Pedal works with battery but not adapter

[Dulouz]

I'm finishing up another SHO build. This time with a battery clip.

It seems like I have everything hooked correctly, but I'm only getting power with the battery. I checked continuity with the DC jack and everything looks good.

What do you think is going on?

[dexxyy]

Are you sure you've connected your positives to the proper pins on the dc jack, take out the battery, plug in the adapter and measure voltage across the ground and positive ignoring the battery lead. If you have no voltage swap the 2 positives.

[Dulouz]

Visually, yes. Everything checks out. I'll check it with my meter though just I make sure.

[Dulouz]

I checked the voltage.

When I connect the meter's positive to the jack's positive and negative to negative, I get like 135 mV. When I connect both leads to both positive lugs I get 9 V.

What does that mean?

[Dulouz]

While poking around with the meter, I found that if I touch the two positive connect the two positive lugs the pedal powers up with the adapter.

I shouldn't have to connect them, should I?

[dexxyy]

No, you don`t connect them. Sounds like it`s either wired wrong or the dc socket is faulty. For clarification check that ground is wired to the lug that is connected to the centre pin, usually by a small rivet. Try connecting a new dc socket to your adapter without anything soldered to it, check the voltage, ground and 1 off the other pins will give you 9v, ground and the third pin should give you 0v. How it works is, ground is always connected, but the positives aren`t. When you plug in an adapter it provides power via the ground and 1 of the positive lugs but switches off the other lug so the battery isn`t connected at the same time. Sounds like you have the adapter wired up to the battery pin and your switching it off when you plug in the adapter.

[Dulouz]

I have the LED and +9V to the board wired to one positive lug, the positive battery wired to the other positive lug and the board ground and the battery ground wired to the negative lug.

Isn't that how its supposed to be?

I checked conductivity to the lugs and pins of the jack and everything is good. Smaller lugs connect to sleeve and single larger lug connects to center pin.

[dexxyy]

The positive lugs are not interchangable

[Dulouz]

OOOOOH!!!

Ok. There's my mistake. I thought they were.

Thanks so much dexxyy!