Flintlock Flanger Frustration

[electricb]

I have been working on Haberdasher's Flintlock Flanger and am about at the end of my rope. My build went ok, but the flanging was weak or nonexistent. I was getting some flange warble and the knobs seem to be working as they should, but it sounds terrible and there is virtually no sweep.

I ever bought a multimeter with a frequency counter thinking I could bias this up, but the meter is auto ranging and reads 0 at the test point (and at pin 13 of the 4047). I know it works because it reads frequencies elsewhere on the board, but not at the critical place.

Here are some voltages for my clock ICs (supply voltage is 14.9V) . Can anyone help me get this thing working by suggesting things to look for? I don't see any obvious soldering bridges or placement errors, but this is a big PCB. Thanks in advance

   MN3007
1   14.74
2   6.99
3   9.37
4   1.026
5   0
6   6.99
7   9.09
8   9.09

   4007
1   0.27
2   .16-.20
3   0
4   0.2
5   0.2
6   0
7   0
8   0.2
9   0.22
10   5.83
11   7.5
12   0.109
13   13.99
14   13.98

   4047
1   13.86
2   0.1
3   7.5
4   13.98
5   13.98
6   13.98
7   0
8   0
9   0
10   6.99
11   6.99
12   0
13   13.87
14   13.98

   4049
1   13.99
2   6.98
3   6.99
4   6.99
5   6.99
6   6.99
7   6.99
8   0
9   6.99
10   6.98
11   6.99
12   6.98
13   0
14   6.99
15   6.98
16   0

[Scruffie]

Hmm can you take voltages of IC4 & 8 too.

Something's funny if you get no clock reading at pin 13 of the 4047 but the voltages on it look okay.

Just to be sure are you using the meter correctly, putting the black lead to ground as you measure with the red.

With range full and rate half way or slower, do you get any moving voltage on pin 10 of the 4007?

I notice you have C26 socketed too... it is properly in there isn't it, leads making good contact.

[electricb]

Thanks Scruffie. Here are the voltages:

IC4 (TL062)
13.84
7.96
3-12V (ranges)
0
6.97
6.97
3-12V (ranges)
14.66

IC8
11.13
3.76
3.75
0
7
7
5.96
14.4

I do get voltage that fluctuates from 5.7V to 8V on pin 10 of the 4007 with the speed just below half and the range maxed.

C6 is in there - I've tried 10p, 22p, and 30p (no 27s handy) but nothing really seems to make any difference at this point.

[Scruffie]

They mostly look okay as far as I can see... what meter are you using? I wonder if it can reach the frequencies needed, you can put the range to zero and then the manual control to both extremes and try and measure for a clock to test.

If we assume for now the clock isn't the issue, maybe there's an issue in the audio path, so the rest of the voltages please.

And have you double checked your FET pinout?

Don't worry, it's a tricky build but we'll get there

[muddyfox]

Just popping my head in to say I'm glad you boys are taking a serious swing at this as I'm about halfway through my build (waiting for a slow boat from China for some parts I could have sworn I had on hand).

Thanks Scruffie!

[electricb]

Thanks Scruffie. I really appreciate the help.

FET pinout seems ok. I'm using a 2N2457 so it's GSD and thus I'm using the rightmost three holes. Interestingly, nothing much seems to happen when I switch the FET orientation or even remove it entirely. I get a little extra noise in one particular pinout placement, but that's about it.

I should clarify that I am getting a sweep with everything maxed out although it gets weak really quickly when you back off the enhance or threshold controls. Also when the Range is off, the Manual does seem to work, it's just not very long or deep. The annoying part is that I can't bias it.

My meter is a cheapo Victor VC921 that I got off ebay, but it ranges from 100HZ to 10MHz so it should be ok. I also notice that on other pins (e.g., pin 6 of the MN3007), it does kick in so it seems that it works, just not on the pin that I need it to.

Here are the rest of my voltages:

IC2
4.7
4.7
4.7
0
6.97
6.99
6.99
13.94

IC13
7.7
7
6.99
0.03
6.92
6.99
6.99
14


IC1
7
7
6.4
0.01
6.1
6.1
6.1
14

IC3
7.1
7
7
0.002
7
7
7
14


IC12
7
7
7
0.003
7
7
7
14

[Scruffie]

Okay, measuring at Pin 2 of the 3007, can you adjust the frequency from 34.8KHz to 1.3MHz?

Your voltages basically look okay, I wonder if it's just a bad joint, you tried re-flowing?

[electricb]

I think I'm making progress...but I have no idea where to go next.

Yes, I can get from 38.5kHz to 1.46MHz on the BBD. But to do this, I have to turn C-Range fully CCW and C-Max fully CW.

The interesting thing is now Pin 13 finally lights up and (at max Manual) reads 2.8MHz! Ok, good. So I turn the Manual down...and now get a reading of 0.

However, if I back off C-Max to about halfway, I can get it to read 25.9kHz. However, turn it up any higher and it goes back to 0. If I leave C-Max so that I'm getting a reading at Manual fully CCW, it reads 0 again when I turn Manual fully CW and I have to bump up C-Max to get it to read anything in the MHz range.

I have played with the clock cap and have tried caps that measure 20p, 27p, and 29p and right now, the 20 has worked the "best".

Any ideas, Scruff? I am going to reflow everything this weekend if you don't have any clues from this and if it's a soldering problem, then I will quit building forever.

[gordo]

Watching this one with a keen eye as the Flintlock parts should show up tomorrow and it's the next board on the bench.  Electricb, you own this stuff, so it has to be something simple and too obvious to be noticed.

It's hard to see with the reflection off the flux but at the lower left, about 3 pins in from the edge there's a suspicious looking solder.  Maybe a good cleaning will give you fresh eyes?

[Scruffie]

I think I'm making progress...but I have no idea where to go next.

Yes, I can get from 38.5kHz to 1.46MHz on the BBD. But to do this, I have to turn C-Range fully CCW and C-Max fully CW.

The interesting thing is now Pin 13 finally lights up and (at max Manual) reads 2.8MHz! Ok, good. So I turn the Manual down...and now get a reading of 0.

However, if I back off C-Max to about halfway, I can get it to read 25.9kHz. However, turn it up any higher and it goes back to 0. If I leave C-Max so that I'm getting a reading at Manual fully CCW, it reads 0 again when I turn Manual fully CW and I have to bump up C-Max to get it to read anything in the MHz range.

I have played with the clock cap and have tried caps that measure 20p, 27p, and 29p and right now, the 20 has worked the "best".

Any ideas, Scruff? I am going to reflow everything this weekend if you don't have any clues from this and if it's a soldering problem, then I will quit building forever.

Haha, it's a big and tricky build so don't quit over a bad joint!

In the photos it does look a bit like you might have melted the test pad so that might explain why you get nothing there... but everything seems close so I am thinking it's either a dodgy part (any of this stuff from Tayda? Haha) or a solder joint isn't quite perfect or something isn't quite seated in its socket properly.

[electricb]

I did a total reflow this morning and made sure everything was firmly seated...still no resolving the issue. If I turn up CMax too much the flanging stops, but the highest I can get is about 25kHz. I think I'll put this one in the pedal graveyard for a while and maybe come back to it later. It will haunt me though...

[Scruffie]

A break can certainly help, but last ditch before that, try replacing the 4007, 4047 and 4049, just in case something funny is going on... the 4007 could be damaged I suppose.

It seems so close!

[czapa tranzystor 2]

You 2n5457 is a wrong position ? Change for D G S first 3 pins

[muddyfox]

Now y'all have made me decide to finally go and finish my build to see if mine works. It prolly won't get boxed in a while, though...

[vachonaudio]

your JFET is in correct.
good luck.