I ran into a few snags on my Wah mod project. Self-inflicted snags. But hey, we’re family here so we share the good, the bad and the ugly! 
Here we have the circuit board before I started work. The round black thingy is the stock inductor:
This next pic shows the Whipple inductor installed. No problem getting it in there, it was a piece of cake, really! You just have to make sure you solder the pins in a way that completes the circuit:
This pic shows the error #1. I was trying to hold onto the soldering iron and reach for something and…well, I fried that little capacitor there! DOH! Glad I took that picture of the board before I started, so I know it’s a .01uf cap. The other good news is that the sweep cap is the same exact type as the one I fried. So I plan to switch this dead one out for the sweep cap and replace the sweep cap with a .015uf, when it arrives any day now from Small Bear Electronics:
And this pic shows what is left of my new 3pdt switch. I was tightening it down and it broke! I didn’t think it was that tight, but anyway it is in pieces so I ordered another and will install it when it arrives:
This has been quite an adventure! I’ve definitely learned to be a little more patient and careful soldering in such a small space. The amazing thing is, despite the fried capacitor, the pedal still works and I’m impressed with the sound now, it is much warmer. The pedal does pop loudly when engaged or disengaged…likely due to the fried component. But it still works. I hope to get the rest of my parts soon and finish this up. I still have the true-bypass switch, sweep cap, some resistor changes, and the dc jack (and maybe the LED if I have time).
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Hey there
Looks like a great project. These snags.. are important. Each one will help you learn and get better. I’m wondering if the switch was bad.. or you’re actually.. the hulk?
I recently modified my GCB-95 (new inductor, Icar pot, TB switch, battery kill switch and LED). Love the way it sounds. Next.. will be to work on the voicing. Sounds like you’re going to be knee deep in that. Sucks to wait for parts.
Anyway.. keep it up!
hank
Thanks for the encouragement.
I’m usually pretty careful but this is my first time working on a circuit board. All in all, I’m amazed how easy they are to work with.
The switch connected to the housing only in one spot (you can make it out on the right side of the housing there), which is where it broke. To me, that seems insufficient for a footswitch. I want to compare it to the new one, which I believe is more sturdy (or it looked it online).
Thanks for checking in & do keep me updated on your progress!
I like the fact that you didn’t loose your cool when things started to go south! That’s the kind of resolve you need to get involved in a project like this. Can’t wait to hear some sound sample of this mod.
Andy
Yup. That’s fried all right. But you know, other than the aggravation, it’s probably not that big a deal. At least a replaceable component took the hit rather than the circuit board itself.
Thanks, I figure worst case scenario I need to get a new board from byoc or area51, not too bad! It’s good to learn these lessons now. Except that I’m getting impatient waiting for the replacement parts!