Adjusting tension/stiffness of pedal treadle

For the Wahoo™ Dual-Analogue, Digitally-Controlled Wah/Filter Pedal

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TomG
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Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2013 4:23 pm

Adjusting tension/stiffness of pedal treadle

Post by TomG »

Is it possible to adjust the "action" of the pedal? Had a look in the manual and couldn't see anything there...

Mine is very stiff (no jokes please...) and i would like it to be a little easier to push the pedal up and down, especially for fast rocking of the pedal.

I presume the nut that i can see under the footplate is the one to adjust but am a little hesitant to get the spanner out just yet as i don't want to mess up the pedal if its not.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Tom
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james
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Re: Adjusting tension/stiffness of pedal treadle

Post by james »

The stiffness of the pedal is not designed to be adjustable, but has been factory-set so that all units have the same "optimal" tension that provides a good balance between the smoothness required for fast movement and the stiffness required to ensure the pedal doesn't move in the "half-cocked" position where floor vibrations might cause the pedal to move if its too loose.

However, we realise that some people may not like that "optimal" tension.

You are correct, the nut under the footplate controls the tension (it's a bolt, so you need to hold the bolt head and adjust the nut on the other side). Loosening that slightly will make the pedal less tight. But, it's not easy to get to -- usually to adjust this the pedal is fully disassembled and the pedal removed from the case, which is a big job. If you can access it though, certainly worth a very small tweak to see if you can get it perfect for you.

Remember, though, that the pedal may slacken slightly from the "as new" stiffness as it's used. So you may want to leave it a while and see how it settles in first.
TomG
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Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2013 4:23 pm

Re: Adjusting tension/stiffness of pedal treadle

Post by TomG »

Many thanks James.

I'll give it a good hammering to see if it loosens up a little naturally, and if its still too stiff in a couple of weeks i'll see if i can adjust it with some thin spanners!

Cheers,

Tom
Wahberheimer
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Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2013 5:49 am

Re: Adjusting tension/stiffness of pedal treadle

Post by Wahberheimer »

Hey guys, I really love my Wahoo. And the only thing so far I don't like is the sticky movement of the pedal. So I had the same question as Tom. And a very friendly and competent Sonuus-guy at the Musikmesse this spring explained to me how I could disassemble the unit in order to adjust the stiffness of the pedal. And finally I found some time to do it. Guys! It was well worth the effort! OK, I had to fiddle around to find the perfect balance between firmness and smoothness because like James mentioned above: You do not want it to be too loose. That's a pain in the ass too because then the pedal falls down by itself. But after experimenting with the adjustment screw I found the sweet spot. And now it works like a blast! Smooth but firm, wonderful! I wish you would have built in an adjustable screw one can operate from outside. You should consider this for version 2.
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james
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Re: Adjusting tension/stiffness of pedal treadle

Post by james »

Wahberheimer, thanks for the update. You spoke to me at MusikMesse, and it was very nice to meet you.

The pedal should be "optimal" from the factory, but we have since found a few pedals that were tighter than the should be, and they became sticky. As you found, the movement should be perfectly smooth.

I agree that a user-adjustment screw would be a nice addition. I'm not sure the best way to implement it though, so if anyone has some good ideas, we can see what we can do for the future.
dariusvara
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Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 2:17 am

Re: Adjusting tension/stiffness of pedal treadle

Post by dariusvara »

Hi,

So it seems I've got one of the super stiff pedals...

Actually the stiffness was so much that it took me a while to really start exploring the pedal, due to being put off by the treadle action. But now that I'm digging into it finally, I am just blown away by how awesome the Wahoo is, which means I must get the tension fixed.

I really hope I don't have to take the thing apart, but I don't see any way to adjust the screw under there otherwise. Assuming this is the only way to do this, can you give me instructions on what to do exactly? I'm not the type who usually opens my electronics and tinkers around...

Thanks!
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james
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Re: Adjusting tension/stiffness of pedal treadle

Post by james »

Unfortunately, you need to dismantle the Wahoo to access the bolt to adjust the tension. You can't get in there with normal tools without doing this.

Either, I can send you a repair guide by email, or we can swap your Wahoo for one with correct tension, or fix yours and return it to you. For swapping/repair it, we need to know where you live (country) to arrange it with you.

We are happy for our customers to do repairs like this -- at the end of the day, it's your pedal and it's good if you know how to look after it. Like in the old days when you could fix your own car!
dariusvara
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Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 2:17 am

Re: Adjusting tension/stiffness of pedal treadle

Post by dariusvara »

Well, it's surgery time, I suppose. . .

Please send me the instructions e-mail, and thanks!

(Do you need me to tell you the e-mail address?)
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james
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Re: Adjusting tension/stiffness of pedal treadle

Post by james »

I've sent you an email with instructions.
dannybuoy
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Re: Adjusting tension/stiffness of pedal treadle

Post by dannybuoy »

Can you send me that email too please James?

Mine is pretty stiff also and makes a loud creak when it gives way to foot pressure, so I'll see what I can do to adjust it!
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