TC Electronic Booster + Line Driver & Distortion Broken Footswitch

[Feral Feline]

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If I one day wanted to see if there is anyone on the forum that lives nearby and might be able to help with fixing my TC E pedal, how would I go about doing that? ...

Just post your general locale/city, somebody that's close enough and willing could then send you a PM (private message).

 

[peterkarak]

Just post your general locale/city, somebody that's close enough and willing could them send you a PM (private message).

Ok, thanks.

 

[HughJorgen]

Hmm, if it's anything like the switch on the TC SCF then that's a momentary switch, which could mean that the problem is with the switching circuit not the switch itself.

To eliminate that, can you - whilst the pedal is powered on - short the switch outputs and see if it switches off/on? Otherwise it most likely is switching circuit problem, which would most likely point to a defective 4007 chip (IC2).

 

[Giorfida]

Hmm, if it's anything like the switch on the TC SCF then that's a momentary switch, which could mean that the problem is with the switching circuit not the switch itself.

To eliminate that, can you - whilst the pedal is powered on - short the switch outputs and see if it switches off/on? Otherwise it most likely is switching circuit problem, which would most likely point to a defective 4007 chip (IC2).

You can also momentarily short the contacts of the “remote switch” port as well to do the same thing

 

[peterkarak]

short the switch outputs and see if it switches off/on

You can also momentarily short the contacts of the “remote switch” port as well to do the same thing

Thanks for the reply.
I have no idea how I might go about shorting the switch outputs or momentarily shorting the contacts of the “remote switch” port.
Is that simple to do?
I don't want to risk doing any damage to the pedal because it's old and rare. The pedal is stuck in the "on" position and it works fine, so I can switch to it using an A/B box.
It seems like what you are suggesting is something that will tell me if the problem is the switch. Is it possible that it might also fix the problem?

 

[Giorfida]

The remote switch jack is a standard 1/8” mono ply (think headphone plug). 2 connectors, tip and sleeve that you just touch the wires

 

[HughJorgen]

Yep, what Giorfida said. Just buy a 1/8" if you don't have one handy. You probably won't even have to solder wires to it. Just unscrew the body/covering of the plug, insert it into the TC BLD and short the two solder lugs with a metal object.

If that switches the pedal on/off/etc, then you know it is the switch. Otherwise the 4007 IC / 558 Transistor / or one of the passives around the switching part of the circuit.

I'm kinda hoping it's the switch so that you can then use an external footswitch via the 1/8" plug and there will be no further shenanigans.

 

[peterkarak]

The remote switch jack is a standard 1/8” mono ply (think headphone plug). 2 connectors, tip and sleeve that you just touch the wires

Just unscrew the body/covering of the plug, insert it into the TC BLD and short the two solder lugs with a metal object.

I'm not sure if I understood correctly as to where to insert the plug. I did unscrew the body of the plug and inserted it into the ex. bypass and shorted the solder lugs with a metal object, but the light on the pedal stayed on.
If that was the correct way to test it, I guess the problem must not be the switch. I didn't think that the problem might be something other than the switch.
Anyway, I'm lucky that the pedal is stuck in the "on" position so I can still use it as is with my A/B box.
Thanks for taking the time to explain how to test if the problem is the switch. I hope I did it correctly.

 

[Giorfida]

I'm not sure if I understood correctly as to where to insert the plug. I did unscrew the body of the plug and inserted it into the ex. bypass and shorted the solder lugs with a metal object, but the light on the pedal stayed on.
If that was the correct way to test it, I guess the problem must not be the switch. I didn't think that the problem might be something other than the switch.
Anyway, I'm lucky that the pedal is stuck in the "on" position so I can still use it as is with my A/B box.
Thanks for taking the time to explain how to test if the problem is the switch. I hope I did it correctly.

Sounds like you tested it correctly. You don’t need to hold the metal to the lugs, just tap it. If it doesn’t toggle then likely the problem is in the switching logic and not the switch itself

 

[peterkarak]

Sounds like you tested it correctly. You don’t need to hold the metal to the lugs, just tap it. If it doesn’t toggle then likely the problem is in the switching logic and not the switch itself

Ok, if it's not the switch, I'll just keep using the pedal the way it is with my Morley ABY. I'm fine with that.
Thanks again for your help in explaining how to test the switch.