I just purchased my 4th MIDI breakout cable for the BB. I LOVE my BB. If I’m not gigging on a day (like today), I’m adding songs, editing, etc.
These cables seem to have a short life span/endurance. During my last frustration with this, I found that when I picked up the BB with the breakout cable attached, the cable worked!.. then when I set it back down it (MIDI) stopped working. So after repeated picking up and setting down, I discovered that there seems to be a “disconnect” within the breakout cable that “re-connects” when the cable is in a 90-degree downward position. So in an effort to confirm/diagnose, I took out my older non-working breakout cables and OMG… they all did this!!
TEMPORARY SOLUTION: So I took a rubber band and “folded the cable” in a 180-degree downward loop position and with the rubber band held it in this position… and viola! They all work! So I have 3 broken but now working BB breakout cables.
THE CATCH: When I attach the BB to my pedal board… the folded-over breakout cable works it’s way out of the port on the BB and I now have no connection. It happens during gigs and is very frustrating. So today I purchased number 4 that SHOULD not need to be folded over and rubber banded to work AND will stay in the port.
Has anyone else had this issue with the breakout cables? Is there a better solution?
I have not had this issue however, I’m probably not putting mine to as challenging a service as you are placing yours. Some users have reported that their adaptor cables don’t seem to fit snugly in the pedal MIDI port.
From what you describe, it seems like you have a loose connection from the pedal MIDI port to the cable. You could probably ask support@singularsound.com to consider replacing your pedal if it was under warranty when you bought your first MIDI Sync Adaptor. Wouldn’t hurt to ask.
Some options to consider:
Fasten your pedals to a pedal board and leave the connections in place. This should place less wear and tear on your pedal, port and cable.
Try to wedge something between the barrel of the cable and the port to hold it more firmly in place.
You could try to gently crimp the cable barrel with channel locks or a vise but that’s kind of risky.
Modify your pedal to use TRS-to-MIDI; the instructions and schematics are on the forum. I think nepali_brother was one of those users.
Anyway, please let us know what you come up with as a solution.
The breakout cable seems to be a bit flimsy indeed mine also broke, best is to solder your own, from seperate components, wire, ps2 connector and two female din plugs. this is much more flexible and more sturdy than the original one.
While I will say I am not in love with the need for a breakout cable, I have had my BB running midi for a LONG time now (7-8 years) and still using the first breakout cable. I’m mot sure why you are having these issues.
