Pedal Pop?

[TrevorOfDoom]

Why does a pedal make a loud pop when it gets turned on?
I snagged a Foxpedal Defector Fuzz last week, and it's pretty cool, but it has a loud pop when it comes on.
I think it's true bypass, and remember that possibly having something to do with it, but I can't remember what.
I'm gonna take it off my board and troubleshoot it in the next couple days, but wanted to see what the experts thought.
Thanks!

 

[keatz]

I think dirty power can be a reason too. Easiest way if still unsolved with isolated power is to have a switcher or looper pedal. That way the problem pedal can be always on and be engaged via the loop pedal.

 

[Crater]

Ask the pedalbuilder if they put anti-pop resistors on the input and output of your boutique fuzz. This is a well-known cure for this problem, but some builders think they negatively affect tone so they won't include them. That housing looks to small to fit two true bypass footswitches, (and the ad for it touts "soft touch" footswiches) so I'm thinking it's not mechanical bypass.

I've built several fuzz pedals and pedalboards and can't imagine how "dirty power" would cause this problem.

 

[rratajski]

Softtouch switching, which means relay bypass, so it's not true bypass.
How are you powering it?
Does this happen when you go bass->pedal->amp (no other effects sharing power or turned off in the signal chain)?
Have you contacted Foxpedal?

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

Softtouch switching, which means relay bypass, so it's not true bypass.
How are you powering it?
Does this happen when you go bass->pedal->amp (no other effects sharing power or turned off in the signal chain)?
Have you contacted Foxpedal?

1. Voodoo Labs PedalPower+
2. I'll troubleshoot the pedal tomorrow
3. Yeah, but they haven't responded yet

 

[76jazzbass]

Softtouch switching, which means relay bypass, so it's not true bypass...

You can't use a relay to achieve true bypass?

 

[rratajski]

You can't use a relay to achieve true bypass?

True bypass means that if you lose power, when you click the pedal off, you're truly bypassing the circuit. Relay bypass uses active circuitry to bypass the clean signal. If your pedal loses power, you're dead in the water.
In non-relay based pedals, true bypass is when you deactivate the circuit, you are bypassing the circuit. Relay sends you through a chip and relay component.

 

[76jazzbass]

I have several pedals with soft touch that bypass the signal with no power.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but relay bypass doesn't send your signal through an IC but just through the relay... which is just a switch controlled by voltage being applied to a coil instead of mechanical action. The voltage to coil to open or close (supplied by IC) isn't routed through the switched circuit or vice versa. Just like when a relay is used with low voltage to open or close switch for higher voltage.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

So i troubleshot today.
Took the pedal off the board, gave it a dedicated power source (1Spot), and went to town.
It always pops. I tried different cables, different basses, and it always pops.
Then, it hit me.
The pedal has a feedback mode that's activated by holding down the on/off switch.
Methinks that the pedal pops because it jumps to that feedback mode for just one little second when turning off or on, and that's enough to make it pop.
I could be wrong.

Either way, unless I hear from Foxpedal about fixing this, the pedal will be moving on.
Shame, cuz it's a cool pedal.