Question about Photocouplers....

[peAk]

First, let me say this might be a dumb question but I am trying to narrow down something with my Nautilus build.

I have read that people have had Photocouplers that were marked wrong. If one was marked wrong and you installed it that way what sound, if any, would it produce?

Would it not produce sound at all or would the sound be "just not right"?

I ask this because when I first built the mudbunny, I installed the BC550 transistors wrong (didn't know they were opposite of the pcb graphic) but they still worked, just didn't produce the "right" muff sound.

My Nautilus produces some cool sounds but I can't get some other sounds I have heard people demo after building it. I am not sure if this is a result of using different couplers (like the BOM says) or if I have a coupler installed wrong.

[culturejam]

I'm pretty sure you just wouldn't get any modulation.

[peAk]

I'm pretty sure you just wouldn't get any modulation.

So I wonder in the Nautilus if the two couplers work in conjunction or are they independent?

[culturejam]

Have a look at the schematic (attached). The two resistive elements of the optos are indeed separate. So if one is set up correctly, you should get some funk, just not as much funk as if both are configured properly.

[peAk]

hmm, yeah....it's possible one of them is causing an issue.

That being said, it could just be an adjustment ignorance on my part because I just haven't been able to find that sweet spot for a basic funk envelope sound. I have been able to get some awesome, of-the-wall, trippy sounds which I actually love more than a typical envelope, I just want to know in my head that everything it working as it should. If that makes sense 

[stecykmi]

you can try to better diagnose the problem. try disconnecting just one lead on either of the two devices (LED side). if the sound doesn't change, you can assume that the disconnected one is faulty somehow. if the envelope stops altogether, then the other device could likely be faulty. if there is still an envelope but it sounds different than with both devices connected, there may be another problem somewhere else.