LIP RIPPER
343 posts
Dec 09, 2010
4:11 AM
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Guys, I'm perplexed. I moved stuff around in the music room and put a 6 foot cable between my pedal and my amp. Last night while practicing I noticed a huge signal loss when I turned the pedal off. I put the repeat and mix knobs to zero and still had this huge loss when I turned the pedal off. I got up this morning and dug the paperwork out to return the pedal for warranty. I just had to try things again before sending it off for repair, same results. For the hell of it I grabbed another patch cable and put it between the pedal and the amp. No more signal loss, hmm. So I grabbed the ohm meter to check the cable out .001 and .001 on each wire. Zero resistance between the signal wire and the shield. It makes no sense. How can the cable test fine and create this signal loss only when the pedal is off or in try bypass mode and work when the pedal is on?
LR
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timeistight
1 post
Dec 09, 2010
1:36 PM
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When the pedal is on, the load on your mic is the input of the pedal plus the impedance of one length of cable. The electronics of the pedal buffer the mic from the second cable and the amp.
With the pedal off, however, the load is from two lengths of cable, plus the amp input, plus the pedal input (unless the pedal is true bypass).
Last Edited by on Jul 20, 2012 9:13 AM
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LIP RIPPER
346 posts
Dec 10, 2010
11:41 AM
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It is a true bypass pedal. I just can't believe what I see. This cord ohms fine but it has signal loss. And the weird part is that when the pedal is in bypass I have little signal but when the pedal is on it gets a lot louder but still has signal loss. I confirmed the loss with my guitar and amp.
This is what I did. I bought a new 10' cord and cut it into two pieces then soldered new switchcraft ends on the cut ends making a 6' cord and a 4' cord. One is fine, the other isn't.
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tookatooka
1927 posts
Dec 10, 2010
11:52 AM
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@LIP RIPPER. Something similar happened to me a short while ago with microphone cable. I was totally perplexed. I found the problem to be with the soldered end. Heat from the iron ruined the 1/4 jack plug and it went open circuit. I'm very careful when soldering and used a heat shunt to minimise damage but it still happened.
The problem was with the jack plug insulation not being very good quality. I could only get the same type again but this time I didn't solder and just wrapped the core and shield tightly to make the connection. Works perfectly but I would have preferred a soldered connection and will re-do when I can find some decent quality plugs.
Don't know if that will help? I'll watch this thread for updates. I hate puzzles like that.
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Last Edited by on Dec 10, 2010 12:27 PM
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LIP RIPPER
347 posts
Dec 10, 2010
12:07 PM
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I figured the thing to do was replace the new plug I had soldered on next even though the joints look great if I do say so myself. I bought switchraft ends which have been a standard of quality for years but they're likely not made here anymore. I'll try it tonight.
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LIP RIPPER
348 posts
Dec 12, 2010
9:58 AM
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Tooka, I put another new switchcraft end on and now it's fine. You can ohm the plug and it tests fine. The strangest thing.
LR
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tookatooka
1932 posts
Dec 12, 2010
1:12 PM
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Yes it's weird. I've messed around with electronics for years and am no stranger to soldering and consider myself to be over-cautious but when things like that happen it just defies the laws of all the things I know about electrics. There's probably a very simple explanation but life's too short.
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