Pedal Not Working

[scgmhawk]

Maybe someone has a suggestion. I have a Digitech Hothead distortion pedal. It's probably 2 or 3 years old but hasn't been used much at all. Last week I decided to hook it up and nothing happened. I changed the battery and still nothing. I took the top off and pressed down on the little on/off switch (I assume that's what it is that gets pressed when you step on the pedal) and still nothing happens. It's like it just died. Any thoughts on what may be the problem? Thanks.

 

[duhvoodooman]

Have you tried plugging it into a 9V center-negative wall wart and seeing if it will power up that way? If so, it's probably a battery connection wiring/solder point problem.

Another thing that will kill a pedal is if you plug in a reversed-polarity power source (i.e. a center-positive plug), which will often blow the polarity protection diode that's installed in many of these pedals. I repaired one for a friend a few months back that got hosed in this manner. It requires taking out the pedal's PCB, finding the diode, and inspecting it. Look for burn marks or discoloration, because they generate a lot of heat when they fail. It's a 10 minute fix with a soldering iron, assuming you have a replacement diode available.

 

[Spudman]

The other thing you'll have to check when you figure out if it is getting power is the switch. If that goes bad the light wont come on telling you that it's active. Sometimes with those Digitech pedals the light will come on when you plug in a cable to the input. If you do and the led lights up then you are getting power so it could be the switch.

Otherwise Voodoo nailed it. The battery leads break or the diode gets fried which is rare.