I have a Pod HD500 and a Variax 300. Most of the time, everything works as expected with patch changes.

Sometimes, intermittently, something will happen that causes these symptoms:

1. The HD500 will not boot with the VDI connected; it gets stuck in a reset loop.

2. If I disconnect the VDI cable, the HD500 will then boot.

3. If I then reconnect the VDI, the HD500 does NOT recognize that there is a Variax connected (no Variax shown in the Setup screen).

4. However, the Variax *audio* DOES work.

Occasionally, I'll start a playing session where everything works as normal, and suddenly the Variax stops responding to HD500 patch changes. At that point, this happens:

5. There is apparently no MIDI program change or Tone CC communication, in either direction, between the Variax and HD500 (Variax patches don't change when HD500 patches change, and moving the Tone, 5-way, or Model Select controls with the Variax screen up on the HD500 does not show updates).

If at that point I then power off the HD500 and turn it back on, I experience symptoms 1-4 as above.

I've tried two different VDI cables, and visually inspected both of the Neutrik Ethercon jacks (in the HD500 and Variax). Neither seems to have any bent pins or debis in them.

What further steps can I take to troubleshoot this? I need to have 100% reliability at gigs in order to make use of the Variax.

Thanks,

Matt