Tremolo/pan problem??

[MartyMart]

Hi all,
Just dug out my Boss PN2, which have become quite collectable recently?
Its emitting nasty "clicks" each side of its cycle and also when bypassed!
any ideas ?
There's lots of 1 and 10uf caps, could some have gone bad and caused this
horrible clicking?
Many thanks,
Marty.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

One or more caps may be bad, but note that a flattish battery can cause excess clicking with some LFOs.

[MartyMart]

Hrs later in the UK>>>>>>>
Thanks Paul, its the same on a fresh battery/9v PSU so i'm guessing caps.
Several have what looks like "White deposits" over their surface-electrolytics, which i've not seen before in any pedal.
I'll try swopping those for tantalums/Polyester caps.
Any other ideas?
Thanks, Marty.

[MartyMart]

 Changed out 8 caps for more expensive tantalum/silver mica and polyester versions, and the clicks and general noise floor has improved a lot.
FX placement also makes a big difference, less click and noise near the end of your FX chain, and way too much before a distortion !! ( of course)
The PN2 seems quite noisey for a 300 bucks "RARE EFFECT"
Comments ?.......
Marty.

[gez]

The PN2 seems quite noisey for a 300 bucks "RARE EFFECT"
Comments ?.

Sell it, build something better with the money (and have plenty left over).

PS.  I don't doubt your word Paul, but why does a flat battery sometimes cause clicking?  Genuinely curious...

[MartyMart]

Good idea Gez ! I can even charge more for "Improved noise floor Boutique caps & knobs"  version now !! tee hee Ebay here we come !.
Marty.

[John Catto]

The Boss Tremelo/Pan is a great pedal, probably one of the coolest trem pedals ever built but I've heard this complaint before, that some of them have clock bleed-through. Mine doesn't but I suspect that those that do did right out of the box.

[MartyMart]

Hi John, thats interesting, i did'nt know it was a "known" issue !
any tips on improving things, to stop the clock bleed through ? perhaps a couple of resistors somewhere ??
Thanks, Martin.

[Ry]

I have one of these that I got for $40 when they were on closeout.  It's one of my all time favorite pedals.  I find that it bleeds through just a little if I don't put it after another buffered bypass effect (like another boss pedal).  

I should probably change out the caps on mine.  It just started having the bleed through problem within the last year or so.

Ry

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

[but why does a flat battery sometimes cause clicking?  ...

I think that if the flat battery has a high internal resistance, then it can make a kind of a feedback effect that couples the LFO spike back into various parts of the circuit. Havign an OK electro across the power rai;s would help, but they might be absent (cheapness!).