Leaderboard

Dude, thanks a ton! Unfortunately the board part number doesn't match up for some reason (schematic is for 35-00-0137, mine is 35-00-0047), and many of the part numbers and pins don't match what I'm seeing. For example, the resistor in question connects through to pin 7(?) of the VDI plug, which should be AES+, but connects through pin 3 of the main harness, which should be ground. The harness itself should be a 32-pin on the schematic, but on my guitar is a 24-pin. Anyway, according to the schematic, the AES+ line connects straight through to x with no resistor in line, but my board doesn't even have a x on it. R48 leads to a x x diode which leads to an x. Regardless, the service manual is still super valuable, since it tells me what type of signal goes in and out of the main DSP chip and a few other key chips that are the same on my board as the schematic, but sadly there are way too many differences. Really wish Line 6 made these public. I agree that I can't expect accurate results measuring in-circuit, but since the schematic doesn't match what I have and the resistor connects straight out to a single pin at the VDI plug there shouldn't be anything in a circuit with it, same as R43 right below it which is a x ohm resistor (marking is x) and measures accurate to 100 ohms, so I'm fairly confident in it's measurement (and in it's crispiness). I think R48 should match R43, since they both connect to the same type of dual diode, but that's REALLY hard to say. I think that particular pin goes to x on the x which I assume is a chip select of sorts, but I can't find it in the datasheet. Brain hurts...

Just got a non-working Variax 300 yesterday, no sound output. There’s honestly not a lot of info out there on repairing these things, so while I'm diagnosing the issue I'll post updates, to try and help others in repairing their instrument. Personally I'd rather attempt board-level repair rather than swapping out the whole board, as I’m a cheapskate. I’m getting correct supply voltage into all the chips, and I've spent a bit of time tracing some signals. Audio passes properly from the piezo input through the op-amps to the ADC, and the audio path from the DAC through to the output works. The DAC's are receiving the 10mhz master clock signal, but I'm not getting anything from the digital audio output. I noticed while tracing signals that I have a burnt resistor in the upper left near the ribbon connector, R48. It measures 18 ohms, but I can't read it to tell what it's supposed to be. That resistor connects directly through the various cables to the network jack (pin 5), so I'm led to believe that the guitar was plugged into something else rather than the Variax input on a Pod. Possibly the FBV input of something. Also I read a forum post on here where someone mentioned that one of the inductors tends to fry when plugging into a FBV input, but my inductors are ok. Not sure how the guitar works, but it's possible the guitar thinks it's in some sort of mode that disables audio output through the analog jack, but that's just speculation. I don't currently own and Pod products, but a friend has a Pod HD Pro, so I’m going to see if I can flash the firmware through that. Any suggestions of common failures or stupid things I’ve probably overlooked are welcome.

The amplifi remote app gives me this when I search for tones especially if I haven't searched for a bit (30+minues?) and I have to login again. Can this time be increased or automated? It wouldn't be so bad if it remembered the username and password but I have to type it in each time. TIA

Arriving Monday :-)

The Variax guitar does a pretty believable banjo. Not that this guy can go buy one for one gig, but still, just saying.

Huh...wasn't aware anybody but me used a socket wrench for a slide. Been using one for over twenty years.

I used it for other things but im back to real amps and prefer other fx. Love the tuning stuff though. Different strokes brugh. That looks like a good option. Thanks! EDIT: Just to be clear it will work the exact same way as the Helix for per string tuning etc? I wont lose any functionality that way?

Merci datacommando. Cela a du sens! Thanks datacommando. This makes sense!

In marketing texts Cabs are advertised as: Helix HX Hybrid cabs represent a new approach to the speaker cabinet capture process. They provide the same resolution and low-end accuracy as a 2048-point or higher Impulse Response, while only using roughly the same amount of DSP power as a 1024-point IR. As I understand IR resolution, making more samples IRs helps only with with longer reverb tails. However Cab block has early reflection reverb built in, so making this with IR could actually require 2048 samples IR. Thank you for this tip. I did not think about that while building my presets. I don't belive such a being like "netutral IR" exists. Several companies claimed they have neutral "no mic" IR. Fake. no mic = no IR (in acoustic realm) I was not approved on ideascale at the time. It is hard work to find out which idea is already submitted. However if you find any of my ideas worth to be voted, please take it as yours ;) Speaking of IR's - I would like to have 256 samples IR loader for EQ curves.

Helix: Today I learned about the machines power and it's limitations. Created a patch with 4 "Snapshots" each showing a specific modulating effect. This patch is meant to be use with an external distortion stomp box. Which in this case is my beloved Carl Martin Plexi-Tone. The FX on this machine are good. They do not hold up to TC Electronic quality, but are decent. The FX in this unit sound adequate when set in Legacy mode. Starting to understand how to route the FX and Modeling via Serial, Parallel and Stereo. It seems to run in Dbl Parallel and has an option to run stereo in 2 paths or Dbl stereo. Which I assume lessens the quality of its over all tone. Doubt I'll ever run it in Dbl stereo. Still a cool unit.

Think of snapshots as different states of a given patch. One state may be the clean version. Another state may be the crunch version or the lead version. The snapshot simply allows you to capture which blocks are enabled or disabled and the settings that are being used within the blocks in that patch so it can be recalled at any time. Because all blocks remain loaded and the only their states change there's no overhead like there is in changing patches, but you have the upper limit of blocks and DSP usage within the patch using snapshots.

My experience is that a 1024 IR block - which my ears say is more than enough to reproduce the frequency response of a speaker cabinet* - uses less resources than a cab block. Moreover, if you have multiple amps in your preset, you can swap out the IR loaded into your IR block on a snapshot-by-snapshot basis. Which is a huge saving over having two cab blocks. ---- *if you dig into the interwebs you can find the physics to back this up.

@prudenjim I might have found out what the problem is and a possible way to solve it. My setup goes as follow: PC usb to helix, helix xlr to m-audio BX5 (2x). All the mains connections share the same power strip. Turns out this perticular connection arrangement is very favourable to ground looping issues. I lifted the ground from the helix (push button next to XLR out) and so far, haven't had a disconnecting in 5 hours of playing or so. This setup has a particularly low noise floor so, no ground loop induced hum is actually audible, regardless of the state of the ground lift switch, but I think that the digital aspect of the Helix might get confused by interferences picked up through electronically "noisy" ground... Please let me know if you have the same results with your setup. good luck

I always thought an organ patch was a cheap hotel where people wake up in a tub of ice and discover they had their kidneys harvested.

Would it be possible to add a new modern pickup model or two, to the Variax software/firmware, to bring it in line with Shuriken's modern good looks? I'm sure JTV owners probably wouldn't mind this either. I know a lot of folks like EMGs, Bare Knuckle, Fishman, DiMarzio, etc. I'm sure people have lots of opinions on which they'd wish for most. Would love to know how people feel about this one.

Also have this problem - is there any solution? I have all firmware, etc up to date.

I am also having this happen after about 30 mins, also when in search tone re logins requried, sometime logins a number of times... had my 100 @ 2 weeks now.. token expired login requried, on regular basis ... Updated firmware 2.6 as soon as i recieved my fx100...working with this situation but is a little annoying when it s needed every few minutes or short intervals...

Just to follow this up since there are no replies in case anyone has a similar problem. I opened a support ticket and they told me to uninstall and reinstall the app. I did and I have not had the error again.

Hi, Sorry for the late reply. I gave it a go but I could not get it working. As before the Helix was recognized but the app would stall when I tried to record. I did not try to adjust any settings. I've looked on the AEM website and Helix is listed as not working.