Your keystep/beatstep should trigger it. Must be a soldering error
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Ok further probing. checked the pins of the ENV GEN chip, and can see the envelope just fine. I did indeed have the pins for gnd and signal reversed. However, Once i have corrected this i noticed something else. When i probe an OUT when it is in loop or gate, it works fine but is at up to a 12v output when sustain is all the way. When in ADSR mode, i expect that the gate will trigger the envelope, but i dont get any response.
So then i look at the switch at the top while in ADSR mode. I have an ON/ON installed there (this is probably the mistake), and i notice that when it is in either side (both on of course leads to same place as indicated earlier in thread) that the voltage is always equal to the sustain level. I recall Sam mentioning that this was a feature when using the on/off/(on) switch. When it is on, its just a voltage output = to sustain. I tested resting the switch inbetween the two ONs, and i can see that the voltage goes completely to gnd until i let it fully toggle. This tells me that the gate produced from the switch itself is able to trigger the envelope just fine. However, when i have the switch in this in-between position, the trigger/gate from the keystep still does not trigger the envelope.
I will change the keystep to send out 12v instead of the 5v for the gate while the switch is in between ON positions and see if this is a logic level problem. I will of course swap that switch to at least an on/off/on later.
-edit-
The change to 12v did nothing. Reverted back to default 5v gate trigger and will replace switch with on/off/on.
no i changed that and no difference.
I replaced the jack type with one without a switch. I have a jack that is just wired up for testing, and when i test the leads from the gate to the pins on the board, i am able to trigger it. I think im nearly there.
Since this works i can safely say the problem was the switch and this jack.
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Ok, so I have it fixed. The problem was simple; i had wired the pins backwards. I fixed the other jacks earlier in the process but SOMEHOW i forgot this one LOL. Got a workin ADSR now! Now to put it back together 
When in doubt, double check the wiring as usual. Im just glad its something silly like this. Hopefully I will catch these earlier in the future.
Im still uncomfortable with the fact that when i was starting out i made all my power cables backwards so now all my modules are build in the reverse +12v -12v polarity. I really should at some point do something about it, but i have so many modules that are just hard wired this direction. Nothing like a healthy paranoia whenever plugging in a module.
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You mean the shrouded headers? You can pull those shrouds off and turn them 180°.
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Well now. Thats a trick. I think I’ll do that and remake a bunch of cables to suit. Because the other main problem is that the cables are backwards. I remember you saying that you cant bake those backwards, but i dont think thats correct.
aha yeah glad you found the solutions! and yeah the on/on good point! you could cut the trace on the pcbs to the bottom leg of the switch if you can’t get it off!!! but maybe you did and I missed it! glad its working
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Cables, backwards?
turn it round 180 degrees?
It isnt that simple. Its really jarring how often people suggest this. It really makes me second guess myself.
However, you can absolutely accidentally make cables backwards.
@analogoutput’s solution of flipping the shroud will correct this problem, but I am hoping this image illustrates that I am not insane instead of the opposite. The top configuration requires you to flip the poles in order to maintain the same header orientation. So you either have to change up your shroud, remake your cables so that they arn’t backwards, or fry your modules.
This is what i get for starting off with stripboard and not knowing conventions.
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Ahh, I would say that’s a “Crossover”.
First couple I made like that.
Are they long enough to cut in half and just re-terminate one end to give two shorter cables.
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Only if absolutely all your cables are like this, and you will never ever put a “normal cable” into use.
If it were me I’d cut the wrong ends off and put new connectors on, the right way.
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Made up 4 last night and used the cable tester just to confirm all was good
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Most of my modules are already with a backwards header shroud some I built the strip boards backwards, but I hate it all being wronged way. Way too easy to botch, so I’ll just fix it at some point.
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Hey guys,
Ive built the ADSR on perfboard and i cant get it to work. (Eurorack format)
Can somebody please help me with that.
This is whats happening:
Input and output circuits are working, Ive tested that. But the ENV GEN ic isnt working proplerly.
If i send a 5V IN the IN LED works but the OUT LED not. The output circuit is working because if I send 5V through the output circuit the OUT LED is working. The 8th pin of the ENV GEN ic giving me 0V all the time. Even if I send a signal to the Input.
Thanks, Matyáš.
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we need a picture to stand any chance of helping 
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Hello and welcome here, start by re-checking your circuit, it is maybe/often an error of inattention during assembly, a component in a bad hole, not the good values of a component, a bad solder, a small short circuit between 2 lignes or points, can be already checked that
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Here are some pics of the module. Its a mess i know. I think i fried the chip, because the circuit is right i triple checked.
I guess if you want see if 5v is going to the env gen pin, send a trigger into the module, if you dont have test equipment find old hifi system.
connect the outside shield of the cable to the hifi to ground and then use the other as a probe pop it on the trigger in pin of the env gen see if it makes a blip when you send a trigger into the module. if it does then listen to the output pin of the env gen (itll make noise if you listen to that pin) if there is nothing there!!! twist the attack knob the opposite way. test it again
check if the potentiometers are actually sending voltage into the chip. and also are grounded to send none at the same time
there are lots of different things to test and figure out before the chip. to assume the chip is broken is likely to be wrong. unless you fried it before on a breadboard or something. sending 12v in accidentally will fry it.
good luck
ps the hifi probe is safe in synths, I’ve done it for years and never had a hifi break plugging it into any voltage between +12 and -12 whilst out of tolerances never had a problem. sometimes its turned off and used a self protection feature but it just means you turn it on and off again, they are great for lo fi test probes!!
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Ive checked with multimeter, if i send +5V to the input pin, nothing happens on the output, maybe like 10mV for a while. Ill just order a new chip and try it. Thanks for the reply Sam.
