loose 9v plug on pedal

[NHM]

Hi BCers

I've a much loved pedal where the 9v power supply socket has worn, meaning the plug occasionally disconnects (usually mid song). 

Unfortunately the socket is soldered onto a pcb and I don't fancy replacing it, that's beyond my soldering skills. Of course I can run the pedal on battery only, but I've never been a fan of this when gigging.

Any ideas how to fix it?

[naxos10]

What is the plug disconnecting from, thebattery or the board?

[bnt]

You might not need to replace the socket, it might be enough to re-solder the connections. PSU joints tend to be larger, the main risk IMHO would be applying too much solder and causing a short. So some solder removal braid would be good to have handy.

[NHM]

The plug from the power supply is loose in the pedal's socket. It's weird, never experienced this before, it's as though the internal sleeve of the socket has become worn. Other power supply plugs that I've tried are also loose, suggesting the problem is the socket.

[hubrad]

1 hour ago, bnt said:

You might not need to replace the socket, it might be enough to re-solder the connections. PSU joints tend to be larger, the main risk IMHO would be applying too much solder and causing a short. So some solder removal braid would be good to have handy.

This. ^^^

Unless the socket is fixed onto the chassis then a loose or broken solder joint is remarkably common. Manufacturers do it this way for cheapness, deffo not reliability, and I hate it!

If it does turn out to be the socket itself you may need to contact the manufacturer or distributor for a replacement,  but alternatively you can buy a chassis mount socket and wire it to the pcb. 

As soldering jobs go, it's one of the safer ones, just take it steady.

 

Edit: Rereading your last post, it probably is a replacement socket job. The hardest bit is usually actually getting hold of a direct replacement, or as I've sometimes done just wire in a different one.

Edited February 5, 2022 by hubrad

[ianrendall]

I think this could be down to simple wear and tear. If you look inside the socket it should look something like the picture attached. 
The strip of metal under the pin has likely lost its ability to hold the plug in place. You should be able to get something in under the strip to gently bend it back up. A dental-style hook pick or similar sort of thing should do the trick. 

 

[NHM]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've tried lifting the inner prong with a needle, this works to a certain extent but the worn shaft means the plug can still wiggle around and power still is intermittent. I've tried wedging in a bit of paper, but I can't risk this in a gig.

So it looks like a replacement socket. The one in the pedal looks like the one in the picture above - Ian, do you have a link for where I can buy one?

[ianrendall]

19 minutes ago, NHM said:

The one in the pedal looks like the one in the picture above - Ian, do you have a link for where I can buy one?

Try here. https://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/barrel-jack-socket
 

or here

https://www.mouser.co.uk/c/connectors/power-connectors/dc-power-connectors/?pg=2

 

I would really recommend disassembling the pedal first to get a good look at the existing socket and finding out if the pin is centre negative or positive. The connectors aren’t a one size fits all solution unfortunately.

[ianrendall]

 

[NHM]

your assistance is much appreciated - many thanks