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Topic: Volume pedal hum when put down on the floor |
SveinungL
From:
Gjøvik - Norway - Europe - Earth
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Posted 9 May 2001 11:50 pm |
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I have a volume pedal (cobra coil) passive open type like the Sho~Bud or Ernie Ball type pedals. It has worked fine for a long period now: Suddenly here the other day I noticed a hum from the pedal. When I lift the pedal from the floor the hum dissapeares, but down on the floor the hum returnes. There are no heating cables or any other electrisity in the floor as far as I'm concerned.
Can anyone help me?
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Thanks SveinungL - Norway
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Kentucky Riders
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 10 May 2001 1:50 am
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If the pedal is an open bottom pedal, like, for example, the Emmons pedal you can try covering it with something metal that will shield the bottom.
But, it could also be a bad cable. Try moving the cables with the pedal on the floor and see if the hum goes away or try different cables. Make sure the cables have metal shielded connectors, not the molded plastic covers as they do not shield.
Check the wiring inside the pedal to make sure the wiring is good. A bad or loose ground or even a bad plug that isn't making good ground connection could cause the problem.
You say there is no AC electrical in the floor but a power strip or even a rack unit sitting close by could cause the problem.
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 10 May 2001 7:43 am
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| Try putting a piece of aluminium foil under the pedal. |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 10 May 2001 9:29 am
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| Any wall wart AC adapters on the floor near pedal or cords? |
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SveinungL
From:
Gjøvik - Norway - Europe - Earth
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Posted 11 May 2001 12:54 am
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Thanks for all answers!
There are no AC power sources or equipment near the volume pedal. All my cables are Georgel's and working 100%. I will try to shield it with a metal foil.
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Thanks SveinungL - Norway
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Kentucky Riders
[This message was edited by SveinungL on 11 May 2001 at 01:55 AM.] |
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Frank Parish
From:
Nashville,Tn. USA
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Posted 17 May 2001 4:15 am
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| This is an interesting piece. I had the very same problem last night while trying to record some tracks with an Emmons pedal. I would've used the Hilton but it was about 40 miles away so I took the Emmons. We were recording with a mike on the amp (Evans). I tried foil, moving the amp, changing the settings and everywhere I went I got hum. I did have a delay pedal next to the volume pedal. I wonder if this was the problem? |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 17 May 2001 8:43 am
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| Frank, hum comes mostly from two things: Ground loops and AC power fields. The problem with grounds is that equipment can be referenced to earth ground, circuit ground, or chassis ground. The three grounds can exist at any potential relative to each other. This happens all the time when lots of equipment is mixed together. AC Power Fields---Electromagnetic fields occur near power transformers and AC wiring. I have had something as simple as a guitar cord next to a amp cord, and that would cause hum. The AC in the amp cord would couple with the guitar cord. Hum Happens! Shielded cable, humbucker pickups, balanced lines, ground-lift tabs, iso boxes and lately DSP engines tuned to quash hum all withness a constant struggle. I have been blessed with no hum problems blamed on my pedals. This was no accident. Designing a product against hum takes a lot of thought,work, and experimenting. It also takes the feedback from people using the product. Many experienced designers don't get it "right" the first time. The three biggest things a designer must be concerned with are: Sound quality, hum-noise elimination, and failure protection. I've been thinking about building a Isolation Box for unbalanced feeds,suitable for placement in line. Besides other parts, it basically consists of a isolation transformer, or opto-isolator for the audio signal. From all the posts about hum, it seems something like this is needed. I suppose the next question is wheather people would buy it? |
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Ernie Renn
From:
Brainerd, Minnesota USA
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Posted 17 May 2001 8:48 am
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SveinungL;
Try taking the ends off the George L's abd cutting the cable back a couple of inches and reconnect the ends. I had this problem a few years ago and somebody told me that the ground in the cord wasn't making a good connection. It fixed it.
Loosen the set screw - Pull out the cable - Cut it off evenly (I use a razor blade, but if you use a cutter form the end to be round after the cut) - insert the cable in the end - tighten the screw so you feel it touch the cable - then turn the screw two complete turns - done.
The reason I added the method is that initially I was just cranking the screw down until it stopped. That's not the right way to do it. I had problems with them and I asked Phil Baugh what I was doing wrong. He told me. Now I've told you all.
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My best,
Ernie
The Official Buddy Emmons Website
www.buddyemmons.com
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