Problems with my Neo Vent ll

[Doug Robinson]

The problem is that the Stop and Fast/Slow switches just refuse to work. Once in a while, they will switch like they are supposed to, but usually not. I can still hit Bypass and Fast/Slow simultaneously and edit the parameters, but once that is done, they are useless. No switching from Fast to Slow, no Stopping the virtual Leslie.

 

I opened it up and everything looked solid--not dirty or dusty, nothing loose. And yet, when I closed it up the same problem persisted.

 

Any ideas? I bought it from someone here about 3 years ago, can't remember who. Shipping things from where I live in Central Mexico is a huge and expensive hassle.

[kenheeter]

I would start by changing the switch....

[Delaware Dave]

You could always purchase the vent remote, it would be cheaper than trying to buy another pedal. First though, try replacing the faulty switch.

[Doerfler]

I would start by changing the switch....

 

Doug, Ken and Dave are both correct here. Your switches have gone bad from use, not abuse. I trigger mine from a Hammond/Suzuki half moon switch, also a Hosa FSC-385 Footswitch works, $20 on Amazon

[Doug Robinson]

Ill see if there is a local guy who can swap out the foot switch. Thanks. Im looking at the remote unit A lot of people seem to like it, but at first glance it seems redundant. Its a foot switch to...trigger my foot switch? I know in my case, it might be a workaround for whats wrong. But why would someone who has a floor model with a foot switch on it, buy a remote with a foot switch on it?

[Doug Robinson]

Well, the previous owner must have used it quite a bit. Looking back, I realize I only used it on three gigs before it stopped working! That was a few years ago, but today was the first time I took it out of the box to try again.

 

I also bought some anti-static cleaner to see if that helps.

[ChiefDanG]

I put mine in a rack, switching from a remote fs or a half moon switch ( depending on the setup du jour). No real-time adjustments, but I'm avoiding what you're going through now.

[Doug Robinson]

But isnt it basically the same switch? If mine could fail, couldnt the remote switch fail as well? What I missing?

[Pa Gherkin]

Does your Vent II produce chorale and tremolo or is it stuck in bypass? I had two that got stuck in bypass presumably due to a run of faulty components on some Vent II production runs. The first was replaced and the second was repaired.

 

If you still hear chorale or tremolo and it just won't switch from one to the other you have a different issue than I did. Probably the switch as the other guys said. Good luck.

[Doug Robinson]

I wrote to the company and job st got this back:

 

Hi Doug,

please check the REMOTE MODE setting.

- press BYPASS and SLOW / FAST together to get to secondary

functions mode

- turn the MIX / DIST LO knob all the way to right (full clockwise position).

This switches the remote jack off

- Press BYPASS and SLOW / FAST again to leave secondary mode

 

If the REMOTE MODE setting has been changed unintentionelly to PEDAL SPEED

CONTROL, the internal switches will not work.

 

Regards, Guido

______________________

 

Neo Instruments

Guido Kirsch

Flemingstrasse 20-22

36041 Fulda

++49 (0)661 9619805

USt-IdNr. DE169067193

www.neo-instruments.de

gk@neo-instruments.de

Am 08.05.2019 um 02:02 schrieb Doug Robinson:

 

 

I will try it and report back.

[Doug Robinson]

It worked. So...it wasn't the switch going bad. It wasn't bad soldering. It wasn't faulty components. All good suggestions, of course. But it was the 'remote' mode which I accidentally entered by pressing three switches at the same time and then twisting a knob to the right. Sheesh. I could have been using this all along.

[Outkaster]

I'm selling one if anyone wants it.

[Doerfler]

It worked.

 

all's well that ends well.

[Pa Gherkin]

Jazzoo, Good to hear you got it sorted. Harmless operator error is my favorite kind of malfunction. I had forgotten doing just what you did and being able to trace and fix it when I got home from the gig.

[Doug Robinson]

YesWe all have those stories! Hopefully, I will remember the next time someone has this very problem.

[eric]

Ill see if there is a local guy who can swap out the foot switch. Thanks. Im looking at the remote unit A lot of people seem to like it, but at first glance it seems redundant. Its a foot switch to...trigger my foot switch? I know in my case, it might be a workaround for whats wrong. But why would someone who has a floor model with a foot switch on it, buy a remote with a foot switch on it?

 

I tend to be pretty rough on footswitch mechanisms, which is one of the reasons I've used a remote switch for all of my Vents (I have three different ones) since day one. I think the internal switch would eventually fail due to wear and tear, so prefer to isolate that to a remote switch which can have an easy backup vs. rendering the Vent potentially unusable. Nothing worse than losing your Leslie sound! Which I've had happen with the real thing in the past.

 

I'm glad you figured out your issue!

[ewall08530]

I had a broken fast/ slow switch on my original Vent. The company wouldn't ship a part to enable me to find someone local to install it.

The only solution was send it back for repair with a turnaround time of up to 3 weeks. Without the Vent the organ in my Nord Stage 2, 76 is painfully bad.

As suggested earlier in this thread, I bought the remote. It arrived in 4 days, I started placing the Vent on the bare spot on top of the Stage where I could tweak overdrive. Mic distance, etc.

This was 4 years ago and the remote switch works fine. Like Eric, I'm glad I purchased the remote.

Happy to hear you were able to get it sorted out!

[Delaware Dave]

As Dave Doerfler suggested above the Hosa FSC-385 switch performs stop with switch1 and slow/fast with switch2. I believe this functionality is similar to the Vent footswitch. If I recall the original Vent's FS was $80-85. The Hosa FS is $20. It's worth taking a shot and going this route first.

[eric]

I also use Hosa footswitches for my Vents that are like $20-30 and work great.

[elif]

Anyone actually get one repaired by Neo Inst? What has been your experience as to how long it takes?

 

Edit: (I have had one in for six weeks and haven't heard a thing. )

[WWW]

Which Hosa foot switch?

[KeyMoe]

Hosa FSC-385 foot switch.... mentioned above.

[charliehuntington]

Hi. I have an old vent 1. Still works great, but I can tell the fast/slow switch is slowly failing. On one of the threads here it was suggested that a Hosa FSC-385 switch would work in the remote spot. I got one, and it switches to fast ok, but when it switches to slow, it just keeps slowing to a dead stop. I"ve tried the reset of hitting both buttons on the vent and turning the distance knob, and I have the proper patch cord, but no go. Does the Hosa pedal not work with the old vents? Thanks

[Delaware Dave]

Hi. I have an old vent 1. Still works great, but I can tell the fast/slow switch is slowly failing. On one of the threads here it was suggested that a Hosa FSC-385 switch would work in the remote spot. I got one, and it switches to fast ok, but when it switches to slow, it just keeps slowing to a dead stop. I"ve tried the reset of hitting both buttons on the vent and turning the distance knob, and I have the proper patch cord, but no go. Does the Hosa pedal not work with the old vents? Thanks

I rewired my Hosa 385 so that the slow/fast works with my original vent. Three poles on switch #2; middle pole wired to the sleeve of the female TRS jack; one of the outside poles wired to the ring of the female TRS jack and the other outside pole wired to the tip of the female TRS jack. Then use a male TRS to male TRS to plug into the original Vent.

[charliehuntington]

Hey thanks! I"ll give it a try

[wineandkeyz]

A lot of people seem to like it, but at first glance it seems redundant. It's a foot switch to...trigger my foot switch? ... But why would someone who has a floor model with a foot switch on it, buy a remote with a foot switch on it?

 

I used to own an original Vent and I bought a remote switch from Ashby Solutions for a number of reasons: I preferred stepping on a $25 assembly rather than a $500 one and it allowed me to get the Vent off the floor and placed where I could tweak it if I wanted to.

[Delaware Dave]

I preferred stepping on a $25 assembly rather than a $500 one and it allowed me to get the Vent off the floor and placed where I could tweak it if I wanted to.

Exactly this.....