Footswitch for Deuce II cutting in and out

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wannabweiland

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The channel switch has worked fine, but I had been moving my pedalboard around and now I have to kind of play with the cord connecting to the input of the footswitch to get it to stay on channel 2. Could it be the cord is just going bad? If so, anybody know of a **** good cord to replace it with? Or could this be a tube issue? Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.
 
In the past the cables from the factory were giving people a lot of problems. The solder connection to the jack would always fail. I my case more than once.
Just go to a music store and get a replacement. Make sure (if you don't know already) to ask for a TRS or tip, ring, sleeve style cable.
I bought my replacement on line somewhere but it's been a few years and I'd have to dig around for an invoice or something to see where the hell it was I got it.
Good luck
 
Thanks, man. I actually read the post from the fellow with the ACE who had a similar footswitch problem. I was just trying to make sure my amp was functioning properly and there wasn't a tube/transformer issue. I had a Deuce II a few years around when they first came out and the **** thing all the sudden dropped volume on me, then wouldn't let me switch channels, then completely died. I took it to a tech and he said my transformer went bad. All I can think of was that somebody at the music store really did a number on it to make it crap out like that. So I guess what I'm saying is that I'm always a little worried about that kind of thing.
 
Weiland -

Coupla things. Tubes are not involved in the switching of the amp. That's the case for ANY Boogie and most switching tube amplifiers in general. No worries there.

As for transformers, they are involved in the switching in that they ultimately supply the voltage for the components that DO handle the switching - relays and other components downstream from the transformers. It is highly unlikely that a transformer is a cause for switching not occurring.

In our experience, sometimes with switch itself on the footswitch goes bad. More rare but not impossible. Other times, the jack on the footswitch may go bad, get stepped on and bent which damages the jack, or any number of other circumstances that stop the switching from happening properly.

But more times than any, the cable goes bad. It may be that it gets a heavy cab rolled over it or dropped on it and the actual cable gets damaged.
But more, often than not, its the one of the plug ends that is the cause of switching not to work. You can unscrew the housing of each cable end and inspect the wires that are soldered to the plug end and make sure the solder joints are solid there. It's also good to inspect and make sure there is a non-metal sleeve that insulates the plug's housing from contacting the soldered plug ends inside the housing.

Obviously, the fastest way to test the cable is to try another and in the case of the Stiletto, it's a stereo cable and it's important to make sure you use a stereo cable to test both functions. If you only have a mono cable to use to test/experiment quickly, it will still provide channel switching but the Solo function will always be ON - so this could work for you as a quick test.

Hope this helps and let us know if you found the problem.

AB
 
wannabweiland:

Everything 'authorized boogie' said is obviously true; after all it IS an Authorized Boogie response! Chuckle!

Under the 'switch has gone bad' heading...I'll relate one of my switches going bad, what to look for, and how I fixed it.

#1. Press the switch button downward by hand. If you don't hear an easily audible click or feel a resistance and then a release; this could mean that the footswitch button is at fault. In my case; the bottom of the button assembly had seperated from the top of the assembly and there was no longer any electrical contact.
Replacing the switch requires 'de-soldering' and removing the bad switch and re-soldering the replacement. I repaired the switch itself instead...and DID NOT have to do any soldering.
#2. Remove the 4-phillips head screws on the end panel of the footswitch that has the input jack. You can then slide the entire footswitch/circuit assembly sideways out of its' aluminum housing. If your footswich is damaged as mine was...you'll notice that the 4-prongs that are crimped into place to hold the bottom of the button assembly to the upper portion have straightened and been forced out of their place in the top of assembly and the bottom of the assembly is loose. That is caused by the force of the foot when switching and by the fact that the bottom of the assembly is unsupported except by the circuit board it is mounted to. The stress of repeated foot-switching causes the circuit board to 'flex' (or bend) and the switch prongs eventually give way.
#3. Use a wrench or pliers to unscrew both nuts that hold the footswitch buttons attached to the top plate of the footswitch
assembly. Put the top plate aside for the time being.
#4. Now that you have access to the damaged footswitch button assembly; you will have to carefully (through repeated trial and error) re-position the little 'rocker' that is pushed by the button into it's proper place in the bottom of the assemby. This is 'tricky'; but actually much easier than it sounds. With the amp on (but on standby) plug the footswitch assembly in. Hold the bottom of the faulty switch tightly together against the upper part, while you press the button several times to confirm whether you have the little 'rocker' in the proper place. The first several times I got it wrong; so don't give up. When you have it in the proper place; the led light will cut on and off as intended and you will 'feel' the switching take place.
#5. Once you have the 'rocker' located correctly so that the switch works correctly; continue to tightly hold the bottom of the switch in place....crimp the 4-little tabs back in place. They were intended to hold the lower assembly to the upper assembly. I used pliers to do the crimping. Retest the footswitch before going further to make sure it still switches. If so...go on to the next step.
#6. Carefully apply epoxy glue to the base of the switch...making sure to cover over the 4-little tabs. They have been weakened by being bent out the first time, and will bend all the easier the next time. They will not hold in place without the use of the epoxy. Allow overnight drying. Next step is a safety step to prevent re-occurence.
#7. The reason the footswitch breaks in the first place is because of the considerable downward force applied to it by rapid cycling. The bottom of the switch is completely unsupportd...so that downward pressure is transferred from the button to the bottom of the switch...which eventually bends the tabs out and seperates the 2-halves (upper and lower) of the switch.
If you can either find ready-made or cut a piece of wood, heavy plastic etc. to size...do the following. Reassemble the top plate and tighten the nuts...slide the unit sideways back into the footswitch housing. Now measure, cut, and insert a piece of wood etc. into the space beneath the circuit board...in such a way that it supports it tighly against the bottm of the housing. This will prevent the circuit-board flexing, and the switch giving way again. I did it and my switch is still 'going-strong'...functioning perfectly a year and a half later.

As I mentioned earlier...every thing 'authorized boogie' said is correct...but what I have included is a particular 'fix' to a particular problem thart I encountered. You may or may not have this problem. I also had a footswitch cable go bad. I trimmed the length slightly and re-soldered. It too is working fine now.

Best of luck: Charles
 

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