Static Dangers:

I just know that most of you will skip right over this, but YOU SHOULDN'T. Working as an engineer at a defense electronics company, I am required to renew a Static Safety Course Certification every year or two. Why?? Because the US Department of Defense figured that 80% of all in-the-feild failures are a direct result of static causing damage to circuit cards and other gadgets. If you think you can pop open the hood of your 2101 and start poking at things, think again.

Every time you raise your arm, you can generate well over 100 Volts DC (static) as a result of your shirt rubbing on itself. When you walk across the floor, you can generate 100s of thousands of volts. "No way man..that would kill me", you say?? Well, it just doesn't work like that -- there's not enough CURRENT to kill ya.

Here's the low-down:

1. Moving arm/hand can generate 100 Volts.
2. Walking can produce > 100,000 Volts.
3. Don't even ask how much static you can generate during sex.
4. A static discharge that you can hear & see as a "spark" is greater than 5000 Volts.
5. Wimpy CMOS circuits/chips are only protected up to 50 Volts.
6. More than 50 Volts MELTS their internal connections due to the massive spontaneous flow of electrons (if its hot enough to heat the air so quickly to make a cracking noise, just imagine what its doing to little tiny circuits that are only a millionth of an meter wide!).
7. You can't tell if you are statically charged very easily.
How to save all your expensive toys:
Buy a wristband designed for static protection ($7 US). These look like a metallic bracelet connected to a small spiral wound wire that has an alligator clip on the end of it. Clamp that alligator clip onto a bare metallic surface that is grounded:
- generally chassis are connected to ground via that 3rd prong on your power cable. If you're missing that 3rd prong, GET A NEW CABLE.

- make sure the clip is on a BARE metal surface. Paint doesn't conduct electricity very well.

- make sure you didn't just plug the clip onto a live voltage source or you'll be zapped for sure.

Now put the band on your wrist with the metal side touching your skin. Now, if you generate static moving about, it will immediately conduct itself through the wire to the ground source (don't worry, you wont feel a thing -- unless you accidentally plug the clip onto a LIVE Voltage source!! YIKES!).

By the way, 3M has a neat little disposable wristband that is available for about $1 US. It uses a carbon strip rather than a wire so you are protected against live power sources to some degree.

Top Cover Removal : [circa 1995]

To remove the top panel for either PPC-210 installation or tube access, note that the top center allen keyed screw on the front panel must be removed in addition to the more obvious ones. The Allen wrench required is a 7/64", which is a rather strange size. Unless you have one of those PC repair kits, you probably don't own this little guy.

Why did Digitech use such a strange size? Well, they decided that mainstream owners didn't need to get into their 2101s and gum up the works. So, if you don't know what you're doing, STAY OUT OF THERE!

Squeaky Foot Pedal: [Aug 30 1996]

The pedal in the FC-1 is equipped with nylon washers to allow smooth movement without the need for lubrication. However, that being said, some people have found a need or desire to lubricate their pedal to reduce squeaking. There are 3 possible solutions to this problem:
1. Loosen the nuts that connect the pedal to its fulcrum (pivot point) to allow it to move more freely. Realize, however, that the exact feel and stiffness will change as a result of this, and that you may not be able to acheive the feel you want without squeaking in this manner.

2. Replace the nylon washers. Ensure you use simiar nylon washers, NOT metal washers! Also, you might want to try a small dab of silicon lubricant thinly distributed around the washer.

3. Last Resort: Oiling the hinge. Pull the Pedal back (into what is considered the UP or -0- position), try shooting just a touch of WD40, or sewing machine oil (some kind of light lubricant) down onto the hinges. You may want to try loosening the hinge bolts a little first...then tightening them back up (not too tight) once you lube it up. Just go really lightly so you don't gum things up. There is a skinny little arm that comes off of the Expression Pedal and enters the pedal chasis; .DON'T LET ANY LUBRICATION GET DOWN IN THERE! There are photoresistors and LEDs that will fail if they get gummed up.

Firmware Upgrade: [Sept 1996 - CLP]

1. Make a NOTE (like on paper) of the oreintation of the EPROMs in the 2101 before removing them. Note which direction that little notch is facing, and which EPROM goes where. They should be labeled differently (like U81 & U79 or something).

2. Use an IC extractor to carefully remove the old EPROMS. Try Radio Shack - maybe you've heard of it. If you wanna gamble, you can gently use a flat head (unmagnetized) screwdriver to slowly pry up each edge bit by bit. Be careful not to pop it all up at once - the pins will get all snarled up, and possibly fall off. Remember, you may need to reuse these EPROMS if something is wrong with the new ones!

3. Prebend the new EPROMs little legs -- ONLY a little bit, and only if they are too wide to fit into the EPROM socket. Do this by placing the EPROM on a table top and slowly bending the pins down (so that they make a right angle to the chip iself) by pressing them against the table top. You only need to bend them a little bit if at all. They should fight tightly into their sockets.

4. Put 'em in their sokets. Face them the right way, and put the correct EPROM in its respective socket. If you mix up the chips your 2101 will turn into the Rainman of guitar processors. If you get the chips in backwards (180 degrees backwards) then you'll probably nuke the chips and need to get new ones ($cha-ching$). The EPROMs should slide in with about 20 pounds (sorry you metric guys) of force. Visually inspet the EPROM to make sure none of its legs is sticking out to the side. If possible check to see if one of the legs got jammed up under it.

5. If the processor doesn't do anything when you restart it, you probably put 'em in wrong, missed a pin during insertion, or something along those lines. Sometimes it is possible to get blank EPROMs from the factory - hey, it happens - its called line hypnosis - maybe you saw the X-Files episode about that. Also, there have been cases reported of getting 2 of the SAME EPROM when the should be clearly marked diffferently.

Machine Lock During Firmware Upgrade: [circa 1995]

At least one user had the 2101 lock up when he updated his firmware to version 2.00.00. In such an instance, try the following things in their respective order:
1. Wait to see if the unit will "wake-up".

2. Turn the unit Off and On again.

3. Attempt to power up the unit in "Utility Mode".

a. Power the 2101 OFF.

b. Press and hold the UTILITY botton.

c. Power the 2101 ON.

d. The device should boot into Utility mode. When it does, release Utility button.

e. Change program numbers. This will allow you to load a different program, hopefully one without corrupted data that will not lock up your 2101. You may then delete the offending program/algorithms.

4. If the unit still fails to respond, perform a factory reset while powering the unit up. This involves a key combination be performed during power up:
a. Power the 2101 OFF.

b. Press and hold Function Key 1.

c. Power the 2101 ON.

d. After the Asterisk (*) appears in the upper right corner, release Function Key 1.

e. Press Program UP key twice.

Note that this will erase all your settings. I hope you backed up your data!

4. Remove the cover, remove the battery and short (connect with wire or metal) the battery terminals (on the circuit board) together. This should clear the unit's memory and allow you to bring the unit up (albeit with all parameters set to factory defaults). Try this one at your own risk. Can you spell Z-A-P? How about W-A-R-R-A-N-T-Y?

Fx Loop Crosstalk:

Well, it's official. I asked Randy again about the FX loop leakage I experienced, and here's the reply I got:

>OK...yes it leaks...it is way down there...but it leaks...

[regarding the crosstalk of the original signal thru the Fx Loop when No-Sum is selected. The signal at the digital section inputs should be purely Fx Return signals, but in fact contains some level of the 2101's preamp signal as crosstalk or feedthrough]

Q: "I sometimes have the problem that when I power up my GSP 2101 the footcontroller will "hang" in the display with the software version of the FC. After this it's impossible to switch to any program I have to power up severeal times to fix this. Does this sound familiar to anyone and is there a solution ?? I have the artist v3.0 installed and the footcontroller is at v1.3" - Dirk Mooij

A: "Mine used to flash the Version number and then go blank. I changed to another cable and the problem went away." - Mike

Preamp Trimpot (Tube bias adjustment): [Dec 19 1996] 

Q: Randy and group, What's the function of the trimpot in the GSP located near the tubes? Could this in any way affect the tube distortions? [Mike [email protected] - 12/19/96]

A: Yes it will affect the tubes. It is the pot that is used to make sure that "11" is 11 for everybody. If you were to turn this up, you would be driving the Tubes harder (DIGITECH's OFFICIAL POSITION IS KEEP YOUR @&^$#@*^ HANDS OUT OF THE 2101's INTERNALS). However, turning this pot up will run the risk of overdriving the OpAmp feeding the tubes...that means more Solid State distortion not more tube distortion.

Final suggestion...LEAVE IT ALONE! [Randy Thorderson 12/19/96]

Q: I just wondered if the setting would (should) vary for different types of tubes. [Mike [email protected] 12/19/96]

A: The setting would vary...basically a sine wave of a certain strength is sent to the 2101 and that pot is adjusted until the proper levels are attained. If you changed tubes, one could argue that this pot needs to be re-adjusted...but if you put the new tubes in to get a little more grind, trimming back this pot would defeat the purpose...so leaving it where it is would be the safe call... [Randy Thorderson 12/19/96]

Go to GSP-2101 FAQ Table of Contents

Written by Curtis LeMay Pastor,
[email protected] or [email protected]
Last revised as of Feb 3, 1997.