General debugging question about voltages

[Kalimna]

Greetings,
A quick question - when measuring/posting voltages for debugging, is there a standard position to have the control pots at? All fully on? Fully off? Halfway? Other?

Cheers,
Adam

[Travis]

It depends on the function of the pot

[Kalimna]

Ok, that does make sense, but is there a rule-of-thumb for this (with regard to pot function)?

Cheers,
Adam

[Travis]

No because there is no rule of thumb as to what a pot may be controlling or how you intend to use it.

Is there a specific effect you are asking about?

In a fuzz face or Rangemaster I would make bias adjustments with the boost or fuzz pot turned all the way up for example, but that applies to those specific circuits and is not a rule of thumb

[Kalimna]

The only effect I am struggling to get anywhere with at the moment is a Small Clone (dry signal fine, no modulated signal getting through) and the voltages on the various chips don't seem to change with the pots being rotated. Some of the voltages good, some not at all.
Really, I am just trying to learn the 'why' and 'how' of pedal circuitry as well as the 'following a layout' side of things.

Adam

[Travis]

To get an idea of why and how you would be better off looking at schematics vs layouts where you can get a better idea of what’s going on. The small clone is a pretty complicated thing for you to choose to start with in that regard

Generally speaking you will experience voltage changes with knob adjustments more commonly with transistor based circuits where the pot is controlling the bias or gain level of the gain stage

With your small clone, do you have any constantly fluctuating voltages from the LFO? Does the rate of the fluctuations vary with the rate pot? If not that indicates that you have a problem with the LFO

Are you using a working MN3007? With these BBD chips there are fakes out there

[Kalimna]

Hi Travis,
Thanks for your reply, apologies for delay in mine - very busy weekend and I plain forgot!
Regarding schematics in general, I suppose the main problem I've had is knowing which way around the circuit the signal 'moves', particularly with respect to op-amp feedback loops. However, perhaps that is just practice.

Regarding the Small Clone, I think the LFO is working, because at some point when handling the rear of the vero, I could hear a ticking when the pedal was engaged, and the rate adjusted with the pot. There was just no modulated signal added to the dry. Which is why I thought a solder bridge most likely. I have no other way of knowing whether the 3007 is a working one or not - unless you could suggest a simple circuit I could build to test it? And I realise that the Small Clone is not an ideal project to cut ones' teeth when trying to 'understand' the circuit!

Again, thanks,
Adam