Aquaboy Whine in bypass

[Adam_DIY]

My aquaboy sounds great and I'm really happy with it while its turned on but if I turn it off I get a high pitched whine which I'm assuming is clock noise.  There have been no mods or part substitutions.  Any advice on the best way to tackle this?  I get no distortion or whine at all while the pedal is engaged so I'm not sure where to start. 

Let me know what other info would be helpful.

[Boba7]

I had the same problem with mine (or was it lfo bleeding... can't remember sorry) and a Klon buffer wired always on at the input helped. But maybe it was lfo bleeding...

[Adam_DIY]

Hmm I'll try it with my klone later to see if that helps.  I've just built a tru bypass klone though as my ocd is my one of my favorite drives and didn't like having a buffer in front.

[madbean]

Likely cause is the location of your output wire which runs right under the delay pot. Try using a longer wire from the output jack to the switch and route it over on the left side of the enclosure where the audio circuitry is. If the problem persists, use some shielded wire (remember you only need to connect one end of the braid to ground when using shielded wire).

[Adam_DIY]

Likely cause is the location of your output wire which runs right under the delay pot. Try using a longer wire from the output jack to the switch and route it over on the left side of the enclosure where the audio circuitry is. If the problem persists, use some shielded wire (remember you only need to connect one end of the braid to ground when using shielded wire).

Thanks Brian.  I'm a little confused by 'using a longer wire from the output jack to the switch'?  I'm not sure what you mean? 

[madbean]

Thanks Brian.  I'm a little confused by 'using a longer wire from the output jack to the switch'?  I'm not sure what you mean?

[Adam_DIY]

Thanks Brian I'll give that a go tonight.

[madbean]

It's possible proximity of the jack itself could be a contributor. How close is the jack to the delay pot when the plug is inserted?

I probably should have drawn the drill diagram a little differently to make the jacks higher up on the box. It's just something I did not think about.

[Adam_DIY]

It's pretty close to the top I don't think it could be much higher without hitting the lid when a jack is inserted.  I'll try the longer wire you suggested tonight and let you know how I get on with that.  Should I also disconnect the wire from O at the base of the pcb to the 3pdt?

[Adam_DIY]

YES Brian you legend.  I got home early from work and had some time on my hands so desoldered the wire to the output jack and ran a longer one to the switch as you suggested and it's completely silent now in bypass and still sounds great when engaged.  W00t

[madbean]

Great, glad that worked out. I think I will add a note in the doc about routing the wiring e.g. if connecting to the J2 pads leads to whine then just take a longer wire directly from the jack to the 3pdt.

[Adam_DIY]

I wonder if it would have been fine if I'd taken the wires over the pcb from J2 rather than under beside the delay pot?  I'm going to build another with modulation soon so will try it that way next time to see and will let you know.

[Ralfg]

I had the same issue with my Aquaboy, so I tried the solution above and it seems to have fixed the problem. I accidentally drilled my jack is as far up as it can go on the enclosure. Could it be just that the output wire connection point on the pcb is close to the pot itself?

[madbean]

I had the same issue with my Aquaboy, so I tried the solution above and it seems to have fixed the problem. I accidentally drilled my jack is as far up as it can go on the enclosure. Could it be just that the output wire connection point on the pcb is close to the pot itself?

It very well could be. The wire may act as an antenna to amplify the clock signal (which is well within the audio spectrum). It's the pitfall of having a board designed in a small space with the jacks located where they are. I think for the next run I will just relocate the In/Out jacks to the top where the 9v connection is. Sorry if this caused frustration.

[Ralfg]

It very well could be. The wire may act as an antenna to amplify the clock signal (which is well within the audio spectrum). It's the pitfall of having a board designed in a small space with the jacks located where they are. I think for the next run I will just relocate the In/Out jacks to the top where the 9v connection is. Sorry if this caused frustration.

No need to apologize. Glad you figured it out, thanks for all you do.