Failing mode switches in digital BOSS pedals

General Gear Discussion - effects, synths, etc.

Moderator: Ghost Hip

Post Reply
User avatar
Pepe
IAMILF
IAMILF
Posts: 2404
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2014 5:41 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Failing mode switches in digital BOSS pedals

Post by Pepe »

In the last few months I have purchased two BOSS pedals with faulty mode switches: a Taiwanese DD-3 with SMD board and a DD-6.

Both pedals had an issue with selecting certain modes. The DD-3 had the long delay in the knob positions "M" and "L", medium delay was not selectable most of the time. And if it worked, it went back to the long mode after a few minutes. Totally unreliable. The DD-6 did overall produce the longest delay time in most modes, only the shortest and longest delay modes were correctly working; reverse delay and WARP mode also only produced the same sound of the longest delay mode.

I managed to repair both pedals to make all the modes reliable and working properly again. Not to my fullest satisfaction, though.

The problem seems to be that the mode switches are normal potentiometers with detents and with three solder legs. They are not true switches anymore as they were in the past. My guess is that these potentiometers have worn off somehow. The resistor values that they used to have at those certain detent points don't seem to be correct anymore. I think that the electronic scanning of the mode potentiometer does only work with accurate resistor values with very little tolerance.

In both cases I replaced the hard (if not impossible) to come by mode potentiometers (with detents and reduced travel path) with standard potentiometers.

In the case of the MIT SMD DD-3, fixed with a standard potentiometer, the effect was in short delay mode in minimum position ("S"), then in medium and long delay mode at the correct marks of the knob metal plate ("M" and "L"), then for the rest of the potentiometer's range it was in Hold mode, also beginning at the "Hold" mark.

Today I did the same with the DD-6, where I already double-checked everything before ordering a fitting replacement potentiometer. With the new potentiometer all the modes are working correctly again. I have to clean and assemble it yet, but I guess that also in this case all the modes will switch at the correct positions that are marked on the knob metal plate, beginning at the Warp mode at 07:00 up to the 2600ms mode at 01:00.

The only "problems" are that you don't have the detents when using normal potentiometers as a replacement, so you don't instantly feel it when you are switching modes, and the mode knobs will have the full travel path of a normal potentiometer (270° to 300°) and don't stop at the mark of the last mode in clockwise direction. If you can live with that, you can easily fix your faulty pedal this way.

Image
Pepe at YouTube and Instagram
User avatar
alexsga
experienced
experienced
Posts: 776
Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 3:21 pm

Re: Failing mode switches in digital BOSS pedals

Post by alexsga »

:( this doesnt bode well for the PS2 i got coming in the mail
User avatar
Pepe
IAMILF
IAMILF
Posts: 2404
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2014 5:41 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Failing mode switches in digital BOSS pedals

Post by Pepe »

Don't worry, the PS-2 has a real mechanical switch for the six modes, not this resistor value dependent switching system. This is from the PS-2 service manual:

Screenshot 2025-01-25 at 00-55-51 roland_ps-2_ET.pdf.png
Screenshot 2025-01-25 at 00-55-51 roland_ps-2_ET.pdf.png (44.69 KiB) Viewed 563 times
Pepe at YouTube and Instagram
User avatar
Pepe
IAMILF
IAMILF
Posts: 2404
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2014 5:41 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Failing mode switches in digital BOSS pedals

Post by Pepe »

The HR-2, PS-3 and RV-3 (all introduced in 1994) seem to be the first BOSS models that use the resistor scanning technology for mode switching. I have (had) the following models with this potentiometer switching and they have always worked perfectly and not a single one of them has ever failed:

BF-3, (DD-5), (DD-6*), DD-7, OC-3**, PH-3, PS-3, RC-2, RV-5, SYB-3, SYB-5, VO-1


This is an excerpt of what I also wrote in the Bossarea Forum:
Can it be that some of these pedals with failing mode switches have simply been kicked accidentally? I have seen so many bent knobs on pedals and most of them were either on the left or the right side (for example my Taiwanese DF-2 had bent potentiometers on both sides and the two knobs were missing). Those mode switches are always on the right side of the control plate. Since they are switching the effect modes at very exact resistor values, I suppose that they are already malfunctioning if you miss the treadle and put your foot on them with force.
I always treat my pedals with care and of course I only stomp on the treadle. No problems whatsoever in all the years.


*I used a new DD-6 for several years before upgrading to the DD-7
**surprisingly this one has a potentiometer as well instead of a mechanical switch, although it has three modes only
Pepe at YouTube and Instagram
User avatar
dubkitty
Supporter
Supporter
Posts: 13932
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2010 2:03 pm
Location: somewhere between Never-Never Land and Wonderland, in a place called Never Wonder Land

Re: Failing mode switches in digital BOSS pedals

Post by dubkitty »

my RV-3 has never given me a bit of trouble.
In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni

FIFTY YEARS OF SCARING THE CHILDREN 1970-2020--and i'm not done yet

DUBZ LOOPZ 2: THE NEXT GENERATION OUT NOW: https://on.soundcloud.com/9HKgc5xbaaYz6FNL7

DUBZ ÄLTER LOOPZ (2012-14): https://soundcloud.com/dubkitteh-1/sets ... ks-2012-14
Post Reply