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My Boss CE-3 LED is dim when plugged in but bright when using battery. Any thoughts?


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I've been using an old used CE-3 for a while now and it sounds perfectly good, but there's one problem with the LED. When I power it with a battery, the LED lights up all the way when turned on (and the sound is good). But when i power it with my Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2, the LED is really dim when turned on (but the sound is still just as good.)

 

Does anyone have any ideas how i could troubleshoot or fix this? Might it be that something is shorting with the ac plug? Something i could easily fix? Thanks.

 

EDIT: Actually, i may have just found the solution. The pedal needs an ACA adaptor. I should switch the dip switch on the pedal power to ACA.

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Make sure it's plugged into the right output on the PP2, and make sure the DIP switch is set correctly. The older Boss ACA pedals needs 12v unregulated, so it won't be using the same power settings as your other 9v pedals.

 

According to the website, it needs one of outputs 1-4 with DIP switch set to ON.

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I'm pretty sure you can mod them to accept a standard 9v too.

From what I remember reading is that the 12v is dropped down to 9v with an adapter and it runs off a 9v battery because it bypasses that adapter input circuit.

 

I went down the same path with a HM-2.

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Hey guys, you're right. I flipped the DIP switch for ACA mode and the CE-3 LED lit up real bright. So thank you!

 

Buuuut, I think the pedal sounded differently than usual. It was brighter in a harsh way rather than the rounded off punchy sparkle it had with battery or with the DIP switch set to 9v. Am I imagining this, or would power effect this pedal like this? Is it dangerous to power the pedal with the Pedal Power jack set to normal 9v?

 

Thanks again.

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Hey guys, you're right. I flipped the DIP switch for ACA mode and the CE-3 LED lit up real bright. So thank you!


Buuuut, I think the pedal sounded differently than usual. It was brighter in a harsh way rather than the rounded off punchy sparkle it had with battery or with the DIP switch set to 9v. Am I imagining this, or would power effect this pedal like this? Is it dangerous to power the pedal with the Pedal Power jack set to normal 9v?


Thanks again.

 

 

You probably just prefer the sound of the pedal at 9v. Operating it at 12v will give it more headroom and will be brighter. I doubt you damaged your pedal...you just don't like the sound of the pedal the way it was designed to sound.

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You probably just prefer the sound of the pedal at 9v. Operating it at 12v will give it more headroom and will be brighter. I doubt you damaged your pedal...you just don't like the sound of the pedal the way it was designed to sound.

 

 

Sounds right. Im pretty sure i've read complaints of Boss choruses sounding shrill after 1980, but this pedal always sounded smooth and transparent and subtle to me. I figured it was cuz i was running through warm overdriven amps. But running it at the full 12v did suddenly sound harsh. So hopefully i don't hurt it--or my PP2--if i continue running at 9v. Thanks for the help.

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