problem found, checking the DC voltages found that the cheap 12v power supply that i THOUGHT was regulated, is not. it says,"12v 100 ma " but hooked up, I was getting 16.5.
I hooked it up to adjustable pws and am getting much better results.
I'll just have to add a 7812 to the pcb to make it really stable.
thanks for everyone's help so far
