Ecstasy Footswitch

brianiac5150

Active member
For some reason my 20th Ecstasy footswitch - which sits on top of my 20th Shiva on top of the Ecstasy and doesn't move - decided to take a dump on me. I've contacted Bogner, who's been very cool about it all and offered a couple options; however, thought I'd check here first to see if - by some stroke of luck - a fellow RT'er has an Ecstasy footswitch sitting around they might want to sell.

The issue here is that I do not KNOW it's the switch. One evening I turned on the amp and the footswitch simply won't power on. Nothing, no lights, nothing and I don't have anyone close who has one I could test to make sure it's not the amp.

PM me if you think you can help.

Thanks!
 
Are you sure it's not the cable? Unlikely, sure, because, as you said, it doesn't move. However, might be easier to test if you have a multimeter. Could also be a contact in the jacks.
 
Nope...I'm not sure. I know absolutely nothing about what the issue could be.

I do have a multimeter, however, have no idea where to begin diagnosing any issue.

Just plain floors me that - without having been moved in any way - it works one startup then nothing the next. I've got to find someone in the area with an Ecstasy footswitch just to plug another one in and see if it works. Then it should be obvious if it's the switch or the amp, correct?
 
If you had another switch and it worked, it would prove that your switch was the problem. If it still didn't work, the problem could still be in the amp or in the cable.

If you'd like to check the cable... if your multimeter has a continuity check, use that setting. If not, just set it to measure resistance. With the cable detached from both the amp and the switch, touch one of the pins with one of the probes and touch the same pin on the other end of the cable with the other probe. It should have connectivity or shouldn't measure more than a few ohms of resistance. If there's no connectivity or the resistance is high or infinite between the same pins, then I'd suspect the cable.

This is assuming that the cable is a straight connection (e.g. pin 1 = pin 1, pin 2 = pin 2, etc). I'm not sure that this is the case, but it most likely is the way the cable's wired. Bogner could confirm this...

But, if you do find a problem with your cable, let me know and I'll verify your findings against my cable. If you don't find a problem with your cable, I'll see if there are some measurements you could take on the amp's footswitch jack. In any case, you should be able to determine if the problem is definitely the switch, the cable, or the amp with just your multimeter.

I know that it seems unlikely that either could just go bad without being moved. I've seen it happen, though. Sometimes, if a solder connection isn't good, or if there's a weak spot in the middle of the cable, just the stress of gravity can eventually be enough to cause a short. Differences in tempurature and humidity can cause the insulation to dry and warp. And just using the switches can send small mechanical shockwaves through the jacks and cable. Regardless, this doesn't happen very often, but it does happen.

A couple of other things you can try...

If you have some Deoxit, you can try cleaning the jacks on both the amp and the switch. You could also try cleaning the switches by removing the back cover of the footswitch and spraying some Deoxit in each switch.

Also, with everything connected, wiggle the cable and see if the lights on the switch flicker. If so, the problem is probably in either the jacks or the cable.

Anyway, good luck with this! I'm sure that you'll figure it out!!
 
If you have a regular trs footswitch or midi solution like a voodoo lab control switcher or RJM amp gizmo, I have a medusa cable laying around. Would at least help diagnose amp vs. cable vs. switch problem.
 
My footswitch is the one with the cable wired internally to the footswitch and only has one open connector end to the amp. Same with my 20th Shiva.

The Deoxit is a good recommendation and I've been meaning to get some anyway.

I don't have any other method of testing the cable. Considering the price of a new Bogner switch, I'm contemplating buying another Mini Amp Gizmo, however, I'm one of those guys who really likes to have the amp footswitch regardless.

Bogner has provided an RA, so I think I'm just gonna send it back and hope they diagnose it as the issue. They've also provided a couple replacement switch options, too, and have been really communicative.

Again...just thought I'd check here in the off chance one was sitting idle.
 
That's really cool that Bogner is helping you out like that. I've heard good things about their customer service, but haven't ever had a reason to talk with them. I hope it is the footswitch and they can fix it quickly.

That's interesting that the footswitch cable is hardwired. It's not on my 101B like it is on my 20th Shiva. Guess I'd thought they'd be the same.

I know what you mean about having the amp footswitches, regardless of whether or not I use a switcher for them. :)
 
Bogner's customer service is top-drawer.

Interestingly - when I first got my 20thA-XTC when it FIRST came out, got it, unpacked it, and it too has the hard-wired cable with 5-pin/MIDI style-to-head connection. Brand new. Set everything up?? No jam to the FS.

Panic.

Anyway, I let the cables relax a bit, pushed everything together that I thought needed a bit of pressure, etc. and whaddya know?? Been working ever since...

Might sound crazy, but just push the cable into the FS a put with some force - not harsh or jamming it in or anything - and just make sure everything looks proper and right. It seemed to me as though it almost was wound too tight during packaging and somehow the connections unpaired within the system. Unlikely I know, but then the restoration to perfect operability was just as unlikely.

Give it a shot - don't panic - it's all good... And they've got your back :thumbsup:
 
Are you sure the little button on the back for the FX Loop didn't get changed? I can't recall off the top of my head if it should be set to Off or On when using the footswitch--but that needs to be set correctly for the footswitch to work. I have a little piece of tape on the back of my amp telling me which way it has to be set and I check it every time I set it up.

Edit: The little FX Loop button on the back should be in the Off (Pushed In) position for the footswitch to work.
 
Drew":297wgx82 said:
Are you sure the little button on the back for the FX Loop didn't get changed? ...
Yeah...I did check that, although it hadn't been moved away from the wall for it to've been pushed.
 
Somehow...blown ground within the connector. Sent it to Bogner - after several emails back and forth with service - and they rocked the repair. Got it back this afternoon, got home, connected and all seems well. Excellent service and communication from Bogner. :rock:
 
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