimiLee!

[pickdropper]

Ipod

duh... i got like four of Ipods... thanks JimiLee!

If any of your iPods is a Touch, there is a useful app called SignalSuite.  It's about $10 or so, but it allows you to generate some useful signals, such as a swept sine waves, pink noise, etc...

[electricstorm]

you got that right, Jim! any suggestions on a tone generator? maybe it could be built?

I use the tiny tester from Jacob, but I see he already responded.

The tiny tester is designed specifically with this purpose in mind. There's a PCb you can purchase and a DIY project you can etch available through jmkpcbs.com

Jacob

It is a great little circuit and does exactly what you need in a tone generator. It also has a volume/level control which is handy as well.

Jim