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Topic: StroboFlip Distortion Problem |
Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 6:59 pm |
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I have read about this on here in the past. If I leave the Stroboflip plugged into the second output on my Hilton volume pedal (and my Goodrick LDR2 - but worse with the Hilton) I get distortion when I play. Unplugging it cures the problem. I have read here that Peterson will remove a clipping diode from the input if you send it to them. Is this a big deal, or can someone do it themselves? What is involved. I can't afford the down time if I send it to Peterson.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Billy McCombs
From:
Bakersfield California, USA
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 7:50 pm
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Richard, I had that problem one evening. When I checked it out I was pluged into the out jack instead of the In jack. Made me feel Duuumb.
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78 Emmons PP,Great tone.82 Emmons SKH #56 |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 8:34 pm
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It's definitely connected to the input.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Bob Lawrence
From:
Beaver Bank, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Jerry Roller
From:
Van Buren, Arkansas USA
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 9:29 pm
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Randy Beavers posted a cure for this a couple months ago and I used his advise. Randy was speaking of a pot pedal but it works the same with the Hilton. Randy installed a 1 meg resistor in his second output jack in the pedal between the positive post and the positive wire. I made a "tuner" cord by using my George L's cable with GL jack on one end and a conventional jack on the other end and I put a 1 meg resistor between the positive connection inside the jack. I put blue tape on it to mark it as a tuner cable. It is easy and it works. You might want to look that thread up and make sure I have told you right as to the size of the resistor but I am sure it was a 1 meg. Tiny and cheap at Radio Shack.
Jerry |
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Lynn Oliver
From:
Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 10:25 pm
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| The fix is easy, but the trick is getting the case apart. |
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Marvin Born
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 27 Jul 2010 4:55 am
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The fix with the Peterson is to remove the two protection diodes. They were installed in some of the early Strobo Flips. Later Peterson found they were not needed. Call Sue at Peterson for help.
Removing the diodes is easy. You can cut them out with small cutters. They are surface mount diodes and very small. However, as said before, getting the case open is tricky and getting it closed again is even more tricky. Any "crap" generated by these diodes is feed down the cable into the pedal and right back out the amp.
You might try turning down the output level on the Hilton so it is below the clip level of the diodes. If the diodes don't clip, the problem will be much better. The down side is that you might not like the range of the pedal, but you can always return to normal. This is the first thing to try.
Both outputs on your Hilton are wired together as noted above, and the 1 meg resistor trick will help a lot, by reducting the signal to the tuner.
However Mr. Hilton has a mod that can be done that really helps. If you only use the second output for your pedal, you can install a 5 meg ohm resistor from one of the chips in the pedal directly the the second jack.(jumper wire is removed)
The befits to this are: The signal level to the tuner is below the clip level of the diodes and your tuner runs all the time, regardless of where the pedal is positioned. So you can tune quietly, even while the band is playing.
The ideal solution is to do both the tuner and the pedal. Call Sue, she is very helpful and has a fast turn around on repairs. I returned one of my tuners on Monday and it was back by Sat. |
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Tim Heidner
From:
Groves, TX
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Posted 27 Jul 2010 10:03 am
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I don't have distortion, but mine adds a lot of hum to the amp that goes away when I unplug it.
edit: hum fixed, thanks, Marvin.
Last edited by Tim Heidner on 27 Jul 2010 7:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Jerry Roller
From:
Van Buren, Arkansas USA
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Posted 27 Jul 2010 12:08 pm
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I wonder if those "protection diodes" are what saved my Stroboflip Sunday night. I plugged my Hilton pedal power supply into the outlet before plugging it into the pedal for some unknown reason and absent mindedly plugged the jack into my tuner instead of the Hilton. The Stroboflip lit up briefly and went off immediately. I normally just use it with batteries. The tuner still works but I wonder if it would have survived the double voltage if it did not have those protection diodes in it. I burned up a nice Korg TU12 years ago when accidently plugged a 9 volt Boss power supply into it.
Jerry |
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Lynn Oliver
From:
Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 27 Jul 2010 1:56 pm
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| The protection diodes are on the input, not the power supply connection. |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 27 Jul 2010 4:14 pm
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Looks like I will just keep unplugging it when I am not tuning.
Go ahead and close this topic.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Jerry Roller
From:
Van Buren, Arkansas USA
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Posted 27 Jul 2010 6:50 pm
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Richard, I realized you needed to do something quick and what I suggested to you works very well and is easy and quick. Just take any instrument cable, cut a positive connection in one end and put a 1 meg resistor between the connection and use that from your pedal to the tuner and you will not have any distortion. This was Randy Beavers discovery and I am just passing it on. I use it and it works.
Jerry |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 27 Jul 2010 8:53 pm
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Jerry, I may try that. Thanks. It would be nice not to have to unplug it when playing.
I am not sure when (or if) Peterson made the change that was mentioned, but I just bought my Stroboflip less than 2 months ago. I had no problem with the VSAM I used to use (before it died).
Also, my Hilton pedal is a newer one, after Keith stopped putting the gain pot in. It only has the pots for the off position and tone. I wish it still had the gain control. The sound I get is much cleaner with my Goodrich LDR2.
When I play the Carter, I can still use my Goodrich LDR2 (regular height). When I play the Williams, I have to use my Hilton low profile pedal.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Bob Lawrence
From:
Beaver Bank, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 29 Jul 2010 8:33 pm
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re: It would be nice not to have to unplug it when playing.
Until your get the tuner fixed or mod a cable you could plug it into a separate power bar. Use one just for the tuner. (maybe you have a small one around) and use the power switch to switch it in and out. That may be a little easier of unplugging/plugging it. |
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Lynn Oliver
From:
Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 29 Jul 2010 11:16 pm
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| If you bought yours new two months ago it should already have the input diodes deleted from the build unless it came from some old stock. That change was made quite some time ago. |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 30 Jul 2010 7:45 am
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I got it from Guitar Center. I would have ordered from one of the forum vendors, but my VSAM started having problems the morning that I had a gig.
Bob, I run it off batteries and not the power supply.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Eric West
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 31 Jul 2010 2:58 pm
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I'm off to a gig so I"m gonna duck, but I've NEVER seen a tuner that was worth a crap that distorted in line. ESPECIALLY one that cost more than 50Bux.
I have a Korg D3 that doesn't distort in line and ON. I had a Boss 12 or some such that didn't. My Fender 50$ stomp pedal tuner doesn't. In line and ON. Neither do the onboard ones on my Podxt or Zoom G2nu.
The ONE exception was the earliest Korg DT1 I think it is that had the "cassette cover" type case. Inline and on it gives the faintest of ghost static. I used it for 10 years.
So when you clip these diodes, I'd guess it kills the warrantee on a tuner that cost how much?
Just wondering...
EJL |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 1 Aug 2010 11:25 am
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Just last night, I left the Stroboflip plugged into my volume pedal for the first 2 sets. I changed my strings that morning and didn't totally stretch them out and tune up all the pedals (stupid, I know). I got a distorted sound. Not real bad, and not really noticeable to my guitar player, but it was to me. I unplugged it the last 2 sets, and the distortion cleared up.
As my stroboflip is just a few months old, I am not going to kill the warranty by opening it up. Until I can get my friend to make a cable with a resistor in it, I have having no problem unplugging it. I just use a short cable that I leave plugged into the tuner and tie the chord from my guitar to the vol pedal so it hangs free near the input to the guitar. When I turn my amp off at breaks, then I just swap plugs and tune. With them hanging loose by the end plate, I don't have to reach down to unplug it from the pedal.
I have an A/B/Y box. I am going to try hooking it up at my gig today so the signal from vol pedal goes into A/B box, with one output going to the tuner and the other going to my amp. I'll find out whether I get a "pop" from the switches when I switch from one to the other. I don't think I should, as people use these right before their amps to switch from one amp to another.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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