Bottlehead Crack kit Voltage and Resistance problems

[benzlee1994]

Hi just got myself the Bottlehead Crack kit a few days ago and this is my first time trying out on a DIY project. I finished assembling my kit and went on to do the resistance check and everything was fine. I even switch the power on and my tubes were glowing. However when i got to doing the voltage check some of my terminals reading were off. Here are the readings:

Terminal 1 - 75-90 (146)
Terminal 2 - 170 (163)
Terminal 3 - 0 (0)
Terminal 4 - 170 (163)
Terminal 5 - 75-90 (146)
Terminal 6 - 0 (0)
Terminal 7 100 (145)
Terminal 8 - 0 (0)
Terminal 9 - 100 (146)
Terminal 10 - 0 (0)
Terminal 11 - 0 (0)
Terminal 12 - 0 (0)
Terminal 13 - 170 (163)
Terminal 14 - 0 (0)
Terminal 15 - 185 (190)
Terminal 20 - 0 (0)
Terminal 21 0- 206 (215)
Terminal A1 - 90 (146)
Terminal A2 - 0 (0)
Terminal A4 - 0 (0)
Terminal A5 - 0 (0)
Terminal A6 - 90 (146)
Terminal A7 - 0 (0)
Terminal A9 - 0 (No Reading)
Terminal B1 - 90 (146)
Terminal B2 - 170 (163)
Terminal B3 - 100 (145)
Terminal B4 - 90 (146)
Terminal B5 - 170 (163)
Terminal B6 - 100 (146)
Terminal B7 - 0 (No Reading)
Terminal B8 0 (0)

I have tried resoldering some of the wires and the readings remained unchanged. However now when i went back to do my resistance check again it shows that terminal 1,2,3,5 and 13 have 0 ohms. Can anybody advice me on what to do next because I am quite lost and confuse on how to proceed and fix this problem

[Paul Birkeland]

Your new resistance readings are impossible based on your voltage readings.

I'm guessing your 9 pin socket LED's don't glow?

Can you post a photo of the wiring on the 9 pin socket?

[benzlee1994]

Really? that's weird because my tubes are glowing when i switched the power on. Here's the picture of my socket.

[Paul Birkeland]

Those photos are pretty blurry and pretty wide, can I see a close up of the 9 pin socket?  It looks like there may be some issues up there.

-PB

[benzlee1994]

Opps sorry is this okay?

[Paul Birkeland]

That's the 8 pin socket

[benzlee1994]

HAHA my bad! Wrong photo! Is this okay?

[Paul Birkeland]

Yeah, I think what you have going on is a lot of cold solder joints.  With your iron as hot as it will go, try holding it against the terminal strip at terminal 1, then count to ten.  Watch as the solder melts a little first and balls up, then some time later it will just flatten out against the terminal strip and flow around your wires.  This is what is required to get a good solder joint with good connectivity, and after that flowing has occurred, you can lift your iron off and notice that the joint will harden up and be shiny.

Do resist the temptation to add more solder unless absolutely necessary.  As you add more solder, you are increasing the load on your soldering iron, and if you get a big enough ball of solder, the iron will no longer be able to keep it melted and you will end up with a bit of a mess.

-PB

[benzlee1994]

Oh i see. Thanks for the advice! I will go work on it and see how it turns out, hopefully this fixes the problem!

[Grainger49]

He is also missing the ground to the center pin of the 9 pin socket. 

On page 22 of the manual, the third step details a black wire from terminal 3L to the center of the socket.

[Paul Birkeland]

He is also missing the ground to the center pin of the 9 pin socket. 

Nice catch!

[Grainger49]

Thanks.  I kept looking at it thinking, "Something is just wrong about this."  Other than the solder joints.  Then it dawned on me.

[2wo]

Be gentle when you get to the pins with the LED's attached. Refine your technique on the other connections.

 One tip, wipe your hot iron on a damp paper towel to get it shiny then add a tiny bit, and I mean tiny bit of solder to the tip. This will help get the heat to the joint...John