3pdt true bypass pop, tried everything!

[Silvio55]

Hi, after spending some days trying to fix the loud pop my rangemaster pedal does every time y switch it on and off I'm put of ideas, don't know what else to try.
It has input (1M) and output (390K) pulldown resistors, has the input of the effect grounded in bypass, tried disconnecting the LED, checked every ground and every connection, and the fricking POP is there every time!!
I don't know what else to try, please help!
Thanks!

[stallik]

1st thing I'd recommend is make sure that this is the ONLY pedal between guitar and amp then test again. There is a thing we like to call pedal ventriloquism where another pedal in the chain can cause the pop in the one you're testing.
Then start checking for DC on the output. When this changes, you get the pop

[Silvio55]

I tried with the pedal alone, just guitar, pedal and amp. I measured the DC at the output and got 0.00 volts in both positions of the switch.
It makes the same pop when I engage the effect and when i bypass it, and it's not the normal mechanical noise from the switch. The loudness of the pop doesn't change with the "boost" pot settings, it's the same at 0 or 10.

[John Lyons]

So you get no DC voltage at the input or output with a disconnected LED and still pop?
Take your cable straight from the amp and measure for DC, tip to sleeve.
It's got to be coming from somewhere...

[Silvio55]

I got 0.00 at the amp, my amp has an input cap I installed when I built it some years ago (it's a 50W plexi clone). Also, my other pedals don't pop like this one (I'm having a pop on other pedal but it's different, only when engaged and is affected by the "gain" pot, but not debugging it yet!).
On this RM I installed a switch for input cap selection, the standard 0.0047 and a full range 1uf electro. With the .0047 selected I got 0.00 at the input, with the electro I got 0.3 milivolts, but the pop is just the same! I checked the polarity on the 1uf and it's right.

[antonis]

Does your Rangemaster use positive ground..??

[Silvio55]

Yes, PNP Ge. And only use batteries.

[anotherjim]

Try without switching the input to ground when bypassed. The input cap has a pull-down then there should be no need to ground the input out.

[Silvio55]

I just tried that and didn't help at all, always the same loud pop both turning it on and off. The only thing I didn't try is replacing the switch, but it's new, and I don't think it's the culprit.

[aron]

Maybe it IS the switch? On a related note, my friend was getting pops on a number of pedals - but not all. We were trying to figure it out and it ended up being his volume pedal (Ernie ball) cord was not plugged in all the way. I guess it had a bad ground.

[Silvio55]

I'm going to try another thing before replacing the switch; removing the pulldown resistor and grounding the input, its the only thing I didn't try yet.
A grounding problem was one of the first things i thought, but everything seem to be fine.

[Silvio55]

Removing the pulldown resistor at the input and reconnecting the ground didn't help either. But I discovered something: the pedal makes the pop even with the input jack disconnected!! May it IS the switch??

[Silvio55]

Sorry for triple posting, but I replaced the switch and it's still popping!! This switch doesn't pop with the input jack disconnected thou, the pops are gone as soon as the caps discharge. I'm really frustrated now...

[intripped]

I've read that you measured 0.00V at the output,  but anyway I'd try and replace the output cap and see if something change

[anotherjim]

By this stage, I start to wonder if the pop isn't something like an intermittent connection coinciding with the mechanical shock from the operation of the switch. Is it currently all mounted in a case or out on the bench like a dead bug?
Have you tried tapping parts to see if there are any clicks or pops? Do you have any jack grounds that rely on a connection to the case? Are the jack tip contacts clear of the case?

[Silvio55]

The pedal is in a box, I gutted and checked everything and reassembled, all seemed fine and still pops. The grounding is soldered to the back of the pot. I tried tapping but no noises. I'm pretty sure it's not mechanical.
I think I will just leave it like this, I've lost all hope, I will only turn it on and off between songs and live with it. I leave it on most of the time anyways, it's by far my favourite pedal, and the only gain pedal I use playing live.