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04-26-2013,03:26 PM

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RandyClassy Super Moderator

Join Date: Apr 2006Location: TheElectric City, NYPosts: 19,040Thanked: 174Feedback Score: 18reviews

DG Stomp Mod - Hum Removal (56k - Be prepared to wait!)

Posted previously, I scored a DG Stomp from the local music store.

As I found out with tweaking and reading, I found that the DG-Stomp is notoriously noisy at medium-high gain. This isn't much of an issuefor me, because I'm using the DG for playing jazz standards at home but it'd be nice to eliminate some of that extra noise.

Thankfully, Soundside has a pretty popular lesson on how to remove a lot or all of the hum coming from your DG Stomp. Original articleposted here: Soundside - Multimedia Solutions

I decided to give this a shot and include some pictures, as well as a few alterations.

WARNING! Any time you open up the inside of an electrical device, you have to be very careful. Obviously be sure that it's unplugged andall residual electricity has dissipated. As a rule of thumb, I make sure to discharge and static electricity I might be carrying into a nearbyfixture (in my case, my desk) before fooling around too much.

This mod is carried out at your own risk, if you so choose to proceed. I do not guarantee your results.

On with the pics!

The subject:This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

1.) Flip over the unit and remove the six screws holding on the rear cover

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

2.) Remove the back cover. I had the best luck prying from the right and straight up. If you pry at an angle, it gets stuck.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

3.) Let's take a look at the graphic from the original article.

4.) Working with this as a guide, remove all three screws retaining the board to the chassis. This is so that we can get underneath it for thenext few steps.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

5.) Remove the screws holding the components against the chassic.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

6.) Remove the nuts holding the input/outputs to the chassis:

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

7.) Carefully pull the board back, and watch not to unplug any of the ribbon connectors underneath. You can pivot the board backward tofree up access to the inside of the chassis, if necessary.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

8.) Based on the Soundside graphic, we want to make the cleanest connection between the metal chassis and the input, outputs andheadphone output. To accomplish this, I decided to clear some of the paint from the face surrounding those output jacks.

To isolate where I cleared the finish, I used some electrical tape as a mask. Make sure you put some behind the holes so that you don't getpaint/filings in the chassis:

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

9.) In my case, I used a stainless steel wire brush to clean away the finish. You can also use brass or sandpaper. Either way, be careful (asusual)

EDIT: This step wasn't in the original directions, so it's optional. I could've done a cleaner job keeping the paint removal exclusively"underneath" the circular shape of the washer, but this unit is scratched up pretty heavily and plus, looks on this don't matter to me. YMMV:

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

10.) Along with making great contact with the chassis on some points, we also need to restrict contact on others; in particular, theexpression pedal jack, digital output, MIDI in and out, and A/C (power) components.

You'll want to pay extra attention to the MIDI and digital out components because they have a metal facing that presses right against thechassis, normally.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

11.) Make sure you have a good bit of room to get in.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

12.) For this step, I used electrical tape to limit the number of places the "no-no" components contact the chassis and limit them fromgrounding out on it.

On the graphic, they mention removing the screw on the far side right side (when viewed from the outside; so on this inside view, it's thefar left) and I decided to expand on this idea and cover that area as well.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

13.) Next, we just push the components back through their openings carefully (unpictured).

The original graphic mentions leaving a couple screws off two of the places where the board attaches to the chassis and putting adhesive inbetween. Here's a look at what they're talking about:

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

14.) Apply a couple small pieces of tape to these tabs. I used electrical tape here, as well.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

15.) The last important step is to mostly reassemble the pedal, using just one screw at the top of the board and reattaching the nuts to theinput/output jacks.

As mentioned in the tutorial/graphic, you leave pretty much all the screws that run from the back into the components out.

The jacks are soldered pretty well to the board, which is in turn pretty well fixed to the chassis, so it's not a big deal to leave the nut off ofthe expression pedal jack (as described by the graphic). I decided, for conscious sake, I still wanted something to tighten down the jack; soI used a nylon nut (non-conductive) to hold it in place.

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x576.

16.) Lastly, replace the bottom plate on the pedal and reattach the six screws on the bottom.

You're done!

I experienced a very noticeable reduction in hum and it was really easy to do.

One optional step (which I might do later on, when I can track some down) is to replace ALL of the removed screws with their nylonequivalents; that way you get don't have conductivity and grounding at those points, but you'll still have a factory "solid" mounting. I'm notsure how necessary it is, because everything feels really solidly held in place as is but, hey, it's an option.

I don't care if it rains or freezesLong as I got my plastic Jesus

Sittin' on the dashboard of my car

Argbadh - RHLC

Thanked by: Draceius

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