Bending problem (stuck)

Slurry · Joined: Sep 15, 2008 Posts: 12 Location: Reno, NV

I was happily bending my new DD-5 and got a little carried away. I touched two points, got a cool effect, but then it wouldn't stop. I took out the batteries, put them in, restarted, and it was still stuck.
I then noticed that one of the points led to two chips that looked like they pertain to the overall power of the unit. Did I permanently ruin my toy?

Here are the two chips...

Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.

Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.

imaguitargod · Joined: Jun 14, 2008 Posts: 56 Location: Cleveland

Like my mom always said, "When in doubt, get a hammer."

A risky alternative is to make a brief (fraction of a second) connection from the + side of the battery to the last leg of your IC (the big one, I actually don't think that second one is an IC)....careful, this may fry the board, but it also may fix the problem....

stolenfat · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 10:39 pm Post subject:

the 2nd chip with 3 legs, isnt really a chip- its a voltage regulator. What it does is take the positive voltage from the power and trims it down to an acceptable voltage for the circuit. This being the case, i wouldnt suggest bending near the battery connections. Why? Because the main chips will be working on the V+ and V- set by the regulator, anything higher (in this case a charge directly from the batteries) would probably cause some very damaging effects.

If you think the chips are damaged, then i think as a novice bender, your toy is jacked for life. This doesnt mean it can never be used to make cool sounds. You might end up finding connections that get it to SOMETHING and send wacky pulses or what ever, but i dont think it will ever come back to life.

But, dont be discouraged, perhaps give it some time- i've heard around bending forums that static charges, or maybe capacitor charges, can bring a toy back to life once they've drained/dissipated.

Always remember, never throw away your old junk circuits (unless your girlfriend hates them like mine) and reuse everthing. Desolder those resistors and caps. save the knobs and pots. And turn the circuit board in the most awesome Christmas tree ornament you ever seen.

Slurry · Joined: Sep 15, 2008 Posts: 12 Location: Reno, NV

richardc64 · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 1:17 pm Post subject:

The AN7140 is the output amplifier, so it's doubtful it's producing the "stuck" effect or that you'd hear anything at all if it were damaged. The 78M05 is a 5volt regulator. If the output has gone too low or too high replacing it may fix things.

But it's entirely possible the damage is elsewhere.

imaguitargod · Joined: Jun 14, 2008 Posts: 56 Location: Cleveland

stolenfat · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 12:02 am Post subject:

dont forget the christmas ornament idea before you toss it in the trash!