LED not working.

[Canucker]

I have a boss pedal that doesn't switch on or off every time I stomp on it...and the LED doesn't work even when the effect does. Would it just be a matter of replacing the LED to get it to work or does anything else potentially need replacing? (the on off switch obvously)

[Jdansti]

The little I know about Boss pedals is that they use a simple SPST switch to ground a switching circuit consisting of two transistors. The LED is in this circuit. If the unit only toggles intermittantly, it sounds to me like the switch is failing or there is a problem in the switching circuit.  See http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/bosstech.pdf for a detailed explanation. Perhaps someone else more familiar with Boss pedals could get you started on troubleshooting. It might also help if you let us know which pedal it is.

Just found some additional info:  Apparently certain Boss pedals can by very picky about the power supply you use. See this article: http://www.bossarea.com/other/aca.asp.

Also: http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=86461.0

My understanding is some Boss pedals expect you to use an unregulated 12v PS and an internal circuit drops the voltage to where the pedal is happy. If you plug a 9v PS into your pedal, the voltage might drop too low for it to work properly.

Check and see if there is a label on the bottom of the pedal that says, "use Boss ACA adaptor". If so, you might just need to get the right PS. The other thing that would confirm this is if it works normally on a 9v battery connected to the 9v battery clip in the unit.

[Canucker]

I should have been more clear in my posting...turning the effect on and off works 90 percent of the time...but the LED only works about 15% of the time....so I don't know how connected the problems are....if I use a power supply or a battery the results don't really differ...I was using a boss power supply though I don't know the details on it. The pedal itself does have a sticker on it saying Use Boss ACA adaptor only.

[R.G.]

um... what is the pedal model number?

[Jdansti]

And does the Boss PS have a model # or any other info?