Sharkfin ticking

[sumac]

matt,

have you been able to solve the ticking issue? Yesterday I've finished my sharkfin build - filter mode seems to be working fine, but in SH mode I get quite loud ticking noise - and it is even worse when the effect is bypassed! When I turn off the SH mode while in bypass the ticking goes away. Ticking corresponds with the LED flasing. Also in SH mode it does that funky kind of sound but not at all as nice as in some demos I've seen. Mine sounds bit muffled, kinda lo-fi..

I'll check the usual stuff - solder joints, etc, but the ticking in bypass is kind of weird..

thanks

[Matt]

matt,

have you been able to solve the ticking issue? Yesterday I've finished my sharkfin build - filter mode seems to be working fine, but in SH mode I get quite loud ticking noise - and it is even worse when the effect is bypassed! When I turn off the SH mode while in bypass the ticking goes away. Ticking corresponds with the LED flasing. Also in SH mode it does that funky kind of sound but not at all as nice as in some demos I've seen. Mine sounds bit muffled, kinda lo-fi..

I'll check the usual stuff - solder joints, etc, but the ticking in bypass is kind of weird..

thanks

I still haven't gotten around to fixing mine completely.

Try moving the filter/sh switch and wires farther away from the input jack and see if the reduces the ticking. If so, then use shielded wire for the input jack and maybe even for the filter/sh switch.

As for the muffled lofi sound, have you messed with the trim pots?  There is a wide range of sweep available. Different transistors also affect this.  Try a few different 2n5088 in Q4

[sumac]

Thanks Matt

sure I did adjust the trimpots, but I dont seem to be able to get it to sound right. I always end up with T2 fully clockwise and T1 around noon. Will try to swap the Q4 transistor and see what that does.

I did try to move the wires around, I redid the grounding of the whole pedal and.. ticking issue remains.
I thought that if the pedal is true bypass, then it is TRUE bypass  but this ticking is much more noticable when the pedal is bypassed, but it will go away as you turn down the volume knob on the guitar! Weird stuff

I'm gonna check everything again and post voltage readings.

thanks!

[Matt]

Thanks Matt

sure I did adjust the trimpots, but I dont seem to be able to get it to sound right. I always end up with T2 fully clockwise and T1 around noon. Will try to swap the Q4 transistor and see what that does.

I did try to move the wires around, I redid the grounding of the whole pedal and.. ticking issue remains.
I thought that if the pedal is true bypass, then it is TRUE bypass  but this ticking is much more noticable when the pedal is bypassed, but it will go away as you turn down the volume knob on the guitar! Weird stuff

I'm gonna check everything again and post voltage readings.

thanks!

No problem. Hopefully that helps

It's also a good idea to post some pics so that people who know more than me can take a look.

[blearyeyes]

Don't know if this is relevant but in a post where ticking (in a different circuit) was an issue, placing a cap across the power pins of the LFO IC fixed it. Ticking comes from power spike drawn by chip.  Cap adds additional PS filtering and a bit of power reserve for the chip. Hope this helps.

[jimilee]

Is the ticking noticeable when you ae playing also? in the youtube videos and the build docs, it says ticking is just going to be a fact. I didn't think about a buffer in front though.

[sumac]

thank you guys for your replies. I was very busy so the project was put aside for a while, but I will look into it in near future.

well, ticking is noticable while playing, but I can easily live with that... it is not very loud. It is however much worse while in bypass! You always have to bypass AND switch to autowah mode at the same time, otherwise ticking is very noticable.

blearyeyes: thanks for the tip! sorry for my ignorance, but which one would be the LFO IC? I guess something like 100uF will do?

[sumac]

For anyone who might have the same problem..
I've been able to cut down the ticking in bypass down substantially by shielding wires that go to input and output jacks and also shielding the (plastic) jacks with alu foil.. Some slight ticking remains, but it is much better now..

blearyeyes above suggests "placing a cap across the power pins of the LFO IC" anyone has an idea how this would be done? where exactly should I put this cap and what value should I try?

thanks!

[FuzzTony]

I too have ticking when the pedal is bypassed and the switch is in S&H mode. 

After poking around a bit tonight, I discovered that a 1uf box cap connected to the pads of the rate LED greatly reduced the ticking while still allowing the LED to blink.  I'm using a bright blue LED.  I wonder if it's possible the the LED itself is the problem. 

It's funny, though, that the ticking isn't really there when the effect is on, only when bypassed. 

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?