Line 6 DL4 Switching problems

[golden_virgin]

I've just acquired a DL4 but the switching seems to have gone a bit crazy.

The problem seems to be with the first switch on the left.

When i press it sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and sometimes it engages one of the other presets.

I'm quite new to electronics but I had a look at the circuit board and nothing seems to be amiss visually.

Does anybody know what the problem might be and if theres a solution for it?

thanks

[heyniceguy]

weird. i JUST bought one of these on EBAY with the EXACT same problem. i mean EXACT. Same switch too. Here's the fix....

INITIAL TEST: With these DSP pedals, i ALWAYS reset to factory settings before working on them. for the Line 6's plug the power in, and hold switch A and D down while plugging an input jack in. Hold it like that for 5-10 secs. release. Repower up. You are now reset to factory. Now onto the meat...

Hint number one: IT'S NOT THE RELAYS, IT'S THE SWITCH ON THE PCB!!!  To test this, take the back cover off, and locate the 4 pads where the switch is mounted. turn the thing on, take a piece of wire and touch the 2 left pads together. each time you touch, the "A" LED will turn on and off like it should. if this is the case, which i bet it is, then the switch is crapped.

usually, the "A" switch is the most used, so the contacts on the momentary contactor switch on the PCB (NOT the outer footswitch) gets worn out or corroded over time. the ideal thing is to call Line6 and have them send you a new PCB contactor switch, which you can just swap in and out.

But i'm impatient, so what i did was use a new shiny SPST Carling momentary footswitch i bought from Small Bear Electronics months ago, and swapped it in for the existing footswitch. just wire the 2 contacts on the footswitch to the 2 pads on the PCB where the contact switch was.

But you say there are 4 pads on the PCB? Alas, 2 are duplicate pads of the other two to fit the footprint of the contactor switch Line 6 uses. So just use the 2 left or 2 right pads and fill in the other two with solder.

if you try to take the cover off the PCB mounted switch, you can theoretically clean the contacts inside, and not have to worry about all the stuff i just said above about swapping the switch. but good luck getting the cover to stay on afterwards. But try it first. if it doesnt work, then you can just remove the switch after youve destroyed it and replace it with one of the methods i mentioned.

let me know how it goes.

[soundcollage]

I have replaced both the internal switches (several options available at mouser), and the external actuators (small bear) on two that I own and for several other friends. The nylon washers that come with the actuator seem to keep them from loosening and damaging the internal switch or kinking their spring (both off which I have found causing the problem you described). I did this almost two years ago and have had no problems yet. I bought the second one due to the intermittent switching problems with the first but was able to salvage both -- after #2 began exhibiting the same problems -- once the switches were replaced.

[golden_virgin]

Thanks heyniceguy for you very informative response.

I took the cover off the switch and gave it a good clean, tested it and it worked like a dream.

Bad news is...as i was putting the cover back on, the dog barked which made me jump and now i've lost it! Oh bugger!

[heyniceguy]

glad to help!

[golden_virgin]

just one more thing...

is the following switch a suitabe replacement?

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=34

[heyniceguy]

i cant say for sure since i dont know the dimensions. if this switch meets the height dimension and footprint, then yeah... but from the looks of it... it looks like the contact pattern is different. the Line 6 one has opposing contacts on the same side, not on diagonals. so you may have a problem there.

this is the one i used and it works great. very sturdy. removes the pcb switch completely.

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=26

[Dave_B]

Tombeau posted some very informative info on the DL4 that covers the proper replacement switches.  Check it out here: http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=41142.msg386161#msg386161