Help diagnosing broken CS-3 please?

[tref_h]

Hi guys!

Hope I haven't put this in the wrong section!  Please correct me if I have!

Ok, so I've just started playing again after a few years off, and I was taking stock of my old stomps - those that came back from being loaned to a recording studio in Sheffield, anyway.  (bye bye 'Pi' Big Muff and FL-9... sniff.)

For some reason the LEDs in my Boss DM2 and CE2 have died.  Pedals sound fine, DM2 noisy as ever... Only mentioning in case it seems relevant... changing a couple of LEDs is no biggy.

My CS3 seems poorly though.  All I can get it do do is produce a quiet heavily clipped distorted tone.  Obviously it has issues.  I used to mark my normal stage settings with white paint blobs, so I know it's not just ham-fisted control abuse.  Tried turning everything down anyway, little if any variation.

Can anyone offer any suggestions for what the problem might be?  If feasible I'd rather repair than replace.  Happy to provide any other information anyone wants while thinking about it!

Thanks!

[Processaurus]

Does your CS-3 work with a battery?  Some of them are made for the boss ACA unregulated power supply, those put out about 14 volts I believe, so the pedal works weird on 9 actual volts.  The way to fix that one is to find the resistor between ground and the tip connection on the power jack and replace it with a piece of wire.

[George Giblet]

Both the no LED and distorted CS-3 symptoms point a a low power rail.

You will have to work out why.

Processaurus's comments definitely hold.  Another possibility is if all the units are powered from the same DC supply you could be pulling too much total current and that's causing the voltage to drop.  Try pulling out the DM2 from the power and the signal chain; they take a fair amount of current.

[tref_h]

Hm.  I thought I had the same issue with battery or PSU.  I'll double check with the battery...