Help with Palmer PDI-05 !

[vickno]

I’m connecting the speaker out from Orange micro terror to Palmer IN (speaker setting) and from OUT to mixer and nothing, no sound at all ! If I change to LINE there is a hiss. If I plug the guitar directly to Palmer …bingo ! there is sound !!! I also tried with THROUGH to cabinet - no sound in mixer or cabinet. The same with another amp - Bogner Ecstasy mini. What can it be ? What am I doing wrong ?

[overdrivenel34s]

What about connection from the unit to guitar cab as i'd think speaker load is still required (i don't think that unit has a dummy speaker load)?

[vickno]

It doesn’t need a loadbox with these amps, see the topic below. But like I said, I also tried with cabinet from Through and still nothing
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=54696&p=1065556#p1065556

[Heath]

I just read through the manual. It doesn't flat-out say it, but it looks like there may be an internal system that mutes the output if there is nothing plugged to the thru jack when it is in speaker-level mode. Maybe try a dummy plug (nothing connected to tip or sleeve) and see if it starts working.

[vickno]

Thanks, I’ll try this tonight.
Meanwhile….Billy, what do you think it could be ? I know you have/had one.

[GuitarBilly]

hmmm..... I am not sure. I haven't had that issue. How loud are you setting the amps? These units are designed to take a signal from a 100w tube Marshall so it's possible that not enough signal is going into it. Try to set the amps as loud as you can without distorting the power sections.
Also, make sure you are using speaker cables.


And make sure it is being powered correctly. The PDI-03 doesn't require power but the PDI-05 does, I'm pretty sure there is a 120/240v switch. Make sure the switch matches your country's power (240, I think).
When I bought the Palmer Macht 402 power amp, I initially couldn't get a sound out of it until I realized it was set to 240.

[vickno]

Here is my chain: guitar - amp - speaker out - (speaker cable) - palmer in (speaker setting) - out - mixer and thru - cabinet . no sound !!! not in the mixer and not in the cab. I don’t know what to try anymore ! (the cables are OK , the amps are working - they surely don't need a load. and if I plug the guitar directly and use the Line setting I have sound).
I guess the Palmer is not getting the signal level is supposed to ? I tried one of the amps speaker out into Torpedo C.A.B. and the same...no sound.

[GuitarBilly]

Here is my chain: guitar - amp - speaker out - (speaker cable) - palmer in (speaker setting) - out - mixer and thru - cabinet . no sound !!! not in the mixer and not in the cab. I don’t know what to try anymore ! (the cables are OK )

Is the Palmer powering on ok?

[vickno]

Powering is OK - 220 and the unit is working with just the guitar plugged in it, see the edit of my above post.

[vickno]

I set the amp at max volume...no result.

[GuitarBilly]

The amp is not making any sound through the Torpedo?

Does it work straight into the cab?

[vickno]

The amp is not making any sound through the Torpedo?

Does it work straight into the cab?

No sound through Torpedo, it works into the cab.

[GuitarBilly]

Man, I'm drawing a blank here.

The only thing I can't think of is the amp is shutting off the power section when it doesn't have a load directly connected to it. I'm not sure why it would do that though.

But it seems like the Palmer is not the issue since it's doing it with the Torpedo too.


So!! Plan B: Try the Bogner Ecstasy mini again but this time go from the Effects Send into the Palmer set to Line.
Do you get sound that way?

[vickno]

From Send (Line setting) I get sound. Like I said maybe the problem is the signal level since the preamp out (FX send) is ok. How different is this signal from from the one from speaker out ? But anyway, the Palmer is supposed to work with full amp signal, not only preamps. Is it possible that only the speaker setting is broken somehow ?

[GuitarBilly]

From Send (Line setting) I get sound. Like I said maybe the problem is the signal level since the preamp out (FX send) is ok. How different is this signal from from the one from speaker out ? But anyway, the Palmer is supposed to work with full amp signal, not only preamps. Is it possible that only the speaker setting is broken somehow ?

I don't think so because the Torpedo is doing the same thing. So it had to be something with the amp's power section. It's really weird.

Have you tried both channels of the PDI05?

[vickno]

Yes, the first set-up I tried was with both Orange and Bogner into the Palmer’s channels.

[GuitarBilly]

Yeah it's very strange. I don't think the Palmer is defective. Since the same thing is happening with the Torpedo.

It's probably something that is shutting off the SS power amps. I don't know what it is though.

[vickno]

I e-mailed Palmer but it’s week-end, I’m looking forward for their answer.

[vickno]

Update: I tried it with a full-tube amp and it works ! Why doesn’t Palmer like hybrid and SS amps ????

[GuitarBilly]

Update: I tried it with a full-tube amp and it works ! Why doesn’t Palmer like hybrid and SS amps ????

I think it's the amps that don't like the Palmer - and the Torpedo apparently.


I think for the Bogner mini, the solution of taking the signal from the FX send solves the problem. There's really nothing to be gained by going through the power section of that amp.


The Micro Terror doesn't have a loop so idk. Maybe using a DI box between the amp and the Palmer world's solve but I'm not sure.

[vickno]

Why do you say the power amp doesn’t matter ? Because it’s SS and/or low-power amps ?

[GuitarBilly]

Why do you say the power amp doesn’t matter ? Because it’s SS and/or low-power amps ?

It's a simple clean SS power amp. It's only function is to put volume into a cabinet, all of the tone comes from the preamp section of these amps.

Plug your guitar into the fx return of your Bogner and check it, there is nothing there but clean volume.

[vickno]

Why do you say the power amp doesn’t matter ? Because it’s SS and/or low-power amps ?

It's a simple clean SS power amp. It's only function is to put volume into a cabinet, all of the tone comes from the preamp section of these amps.

Plug your guitar into the fx return of your Bogner and check it, there is nothing there but clean volume.

got it !

[vickno]

Another question, please (I'm not at home now to try it myself): if I use FX send to Palmer, will I be able to use at the same time the speaker output to a cabinet ?

[GuitarBilly]

Best way to do it would be with a Y splitter so one side goes to the Palmer and the other goes back to the fx return. A stereo pedal works too.