Patchbay failure or patch cables?

Here you go...the SoS article will give you more info than you want... :D...but it's easier to understand patchbays and signal flow when you have some diagrams...and the ones in this article are pretty good. You always want to think about signal flow...where is it coming from and where is it going, or where do you want it to go.

The Low-down On Analogue Interfacing
(scroll down for the patchbay stuff)
 
Just about every guitar amp ever built used a shorting contact on the input jack to keep things quiet when nothing was plugged in.

You almost never read/hear of such contact springs* getting weak, it certainly never happened to any of the amps I was involved in for 3 years or so..Except! Players CAN stress them. A yank on the cable in the wrong(right?) direction can stress the leaf out of contact, but that ain't a fair go!

So, that was then. Now, I DO hear of a few reports of FX loops playing up and that usually comes down to oxidised contacts or damage as above. Guitar amps were of course exposed to very smoky atmospheres and the odd pint of Watneys!

*Properly made springs do NOT wear out or break. Samples have lasted centuries in clocks and guns. When was the last time you heard of a valve spring failing in a car engine and I bet replacement is not on the service list THIS side of 1/2 million miles if ever!

Now, I know I shall get stick for this but, your local car shop will carry WD-40. Bit of that on a plastic scouring pad, wipe plug, job's a good'un (stinks a bit but some folks like the smell).

Dave.
 
Now, I know I shall get stick for this but, your local car shop will carry WD-40. Bit of that on a plastic scouring pad, wipe plug, job's a good'un (stinks a bit but some folks like the smell).

Dave.
I'm one that kind'a liked the smell. :) Least a damn sight better than anything 'Febreze' Dog Above...
Hope's #9 too :guitar:
 
Thanks for the good info, Miro. I'll just keep the pedal board plugged in and just rebuild the cables I guess, because what a pain to unplug them each time.
 
So is that pedal board for gigging...is that why you have it all hooked up all the time?

I've got a pile of pedals, but I only pull out the ones I may need for something, which might be no more than a couple at a time...I might leave them plugged in for awhile. Otherwise, the rest of the pedals are on shelves.

I dunno...I never found it a big deal to plug/unplug patch cables. I've had like 50 patch cables at time on the patchbays during a mix...and when I'm done, they all get yanked out, and I start fresh. :D
Don't get me wrong, there's shit that stays plugged in...it would be nuts to pull every 1/4" cable on all my gear.
I just try to minimize the cable clutter when I can, and try to keep the connections clean.
 
I haven't gigged with it yet, but I might later this month. I have 8 pedals plugged in on a board, all mounted with velcro and cables cut/soldered to size. So it's very tidy.
I keep them all plugged in at all times so I can go over there and practice easily without having to plug in pedals, you know? Oh well. If they fail I'll resolder them. I just never really thought about them being plugged in all the time messing up the connection.
 
You'll know if/when they do.
Not sure why you would have to resolder them...just pull them and clean them, for as long as the jacks hold up.
 
which is more likely to be oxidized, the leaf spring connections or the plugs themselves. I'm still having intermittent issues with my signal. I can try pulling the plugs in and out and get it going but eventually they fail again.
 
Depends on the metal used for each.
Have you used any type of spray cleaner, or are you just "working" them to try and clean them?

If you don't have any actual oxidation cleaner...use some alcohol. Put it on the plug and right away insert in/out a few times.

If you have a spray cleaner...don't go nuts spraying it inside the jacks...if anything a very light/quick burst...otherwise that shit can actually gum them up more since there's always some residue, unless you buy some of the real expensive stuff.
There's one you can get at Home Depot...it's something with a "Q" in it, if I recall. Pretty decent.

[EDIT]
I found it...it's CRC QD Contact Cleaner....about $15/can.

I've got probably 4-5 different types of cleaners...each has it's use. There's this stuff that an engineer turned me onto, that's about $50 a can, it doesn't leave any mess. I use that for the console pots/switches and things I can open up to clean inside.
 
About the best contact cleaner money can buy......Amazon.com: Hosa D5S-6 CAIG DeoxIT 5% Spray Contact Cleaner, 5 oz.: Musical Instruments

Some of my 1/4" plugs occasionally get intermittent and I just shoot a bit of the DeOxit on a paper towel and wipe down the outside of the plug. I think if you handle the metal jack part of the plugs any amount, the oils and salt (and any other contaminants) from your fingers will eventually lead to poor connections.

Someone on this board had suggested a rifle bore brush for jacks. Don't remember the size/caliber, but something I was going to look into.

6mm might be about right...
Amazon.com : Gunslick Benchrest Rifle Bronze Brush (.243 Caliber/6mm) : Hunting Cleaning And Maintenance Products : Sports & Outdoors

got a can of this on the way, here tomorrow or tuesday
 
Glad you listened to Arcaxis and ordered the DeoxIT...best spray I ever found in over 40 years of this sort of stuff. FYI, it's not just for patchfields...also great for faders going noisy or any other place that dust or corrosion is affecting things.
 
I cringe when people mention WD-40. It's a lubricant, so while it contains solvents, it leave slippery stuff behind. Ironically, it's also an insulator, not a conductor, meaning that the thin layer of lubricant softens the tarnish or crud, which then gets wiped off when you insert and remove the plug, but you have coated the plug and the socket contacts with a non-conducting layer!

You need to clean contacts with solvent that evaporates and leaves nothing behind. Those Canford cleaners I linked to are either solid or have a thin hole drilled down, and then out to the contact area. You insert the can's tube, and while rotating the britisher, squirt - so the pug opens the contacts, and then the plug allows the spray to wash the scrubbed off crud away.
 
I'm keen on those canford cleaners but don't know which one is suitable (if any) for 1/4" (6.35mm). 48 pounds is around 64 US dollars not including shipping so it's a rather pricey tool for very occasional use. But still cheaper than a new patchbay and/or cables
 
I cringe when people mention WD-40. It's a lubricant, so while it contains solvents, it leave slippery stuff behind. Ironically, it's also an insulator, not a conductor, meaning that the thin layer of lubricant softens the tarnish or crud, which then gets wiped off when you insert and remove the plug, but you have coated the plug and the socket contacts with a non-conducting layer!

You need to clean contacts with solvent that evaporates and leaves nothing behind. Those Canford cleaners I linked to are either solid or have a thin hole drilled down, and then out to the contact area. You insert the can's tube, and while rotating the britisher, squirt - so the pug opens the contacts, and then the plug allows the spray to wash the scrubbed off crud away.

Yup Rob. Been reading that for ten years and using WD for forty. Before that we used CRC 'Rocket Lube' for pots and switches in the R&TV service industry.

I have seen at least a dozen electrical cleaners come and go over the years and most worked ok but a few attacked certain plastics. WD-40 may not be perfect but it is non-toxic and safe on any material I have ever used it on.

Dave.
 
WD-40 will cause airborne dust to stick to the contacts, thats why you don't use it in the studio unless it's a squeaky kick pedal.

Alan.
 
WD-40 will cause airborne dust to stick to the contacts, thats why you don't use it in the studio unless it's a squeaky kick pedal.

Alan.

Quite possibly but when you HAVE to resort to any kind of cleaner it means the pot or switch is on its way out and needs replacing any way. Note too, I said to put some on a plastic pan pad and WIPE the plug. NOT drench the bloody kit with it!

#Servisol was an old de-grease style cleaner and was a very aggressive plastic eater. "Electrolube" was, as the name suggests, part cleaner, part lubricant and was very effective on pots* etc but you had to be careful around high voltage parts (wave change switches etc) or it could cause 'tracking'. Rank Bush Murphy cleaning fluid was the best one I ever saw, safe AND effective, also smelt nice. Bit like WD but better! It was also deadly on wasps, would knock them stony out of the air!

*This long ago pots were very well sealed and lasted decades before any treatment was needed and this was in the days of coal and gas fires and EVERY bugger smoked!

Dave.
 
I'm afraid I'm with Rob and Alan on this. Yes, you can get away with WD40 most of the time--but it's not made for this purpose and it CAN leave a residue.
 
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