Pod Hd500 Unreliable Footswitches

[FoxtrotVIII]

Hello i have a problem with my Pod HD500, and any help would be appreciated.

     

I have had my HD500 a little over 6 months now and im having a problem with two of my foot switches that are not reliable. It takes a good 10-20 presses to activate/deactivate these two switches, and somtimes i cannot get them to work at all.

 

I am wondering if there are upgraded switches i can have installed? or maybe a way to repair my current ones? this seems to be a fairly common problem on the HD500.

I see now the HD500X has fixed this problem... maybe there is a trade in deal? or possibly some way to upgrade to those switches? any help or info would be appreciated.

[edstar1960]

This thread has some very good info about the footswitches and explains how you can clean them yourself which often fixes problems like you are describing:  http://line6.com/support/topic/137-has-anyone-sent-their-pod-hd-to-r3fxcom-for-footswitch-upgrade/

 

Hope that helps.

[guitarno]

I had a similar problem when I owned a X3Live a number of years ago. The foot switches on that model were prone to failure. Mine did and I had to take it in to a service center for repair/replacement foot switches. I don't know if the HD500 uses the same switches or not but they may be. I for one am glad they updated the switches on the HD500X.

[radatats]

more good info for fixing your own footswitches

 

http://line6.com/support/topic/4487-footswitch-replacement-for-the-500/?do=findComment&comment=29367

[Bushman2]

Had the same problem a couple of months ago.

Found this youtube on X3Live switches which, after opening my HD500 up, are the same switches apparently. *LINK*

I posted this article as well... *LINK*

I ended up sending it in to Line 6 and they fixed it for free, but I still have the switches for when it malfunctions again...

[jffshphrd]

I've been using the ax2 (on my 2nd one) for 10 or so years and the footswitches have been a periodic problem. Early on I decided to take care of the problem myself. If the Pod switches are the same there can be a couple of problems ... both concerning that little spring that makes contact with the pc board switch. These springs can get a little crooked or compressed over time and just need to be straightened or stretched out (a little) . I'm no repair man but there are some things we novices can do on our own.

[radatats]

I've been using the ax2 (on my 2nd one) for 10 or so years and the footswitches have been a periodic problem. Early on I decided to take care of the problem myself. If the Pod switches are the same there can be a couple of problems ... both concerning that little spring that makes contact with the pc board switch. These springs can get a little crooked or compressed over time and just need to be straightened or stretched out (a little) . I'm no repair man but there are some things we novices can do on our own.

 

a HUGE +1 to this post.  The MAJORITY of FS problems can be fixed this way.  The physical part of the switch is almost indestructible and in fact NEVER makes contact with the circuit board no matter how hard you press down.  The switch on the circuit board rarely if ever fails, while it may have a bad solder joint once in a blue moon.  It is usually the spring that is positioned between the physical FS and the circuit board that is the culprit.  My experience on many boards including ones for other systems (Digitech) is the springs get compressed and no longer impart enough pressure to the contact above the circuit board switch resulting in poor operation.  Simply spraying contact cleaner may release a sticking switch but won't fix the spring problem.

 

Its a dead simple fix if you want to take the unit apart.  Just take the spring and give it a little pull to extend its length a bit and you're back in business.  The switches on the circuit board work the same as the ones on your keyboard, they are just pressure sensitive contact switches, not physical switches as you might suspect.  Use a can of compressed air while you are in there to blow out the cobwebs if any and you should be good to go.  Don't extend the springs too long or you might have a switch stuck on but I have never had that problem.

 

Hey, its free and its worth a shot...

[mrguitartrader]

Sprayed contact cleaner on the top of each switch, pressed them several times and voila! Just like new. PS Get the good stuff like DEOXIT. it is worth the extra money.

[Rewolf48]

Get the good stuff like DEOXIT. it is worth the extra money.

 

How much!  5oz spray can for £27.50 (over $40 US) on Amazon 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caig-DeOxit-Contact-Cleaner-Spray/dp/B00A2365BI

 

Is it really that much better than this highly rated equivalent for only £7.19?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000KHE1D0/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2

[cruisinon2]

How much!  5oz spray can for £27.50 (over $40 US) on Amazon 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caig-DeOxit-Contact-Cleaner-Spray/dp/B00A2365BI

 

Is it really that much better than this highly rated equivalent for only £7.19?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000KHE1D0/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2

 

There are a few things in life that I wouldn't want the budget version of...mechanical heart valves, parachutes, helicopter blades, etc...but it's probably OK to gamble £7.19 on a can of electronic "gunk-be-gone", especially when it's competitor is 4x the price... ;)

[BillBee]

Oooo in the ole US DeOxit is ~ $12. You could always try calling a repair centre for electronics and ask what they use.

 

But Cruisinon is right. I've read where people have used WD40 with a certain amount of success.

 

-B

[Rewolf48]

Sometimes you pay extra for product quality... and sometimes you just pay extra for a name. I am happy to do the former but don't like doing the latter.

 

I wasn't suggesting squirting in the cheapest gunk, and WD40 doesn't go anywhere near electronics.  I suspect that DeOxit is a US distribution only product so somebody is charging a premium for it in the UK.

[BillBee]

I hear ya, wasn't recommending it but throwing it as an example (poor one I will admit). But WD40 has been used on a bunch on GNXs and has worked. I wouldn't use it personally though. I am sure there are some UK people who know of a product.

 

\m/ B \m/

[Charlie_Watt]

I would not mess with anything not specifically designed for cleaning electronic contacts.  Residue Free!!!!!!  It's worth getting the good stuff when working with an expensive piece of gear.  It will cost you much more to have it repaired if you spray in the wrong stuff and gum up the switches.

[BillBee]

I would not mess with anything not specifically designed for cleaning electronic contacts.  Residue Free!!!!!!  It's worth getting the good stuff when working with an expensive piece of gear.  It will cost you much more to have it repaired if you spray in the wrong stuff and gum up the switches.

 

Isn't that the truth - my amp guy has two prices: one for a repair and one for fixing someone else's bad repair. :)

 

-B

[pianoguyy]

A good rule to follow is: 

Anything dealing with looks (your face, paint finish, etc), electricity, the elements (earth, fire, water, air), or your health... don't skimp. 

 

 

But an even better rule is: 

Anything worth buying, is worth buying right. 

 

 

When you are shopping on Amazon or those little shops that are popping up everywhere offering cheap stuff, even the name brand stuff can be faked, recalled, or a factory reject. So, there is no guarantee that you are getting the real thing. 

Think about it. There has to be a reason why everyone sells Product A for $100, but you can find it for $20, or a generic for version for $10. 

 

 

 

So, Mr. Tipton, how could it take you five minutes to cook your grits, when it takes the entire grit-eating world 20 minutes.

[AlexKenivel]

Theres a markup when shipping pressurized cans with propellants, which is why getting something like that online costs so much

[Rewolf48]

After a bit of investigation at sites like http://www.vintage-radio.net/ I have found that the UK product most liked is Servisol Super 10, and also that for me at least it is easiest to get at the local Maplin store for £4.99. 

 

DeOxit is rated a tiny little bit higher, but not considered worth paying £20 for (fine if you you can borrow a can from work though)

 

They have a mixed view of WD40 - normally you don't ever let if go near electronics, but sometimes with a really dirty switch WD40 will remove the stubborn muck, and then you use Servisol to get rid of the WD40

 

In all cases use with care and (especially with kit that includes valves) never, ever switch it on until the flammable solvent has completely dissipated!

[JTSC777]

I spray the pots in my 30 plus years old Marshall with carburetor cleaner quickly followed by WD-40 quickly followed by electro contact cleaner. Just dont inhale that crap lol!

[mrguitartrader]

How much!  5oz spray can for £27.50 (over $40 US) on Amazon 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caig-DeOxit-Contact-Cleaner-Spray/dp/B00A2365BI

 

Is it really that much better than this highly rated equivalent for only £7.19?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000KHE1D0/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2

 

It was $32 CAD where I got it. I have used the generic stuff that you can get at electronics stores and spent the time and did not get the result. That price and the problem went away with no dis assembly, and I can probably fix it another 100 times seems an ok deal. As an aside, I recycled a used Peavey Bandit for shows that has major pot and switch issues. I have dis assemled and sprayed (generic crap) 4 times. One more with the deoxit and the problem was gone. It does leave some residue on the HD500 so have a paper towel handy. I have no experience with the brand you mentioned so I can't really comment.

 

Good luck. The switch problem hopefully goes away for you.

 

Jim

[stevevnicks]

i to have had an issue with one of the foot switches on my HD500 one of the foot switches started making this grinding/crunching sound, you could feel it grinding when u pushed down on the metal foot swtich.
sometimes i would have to press the swich 2-3 times for it to change/work, my first thought was the metal switch part had warn.

so i decided to take the HD500 apart to inspect the switch (its no longer under warranty anyway and i bought it secondhand) it was a real easy fix, it was just the spring inside of the metal mechanism of the switch had become unaligned and was making a rubbing/grinding noise.

i just removed then disassembled and reassembled the metal mechanism part of the footswitch and now it works like new.

the HD500 is very easy to work on, mind you it was a bit fiddly fitting the metal mechanism part of the foot switch back in the HD500 chassis.

[Rewolf48]

I was chatting yesterday to an ex-employee of Line 6 who used (before Yamaha) to repair HD500 and other kit.

 

He said that when the switches start becoming a bit unreliable that you need to act quite fast to avoid damage and that (out of warranty obviously) you should remove the inner plastic bits from around the springs which apparently helps to make the click noise as that causes the problem - without it spring pressure alone triggers the switches on the board and the switches are virtually silent.

 

I haven't had a chance to open my unit up (it has two slightly reluctant switches, but I program around them) but if I am feeling brave I might have a look...

[Rewolf48]

Ok, big gig in front of 1000+ people now out of the way (the people were there, whether they were listening is a completely different question!), so I finally had a chance to open up the HD 500 to look at those 2 reluctant switches that have been annoying me.

 

Removed the back screws, slid the floor slightly to one side and back again to access to the inside. As per the video the actual switches are on a pair of PCBs that the run the length of the unit just under the mechanical switches - these only contain the electrical switches and LEDs.  Two nuts hold down either end, but the main connection is actually a three pronged clip that forms part of the mechanical switch and prevents the electrical switch from moving.

 

Just by looking it is obvious that there is no point at all in spraying contact cleaner into the mechanical switches without opening the unit - there might be some value in spraying a little lubricant from the inside pointing outwards just to reduce mechanical noise, but the chances of contact cleaner actually getting to the micro switch from outside is zero - unless you flood the whole thing which is just silly.

 

I checked the micro switches and the mechanical switches and individually they all worked fine. So I blew around everything with some Air and then did as was suggested and removed the little black plastic bits, then reattached the PCBs, pressed a few switches and tested I could hear the micro switches go click, then turned the HD500 over and powered up into diagnostic mode and ran the switches test. This failed with 5 switches that didn't engage - ok it is now worse than before.

 

Turning it back over and looking at the ones that were not working I could see that the spring had a significant gap before it would touch the micro switch, so I took the PCBs off again and using needle-nose pliers (round profile) stretched all the springs; they are pretty tough and don't stretch easily.  Then I put the PCBs back on again and repeated the diagnostics - this time it failed with 4 switches.

 

There is still a gap between springs and micro-switches, so I put all the little black bits back again and this time it passes the diagnostics with ease.

 

That is except for the Expression Toe switch which I have never been able to work without standing on it - during the diagnostics I could get it to switch with some pressure and flexing of the frame.  So I had a look at that too:

 

This is not a micro-switch and the reason why it is hard to switch is simply the mechanical part on the bottom of the expression pedal not making contact - so how to change things so it does work with less pressure?  I looked at moving the PCB closer but this is not possible, I looked at extending the mechanical bit under the pedal, but the switch looked as though it might be an electrical circuit being completed by the expression pedal so I couldn't use anything non-conductive.  In the end - and with much more confidence about it because I had the unit open - I took a flat file, and with the HD500 upside down carefully removed a millimetre or so from the rubber block under the expression pedal and carefully shook the filings out of the pedal sideways.  Then I gave it all another blow with the air and did the full diagnostics test - this time the expression toe switch engaged with reasonable pressure.

 

It was then just a case of putting the floor of the unit back on and running the expression pedal calibration; and everything is working - I would say just like new, but actually it is better than new because I can use the Expression Toe switch now and never bothered before.

 

So my recommendation for an HD500 is that switches that won't engage are probably down to compressed springs and are very simply fixed by disassembling and stretching the springs slightly - you will only need the correct size screwdriver, socket spanner and needle nose pliers to fix this and some Air to blow away any dust in the switch mechanicals, and a flat file if you want to fix the expression pedal switch. 

 

You do not need contact cleaner inside an HD500 except if the Pots are going scratchy (not sure how you would notice this except perhaps by the values jumping). A very light oil (even WD40!) can quieten down the switch mechanisms but spraying anything into the switches from outside is pointless.

 

It may not be the case for every production batch, or for the HD500X, but for my unit I struggle to see how the micro-switches could be damaged by too much pressure and there was no need to remove the black plastic bits.  Other production batches may have had changes to the tolerances of the components, and if your switches engage just by looking at them then physical contact may be being made too early in the mechanical switch range and I would consider removing the black bits before the micro-switches are damaged. 

[pianoguyy]

The 'shaving your balls' technique has been discussed before. 

It definitely makes a difference. But you don't want to take too much off. 

Plus, how often does someone use the expression pedal with their hands? It was made to be stepped on. 

[Rewolf48]

My HD500 was more like standing full weight on one leg on the pedal and feeing the case flex before the switch engaged - it was so hard that I simply never bothered using it. 

 

It was nothing at all like triggering the switch on a cry baby wah which is what I thought it is supposed to be like - at least on my cry baby it is a case of rocking to the toe position and then pressing just a little harder.

 

Maybe it is my svelte 13 stones not being enough weight...  :) it would have been absolutely impossible for either of my under 10 kids to use that switch, and I am sure I my unit is not the only one.

 

Definitely take off a little at a time, but if you do go too far you can build it back up with electrical tape or a sticky pad.

[mrguitartrader]

Ok, big gig in front of 1000+ people now out of the way (the people were there, whether they were listening is a completely different question!), so I finally had a chance to open up the HD 500 to look at those 2 reluctant switches that have been annoying me.

 

Removed the back screws, slid the floor slightly to one side and back again to access to the inside. As per the video the actual switches are on a pair of PCBs that the run the length of the unit just under the mechanical switches - these only contain the electrical switches and LEDs.  Two nuts hold down either end, but the main connection is actually a three pronged clip that forms part of the mechanical switch and prevents the electrical switch from moving.

 

Just by looking it is obvious that there is no point at all in spraying contact cleaner into the mechanical switches without opening the unit - there might be some value in spraying a little lubricant from the inside pointing outwards just to reduce mechanical noise, but the chances of contact cleaner actually getting to the micro switch from outside is zero - unless you flood the whole thing which is just silly.

 

I checked the micro switches and the mechanical switches and individually they all worked fine. So I blew around everything with some Air and then did as was suggested and removed the little black plastic bits, then reattached the PCBs, pressed a few switches and tested I could hear the micro switches go click, then turned the HD500 over and powered up into diagnostic mode and ran the switches test. This failed with 5 switches that didn't engage - ok it is now worse than before.

 

Turning it back over and looking at the ones that were not working I could see that the spring had a significant gap before it would touch the micro switch, so I took the PCBs off again and using needle-nose pliers (round profile) stretched all the springs; they are pretty tough and don't stretch easily.  Then I put the PCBs back on again and repeated the diagnostics - this time it failed with 4 switches.

 

There is still a gap between springs and micro-switches, so I put all the little black bits back again and this time it passes the diagnostics with ease.

 

That is except for the Expression Toe switch which I have never been able to work without standing on it - during the diagnostics I could get it to switch with some pressure and flexing of the frame.  So I had a look at that too:

 

This is not a micro-switch and the reason why it is hard to switch is simply the mechanical part on the bottom of the expression pedal not making contact - so how to change things so it does work with less pressure?  I looked at moving the PCB closer but this is not possible, I looked at extending the mechanical bit under the pedal, but the switch looked as though it might be an electrical circuit being completed by the expression pedal so I couldn't use anything non-conductive.  In the end - and with much more confidence about it because I had the unit open - I took a flat file, and with the HD500 upside down carefully removed a millimetre or so from the rubber block under the expression pedal and carefully shook the filings out of the pedal sideways.  Then I gave it all another blow with the air and did the full diagnostics test - this time the expression toe switch engaged with reasonable pressure.

 

It was then just a case of putting the floor of the unit back on and running the expression pedal calibration; and everything is working - I would say just like new, but actually it is better than new because I can use the Expression Toe switch now and never bothered before.

 

So my recommendation for an HD500 is that switches that won't engage are probably down to compressed springs and are very simply fixed by disassembling and stretching the springs slightly - you will only need the correct size screwdriver, socket spanner and needle nose pliers to fix this and some Air to blow away any dust in the switch mechanicals, and a flat file if you want to fix the expression pedal switch. 

 

You do not need contact cleaner inside an HD500 except if the Pots are going scratchy (not sure how you would notice this except perhaps by the values jumping). A very light oil (even WD40!) can quieten down the switch mechanisms but spraying anything into the switches from outside is pointless.

 

It may not be the case for every production batch, or for the HD500X, but for my unit I struggle to see how the micro-switches could be damaged by too much pressure and there was no need to remove the black plastic bits.  Other production batches may have had changes to the tolerances of the components, and if your switches engage just by looking at them then physical contact may be being made too early in the mechanical switch range and I would consider removing the black bits before the micro-switches are d

I guess our problems were different. My switch would eventually engage, or disengage depending how many times i pressed it. The contact cleaner worked well. No problems for the past few gigs and many rehearsals. I have not taken the mechanisms apart, but can vouch for the contact cleaner from the top method if your switch is working intermittently.

 

J

[billlorentzen]

On the issue with the control pedal toe switch, mine was always very hard to engage as well. I'm not a big wah wah guy, but after a few years, it developed a problem where when I engaged the wah the whole unit would stop outputting signal, even including the mini plug input, until I disengaged the pedal. I'm pretty sure this is from pressure and flexing the unit. Anyway, I pulled out my old Cry Baby and stopped using the toe switch.

[zaphodboy]

I seemingly had a problem with one of the footswitches periodically not working. This had been going on for a few weeks but I hadn't done anything about it, when a new FW was released. I reflashed to the new FW and the problem went away. Must have been some sort of software glitch. For once my procrastination worked in my favour!!

[clarencet410]

Ok, big gig in front of 1000+ people now out of the way (the people were there, whether they were listening is a completely different question!), so I finally had a chance to open up the HD 500 to look at those 2 reluctant switches that have been annoying me.

 

Removed the back screws, slid the floor slightly to one side and back again to access to the inside. As per the video the actual switches are on a pair of PCBs that the run the length of the unit just under the mechanical switches - these only contain the electrical switches and LEDs.  Two nuts hold down either end, but the main connection is actually a three pronged clip that forms part of the mechanical switch and prevents the electrical switch from moving.

 

Just by looking it is obvious that there is no point at all in spraying contact cleaner into the mechanical switches without opening the unit - there might be some value in spraying a little lubricant from the inside pointing outwards just to reduce mechanical noise, but the chances of contact cleaner actually getting to the micro switch from outside is zero - unless you flood the whole thing which is just silly.

 

I checked the micro switches and the mechanical switches and individually they all worked fine. So I blew around everything with some Air and then did as was suggested and removed the little black plastic bits, then reattached the PCBs, pressed a few switches and tested I could hear the micro switches go click, then turned the HD500 over and powered up into diagnostic mode and ran the switches test. This failed with 5 switches that didn't engage - ok it is now worse than before.

 

Turning it back over and looking at the ones that were not working I could see that the spring had a significant gap before it would touch the micro switch, so I took the PCBs off again and using needle-nose pliers (round profile) stretched all the springs; they are pretty tough and don't stretch easily.  Then I put the PCBs back on again and repeated the diagnostics - this time it failed with 4 switches.

 

There is still a gap between springs and micro-switches, so I put all the little black bits back again and this time it passes the diagnostics with ease.

 

That is except for the Expression Toe switch which I have never been able to work without standing on it - during the diagnostics I could get it to switch with some pressure and flexing of the frame.  So I had a look at that too:

 

This is not a micro-switch and the reason why it is hard to switch is simply the mechanical part on the bottom of the expression pedal not making contact - so how to change things so it does work with less pressure?  I looked at moving the PCB closer but this is not possible, I looked at extending the mechanical bit under the pedal, but the switch looked as though it might be an electrical circuit being completed by the expression pedal so I couldn't use anything non-conductive.  In the end - and with much more confidence about it because I had the unit open - I took a flat file, and with the HD500 upside down carefully removed a millimetre or so from the rubber block under the expression pedal and carefully shook the filings out of the pedal sideways.  Then I gave it all another blow with the air and did the full diagnostics test - this time the expression toe switch engaged with reasonable pressure.

 

It was then just a case of putting the floor of the unit back on and running the expression pedal calibration; and everything is working - I would say just like new, but actually it is better than new because I can use the Expression Toe switch now and never bothered before.

 

So my recommendation for an HD500 is that switches that won't engage are probably down to compressed springs and are very simply fixed by disassembling and stretching the springs slightly - you will only need the correct size screwdriver, socket spanner and needle nose pliers to fix this and some Air to blow away any dust in the switch mechanicals, and a flat file if you want to fix the expression pedal switch. 

 

You do not need contact cleaner inside an HD500 except if the Pots are going scratchy (not sure how you would notice this except perhaps by the values jumping). A very light oil (even WD40!) can quieten down the switch mechanisms but spraying anything into the switches from outside is pointless.

 

It may not be the case for every production batch, or for the HD500X, but for my unit I struggle to see how the micro-switches could be damaged by too much pressure and there was no need to remove the black plastic bits.  Other production batches may have had changes to the tolerances of the components, and if your switches engage just by looking at them then physical contact may be being made too early in the mechanical switch range and I would consider removing the black bits before the micro-switches are damaged. 

This worked for me, two thumbs and toes up to you man and keep rocking.

[dmaurizio]

In my HD500X I have a switch (FS5)  that does not click when I press it.

 

But now it switches corretcly the patch, without problems.

How I can solve the "click" problem? In the next days I have a live and  I am concerned    about what will happen if the patches on FS5 can'not be selected  

 

Thank you

[ruemiser]

Hi there, it's now 2022 and I know this thread is somewhat old.  I have owned my HD-500 for a number of years.  Purchased used through Ebay.  Never used it in a live setting but for recording only.  I noticed the same issues many have reported on with the switches.  Sometimes a few would engage or not.  I've read and researched this over a variety of boards including this one.  I've managed to fix my issues and wanted to share it.  Before doing this job be sure to have a small socket wrench for the internal (3mm) nut which holds the Switch board to the Chassie.  Also have 2 needle nose plyers +Philips screwdriver.  Also have on hand some cleaner- degreaser such as DeoxIT (Not the spray but the needle applicator type. 

 

- Remove all Phillips Screws on the botton with the exception being the two middle screws.  These attach to the metal providing bracing for the floorboard.

- Slightly move the bottom to left or right then pull the bottom out.  Leave the unit upside down for the remaining procedures.

- Remove both Nuts from each side of the switch boards.  Do the same for the next set of switches 

- Carefully use a screwdriver and lightly pull back the brace lock at the back of the switch board for each switch, then pry back the additional locking pieces.  lightly pull
  up each switch section until all are removed then flip just the switch board piece upside down so the springs do not fall out from each of the metal switches above

- Apply a few drops of the cleaner degreaser and lighty depress each switch on the circuit board then lightly wipe off excess.

- Using needle nose plyers, carefully pull spring with plastic off.  Remove plastic depression button temporarily and hold spring with two needlenose plyers securely through the end of the rings and lightly pull them apart a bit to stretch the spring.  Put plastic piece back on and back into the metal piece of the upper button mechanism.  Do this for all remaining switches.
- Re-assemble unit and put the screws back on.
- Power up the HD-500 and test.  You should notice a large improvement for engaging the switches.

 

This procedure fixed all my floorboard button issues.

 

- Best - David