Pops and crackles coming out of my stompbox

[semidigital]

Hi guys

I recently got the Timefactor pedal. It was used by a single owner whom I know and play with in a band, and he has never had a glitch. Now as for the pedal, It all worked fine – as in all the delays sound as they should, and all the controls response the way they should.

After couple of months, I noticed a strange and insistent series of pops and clicks. I am sure that they’re there because even my girlfriend could hear them. They are audible all the time, regardless if the pedal is actually processing audio or not, I tried it with all types of bypass and I don’t think it’s the faulty DSP or anything like that. I also found here the trick with the inner ribbon cable and tried that (it was very, very hard to “unlock” it from a socket, but i managed after some time of careful wiggling). Removing, reconnecting and/or wiggling the cable did not help either.

The clicking and popping is apparent regardless of power supply I use (tried several 9V 1.2 A or higher rated adapters), amp I use or mixer I use (I tried it via AC30 and Princeton Reverb, but also with Mackie VLZpro and Soundcraft Delta mixers) . I also tried several different cables, rooms and floors in my house….Other than my ES-335 or electric mandolin, I even plugged in my bass and microphone to check if it’s not a guitar on input screwing thing up. I also took my daughter’s battery-operated laptop and ran some of her music through Timefactor and then monitored via headphones to take monitoring/outs out of the equation. Whatever I tried – I haven’t been able to remove or not hear the pops and clicks.

Now, the possible conclusion of this wholee ordeal (tried all this over a period of last two months) is that it’s probably to do with “Mix” pot that designates the level of effect on the overall output, because – once again – regarleds of wheather audio is actually treated by the DSP, the crackling is there (in all bypass modes). Is it possible that – this pedal being digital – I can get to a pot and clean it up with a contact cleaner like this guy?

Any other ideas what it may be? What to do next?

Thanks

 

 

[nickrose]

If it does it in DSP bypass mode, it's probably not a pot.

If it does it in relay bypass mode, it is probably either a cable, or a bad solder joint on the in or out socket.

Otherwise, it probably has to come in.

 

[semidigital]

Hi 

After having done some additional testing, I found the following to be true (apologies for the wrong info in my original post):

– it actually DOES NOT crackle when bypassed!

– it also does not crackle within firs 2-5 minutes after being turned off for a while.

– it crackles more when a new algorythm is engaged at first, and then ceases (not completely, though)

I think I may send it in for a repair after all…this is beyond me. I have visually inspected the solder joints around all plugs and they seem fine. I have also once agin unplugged the ribbon cable from the front board and reconnected it back. That did nothing….

 

 

 

 

[nickrose]

As you suggest, it might be a good idea to send it in. Make sure that you are using the original power supply, and, if so, send it in as well.

 

[donrocks]

I am having this problem too!  I have tried cables and updates. My problem is that I am in Hong Kong.

Are there any licenced companies in Hong Kong that can support repairing a Timefactor?

Or is shipping it to the US the only way? 

Or… Is this a common problem that can be resolved with a replaced part/ chip etc.? 

 

[hafizimran]

Hi semidigital, I believe I’m experiencing something similar, but with a Space instead. Did you manage to resolve your issue? And if so, what did it entail? I live outside the USA so return shipping plus repair is costly. Thanks for any help.

[sonicfog]

I’m having the exact same issue with my brand new, just opened the box from Sweetwater, H9. Should I send it back or am I doing something wrong?

[joecozzi]

Hi Sonicfog, it’s highly likely you’re just in need of a firmware reset. Try this:

Download H9 Control to a desktop computer and connect your H9 with a mini-usb to usb cable. Make sure nothing else is connected to your H9 other than the adapter.

If you have designed any user presets, back up your H9 to a list on H9 Control. If not, don’t worry about it.

Conduct a fresh install of the firmware by going to the “Pedal” tab in the app and clicking on “Stompbox Software.” The most up to date version of the firmware should be selected. Click on “Install Software.” It should take 10-12 minutes.

Once completed, conduct a factory reset by turning on your H9 on while simultaneously holding down the big black encoder and the right footswitch. You will see [INITIAL] on the screen. After a few moments, you should be good to go.

If you backed up your presets, you may reload them now. Let me know if this fixed your problem.

[sonicfog]

joecozzi wrote:

Hi Sonicfog, it’s highly likely you’re just in need of a firmware reset. Try this:

Download H9 Control to a desktop computer and connect your H9 with a mini-usb to usb cable. Make sure nothing else is connected to your H9 other than the adapter.

If you have designed any user presets, back up your H9 to a list on H9 Control. If not, don’t worry about it.

Conduct a fresh install of the firmware by going to the “Pedal” tab in the app and clicking on “Stompbox Software.” The most up to date version of the firmware should be selected. Click on “Install Software.” It should take 10-12 minutes.

Once completed, conduct a factory reset by turning on your H9 on while simultaneously holding down the big black encoder and the right footswitch. You will see [INITIAL] on the screen. After a few moments, you should be good to go.

If you backed up your presets, you may reload them now. Let me know if this fixed your problem.

Yes. This seemed to fix the problem. Thank you. I’ll update this thread if the issue resurfaces.

[Author]

Posts