Troubleshooting Steps:
Have you assembled your Rattler kit, double-checked your work and can’t get any sound to come out when plugged in?
Here are some very simple checks to make when beginning troubleshooting. Believe it or not, these
checks are frequently overlooked upon fi rst plugging in the Rattler.
1.) Is the 9 volt battery fully charged and connected?
2.) Are your guitar and amp plugged in to the correct jacks?
As you are looking at the pedal with the footswitch closest to you (the two knobs further away), the
guitar plugs in to the jack on the right side of the pedal and the amp plugs into the jack on the left
side of the pedal.
Are your guitar and and amp plugged in to the correct jacks, but you can only get the normal guitar signal when
switched in to by-pass, and then a very weak or no signal when switched in to the eff ect circuit?
1.) Double check your component placement and wiring
2.) Double check for correct polarity placement of the transistors, diodes, and polarized capacitor.
3.) Make sure that there are no component leads touching that shouldn’t be.
For example, the 10kΩ resistor that connects between the two lower terminal strip holes has a
diffi
cult placement that can result in a lead unintentionally making contact with some terminals it
should not be making contact with.
4.) Check for “cold solder joints”
(See the page on soldering tips)
A component may look physically connected to the correct point, but may not be electrically
connected.
a.
If you have a meter with which you can measure voltage and resistance, you can check for
electrical continuity between each point to make sure they are electrically connected.
b.
If you do not have a meter, you should make sure each solder joint looks shiny and that you
cannot physically wiggle the component loose from its connection.