Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Jump to content

Pod Hd Pedal Malfunction At Sunlight(open Air) - Solution ?


Ruben40
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi

I made some investigations about the pod hd pedal problem, when it is used in direct sunlight.

The digital value of the pedal is changing acording to the light, which shines into the sensor.

This makes the pedal function useless and can disturb your live performance if you don't know it. 

 

Some information in an older threat:

http://line6.com/support/thread/38599?tstart=0

 

the reason for the malfuction of the volume pedal is its optical sensor.

 

My question:

Is there a practicable solution to avoid the problem ?

Does Line6 know this problem ? Is there a workaround provided by Line6.

 

I know it 's allways the best to avoid direct sunlight,

but in real life there are often situations where you cannot avoid it.

e.g. sunlight in the evening, sunlight from side, flash light and so on.

 

This is a serious problem and I hope to get some information about  it

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find it sad that Line 6 has known about this problem for awhile and still haven't corrected it in their new products.  There seems to be 2 Line 6's and I've experienced both.  When it comes to support, they've been spectacular for me.  Often going above and beyond. 

 

BUT when it comes to actual products and keeping the overall product in good repair, they seem to drop the ball.  Here's a few examples of what I mean by this.  Vetta was abandoned dumped with several known issues.  JTV was advertised to work with the X3 and Vetta.  Well they do but just barely.  You have to jump through several hoops to get it to work with them and they don't work at all with the computer programs each product uses (Gearbox and Line 6 Edit).  I'm quite sure it would be a matter of spending some time updating the code of the two programs but they don't seem to be interested in doing anything about it.  I normally program the X3 and Vetta with the computer and one big reason for purchasing my JTV a year ago was X3 and Vetta compatibility.  The fact that with the JTV, I couldn't use the computer to program them anymore was VERY frustrating.  This kind of thing happened with the Variax bass.  It was supposed to have Workbench compatibility.  This was advertised and in the Variax bass manual.  Never happened.  There are other examples that lead me to be a little wary of Line 6 products.  I am definitely a Line 6 boy and have stuck with them since Pod XT and Vetta, but given their history I am always wary of Line 6 products and there are some I will just avoid.  I refer mainly to the Stage Source products.  They seem like a fantastic idea but I can't help but wonder when Line 6 will dump those and you'll be left with several $1,000 doorstops.  I'm waiting to see how the JTV and HD500 pan out and whether eventually they just toss them to the side of the road like they did with the aforementioned products or at least see them out to the end.  Like they did with the X3.  The final product worked the way it was supposed to and had no lingering issues that I'm aware of.  Well enough of my ranting.  I guess I just have to let off some steam every now and then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did not have the bright light issue with my XTL that I recall. First came across it with my X3L. I use the pedal exclusively for riding volume. On bright days at say an outdoor festival, I could not make it fade completely to zero -- then when evening set in, it would be fine. I finally realized it was light related and they were using an opto sensor for the pedal. I went to shading the X3L when it was in direct sunlight -- one time had to make a temporary shade out of a piece of scrap cardboard. L6 used a foam collar to block the light on the portion under the pedal, but after a while, it would not come back to its original shape. I used gaffer's tape on the pedal top surface to block the holes in the tread of the pedal to keep light out when my foot wasn't on it.

 

When my XTL croaked, I too a look inside, and they apparently did not use an opto sensor, but some kind of magnetic proximity affair in that one. That's how come I was surprised when the issue cropped up on my X3L.

 

I have not noticed a problem with my HD500. I've used it about a year now, since last summer indoors and outside at festivals, and have not had the issue. It might crop up -- I hope not... I haven't heard of any problems with it in the forums until now.... I did notice they went back to the solid pedal design like the XTL instead of the X3L pedal with the holes this time around, which I was glad of... We play our first outside festival of the year in a couple of weeks...

 

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before you play your outside festival you should test the pedal in sunlight. 

You can use the pedal as a wah-fx. Here you can watch the pedal value (0 - 100%) in the pod display.

In my case without sunlight the value goes from 0 to 100 according to the pedal position.

But with sunlight the 0% pedal value increases up to 70%, when the pedal is in zero position.

 

I will build a flexible cover for the pedal to avoid a nightmare on stage.

You can also use a monitor wedge as a sunshield cover, but be careful, the position of the sun is changing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

hi experts,

i'm having pedal problems as well, with my pod hd300.

However, my unit has always just been sitting in my room since i bought it around 2012.

I have updated the firmware to the latest one around July or Aug this year.

The update where the new amp models SLO came with.

After the update, some patches were not in the same master volume levels (easily fixed)

But the wah & volume pedal was not.

It was working fine when i got it new & even before the FW update. But afterwards, it just plain useless. Does not respond at all.

Even after I restore to factory default & calibrated it. No use.

Then updated again the FW, & re-callibrate, pedal is still unusable.

 

i would appreciate so much any bright ideas or workarounds you may recommend.

 

thanks in advance

BR & God bless

jose

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hi experts,

i'm having pedal problems as well, with my pod hd300.

However, my unit has always just been sitting in my room since i bought it around 2012.

I have updated the firmware to the latest one around July or Aug this year.

The update where the new amp models SLO came with.

After the update, some patches were not in the same master volume levels (easily fixed)

But the wah & volume pedal was not.

It was working fine when i got it new & even before the FW update. But afterwards, it just plain useless. Does not respond at all.

Even after I restore to factory default & calibrated it. No use.

Then updated again the FW, & re-callibrate, pedal is still unusable.

 

i would appreciate so much any bright ideas or workarounds you may recommend.

 

thanks in advance

BR & God bless

jose

You may want to make this a new topic and a question. It will get more attention that way. Since it worked before you flashed it, it is probably a software issue still. Without more details about pedal behavior and what values it reads during calibration, I would recommend firmware reflash/factory reset/ pedal calibrate in that order. I know you tried these steps, but it does not appear you tried all three in this order. Sometimes that can matter.

 

But I still say post this as a new topic to get some attention for it. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...