Set Up X3 Live For A Gig, The Upper Half Works Fine, None Of The Footswitches Work.

[Bluesking54 1]

I have had an X3 Live for maybe six months, love it.  Been using it at home, no problems at all.  Took it to a gig Saturday night, turned it on, all the upper controls (rotary knobs) seem to work fine, none of the lower footswitches worked, no LEDs lit, no tuner, no pedal function.  It did make a generic clean tone when I turned it up, but unable to make any of the footswitches work.  Has anyone heard of this, or know a fix?  This is all I know about it.  Thanks in advance.

 

Mike

[silverhead 8,545]

Does it work properly again now back home?

 

I suspect a power problem at the gig location.

[db0451 0]

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.

[Bluesking54 1]

Thanks for the replies, guys.  Yes, I have tested it at home, same results.  I suspected a power problem too, but apparently not.  It's Tuesday, 4:30 local, and I am going to take the top off and see what we can see.  I read somewhere on the forum that sometimes ribbon cables can disconnect, and it seems logical that there might be one between the upper and lower sections of the unit.  When we were setting up, when I put it on the floor, one end was already on the floor, and the other end slipped out of my hand and fell maybe 4-5 inches to the floor.  Might have knocked something loose, but if a tiny bump like this can damage it, it's not suited for live performance anyway.  Very frustrating.  I'll report my results.  Thanks again!

 

Mike

[db0451 0]

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 . . .

[es336td 1]

The foot swtches are not real stomp box foot switches.  You have a spring and a plastic plunger (kind of like a tack) in the foot switch itself.  When you press on the foot switch the spring and plunger press on a rubber touch switch mounted on the circuit board.  I dropped mine about 3 feet from a cart and have had trouble with it since.  The circuit board for each row of switches is mounted on plastic stand offs that click into holes on the board to hold it.  The factory also put some sort of goop on it to keep it locked in place.  When that goop comes off, the circuit board comes loose and the springs/plungers fall out.  The bottom row has supports pressed into the bottom plastic to help keep things in place; the top row does not.   I recently used some dense speaker cabinet insulation foam to keep the top in place.  I also taped the top circuit board in place.  The tape wasn't that good an idea.  Even though I used black electrical tape, and used an alcohol wipe to clean before I mounted it, things didn't stay.  Still trying to figure out how to make sure it stays mounted.   I had thought about using Loc-Tite or hot glue to seal the circuit boards to the stand offs, but have been scared to do so.

 

The X3L is a fine unit, but you need to treat it gently to make sure it continues to work.  This guy (http://r3fx.com/shop/index.php?route=common/home) replaces the similar switches in the M9 with real stomp box switches for $70.   Once I get to the point where I am not playing a lot, I am going to inquire about the X3L and get a quote.  Hope this helps.

[db0451 0]

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.

[Bluesking54 1]

Well, I was unable to get the top off.  I have it loose, but it doesn't want to separate, and I didn't want to force it.  Any ideas?  So, I take it to my local authorized Line 6 repair shop (with whom I have already had an unpleasant experience) who want an $85 deposit for diagnosis.  I'm ok with a diagnosis deposit (same thing at the tv shop) but $85?  Interestingly, I was able to run Gear Box and back up my settings just fine, so it doesn't appear to be a computer-type problem, just that the footswitches don't work.  I'm still looking for ideas-this appears to be something I can probably fix, if I can figure how to get the top off without damage.  Is it time to enlist Line 6?  Thank you again for your replies-I live in Arkansas and I'm glad to be able to communicate to the world at large.

[BigChas52 2,546]

You're missing a screw or a latch somewhere.  It should come apart.

[Bluesking54 1]

Many thanks to you, BigChas!  You were exactly right.  Had to get a flashlight, found two machine screws down in a groove on the bottom.  It came right apart, and sure enough, there is a ribbon cable connecting the lower row of switches, the upper row and the main section.  The connectors had been hotglued, which broke and the connector came unplugged.  Easy Peasy.  There are, however, fittings on the connectors suitable for cable ties, so, taking a tiny screwdriver, I chipped out the hot glue (like a sculptor) and put two cable ties on each plug.  It won't be coming apart again.  Many thanks to everyone for you help-you saved me a bunch of trouble and money.

 

Best regards to all-

Mike

[db0451 0]

Great to hear! Thanks for updating us.