Pedalboard acting strange

[Mentaltossflycoon]

This might belng in the troubleshooting thread but that didn't seem right either. I feel like this will be a fairly long post so firstly, my apologies. Also thanks to anyone who reads along and helps me bust my ghosts.

So I've been having some weird troubles when playing at my drummer's place. There's always been extra higher pitched hum from my pedalboard there. Its still present at home but it's barely audible. When I plug straight in either place, no problems. I used to just eq it out when we play over there, it's just practice after all. With the completion of my Nobelium, things have only become more confusing. I've been using pedal pre's into the power amp input of my amps for quite a while now, the aion Sunn/Lab series/Traynor based ones and now I'm trying to transition to the nobelium.

Yesterday in the middle of rehearsal, I started losing signal. It would come back after unplugging/reinserting the patch cable at the nobelium input. Super annoying. After a few slow deaths, I pulled the nobelium and finished out the first half of rehearsal using the Aion ts50. Out of curiosity, during a smoke break, I swapped my newish amp for my old ampeg combo (ba500) and the nobelium, while still noisy, it worked perfectly for rest of rehearsal. Unfortunately other weird stuff happened like my dod fx91 and my prunes n custard were totally castrated. No gain, low output. Fuzzes and N.E.W OD no problem.

When I got home and set my rig back up, I couldn't get the nobelium to die on me through the very rig it was happening to.

Details that seem important. I use a gigrig supply, h.o.g. and tonebone both have appropriate voltage high draw isolators, almost everything else has an isolator before it but a few of my pedals run directly off the "distributor." I'm hoping the ppcb dc isolator in my queue will fix some of this weird behavior. The Nobelium was not plugged in to the gigrig. I only have a single 9v 500 mah adapter so I was using a separate pighog knockoff that provides 9v 800 mah. At home I used an authentic one spot. So between the 5 amps from the gigrig and the 800 mah pighog, I'm not exceeding the limits of my power supply.

Here's my pedalboard as it is tonight. The underside is a little messy as things have been in flux lately. The hog is underneath along with all the gigrig bits, a squishy sheep (in the chain before input 2 on the tonebone) and an OC2 in the tonebone fx loop. I'll be further refining my power cable lengths and pedal placements in the near future but that also doesn't seem like it would be a signal killing issue.

Chain is as follows: squishy sheep>tonebone(oc2)>meatbox>Dod FX91>creampie>H.O.G.>ezekiel>hogsfoot>prunes&custard>N.E.W. Bass OD>MB gas tank>flyleaf>junk trunk>cordyceps>VIIB>Chuck's electric ladyland flanger>MB polytrog>low tide>filter fx>rubberneck>nobelium>power amp.

@vigilante398 do you have any thoughts on this? Any possible factors I'm missing? The inconsistency makes it difficult to diagnose. Power conditioning???? WTF?

 

[giovanni]

I wonder if the power outlet was unable to provide enough current? I’ve had that problem before in a crappy rehearsal space where it would sound like my amp was gone after a short while. I never figured that out tho so it’s just a hypothesis.

 

[vigilante398]

This might bring in the troubleshooting thread but that didn't seem right either. I feel like this will be a fairly long post so firstly, my apologies. Also thanks to anyone who reads along and helps me bust my ghosts.
View attachment 67791
So I've been having some weird troubles when playing at my drummer's place. There's always been extra higher pitched hum from my pedalboard there. Its still present at home but it's barely audible. When I plug straight in either place, no problems. I used to just eq it out when we play over there, it's just practice after all. With the completion of my Nobelium, things have only become more confusing. I've been using pedal pre's into the power amp input of my amps for quite a while now, the aion Sunn/Lab series/Traynor based ones and now I'm trying to transition to the nobelium.

Yesterday in the middle of rehearsal, I started losing signal. It would come back after unplugging/reinserting the patch cable at the nobelium input. Super annoying. After a few slow deaths, I pulled the nobelium finished out the first half of rehearsal using the Aion ts50. Out of curiosity, during a smoke break, I swapped my newish amp for my old ampeg combo (ba500) and the nobelium, while still noisy, worked perfectly for rest of rehearsal. Unfortunately other weird stuff happened like my dod fx91 and my prunes n custard were totally castrated. No gain, low output. Fuzzes and N.E.W OD no problem.

When I got home and set my rig back up, I couldn't get the nobelium to die on me through the very rig it was happening to.

Details that seem important. I use a gigrig supply, h.o.g. and tonebone both have appropriate voltage high draw isolators, almost everything else has an isolator before it but a few of my pedals run directly off the "distributor." I'm hoping the ppcb dc isolator in my queue will fix some of this weird behavior. The Nobelium was not plugged in to the gigrig. I only have a single 9v 500 mah adapter so I was using a separate pighog knockoff that provides 9v 800 mah. At home I use an authentic one spot. So between the 5 amps from the gigrig and the 800 mah pighog, I'm not exceeding the limits of my power supply.

Here's my pedalboard as it is tonight. The underside is a little messy as things have been in flux lately. The hog is underneath along with all the gigrig bits, a squishy sheep (in the chain before input 2 on the tonebone) and an OC2 in the tonebone loop. View attachment 67786I'll be further refining my power cable lengths and pedal placements in the near future but that also doesn't seem like it would be a signal killing issue.

Chain is as follows: squishy sheep>tonebone(oc2)>meatbox>Dod FX91>creampie>H.O.G.>ezekiel>hogsfoot>prunes&custard>N.E.W. Bass OD>MB gas tank>flyleaf>junk trunk>cordyceps>VIIB>Chuck's electric ladyland flanger>MB polytrog>low tide>filter fx>rubberneck>nobelium>power amp.

@vigilante398 do you have any thoughts on this? Any possible factors I'm missing? The inconsistency makes it difficult to diagnose. Power conditioning???? WTF?

I read through your post a couple times and you don't seem to mention which power supply you're using for the Nobelium. Nobelium by itself will want more than 500mA, and if it can't get it then it will be unhappy. But leaving the power connected and removing/reinserting the input jack fixing the issue is bizarre, I don't have answers there.

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

I read through your post a couple times and you don't seem to mention which power supply you're using for the Nobelium. Nobelium by itself will want more than 500mA, and if it can't get it then it will be unhappy. But leaving the power connected and removing/reinserting the input jack fixing the issue is bizarre, I don't have answers there.

At my drummer's place it was the pighog branded knock off one spot that provides 800 mah. At home, an authentic one spot. It's the only differencein how I ran it other than location. Super weird.

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

I wonder if the power outlet was unable to provide enough current? I’ve had that problem before in a crappy rehearsal space where it would sound like my amp was gone after a short while. I never figured that out tho so it’s just a hypothesis.

This could be interesting, I'm not sure what all he's running on that outlet, could be an issue. I plug in to a surge protector that's shared with the pianist so it's running my amp and pedalboard along with his set up - Nord >pedalboard>fender hot rod deluxe. Perhaps it's too much for the one outlet. Still doesn't seem like more than what a regular home outlet can handle.

 

[KR Sound]

I bet everything in that room is on just a couple circuits, maybe one? Have you ever tripped a breaker while practicing?

 

[Paradox916]

I had a similar issue recently where my signal would start bleeding off to almost no output after playing for a little bit, but because it happened intermittently, it took a while to track down. Turned out it’s my THD hot plate dying a slow death. So if you are using an old attenuator might be something to look at.

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

I bet everything in that room is on just a couple circuits, maybe one? Have you ever tripped a breaker while practicing?

No but an absolute spider's web/ human centipede of surge protectors behind the furniture wouldn't surprise me.

It's a relatively new home too so it's not obsolete wiring. My place was built in 1902 but we gutted it and updated electrical and hvac system in 2013.

I had a similar issue recently where my signal would start bleeding off to almost no output after playing for a little bit, but because it happened intermittently, it took a while to track down. Turned out it’s my THD hot plate dying a slow death. So if you are using an old attenuator might be something to look at.

No attenuator here but that certainly sounds like similar behavior.

 

[lcipher3]

At my drummer's place it was the pighog branded knock off one spot that provides 800 mah. At home, an authentic one spot. It's the only differencein how I ran it other than location. Super weird.

That may be significant. (I would highly doubt the 'mains' 120VAC as an issue).
Unless you know what the power supplies do under load (power curve)- the "knock off" may be dropping off in voltage with the current draw.

I just ran an experiment on some power supplies and bricks - the "Voltage" on a power supply will vary with load: its not really "9V" exactly. Starting off at max with no load, then dropping as you draw more current. The BETTER designed should be flatter. My guess is the knock off is a bit (not much but maybe a bit) less overall power and is dropping voltage too low with the current draw.

I would be super surprised if the two have the same power curves. And my money would be on the One Spot holding up better. When I look up One-Spot it says 1700mA at 9V. The Pihog I found (cant find one with 800mA (its mA not mAh) but is says 1000mA at 9V

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

That may be significant. (I would highly doubt the 'mains' 120VAC as an issue).
Unless you know what the power supplies do under load (power curve)- the "knock off" may be dropping off in voltage with the current draw.

I just ran an experiment on some power supplies and bricks - the "Voltage" on a power supply will vary with load: its not really "9V" exactly. Starting off at max with no load, then dropping as you draw more current. The BETTER designed should be flatter. My guess is the knock off is a bit (not much but maybe a bit) less overall power and is dropping voltage too low with the current draw.

I would be super surprised if the two have the same power curves. And my money would be on the One Spot holding up better.

Interesting. I've only been using the one spot over there. The pig hog is now in my workspace and it's been fine for my other sushibox pedals w 2 tubes. I'm going to get another Mr. Universe for my gigrig supply one of these days and I'll never have to think about it again. The Nobelium is fairly permanent on my board and should get powered appropriately.

 

[Feral Feline]

Killer board!!!!!

Here's an experiment:
Run an extension from another part of the house, one that can be confirmed to not be on the same breaker as the rehearsal room, and plug into that and only your gear — no #$%^&* keyboards pulling mega-Amperes allowed.

I think you've perhaps underestimated the draw the keyboards are yanking in that power-drain.

However, I also think — no, I KNOW that I don't know what I'm talking about. I just wanted to say "Killer board!!!!!"!

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

Thank you, there's been some changes in the last few months.

Instrument switcher w thumbsucker>OC2>meatbox>R.A.D. glizzytone>H.O.G.>arcadiator>wavelord>parallel Cinnabar/cream puff>madbean Junk Trunk/flylear/ gas tank>cordyceps>VIIB>VFE mini mu>XC phase>lowtide>mountainking monolith>Boneyard bass klon/sonic reducer combo>electric druid filter fx>rubberneck>mobius strip>nobelium.

I took the drebbel off to make room(on the power supply) for the mobius but that'll get switched back eventually. The mobius is a lot of fun but kind of redundant.

 

[Feral Feline]

One of the things I found most interesting in the old board was this sandwich: gas tank>flyleaf>junk trunk>cordyceps.
Well, specifically putting the Flyleaf between the GT and JT.

Nonetheless, the new board pic... MORE KILLAH!

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

One of the things I found most interesting in the old board was this sandwich: gas tank>flyleaf>junk trunk>cordyceps.
Well, specifically putting the Flyleaf between the GT and JT.

Nonetheless, the new board pic... MORE KILLAH!

It's still there, I just forgot it in the list. also just edited to include the low tide I forgot too.

 

[dawson]

parallel Cinnabar/cream puff

What- since when?
We're just supposed to act like that's no big deal?
Where's the build report for that one??

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

What- since when?
We're just supposed to act like that's no big deal?
Where's the build report for that one??

Parallel Moonn Cinnamon Roll and Fuzzdog Creme Fluff

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