Sansamp Tech-21 Driver Problem

[zactracc]

Hello all,

I hate to issue another thread re: Sansamp driver troubles but I have searched the forums as well as the internet widely and couldn't find a thread regarding this exact issue.

I purchased a new Tech 21 about a month ago, and it worked great up until two days ago. Firstly, it does not turn on at all, even with fresh batteries. I know many have had issues with the switch not actuating properly but I suspect something else is going on because it seems to cut off the signal of my bass entirely. When running bass->driver->amp, my amp receives no signal from my bass and doesn't produce any noise whatsoever. The bass works just fine going straight to the amp, and I tested it with both cables. I also took extra care in following the proper shutdown/unplug protocol if that means anything. Also, the driver and cables remained hooked up for the duration of its use, in other words the driver has remained in the same state since I first plugged it in.

The bass is a Yamaha TRBX204 and the amp is a Fender Rumble. Is it possible this combination is not suited for the driver and I fried it? It seems it may have a short or perhaps a loose connection somewhere but I'm not sure what I could have done to cause that. For the record, this is the only combination of bass/amp I have used with the driver, and it worked fine until a few days ago when it inexplicably started having issues.

I know this is a bit wordy but I'd like to be as clear as possible. Thanks in advance

 

[LowRenzo]

Hello all,

I hate to issue another thread re: Sansamp driver troubles but I have searched the forums as well as the internet widely and couldn't find a thread regarding this exact issue.

I purchased a new Tech 21 about a month ago, and it worked great up until two days ago. Firstly, it does not turn on at all, even with fresh batteries. I know many have had issues with the switch not actuating properly but I suspect something else is going on because it seems to cut off the signal of my bass entirely. When running bass->driver->amp, my amp receives no signal from my bass and doesn't produce any noise whatsoever. The bass works just fine going straight to the amp, and I tested it with both cables. I also took extra care in following the proper shutdown/unplug protocol if that means anything. Also, the driver and cables remained hooked up for the duration of its use, in other words the driver has remained in the same state since I first plugged it in.

The bass is a Yamaha TRBX204 and the amp is a Fender Rumble. Is it possible this combination is not suited for the driver and I fried it? It seems it may have a short or perhaps a loose connection somewhere but I'm not sure what I could have done to cause that. For the record, this is the only combination of bass/amp I have used with the driver, and it worked fine until a few days ago when it inexplicably started having issues.

I know this is a bit wordy but I'd like to be as clear as possible. Thanks in advance

Have you tried it with a power supply yet?

Could be the battery connection is a bit off somehow. If it does run on a power supply it's possibly related to the battery connector cables.

If it also doesn't run on a power supply it does sound like the insides are fried somehow. Even turned off there should be signal coming through if it has power.

Form what you've said it doesn't seem like you did anything that could fry it though so try the supply if you can!

 

[el murdoque]

Let's get the stupid things out of the way first:

1. You plugged it in right?
-the bass is connected to the instrument input and the amp is connected to the amp output?


2. Power is there?
-The battery you're using still has juice?

3. Settings
-The pedal is set so a signal will come out (volume is not 0) ?

 

[zactracc]

Have you tried it with a power supply yet?

Could be the battery connection is a bit off somehow. If it does run on a power supply it's possibly related to the battery connector cables.

If it also doesn't run on a power supply it does sound like the insides are fried somehow. Even turned off there should be signal coming through if it has power.

Form what you've said it doesn't seem like you did anything that could fry it though so try the supply if you can!

Thank you for the response. I haven't tried hooking it up to AC because I don't have the right cable for it, but I need to make a run to the music shop soon so I'll pick one up and try it. Strangely enough, it did suddenly work last night, for about 10 seconds, then started cutting the signal again. I suppose in the meantime I could look at the board and see if there are any obvious loose connections or soldering. I'll definitely try hooking it up to power and see if that changes anything. Thanks for the input!

 

[zactracc]

Let's get the stupid things out of the way first:

1. You plugged it in right?
-the bass is connected to the instrument input and the amp is connected to the amp output?


2. Power is there?
-The battery you're using still has juice?

3. Settings
-The pedal is set so a signal will come out (volume is not 0) ?

1. Yes, everything was hooked up exactly as you described.

2. The battery was fresh, I tested it on my active pickups.

3. Volume was set right in the middle, and the amp and bass volumes were in the middle as well.

Oddly, it worked again last night for about 10 seconds before losing sound again. I will try hooking it to a power supply next and see if that changes anything. Any other input you have is welcome, I appreciate your response

 

[cheapbasslovin]

Thank you for the response. I haven't tried hooking it up to AC because I don't have the right cable for it, but I need to make a run to the music shop soon so I'll pick one up and try it. Strangely enough, it did suddenly work last night, for about 10 seconds, then started cutting the signal again. I suppose in the meantime I could look at the board and see if there are any obvious loose connections or soldering. I'll definitely try hooking it up to power and see if that changes anything. Thanks for the input!

Do the LEDs light? Same lack of noise in bypass and active?

 

[el murdoque]

If the unit cuts out, does something happen when you wiggle the cables a bit ?

 

[Riff Ranger]

Have you contacted @tech21nyc ?

 

[zactracc]

Do the LEDs light? Same lack of noise in bypass and active?

Correct, lack of noise happens whether the pedal is on or not. As of an hour ago, I plugged my bass into the driver just to see if I could get it to work, and it turned on by itself, before the LED slowly faded off (I never touched the pedal, just plugged the bass in) and I'm back to no sound and the pedal will not turn back on. Seems quite bizarre.

 

[zactracc]

If the unit cuts out, does something happen when you wiggle the cables a bit ?

I have tried that, no such luck. About an hour ago, I actually plugged my bass into it again, just to double-check that I was doing everything properly, and the pedal turned on by itself (I never touched the pedal, just plugged in the bass), before the LED slowly faded off. By the time I had got my amp turned on, I was back to no signal, and the LED will not light back up. Very strange!

 

[zactracc]

Have you contacted @tech21nyc ?

Not as of yet. Because I'm relatively new to bass, I thought I would check here to see if there was something obvious I was missing, before I bothered any of their tech support guys. Probably a good idea at this point. Thanks for the response.

 

[cheapbasslovin]

Correct, lack of noise happens whether the pedal is on or not. As of an hour ago, I plugged my bass into the driver just to see if I could get it to work, and it turned on by itself, before the LED slowly faded off (I never touched the pedal, just plugged the bass in) and I'm back to no sound and the pedal will not turn back on. Seems quite bizarre.

I'm thinking you have an intermittent power connection or your battery is dead. I know you said you tested it on your active pickups, but if they don't have the same power requirement they may be fine for a little while longer (until the voltage drops to where they can't work anymore). Also possible is maybe a battery cable is loose or possibly something wrong with the power section on the board. I suspect a new battery or a power supply would solve it right up, though.

All your symptoms scream 'inadequate power' to me.

 

[zactracc]

I'm thinking you have an intermittent power connection or your battery is dead. I know you said you tested it on your active pickups, but if they don't have the same power requirement they may be fine for a little while longer (until the voltage drops to where they can't work anymore). Also possible is maybe a battery cable is loose or possibly something wrong with the power section on the board. I suspect a new battery or a power supply would solve it right up, though.

All your symptoms scream 'inadequate power' to me.

I appreciate your diagnosis! It seems odd to me that it would not work, even in bypass, if it were a matter of power, but I'm admittedly horrible at electrical stuff so I am inclined to take your word for it. I'm going to purchase a solid adapter and try that first. For the record, I did just put in a brand new battery and it didn't seem to change anything. I'm going to pick up a solid power supply and try that next. I'll let you know how it goes. As someone else recommended I probably ought to contact Sansamp as well before I go digging around in the guts of this thing, given my bad lack of knowledge. Thank you, I appreciate your help

 

[cheapbasslovin]

I appreciate your diagnosis! It seems odd to me that it would not work, even in bypass, if it were a matter of power, but I'm admittedly horrible at electrical stuff so I am inclined to take your word for it. I'm going to purchase a solid adapter and try that first. For the record, I did just put in a brand new battery and it didn't seem to change anything. I'm going to pick up a solid power supply and try that next. I'll let you know how it goes. As someone else recommended I probably ought to contact Sansamp as well before I go digging around in the guts of this thing, given my bad lack of knowledge. Thank you, I appreciate your help

Sansamps have a buffered bypass so the signal goes through the circuitry regardless. That's why it all goes dead at once.

 

[el murdoque]

The "on/off switch" is inserting a cable into the input. If you left it with the cable attached for days, most likely the battery is dead.

 

[zactracc]

The "on/off switch" is inserting a cable into the input. If you left it with the cable attached for days, most likely the battery is dead.

Well that was certainly an oversight on my part, but even with brand new batteries it does not switch on. I will be trying the power supply as soon as I pick one up. I'll pick up some more new 9vs tonight, the ones I had had been sitting in storage for a while so maybe they're not as fresh as I had thought. Thanks again

Sansamps have a buffered bypass so the signal goes through the circuitry regardless. That's why it all goes dead at once.

Gotcha, thanks again. I will try the power supply as soon as I pick one up, I'll try another fresh battery too, the ones I picked up from the corner store had been sitting around for who knows how long. Probably sounds silly but it's worth a shot. If neither of those solutions work I'll contact sansamp. I appreciate your time, have a great weekend.

 

[zactracc]

Have you tried it with a power supply yet?

Could be the battery connection is a bit off somehow. If it does run on a power supply it's possibly related to the battery connector cables.

If it also doesn't run on a power supply it does sound like the insides are fried somehow. Even turned off there should be signal coming through if it has power.

Form what you've said it doesn't seem like you did anything that could fry it though so try the supply if you can!

Have you contacted @tech21nyc ?

Sansamps have a buffered bypass so the signal goes through the circuitry regardless. That's why it all goes dead at once.

The "on/off switch" is inserting a cable into the input. If you left it with the cable attached for days, most likely the battery is dead.

So, I seem to have found the culprit(s). A bad battery, and absolute my absolute illiteracy as it pertains to electronics. I ran to the grocery store and bought a fresh pack of duracells and replaced the cheap off-brand one I had purchased from the corner store, and voila. As embarrassing as that is, I probably wouldn't have even considered that if it weren't for your guys' input. I guess I will be unplugging everything now, and not buying $2 batteries from the gas station! Lol thank you all for your help. Have a great weekend!

 

[el murdoque]

Have fun with your pedal and consider buying a wall wart to have something more permanent.

 

[smtp4me]

Hello all,

I hate to issue another thread re: Sansamp driver troubles but I have searched the forums as well as the internet widely and couldn't find a thread regarding this exact issue.

I purchased a new Tech 21 about a month ago, and it worked great up until two days ago. Firstly, it does not turn on at all, even with fresh batteries. I know many have had issues with the switch not actuating properly but I suspect something else is going on because it seems to cut off the signal of my bass entirely. When running bass->driver->amp, my amp receives no signal from my bass and doesn't produce any noise whatsoever. The bass works just fine going straight to the amp, and I tested it with both cables. I also took extra care in following the proper shutdown/unplug protocol if that means anything. Also, the driver and cables remained hooked up for the duration of its use, in other words the driver has remained in the same state since I first plugged it in.

The bass is a Yamaha TRBX204 and the amp is a Fender Rumble. Is it possible this combination is not suited for the driver and I fried it? It seems it may have a short or perhaps a loose connection somewhere but I'm not sure what I could have done to cause that. For the record, this is the only combination of bass/amp I have used with the driver, and it worked fine until a few days ago when it inexplicably started having issues.

I know this is a bit wordy but I'd like to be as clear as possible. Thanks in advance

Is it new? If yes, I wouldn't bother trying to troubleshoot and fix. I'd return it for a new one.

 

[zactracc]

Is it new? If yes, I wouldn't bother trying to troubleshoot and fix. I'd return it for a new one.

Hey, thank you for the input. Thankfully I got it sorted out. I'm gonna figure out how to close this thread now. Have a good weekend