Sprout Tech Help

[themachinerages]

So should I try the xacto knife method first or buy the soldering braid (not sure how this works, I'll look up a video tutorial)?

Will the knife be able to scrape away the solder? I would imagine it needs to be melted for it to budge at all

[chromesphere]

Hi themachinerages,
The xacto knife wont get through large solder blobs.  Its probably something you should try after you fix the solder bridges (if it still doesnt work). Try the solder braide method first.  i would get a solder sucker though, i find they do a better job.  You can pick one up for about 8-10 dollars.
good luck,
Paul

[themachinerages]

I got one of the desoldering bulbs and it didn't help too much (one of these: http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-2160655w345.jpg)

I guess I'll go buy some desoldering braid. I hope this works!!

[jkokura]

I use the bulb quite a bit right now. I also use braid. You should be able to use both.

Jacob

[Haberdasher]

Hi

I also noticed you're using solid core wire.  You may want to check continuity from end to end on each of those as well to make sure you don't have a break in one.

[chromesphere]

HI themachinerages,

I use one of these, a solder sucker. Might be similar to the solder bulb? idk ive never used a solder bulb. I dont use braid either, I used to, but i found it didnt work very well at all (for me personally).  The solder sucker does the job for me.

http://www.google.com.au/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1016&bih=512&q=solder+sucker&gbv=2&oq=solder+sucker&aq=f&aqi=g1g-S9&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=187l3312l0l3406l24l12l1l0l0l0l391l1234l2-2.2l5l0

Good luck,
Paul

[jkokura]

They essentially do the same thing. A solder bulb is a little bit more manual. I find the bulb easier to use than the big unit.

However, the desoldering iron madbean uses is where it's at!

Jacob

[themachinerages]

Still no luck!! I tried the braid and cleaned everything up with the xacto.

What tool do I need to check continuity? Maybe it's a faulty part

[ckim715]

At this juncture I would use an audio probe. Start from input and work your way around the signal path to see where the signal breaks.

[Haberdasher]

do you have a digital multimeter (dmm)?  that is the tool you use to check continuity, among other things.  you just about HAVE to have a dmm for diy electronics, even if you're building from a kit.  almost as important as a soldering iron, imho.

[themachinerages]

I don't have a DMM and I'm not sure if I want to invest too much money as this is my first project and I don't know how long I will be involved in this hobby.

Would the audio probe option be a cheaper solution?

[ckim715]

audio probe would be a cheaper solution, as you can make one yourself if you have the right materials, but a DMM can cost as little as 18 dollars on Amazon.

[themachinerages]

I saw that post that jkokura made about building a testing rig, but is there a simpler way to do it that wouldn't involve desoldering the board from the enclosure?

[jkokura]

If you've got your board soldered to the enclosure then it probably isn't going to work. In most cases however, you should be either able to use a probe on the board without taking it out, or simply by removing the guts from the enclosure. That should be fairly easy to do.

At this point, both tools are going to be important to use in order to see what's really going on. A Multi Meter is important because it will be able to measure voltage on the board, and it will allow you to check continuity which can be helpful in finding solder bridges. An Audio probe can help you find where your audio is 'stopping', which can find cold solder joints and incorrect or backwards parts. An audio probe can be as simple as a 1/4" jack, a capacitor, and some wire. For a Multi Meter, if you don't want to buy one, try asking around and seeing if you can borrow one. Chances are high that one of your friends or family, or your friend's family will have one that you can use for a little while! They're very common tools.

The testing rig is only really worth building if you build pedals often enough or do debugging often enough to justify it. I used a spare enclosure and some extra parts so it really was quite cheap for me, but I can see how it might not be for other people.

Jacob

[themachinerages]

By desoldering the board from the enclosure I meant desoldering the wires attaching the board to the input/output/dc/etc.

I'll see if I can find someone I know with a multimeter.

What would the specs be for making the probe?