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Helix Variax connection


kittyhooch
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I went to use my Variax with my Helix today and it didn't work. It happened before and I'm not sure wh. First I checked if another car 5 cable worked. I tried a guitar cable along with the Variax cable. It connected. To see if the cable was providing power I took out the battery and I was able to select instruments on the Variax. So the cable is powering it, but not transmitting signal. I have a JTV-69S and Helix floor. I suspect one or the other may need a reset or something. Any suggestions welcome.

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 Visually inspect the ribbons inside the RJ45/VDI cable and its connectors, on both the Variax and the Helix. They can sometimes get bent. If so, fashion a small J-hook from a thin wire and gently reposition the ribbons.

 

Also using  a guitar cable and a VDI cable simultaneously is not a good idea. I know you only did it for test purposes but just be sure you don’t do it regularly. In fact, I always remove the battery when using VDI to be sure no issue develops from the dual power source. Overly cautious probably but better safe than sorry.

 

Oh, and make sure your Helix preset Input includes Variax. (Please don’t be offended by this basic question. Sometimes the simplest and most obvious things are overlooked).

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You said you connected the 1/4" guitar cable at the same time you had it powered by the CAT 5 cable. Don't do that. It could damage the circuit. If you've done this before, you may already have. I'm going to hope this next thing solves your problem. You ddin't mention this but, I have had patches where the Variax goes into magnetic mode. So your model selector will go dark. Just push the model selector knob. It will light back up and you will be able to switch models. Hope this helps. It would really suck if it's an actual problem. It sounds like this is not the issue but it's the only other thing I can think of.

 

Check this thread out. psarkissian works for Line 6 so read what is said in that post.

 

 

 

If you do use the 1/4" and VDI, apparently this might happen

 

If that happens, this is the only place I know to get a replacement and they are out of them. It also says it's for a JTV-89. Not sure if there is a difference. And let's not forget that they aren't making Variax's anymore. I thought that they were required to provide support for a few years after that according to some law. Not sure if that rule/law will be followed.

 

https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/215565-line-6-50-04-0079-2-jack-plate-assembly-for-jtv-89

 

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On 4/8/2024 at 7:41 PM, kittyhooch said:

Any suggestions welcome.

 

Double check the presets on your Helix and make sure the input is set accordingly. That has caught me several times.

 

For full Variax operation that needs to be set to "Variax" or "Multi". 

 

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