I think it might be a power issue because I can’t see any LEDs light up on the component when I plug in 9V power through the in-built socket. The tiny switch is set to ‘load’; I shifted it from ‘run’ and back to ‘load’ again, and power cycled it.
I’m using the wav trigger to build a drum machine - the wav trigger unit just holds and sends out the sounds as directed by a sequencer. I’m using the 3.5mm output on the component as the audio output. So when I test it out, the speaker plays tiny clicks and pulses according to the rhythms of the sequencer - but no sound.
My *.wavs are formatted and titled correctly. I formatted my microSD card and dragged the wavs and the corresponding wavtrigr.ini program in without a folder, on a mac. I didn’t use the wav trigger program myself but downloaded a set of wavs built and exported by someone else with the *.ini file, for the purpose of use with the wavtrigger and I’m confident they’re good to go.
Is there anything else I could check on or try?
I did, for about 5-10 seconds, plug an 18V DC power supply into the power supply barrel but quickly removed it - there was no sign or smell of damage to the component or any heat. I hope that’s not an obvious sign of what’s causing my problems.
You’re probably not going to like my suggestion, considering how many wires you have soldered to the WAV Trigger already…
With nothing else connected to the WAV Trigger, and with the switch in the “Run” position, you should see LED activity as soon as power is applied: One long blink if there’s no microSD card installed, 3 short blinks if there is a formatted card installed, and in either case, followed by short flashes every few seconds - an “I’m alive” heartbeat. This doesn’t depend on having any WAV files on the card at all. So if that’s not happening, then there’s some sort of hardware malfunction.
Have you use a meter to confirm your power supply voltage is actually getting to the WAV Trigger? You can also probe the output of the voltage regulators to see if you can see 3.3V. If so, then I suggest you remove everything and try testing the board without anything connected.
I can unsolder everything - my dubious work could probably use a more practiced re-do. I’m glad there are further options to explore.
I wasn’t even cognisant there is an LED on the component near trigger 16 until my testing failed and I realised something on the board is supposed to light up when powered. I tested it before I accidentally plugged the 18V in and no light.
The wav trigger needs a power supply that is center positive; it looks like the adapter you are showing is center negative unless you are using the polarity-swapped cables. Hopefully, only U1 (the regulator) got toasted by the reverse polarity. The regulator is also only rated for worst case 20v input; an unloaded 18v brick likely has a higher output voltage.
Hi - that was exactly it! I didn’t realise about center polarity. The friendly lady at the electronics store told me that most chargers (except power supplies for amps and audio supplies - i.e what I was using) use centre positive polarity, so I sorted that out with a multimeter and a new supply, and my machine is working. Thanks so much!
