Crazy Random Accent Hits on my BB!

BeatBuddy Help, Questions and Bugs
1

My beatbuddy started to randomly play accent hits, even when the footswitch+ was disconnected, or even when BB is paused, or even before to start playing a song.

I have only used it indoors, and I am not a gigging musician. I have used it just as a songwriting tool, at my place. I´ve done regular firmware updates and all that.

Very disappointed since I´ve been a Singular Sound loyal costumer buying their Beatbuddy, Footswitch+, Aeros Looper, Cabli, lots of Goran Rista´s beats and drum kits, etc. Specially with the BB being such a creative songwriting tool.

I didn´t know why this is was happening, so I reached Support. They said I should try these 4-step-instructions:

1. Obtain a NEW and unused SD card, 4-32 GB in size.
2. Download the ‘SD Card Backup’ file: https://mybeatbuddy.s3.amazonaws.com/BeatBuddy_Default_Content+2.1-Project-SD_Card_Backup.zip
3. Unzip all the content, and put the extracted files onto the clean SD card. In the SD card you should now see 4 folders and 1 file - DRUMSETS, EFFECTS, PARAMS, SONGS and the file named HASH.BCF (If you do not have an unzipping program, you may download a free one here: http://www.7-zip.org/)
4. Your SD card is ready for use!

I did them all. The issue continued.

So, in this scenario, I tried to find any solution that could help.

I tried playing the BB with no midi sync cable (to Aeros Looper) and no footswitch+ connected. ¡There were no random accent hits!

I tried connecting the midi sync cable to my Aeros and also the footswitch+ to the BB. Little by little the BB started to present the issue (random hit accents). It was strange that as time went on, the hit accents become more and more frequent, at the point that after some minutes of playing it was just a big mess of continuous hit accents.

So…what the hell was happening?

I reached again to Support, and they replied this:
“You could try factory resetting it (last option in the main settings menu). If that does not work, then the BeatBuddy very likely needs to be replaced.”

“We repair/replace all products within the two year warranty. Please provide the serial number (located on the bottom of the BeatBuddy) as well as proof of purchase that shows the date of original purchase.”

My BB is out of that 2 year warranty, so what could I do?

Support said I could try installing the latest firmware, which I did. But my BB at some point started doing CRAZY things as:

  • random accent hits,
  • random navigation through songs folders,
  • strange behaviour of the visual metronome on the screen,
  • start and stop playing.

(no midi sync cable and no footswitch+ connected)

I also tried factory reset. But my BB just went crazy at some point. I WAS SO FRUSTRATED.

But then…

After a couple days, I kind of find out something: since the whole problem started with random accent hits, I guessed something was going on with the action hits. So I tried this:

  • BB with headphone jack connected so I could hear audio.
  • BB with old Sd Card.
  • BB with Footswitch+ disconnected.
  • *By pressing both Drum Set and Tempo knobs simultaneously, I went to the Main Pedal Menu, then I went to the Footswitch+ Menu and disabled ALL the actions on the Footswitch+ Left Button. BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED.
    *** I disabled ALL the actions on the Footswitch+ Right Button, AND THEN THERE WERE NO RANDOM ACCENT HITS AT ALL, no crazy navigation through the songs folder, no issues at all.

I tested it for about 2 hours and none of the problems mentioned previously appeared!!!

So, then I tested connecting the Footswitch+:

  • Left Button worked correctly since I configured it only to Pause when BB is Playing and Restart when BB is Paused.
  • Since RIGHT BUTTON was all OFF (Off while playing & Off while paused), it did nothing and had no issues.

However, working with Footswitch+ RIGHT BUTTON completely disabled will make me lose every action possible with that button.

Does anyone here in the forum visualize anything so I could fix this issue? Please, please, please.

Thanks for even reading this whole story and/or trying to figure it out.

Cheers!
Vicente

2

I had posted what I thought might be a fix, but reread your post and deleted what I thought the problem might be.

It does sound like a problem with the circuit board or a component. I

3

I would start with DeOxit and a Q-Tip and clean the heck out of the footswitch jack on the BB. With a little luck, all that’s happened is you have some sort of schmutz grounding the tip and ring (or ring and sleeve). Otherwise, it is likely the sensor that responds to shorting them has gone south and you need to beg them to replace it or give you at least some sort of deal on a replacement. But I am always shocked at how often a good cleaning solves the problem.

Cheap solution and therefore worth a shot.

4

And along with Joe’s suggestion consider trying these troubleshooting steps:

  • Try a different TRS patch cable
  • Plug the remote foot switch in
  • Goto pedal settings and run the foot switch detector
  • Press and release the right button when prompted—you’re reversing the buttons
  • Then press and release the left button when prompted
  • Does the left button now cause the same problems as did the right button?
  • If so, you most likely have an issue with the pedal however, if not, it could be that the right button is malfunctioning
  • You can try some DeoxIT on the right button but if that doesn’t work, you’ll need to replace the button

If it’s the pedal that’s actually acting up, get a can of compressed air and give some blasts to the digital encoders and the main pedal switch shaft on the pedal. Remove the bottom plate from the pedal and give a few gentle blasts of compressed air to the interior of the pedal and to the remote foot switch jack that’s on the pedal. Do the same for the remote foot switch buttons and jack.

Good luck and let us know if anything helped. If it is the BB pedal, you might be able to ask Singular Sound if they’ll give you a discount on a new BeatBuddy.

5

Couple questions…

  • Have you tried a different power adapter? Are you using the original supplied adapter? I believe the one from the Aeros would work to give a try.
  • When you said you ‘disconnected’ the footswitch did this mean the TRS cable was also removed from the jack? If it wasn’t removed try a different cable as suggested.
  • Is the BB being used near any device that could emit RF(radio frequency) such as WiFi, Bluetooth, wireless phone, etc.? Try the BB in a different room.
  • Is it seasonally humid where you are? Some solder fluxes can absorb moisture and if not cleaned well from a circuit board may allow electrical leakage. This could possibly cause erratic behaviour. Place the BB in a warm, dry location for a day or so and see if it helps.
6

Hey! Thanks for your input @JoeInOttawa !!! I will try what you said and I´ll let you know the results. Cheers man!

7

Hey! Thanks for all your ideas @persist !!! Specially for taking your time to read this long post! I am very glad to see how BB users come to help others who are in trouble. I will try what you said and I´ll let you know the results. Cheers!

8

Hi @MarkF48 ! Thanks for your reply!

  • Q: Have you tried a different power adapter? Are you using the original supplied adapter? I believe the one from the Aeros would work to give a try.
    A: I use the original supplied adapter, but a couple times I have used other with daisy chain method (total and individual mA was ok). But all the time that I have been experiencing the issue, it´s been the original supplied adapter.

  • Q: When you said you ‘disconnected’ the footswitch did this mean the TRS cable was also removed from the jack? If it wasn’t removed try a different cable as suggested.
    A: I meant I unplugged the Footswitch+ TRS cable at the BB. So the BB had no TRS connected to itself. And yes, it seems that the first step will be trying another TRS cable and the DeoxiT too.

  • Q: Is the BB being used near any device that could emit RF(radio frequency) such as WiFi, Bluetooth, wireless phone, etc.? Try the BB in a different room.
    A: It is close to a regular mixer (no bluetooth or wifi), but its also close to a Presonus 3.5BT (with bluetooth) monitor. I will try that with the BB in another room.

  • Q: Is it seasonally humid where you are? Some solder fluxes can absorb moisture and if not cleaned well from a circuit board may allow electrical leakage. This could possibly cause erratic behaviour. Place the BB in a warm, dry location for a day or so and see if it helps.
    A: My BB is right over my desk, and there is a very dry weather during all year long here in Santiago, Chile :wink:

Thanks!

9

Hi guys @persist @MarkF48 @JoeInOttawa,

Before doing the things you proposed, I connected my BB and it took maybe 1 hour to do the crazy behavior due to random accent hits. But once that began, it become more and more frequent. The last time I connected my BB was maybe 3 months ago, mostly because I am frustrated with this issue. This delay in appearing the problem is not the first time it has occurred. I am not sure why this happens. It´s like after some time off, the pedal is ok for 1-2 hours, but then these random accent hits appear and then they just go crazy as time goes by.

Ok, first of all I bought DeoxiT D100 spray. I did some research on the web and this one seem to be the right one because it is not flammable (while D5 is) and D100 has no solvents, making it a gentler choice that offers more lubrication.

But before applying DeoxiT D100 to BB and Footswitch+ jacks I tried giving it some blasts of compressed air on the jacks, on the the outside and specially on the inside of the pedal removing the plate. I tested and the random accent hits continued.

Then I applied the DeoxiT D100 spray on the input/output and footswitch jacks, and operated TRS tips to help break up oxides and contamination. I tested and issue continued to happen.

Then, I did what @persist proposed about going to Footswitch Settings and run the foot switch detector to reverse the buttons. Remember that until here the switch #2 on the Footswitch+ (I referred to it as the RIGHT switch on my first post) had assigned the accent hits when pedal was playing, stoped and paused. And as I turn all these functions on the Switch #2 to OFF (when playing, stoped and paused) then the problem is absolutely gone. This is a reason to think that something on the switch #2 of the footswitch is wrong…but it could be something due to the hardware (on the Footswitch+? TRS cable? Beatbuddy footswitch input?) or due to the software (Footswitch Settings on the BB), right?

Ok, so I reversed the buttons, so now the accent hits (when playing, stopped and paused) were redirected to switch #1 on the Footswitch+ (or LEFT button). What I observed was that now the random behavior WAS STILL on the functions assigned to switch #2 (RIGHT switch), which in this case I had assigned mostly the pedal to stop and restart playing. So now there were no random accent hits but there were random stop/restart playing.

A conclusion would be that something is happening on the RIGHT switch on the Footswitch+, right? Whatever the action I assig to the switch #2, it do random and crazy behavior. Right?

But as I said before, I gave it blasts of compressed air (on the outside of the Footswitch+ and BB, as well as on the inside removing each one´s plate), also I applied DeoxiT D100 to both of them, etc etc. So how it could be a hardware problem on the switch #2?

What I did then was to disconnect the Footswitch+ from BB while there were random accent hits happening.

THE ISSUE WAS STILL THERE!!! RANDOM ACCENT HITS STILL HAPPENING!!! Even by disconnecting the Footswitch+ from BB!!!

How can this be possible?

I am not an engineer tech, but I imagine that it could be something on the BB´s software that triggers random actions on the switch #2 of the Footswitch even when Footswitch+ is disconnected from BB.

If that´s the case, is there any fix to it?

What can I be missing?

Do anyone have any ideas?

Or maybe something to try so I can discard scenarios?

Cheers guys and thanks so much for your help and time.
Vicente

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10

If you disconnect the foot switch while the issue is happening it’s possible that the issue will continue—once started the issue has been triggered and disconnecting the cable probably will not stop it.

At this stage in the trouble shooting process, I am guessing that it’s either the TRS patch cable or the right switch. If you’ve already tested with a different TRS cable, that can be ruled out. That would leave the right switch as the likely source of the problem. If you decide to replace the switch, make sure that it’s the same momentary type and that it matches whether it’s momentary on or momentary off. You can test the switches with a multimeter to confirm the lack of continuity but since the problem happens randomly, there’s no guarantee that the multimeter will detect the short.

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11

When you say, "disconnected the footswitch, did you mean you unplugged the switch from the cable, or you unplugged the cable from the BB? It could also be your TRS cable. But, as Persists suggested, you do have to stop the BB to make sure you’re not hearing legacy glitches.

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12

If you haven’t yet tried the adapter from the Aeros maybe give it a try. Adapters can go bad. Possibly outputting low voltage or some DC that isn’t well filtered. Perhaps it warms up during use and gets a bit wonky.
I’m inclined to think it’s not the footswitch or the cable, but good to check those as well.

13

Hi @JoeInOttawa , I meant that I unplugged the TRS cable from the BB, so then BB was just connected to the speakers while Footswitch+ had the TRS connected to it but on the other side was unconnected.

14

Probably not the cable, then…

:slight_smile:

15

Hi @MarkF48 , I have not tried the Aeros power adapter, but I did so with another one (Truetone 1 Spot, here: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/1Spot9v--truetone-1-spot-slim-9v-dc-adapter) and the problem was still there.

What makes you think there are other reasons that the footswitch or the cable? Just to know and maybe give it a try.

Cheers.

16

Were you able to clean the jack also behind the plate? From all possible angles etc. I’d guess there is some dust etc that is causing short circuit driven by the voltage.

The footswitch #2 should be in the ring, so it makes sense that it’s that one that has the random signals and not the switch #1 that is on the tip :thinking:

The dust should be in a place where it falls away from ring/sleeve over time, and then it has to climb with the help of voltage when BB is turned on :thinking::sweat_smile:

Or instead of dust it could be some dangling wire that is moved by the voltage. If that’s the case then cleaning doesn’t work, but the wire should be re-attached :thinking:

17

Vicente… Any chance you might have a voltmeter (DMM or analog) or could borrow one easily (worthwhile to own one for checking cables and battries)? Both the #1 and #2 footswitches will have a voltage present at one side of its switches. When a switch is depressed the switch contact closes and essentially shorts the voltage to ‘0’ (zero). There is a logic block function in the pedal that when the voltage goes to ‘0’ it toggles the logic from high to low and initiates the function that it was programmed to do. See attached diagram below.
While the voltage could be measured in the footswitch, it can also be measured at the end of the TRS cable. With the meter set to read DC volts and the negative lead (black) from the meter touched to the sleeve of the TRS plug and the positive lead (red) to either the tip or ring of the TRS plug you should measure 4.95-5.0 volts DC (my BB was 4.95 vdc) and this voltage should be very stable and not jump around whatsoever. If this voltage is low or not stable, my thinking is that there may be a poor connection on a circuit board in the BB, possibly a solder joint on a component that is intermittent that causes the logic block input to go to ‘0’ voltage and trigger the accents. The pedal may be OK when first turned on, but as the internals of the pedal warm up a loose connection may expand and get a bit wonky. If the voltage does appear to be a problem it might be possible to have a local tech (or a techy minded friend) look for possible solder connection problems near the footswitch jack. I’ve never pulled the circuit board out of the BB and I don’t particularly like playing with smallish ribbon cables which the BB has.
This voltage may not even be the problem, but for the way the BB is acting is something to look at.

Other things to try…
Dampen a cotton swab with DeOxit and wipe down the contacts on SC Card.
Try another reinstall of the firmware, maybe an older version if you have it

I’m thinking the problem may not be user fixable, but hoping you get lucky.

Not likely ever going to happen, but at this stage in the life of the BB pedal it would be a goodwill gesture for SS to make the schematics or at least a block diagram of the pedals workings public since they provide no repair service. The pedal has gotten to a price point that if mine craps out it will not get replaced.

(forgot to note that the component below the +5vdc is a resistor which limits the current flow when FS1 is closed to ‘ground’ which causes the ‘0’ voltage at the logic input)

bb logic
bb logic893×768 100 KB

1 Like
18

@Vicente_Barrena
You are a very, very good writer. Very clear, concise, and easy to follow.

To that end, I hope you get the support you so clearly have earned, by the detailed documentation you authored. You have, unwittingly, penned one of the best troubleshooting documents I’ve seen, especially on a forum.

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19

THANKS @LakeLife !!! I just wanted to explain very clearly so good hearted users (“beat-buddies”) could help me. Also I know there are a lot of techy-variables on this issue to be considered and I hope they are all there in the explanation. Cheers man.

20

Since, the problem occurs even when you don’t have the external footswitch attached, I recon the problem is in the BB itself. You mention that it only starts acting up after some time, it might be a bad solder joint on one or more of the connections. My suggetion is take the whole BB apart and check all the solder joints of the leads and connectors going to and from the input jack of the external footswitch in the BB. If you have a soldering iron refresh je solder joints. Do it yourselves or ask a technician to do it. Bad solderjoints can create lots of problems, and act up due to temperature variations.

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