OD pedal issue...not sure what the problem is (Polish Love)

eastcoasteddie · #1 04-28-2009, 10:15 AM

I had just recently purchased a Polish Love pedal from the classifieds. It was advertised as working 100%.

So I plugged it in for a quick try out thismorning before work.
This is with my SVT2-Pro.
I hooked it up the same way I've hooked up stomp boxes for years. 1 cable from instrument to pedal IN, one cable from pedal to amp input. (using quality cables, too).

Here's the issue...In bypass mode (pedal off) I get the obvious, my clean bass tone.
One I turn the pedal on, I get this horrid noise. Like as if there's some sort of feedback coming through.
EDIT: sounds more like a high-gain amplified 60-cycle hum rather than feedback...
The volume of the noise is directly related to the Volume output of the pedal (right side knob). It also happens in BOOST mode, but more pronounced since in BOOST mode, the volume pot serves as a gain boost as well.

When I first tuned it on, the vol was set less than half, and I thought I was going to blow my amp. The "preamp clip" LED turned on steady red, the EQ LED turned on red...I quickly hit the bypass switch (amp is ok...)
The horrid feedback sound is louder than the bass signal through the pedal, and I can'r escape it. Makes me think that there is a problem with the pedal...I would like to fix it rather than to give it back or trash it.....

I've never used a pedal with THIS amp...is the SVT2-Pro something different than the handful of amps I had before this? or should everything be fine and there indeed is a problem with the pedal?
Oh, and I did have the -15dB switch on the input of the amp activated as I always do.

help?

RickenBoogie · #2 04-28-2009, 01:12 PM

Sounds like a problem with the pedal, not your amp. What kind of power supply to the pedal?

RCCollins · #3 04-28-2009, 01:14 PM

it is a VERY hot pedal. what kind of gain level do you have your amp set for?

Jared Lash · #4 04-28-2009, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCCollins

it is a VERY hot pedal. what kind of gain level do you have your amp set for?

+1.

I've never tried the Polish Love, but some other pedals with a lot of gain on tap (Tech 21 XXLB) will sound like holy hell if you set the level/gain at noon or thereabouts.

Here's something I found out the hard way and now always do when trying a new gain pedal:

I'd recommend turning the pedal's volume all the way to zero and starting again. Slowly increase the level until you are at unity. If it's still feeding back/making noise at low volumes then it's a problem with the pedal..

eastcoasteddie · #5 04-28-2009, 01:40 PM

with my passive basses, I set the gain at noon, active basses get around 10:30, both with the -15dB switch on.

I tried lowering the gain, still same noise, just quierter. If I set the pedal vol to 0, no noise, but as soon as I move the vol up , even just a hair, I get that noise.

I opened the pedal up, and nothing in there looks cooked or looks funky. Looks like a well made box with some expert solder connections.

The power supply is a 9vDC transformer (-) being the center pole, (+) being outside of the plug. Same as my Sabine rack tuner....the power supply works with the tuner...

I tried a power supply of opposite polarity (+) center, (-) outside, and the pedal didn't power up at all.

I'm thinking about emailing Bogdan (Bob in english) and asking what he thinks...it is his creation. I'll even ask in Polish, maybe I'll get a quicker response...lol

RCCollins · #6 04-28-2009, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastcoasteddie

with my passive basses, I set the gain at noon, active basses get around 10:30, both with the -15dB switch on.

I tried lowering the gain, still same noise, just quierter. If I set the pedal vol to 0, no noise, but as soon as I move the vol up , even just a hair, I get that noise.

I opened the pedal up, and nothing in there looks cooked or looks funky. Looks like a well made box with some expert solder connections.

The power supply is a 9vDC transformer (-) being the center pole, (+) being outside of the plug. Same as my Sabine rack tuner....the power supply works with the tuner...

I tried a power supply of opposite polarity (+) center, (-) outside, and the pedal didn't power up at all.

I'm thinking about emailing Bogdan and asking what he thinks...it is his creation. I'll even ask in Polish, maybe I'll get a quicker response...lol

I hope you've contacted the guy who sold it to you as well.

And if you happen to speak Polish, it surely couldn't hurt! I'm not so sure I'd call it his "creation" though, since it's a circuit from "Electronic Projects for Musicians"

eastcoasteddie · #7 04-28-2009, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCCollins

I hope you've contacted the guy who sold it to you as well.

And if you happen to speak Polish, it surely couldn't hurt! I'm not so sure I'd call it his "creation" though, since it's a circuit from "Electronic Projects for Musicians"

does that "project" specify what type of circuit board to use for that application? Although the board looks fine, it has a really strong smell to it. Not a burned smell, but a strong "textile" smell. I wonder if that could be the problem. I never had a board have an odor that strong after being around and in use for a while.

eastcoasteddie · #8 04-28-2009, 07:17 PM

I went to Radio Shack to try and buy a dedicated power supply for the Love. I see that there are at least 3 different sized tips that would fit this socket.
This brought on a thought...could a power supply that is just a half mm off create noise like that?
I'm going to have to bring the pedal to the store to fit it to the correct power supply tip...unless anyone here has the correct size? I saw options like 1.5mm x 1mm, 2.1mm x 1.5mm, 2.1mm x 1mm, etc. I don't have a small enough measuring caliper to stick in there and see for myself...

RCCollins · #9 04-28-2009, 07:26 PM

isn't it powerable by battery? I'd try that before investing anything

eastcoasteddie · #10 04-28-2009, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCCollins

isn't it powerable by battery? I'd try that before investing anything

no, strictly external power supply.

Although, I was thinking of modifying it to accept a battery. The pedal is pretty small, si fitting a battery IN the pedal would be difficult. I could however make a battery box out of some flat steel (12 gauge, stainless or otherwise) and attach it to the side of the pedal with machine screws and just rewire the connections to the power input to a battery clip...

RCCollins · #11 04-28-2009, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastcoasteddie

no, strictly external power supply.

my bad. but i don't think tip size is the issue. it takes a standard 9v, but i don't think it is daisy chainable.

Chronicle · #12 04-28-2009, 09:45 PM

Anything that would power a boss pedal will power the PL. It sounds like a grounding problem. Maybe a cable, try another cable. If not, I'm sure Bogdan will help you.

**TheMutt** · #13 04-28-2009, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCCollins

my bad. but i don't think tip size is the issue. it takes a standard 9v, but i don't think it is daisy chainable.

They are definitely daisy chainable. I have mine in a daisy chain off of one of the outputs from my PP2+ along with two other pedals.

Sorry to heal about the PL issues! Hope that everything gets fixed. I have had problems with wires or solder points coming loose during shipping before. Happened mos recently with my flanger. It got to me with a broken switch which I had to replace. Eventually had to have it repaired because the BBD chips were blown, but it's still here with me.

B.C. · #14 04-28-2009, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastcoasteddie

The power supply is a 9vDC transformer (-) being the center pole, (+) being outside of the plug. Same as my Sabine rack tuner....the power supply works with the tuner...

I tried a power supply of opposite polarity (+) center, (-) outside, and the pedal didn't power up at all.

I'm thinking about emailing Bogdan (Bob in english) and asking what he thinks...it is his creation. I'll even ask in Polish, maybe I'll get a quicker response...lol

Trying the opposite polarity is probably what caused the smell. Most circuits will have a diode to blow if reverse polarity is applied.

Granted, I don't know how this circuit works, if its transistor based or op amp based, but check your diodes, there could be an issue there.

Hope this helps

eastcoasteddie · #15 04-29-2009, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B.C.

Trying the opposite polarity is probably what caused the smell. Most circuits will have a diode to blow if reverse polarity is applied.

Granted, I don't know how this circuit works, if its transistor based or op amp based, but check your diodes, there could be an issue there.

Hope this helps

I started looking at the circuit board more closely, and have come to the conclusion that it isn't the board that eminates the odor, it is the insulation of the wires that smell like that.

I'm not that electronicallu savvy, so I'm not sure how to tell the difference between an op amp or transister based circuit....not sure that an op amp is either.
But the board looks pretty simple in design. It has 6 resistors of different values, 3 tiny orange drop caps (largest of the 3 is 10 mF), a 16 bit chip, one diode and one larger 100mF cap. There are 2 small blue square things that I don't know what they are.
There are no other electronics in the circuit, really, only the 2 pots, puch botton switch, toggle switch, indicator LED, power supply and input/output jacks.

eastcoasteddie · #16 04-29-2009, 04:07 PM

I sent an email to Bogdan, and I got a response today!!

He wrote:
Witaj Edzio!!! Nareszcie ktos pisze w zrozumialym jenzyku.Pisze z blendami ale polskich liter z ogonkami mozesz nie odczytac.Co do Twojej sprawy,trzeba miec pewnosc czy ten pedal jest sprawny czyli najlepiej i najszybciej podlaczyc go pod komputer w - in line czyli gitara-efekt- in line w komputerze.Musisz miec przejsciowke big jack-small jack.To nam powie wszystko o efekcie.Jesli dobry to bedzie slychac w komputerze ladne brzmienie jesli szumy to problem z efektem.Wtedy albo przyslesz go do mnie albo ja wyślę Tobie nowe circuit board i sam albo moze ktos inny wymieni.Dodaje zdjecie jak to podlaczyc,jak masz inne propozycje lub pomysly to napisz.Pozdrawiam.

Let me translate...
"Hey, Eddie!!!! Finally someone wrote to me in a language I can understand! Computer fonts don't capture the true polish language with it's nuances, but it's readable...
Regarding your problem. The best and quickest way to determine what is at fault is to hook the effect up to a computer with software for diagnosis. Hook the instrument in line to the effect, then out of the effect to the computer with a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. If you get good tones in the computer, the effect is OK, if not there is indeed a problem and you'll be able to pinpoint it. At that point, you can send it to me and I'll repair it, or I can send you a new board and you or someone else can swap them out. Enclosed is a picture of how to hook the effect tot he computer. If you have any other ideas, let me know.
Later."

So...should any reputable guitar/amp repair shop have software like this? anyone ever use it?

eastcoasteddie · #17 04-29-2009, 05:04 PM

Well I'll be....

Guess what.
Remember the "thought" I had above regarding the size of the tip...well, seems that the tip size DOES matter (as in everything else in life)
The power supply I used was the one from my rack tuner, 5.5mm external and 2.5mm internal. The one that Polish Love needs is 5.5mm external, and 2.1mm internal. I guess the internal connection of the bigger tip was just barley there creating all this noise. I bought a new power supply and tip, plugged it in, everything is fine! The pedal rocks! With the pedal in BOOST mode, I can hear that noise, but it's very quiet, not like before)...noise just like any other gain-boosting pedal would make.
Who'da thunk?

Chronicle · #18 04-29-2009, 05:41 PM

...really? I thought it was a general rule of thumb to use adapters designed for what they are designed for...

eastcoasteddie · #19 04-29-2009, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronicle

...really? I thought it was a general rule of thumb to use adapters designed for what they are designed for...

huh?
are you saying that I am an obvious dope because I couldn't discern a .4 mm difference in internal contact tips with the naked eye?
The only information you get is polarity, not the actual size of the tip...

Chronicle · #20 04-29-2009, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastcoasteddie

huh?
are you saying that I am an obvious dope because I couldn't discern a .4 mm difference in internal contact tips with the naked eye?
The only information you get is polarity, not the actual size of the tip...

I'm just stating the obvious. If the adapter for your rack tuner is for your rack tuner...maybe it's just meant for your rack tuner? I'm not trying to start anything, but come on.