Rt66 Overdrive compressor problems

[Teleman55]

The volume of my Rt66 has been drifting up and down,a bit like a bad cord.After eliminating any pssible cord problem I cleaned all the pots and the rocker switches.Now I have it narrowed down to the compressor side.I had swapped some caps to see what effect different caps might have and was very careful to remove 1 cap at a time and install the new one.The other night I decided to check the circuit for faulty work(mine) and saw the C11 spot on the board is emptyHoly Crap!! Did I leave a cap out or is that spot supposed to be vacant? I love this pedal and use the compressor a lot.

[R.G.]

The volume of my Rt66 has been drifting up and down,a bit like a bad cord.After eliminating any pssible cord problem I cleaned all the pots and the rocker switches.Now I have it narrowed down to the compressor side.I had swapped some caps to see what effect different caps might have and was very careful to remove 1 cap at a time and install the new one.The other night I decided to check the circuit for faulty work(mine) and saw the C11 spot on the board is emptyHoly Crap!! Did I leave a cap out or is that spot supposed to be vacant? I love this pedal and use the compressor a lot.

What version of the RT66 is it? The older "flat top" or the newer cast aluminum box?

By the way, your original problem is probably a bad "sustain" pot or an almost-broken wire to it.

[Teleman55]

It is the older flat top model with 2 rocker switches.

[Teleman55]

R.G., I opened the pedal today and removed the sustain pot to test and examine it-I disassembled the pot body to examine the leg attachment points and carbon traces for cracks in the wafer board(The tan colored thingy) and all was well,after reassembly and reinstallation I checked the circuit board traces and solder joints.I found a couple of iffy solder joints and reflowed any that I had doubts about.A while ago I found an instructional article on bad solder joints with plenty of very clear photos,This is my reference point.I only got to test the pedal for a short time,about 20 mins and it sounded fine.Thanks for the advice-I have been carrying my pedals in a gig bag and they can get banged about so I do not fault the construction.I still wonder if the empty C11 spot on the board was alway vacant or if I left a cap out when experimenting with different cap types?

[R.G.]

R.G., I opened the pedal today and removed the sustain pot to test and examine it-I disassembled the pot body to examine the leg attachment points and carbon traces for cracks in the wafer board(The tan colored thingy) and all was well,after reassembly and reinstallation I checked the circuit board traces and solder joints.I found a couple of iffy solder joints and reflowed any that I had doubts about.A while ago I found an instructional article on bad solder joints with plenty of very clear photos,This is my reference point.I only got to test the pedal for a short time,about 20 mins and it sounded fine.Thanks for the advice-I have been carrying my pedals in a gig bag and they can get banged about so I do not fault the construction.

As one of my friends once told me, nothing lasts forever.

I still wonder if the empty C11 spot on the board was alway vacant or if I left a cap out when experimenting with different cap types?

I did some electrono-archeology. The units that has a C11 were quite a few years old. C11 was unlikely to be left off at manufacture. It was most likely (as this predates my time at Visual Sound) a 0.01uF film, but that's a guess. If you don't hear radio stations with it gone, don't sweat it. If you just want to mess with it, try a few values of film cap around 0.01uF. But it's not crucial to the circuit - as you've found out.

[Teleman55]

Thanks R.G-I have not had any radio problems,but having a value to work from is a big help.-Kevin