db0451

I don’t like having to bump things, but I’d really appreciate if another owner of a TonePort UX8 sees this and has time just to unscrew the top of their unit and take a photo of this area near the PSU, or at least describe the part number and value(s) of the 5-pin transistor or whatever other component is supposed to be at U57 U37. I’ll PayPal the winner money for drinks and/or a hearty dinner :P [edit] fixing cmpt # [/edit]

Thanks for trying, but I already exhausted my options on Google, of course ;) Yes, there are some photos of the UX1 and/or 2, but I cannot see any 5-pin IC-type component on those, which figures as they use external transformers/PSUs and my problem is with the UX8’s internal one. I couldn’t find any internal photos of the UX8 or anything about a schematic other than Line 6 insisting that only service centres should have them. looking forward to hearing from some UX8 owners :)

Hi all, I just received a UX8 I bought on eBay as spares or repair because it does not power on. According to the prior owner, this was due to a vaguely defined “short on the motherboardâ€, which an (unaffiliated with Line 6) engineer could not diagnose, so the decision was made to give up and sell it. Fair enough: it would be quite a bargain in almost any condition. I opened it up to have a look (which was easy due to all but 3 of the screws having been discarded during the aforementioned attempt at repair), and found that, not far from the power input, there were: a burnt/scorched area on the paper wrapping around the induction coil/SMD named L6 and/or L9 (both labels are next to it and don’t seem to refer to any other part), what might be burning and/or partial lifting out at the through-holes of diode D5, possibly the same effects at capacitor C120, and —get this—what seems to be an entirely missing part, of some type, perhaps a MOSFET or vreg or similar: a section labelled U57 U37 with one side bearing five pins that seem to have residual solder on them, a square that seems to have some kind of adhesive or heat-sink paste from a previously emplaced component, and yet no component to be seen! I’m no expert detective, but this all suggests to me that component U57 U37 has been overloaded and exploded, damaged the others in the process, flown clean off the board, and—via a less-than-careful previous handler, I can only assume—somehow disappeared never to be seen again. I have requested more information from the previous owner and engineer, but, given that they claim not to have noticed this obvious blast-radius, I’m not holding my breath for any revelation. When I buy things as broken, I expect them to be broken but not entire parts to be missing. If they genuinely didn’t know, I’m unsure how the trail of evidence can have been overlooked. I have opened a ticket with Line 6 to request a schematic or some other form of assistance. However, I wonder whether any other owners of a UX8 would be kind enough to open their UX8 up and describe what they see in the equivalent area, preferably with a good-resolution photo? It would be massively appreciated. Seeing what that area looks like in a functioning machine will hugely improve the chance of me being able to repair this one. I’m especially keen to find out what component U57 U37 is supposed to be—type, value, and any other information I would need to replace it. Thanks in advance, fellow UX8 owners! [edit] fixing cmpt # [/edit]

Great to hear! Thanks for updating us.

Searching could help. e.g. http://line6.com/support/topic/2846-set-up-x3-live-for-a-gig-the-upper-half-works-fine-none-of-the-footswitches-work/ This user had a problem with the entire lower section and fixed it by re-plugging an internal cable that had come loose and that his post indicates accesses each of the lower row of switches, the upper row of switches, and the higher knobs and other controls. Perhaps your cable has lost contact with the second of those regions. Or, if that turns out not to be the same issue as yours, search for the various threads where people discuss the failure-prone footswitches of the early X3Ls, although I have my doubts they would all fail at the same time, which might make the above suggestion more likely.

Do you have the outputs set to the correct method, or at least the same wrong one?

While the information you posted is good in its own right, I doubt it is directly relevant to the present issue because the reported symptoms are clearly about much more than just non- or poorly functional footswitches: the entire front half of the board seems to have gone out of action.

Good to hear, and thanks for letting us know!

The ribbon cable coming loose sounds very plausible. Good luck! Personally, I would not be so quick to dismiss the X3L. If it was the cable, yes, that was one small bump, but it could have been pure chance that led the cable to be prone to slipping out on the first place. FWIW, I have not heard of there being any consistent issue with the ribbon cable (i.e. for anything except a tiny handful of posts/suggestions). I know what you mean, but I think it would be fairly reasonable to assume the problem would not recur. Unless the cable is out of spec, in which case, I would hope Line 6 could supply a replacement . . .

Make sure you have the Outputs page set to COMBO or STACK PWRAMP.

What sort of external problem would cause neatly half of the device to stop working? But yes, confirming whether or not you have since tested this in a normal location is necessary for people to diagnose/make guesses here.

Please consider not putting every tiny sentence on a new line for no logical reason. That post hurts my eyes. On a more related subject, the reason they differ is that they are different devices. Before I expand upon that point, and aside from the possibility that you did not convert the patches from the 2.0 properly, ensure that you have the X3 set up for the correct method of output: direct to computer/desk/PA or the pre/power input of a combo/stack. The manual explains this. I cannot muster sympathy. It is your responsibility to research the similarities, differences, and other capabilities of something like the X3 before spending hundreds of pounds on it. There are plenty of videos, forums discussing both units alone and specifically in comparison, and of course the manuals and other official materials. There is no shortage of information to check before buying. By jumping in blind, you bring all the risks on yourself. Nonsense. Yes, it is a POD. No, it is not the same POD. What would be the point of that? Again, researching it beforehand would have amply proved this. Yeah. Different software.

Well, yes, they most certainly did. To make explicit what I implied in my previous post: The volume of the preamp is Drive. The volume of the power amp is the Amp/Tone (both map to the same thing) Volume.

“gain†in the sense of distortion, a.k.a. Drive in the Amp block? If so, that’s very different from volumes, of which there are three: Amp/Tone Volume, the combined Dual Tone volume on the Home Page, and Master Volume. Changing the amount of Drive changes the timbre of the patch. You can do that if you want, but you’re deviating from the intentions of the person who made it. Which is fine if you like it better that way. And why would they use what you consider a low level of distortion? Specifically because, as I first said, that was the sound they wanted, for example if they felt it better simulated the tone of a particular artist. Sorry, but this seems obvious. Again, if your preferences differ, do whatever you like. It doesn’t mean there was no reason for using a level of Drive less than 8. Plenty of Tones/Amps call for that. On the other hand, changing any of the volumes just makes the patch louder. And, unless you have a specific reason to turn them down at all—chiefly to ensure certain Tones don’t come out a lot louder than others live—having the Tone and Master Volumes as high as they will go without clipping is optimal because that maximises the signal-to-noise ratio of the POD. The manual explains this clearly.

Clearly you have the pedal set to affect the level of the guitar before the amp, a.k.a. pre—not to affect the total volume after the amp and effects, a.k.a. post. Change that.

The keyboard only offers a slider for volume, which I presume is analogue. Overloading, by which I mean clipping, only occurs on patches that are individually loud and playing multiple notes, and I can turn down the overall volume to remediate that. Anyway, I tried the Pad before, and it simply reduces the whole signal, including the hum, with the result that the hum was equally loud proportionally as before. Even if it had somehow worked, it would only be usable for one of the mono inputs. Anyhow, I switched to another set of cables, and the hum was gone. Or so it seemed! Closer inspection seems to reveal it is still there—and still seems to disappear when either of the two inputs is disconnected at either end—but seemingly exceeded by the white noise from the keyboard itself, with the total noise floor hovering at a much more acceptable –80 dB, a figure that actually beats the quoted noise floor in the service manual of the keyboard. So, I can live with that. The hum itself is presumably even lower in amplitude than that figure. The interesting thing is: the same phenomenon of hum induced by both cables being connected also occurred with another device, which was completely unplugged from the mains at the time! What does this indicate/how is it physically possible? Should I assume this means some very low level of hum is likely to occur in many (most?) situations? I hope that this is something normal and hence that I don’t have to add a problem with grounding to the list of things that might be wrong with my X3L. Anyway, that confusion aside, the solution to remove the hum at an intrusive level seems simple. It must have just been those cheap cables by Stagg. Switching to a pair of proper ones by Fender seems to have done the trick. Why, I have no idea. What could be the problem with cheap cables that would cause them to transmit more hum than better-built ones? The actual signal itself, in contrast, was no louder, so it’s not like the Staggs were somehow just louder altogether. Finally, just to correct myself from above: Using the tuner and Bypass as I described is the best way to monitor this setup. However, the proper/optimal way to record it is simply to take a stereo track from ASIO using Tone 1 Dry and Tone 2 dry (inputs 7 and 8) as the respective channels; that way, the raw inputs are sent directly to the recording software, rather than risking (because I have no idea whether they really would) going through any unnecessary parts of the processing chain.

I’ll try that in its own right since it might prove useful later if it works. But at the moment, I want to use the proper inputs because, although I do typically record the keyboard dry, I want to retain the possibility of using effects from the POD, so I really need my main inputs to not be broken due to being plagued with hum. [edit] Anyway, I’m not sure what your idea would actually be bypassing. The Loop is bypassed when the Live detects nothing plugged into Send/Return. So, currently, my inputs wouldn’t be going around any diversions in the internal signal path, especially when I have the tuner set to Bypass, meaning that I doubt I have to worry about that. Also, though I haven’t tried it, I’d assume by the same logic I’d have to run a dummy cable out of Send to enable the Loop at all. Anyway, as I said, I need my main inputs working properly, so although the Loop is all well and good as a separate option for another day, it’s not a solution to this problem. [/edit] Two things I found out since my first post that I need to test: (1) Ground loops can arise when several devices connected together are not all plugged into the same outlet/strip; the POD and computer are currently on one, whereas the keyboard is on another. (2) Contrary to what I thought, TS cables are grounded, so the fact there are two between the keyboard and the POD might be causing or exacerbating the problem, if I’m correctly interpreting descriptions of ground loops, which seem to suggest they can arise when there are two alternative possible paths between two grounded devices. When I go back to my setup, I’ll try plugging everything into the same outlet. If that fails, I’ll try unplugging the USB. Then the PC. And so on. Maybe I can find the cause of the problem. I really hope so because I really need to have all these devices connected together and performing properly, and hum around –60 dB does not fit that definition. However, I’d still appreciate any other advice anyone might have, because this is a new problem to me, and I’m not sure I’m interpreting the available reading material properly—or whether a ground loop is even related here at all.

This is baffling. I was connecting up a stereo keyboard using Aux and Guitar as left and right inputs, panned accordingly and recording via the tuner, Bypass, and USB. After having to turn up the volume, I realised an intrusive hum, somewhere around –65 dB, had gotten into my signal, both for monitoring and recording (read: in the inputs, not just outputs). Further experimentation showed that unplugging either of the inputs would get rid of the hum altogether in the one that remained, but as soon as they were both connected, the hum would reappear. It does seem slightly louder in one of them, however. What could be happening here? I found some old threads suggesting a ground loop, but surely the way to cure that would be to disconnect the computer or to do something else that would remove an errant AC component from the network of devices. Why would disconnecting either of the cables have any effect upon a hypothetical ground loop? All suggestions would be much appreciated. I need to go and test this a bit more with different combinations of stuff plugged in. And I guess I will check it in a spectrogram to see whether the hum is concentrated at 50 Hz or not. If I can post more info later, I will. Still, if anyone already recognises these symptoms from their own experience or can theorise about a cause, please let me know your thoughts.

You might also prefer to split the Tones to the two stereo pairs, Live Out and Direct Out, rather than running them out of the two mono channels of a single output, whose identity you have not specified. Live Out provides unbalanced quarter-inch jacks ideal for amps, whereas Direct Out provides balanced XLR ideal for mixing desks and whatnot. Obviously the massive benefit of this, as opposed to running them both out as mono, is that you get stereo. The types of cable used might be a good thing, too. And moreover, there will be no bleed between the two stereo pairs.

(I’m answering this old post because no one else did and I hope it can help the user.) Given that the problem goes away once you remove the effect of the built-in pedal upon volume, it sounds very much as though (i) said pedal is not working properly, or just maybe more simply (ii) you have it parked at 0, a.k.a. angled as far towards the ceiling as possible, or maybe (iii) if it is at 100%, a.k.a. as far forward as possible, you have inverted its Min and Max settings to 100% and 0% in the Vol block. So, as the simplest option, check whether moving the pedal with it set to control volume has any effect. If not, try testing/calibrating the pedal as described at the bottom of this page: http://line6.com/support/page/kb/_/effects/pod/pod-x3/pod-x3-series-faq-and-calibration-r411?st=0#comment_0 If that does nothing either, there are various past discussions about possible mechanical/electrical issues with the pedal and how to test/fix them on this forum, the old archives, and possibly other sites; you could check whether any of the posts therein solve your problem. If you are still unsure, post back, and probably there are other users here who have experienced this first-hand and/or have links to old threads discussing it.

Some of us, and it seems we might be a minority, value accurate information more than oversimplifications and hence want info posted online to be as correct as possible for the sake of posterity. The mere fact that something is easier to understand doesn’t make it correct, and posting the simplest option as if it’s the only option is misleading. And a couple of things you said were simply incorrect. You need to stop painting me as some bogieman who’s insulting and personally attacking you. I never did any such thing. Even the stuff that you or someone else deleted without explanation or admission was nothing of the sort. People need to stop misinterpreting whenever someone else questions their ideas as an insult and/or a personal attack.

So, what, when someone disagrees with your massive oversimplifications, you delete half their post without ever replying to it, then vote them down? Classy. At the risk of you deleting this, too, I will point out that ASIO does not allow anyone to use any interface as their sound card. ASIO is for direct communication between one application and an audio device only. Not system-wide sound or anything. That is done over DirectSound. And again: the default switching to a USB device when plugged in can be reverted and has nothing to do with ASIO.

The X3 or any other USB audio device newly plugged in does NOT have to become the only device used by the system. Users can set Windows to use whichever connected devices they want for playback and/or recording, and good audio programs will also allow their own settings to override these.

Please provide more information about the problem. We do not yet have nearly enough to be able to speculate about the cause. Exactly how does it sound? What instrument are you hearing this bad sound from? Have you verified that all other instruments produce the same bad sound? Do both Guitar In and Aux In act the same way? Are you using an active pickup without having Guitar In Pad enabled? How are you listening to the POD? Have you ensured you do not have any of the volumes from it too high for whatever device you are listening through? And really just any other relevant facts that could help people diagnose the problem, of which we have almost none right now. (Yes, I know this is pretty old, but just in case. And it might show people that they need to include more info than this when reporting a problem.)

The volume of the amp is the Tone Volume, and this levels the entire Tone. The manual states this clearly. I have never had any problems using it in this capacity. Have you actually found the assigned function of Tone Volume not to work, or did you just get put off by it not seeming to work as you personally expected and then not actually try it? It should be perfectly capable of levelling patches even if you have effects running post-amp. Plus, many effects have their own gain controls if you want even more options, although there is no reason that Tone (amp) Volume would not work just fine. It always has for me. Edit: To be fair, it does not level the entire Tone if you have the Amp block disabled. Line 6 probably should have had Tone Volume map to Bypass Vol in that case. To be clear, we would need to know whether you had Amp off when you seemingly heard no change. If so, you would have to adjust Bypass Vol instead. But if you do have Amp on, as I said, Tone Volume changes its volume, which works perfectly to level the whole Tone.