Nord User Forum

What's the deal with the Nord Triple Pedal ?

I've had 2 of them so far (one with a Nord Stage 2 and one with a Nord Piano 2) and it's always the same story: after a while, it starts working only intermittently. Fiddling with the jack plug seems to help, although it's hard to say for sure. And then, after a while, it stops working entirely.

I've checked the soldering in the plug: seems ok to the eye. I've disassembled the pedal, checked the cable's connection to the board: seems ok too. Checked the silicon/carbon contacts: seem clean and new enough. (I'll admit I haven't checked the inside of the keyboard, because I trust a plug that is fastened to the chassis should be sturdy enough. And anyway, replacing the Triple with a $10 on/off pedal works perfectly every time.) I've done all this twice, with both of them.

So what's up with that ?
Any idea?

Hi trumlepuut,
Is it all the pedals that do not work?
When you opened the pedal, did you clean the contacts (e.g. isopropyl alcohol)?
What I would do next is to use a tester/multimeter and check the connections at the plug side while pressing the pedals and moving the cable. Eye inspection does not always detect dodgy soldered terminals or broken cables that make contact intermittently.
What could be wrong?: the rubber contacts are worn out, or the cable is broken or the soldered connections are damaged, or the plug is dirty/oxidised (and all the combinations of those).
I doubt that any of the resistors in the pedal are broken.
Let us know what you find out.

I have had ta similar problem with two of the triple pedals. They just stop working after a while.

I think I was told they work via optical sensors vs electronic relays, if that's of any help. My first one got showered in beer at a gig, so that's somewhat understandable. The second one just decided to stop working one night at a rehearsal. I will eventually take them to a tech who's 90 minutes from me, but I'm waiting until more stuff breaks.

At $399 each, that's a problem for me.

cphollis wrote:I have had ta similar problem with two of the triple pedals. They just stop working after a while.

I think I was told they work via optical sensors vs electronic relays, if that's of any help.

Actually they work using rubber contacts, same type as used in keyboards, see the thread in this forum with the "tear down" and analysis of the Triple Pedal accessories-and-amplification-f8/inside-triple-pedal-modification-t1883.html