crackle noise

[resansom]

No pedal/effect in particular - I have a common problem in many of my effects pedals.  Once the pedal is complete, and appears to be working fine, I will sometimes get some "crackling" noise, that typically comes and goes, at random.  The crackling sound is similar to what is heard when turning a noisy potentiometer, but happens with no physical interaction with the effect, the cables connecting it to the guitar or other effects, or the power supply.  After a time, the crackling noise will stop, all on its own.  I often wonder if it's because of the solder or components that I use or if that crackling noise is symptomatic of another flaw in my pedal building skills.

Any help any of you have to offer will be very much appreciated.  I love building effects pedals, but I am getting tired of having a great sounding pedal get shelved because of these crackling problems...

[andrea83]

Hi! Can you give more information about what you use or some pics of your works? Sorry for the question, did you try your pedals in different amps with different guitars?

[resansom]

Thanks - as I said, it's not one pedal, in particular.  It's something that's happened on a few pedals that I've built. However, I really appreciate your response.  I'll upload some pics of my most recent build, along with a sound clip, so you can see/hear what's going on.

[Frank_NH]

Check your power supply - i.e. try a battery and various 9V supplies.  If you still hear the noise, then check your grounding.  Make sure you have proper ground wiring on the input/output sides of the effect.

[resansom]

I was unable to get my latest pedal to make that crackling noise, this evening.  However, I did try using a different power strip - not a different power supply - so maybe that is the cause of the crackling.  I will continue to pay attention to grounding, the power supply, and the power strip to see if there is any correlation between the crackling and changes, in any of those things.

Thanks!