NYD eq up and running sounds amazing thank you dave!!!

yes.

The moment the wire to the rest of the eq touches the secondary of my input transformer my signal drops to almost 0V, there is a little bit of distortion left.

If I put a signal in at this wire (skipping the input transformer) and scope the output, all functions of the eq including my gain stage (hamptone amp at the moment) and output transformer (a tamura 600:600 GA81720).

-richie

when I say it works fine, I mean with the scope. I tried throwing audio through it from pro tools unbalanced via my xlrs and just floating pin 3, no luck.

Don't feel bad, Richie. Just yesterday I figured out that my 6EM7 pre was distorted because I had wired the output transformer wrong. I read the ampersand on the UTC A-44 as an eight. The print on the can is so small. Either that or I should just take my time instead of flitting from project to project like a gnat with ADD.

while I do enjoy the gnat analogy... I have been extremely cautious while building this project. The reason I have many different breadboards in my box is because I split the project up into 5 different sections and treated each as an individual project. I tested each board as I went. I then put one stage next to the other (test) then put another on etc. Everything in the eq is wired correctly... and checks out on the scope as my pultecs or calrecs do.

The input transformers give me a nice 2:1 when I scope just the primary to secondary side when the eq is not loading the input transformer. The moment the transformer is loaded... poof!

There's something very easy I feel I'm missing. I'm going to try to float ground on the entire circuit and see what happens :evil:

-richie

:shock:

Holy crap Batman!

my signal doesn't go away when I float ground and load the eq on my secondary. The signal is very wobbly + & - .5Vdc

Think I gotta go over my grounding and see what exactly is going on.

I'll post back in a few

-Richie

can you guys tell I'm unemployed yet :green:

Ok, this is my understanding of this problem now.

When the transformer is loaded with the eq my signal is wobbly. The moment I hook ground back onto the chassis my signal goes poof! ~0 Vdc

This makes me believe that there's a short between ground and the rest of the eq somewhere.

BUT what confuses me is why would the rest of the eq work prior to this?

sorry this is my notebook

-richie

Learning is painful, isn't it?
Get out a highliter pen and trace out every lead one by one, marking
on the schematic as you go..
You may think this is stupid and simple, but thats how these engineers
with 40 yrs experience do it here at work.
Works every time.
I like the lite blu the best.

My plan is to start with the transformer that I think is the problem and put my output further and further along in the circuit until I find the problem. I'll have to chop it up a lot to test it. Something WILL show up though.

Baby blue is a nice highlighter .. I think I prefer the hot pink

:twisted:

-richie

Well I traced an entire channel chopping at each wire and scoping. Evertyhing worked as I moved along the schematic (highlighting as CJ suggested.) I rewired the grounds but that did not change anything. The moment I have my input transformer affiliated with ground in any manner I lose my signal.

Im going to unsolder a lundahl 2:1 from my pultec quickly and see if this eq works with that. I'm fairly convinced thats where the problem is.

-richie

So, I couldn't unsolder the optional input transformer on my pultec (no solder wick). I devised another way to test if it was my transformer that was the problem or not.

HIP HIP hurray for unbalanced input jacks I had laying about. I hooked up a mic and ran a line in to my NYD eq.. then Balanced out into protools.

Wow it works.... Of course it disorted when I turned the gain up all the way on the eq but when I ran the eq at 0db or less my signal came through nice and clear and all the functions worked. If I turned down my output trim pot I could then boost the frequencies without distortion.

I guess I won't figure out what's wrong with the input transformer because I tried everything that was suggested and I know its wired correctly. I know that the rest of the eq is wired correctly because it works.

I think I'm going to try and put a 12db pad on my input to serve as my "stepdown."

Tomorrow I'll buy solder wick and try the LL5402 Lundahl. If that works... it's most certainly my transformers that are the problem.

:grin:

-richie

Dave, CJ and Jaakko thank you for all of your help through this project. I don't know where I would be without your help.

It turns out I love the sounds that I'm getting running my eq as is. I would not be able to run it without the 2:1 if it were not for using the hamptone amp as my output stage. This allowed me to add an output trim pot.

I just tried eq'ing a few tracks of guitar both acoustic and electric along with some drums. I love the sound. Its very different from the pultec and has a bundle more control over the guitars which is exactly what I was looking for.

I can't wait to see how the other output stages change the tone.

I have enough parts to build another pair so I'm probably going to right away.

:green:

thanks again

best
-richie

just need my white knobs and I'll rack it up.