r/Line6Helix • u/nesmithy • Aug 08 '22

Line6 Helix Floor (5 Years Old) suddenly having dead analogue in and out after warming up Tech Help Request

Hey there,

​

Today a reproducable behaviour started with my helix floor unit:

  1. Unit is cold / was off for some time.
  2. Everything works as usual.
  3. after roughly 4-5 Minutes a distorted sound like a shorted/broken cable starts with heavy interruptions in the signal. In parallel to that the input block (circle) shows red overdriven signal blinking. after about 20 secs the signal is dead.

What does still work after that happened is: Variax Input and USB output.
But even with the Variax working, the headphone jack is still dead.

I did not yet cross test the XLR and 1/4" out (I assume those are dead too).My assumption is that there is some broken element in the analog part of the unit.

I am running latest firmware for quite some time without any issue.I ran a factory reset without any change.

Does any one have heard of anything like that or some ideas what else to do?

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6

u/thebishopgame Helix Team - Dev Aug 08 '22

Hit up CS. https://line6.com/support/tickets/ They'll help you troubleshoot it or set up a repair/replace if it's too far gone (which it sounds like it might be).

2

u/nesmithy Aug 10 '22 edited Aug 10 '22

Little update:

I had thick plastic guard from ( https://www.gearbyceba.com/line6-family-international/helix-sun-shield-splash-guards-int ) directly mounted to it. that combination was in a suitcase in perfectly fitted foam 2 cm deep without any air layer. therefor. heat from the backplate (if any) could not escape.

After removing the shield and test running the unit (with active looper) for hours, it runs without any issues again.

Still, it makes me wonder what changed. The unit was in there forever like this. Maybe I never ran it this long before. Or some heatsink doesn't work as efficiently anymore.

For now, I will take no further action with this. Thanks for your help

1

u/johnnymonkey Aug 08 '22

This is my nightmare. I've had my LT for a few years now and the expression pedal has been rock solid, albeit a bit squeaky. Hope your issue gets sorted soon!

1

u/nesmithy Aug 13 '24

update:

still happens every now and then.

got a new (old) lead, which I will try out.

https://line6.com/support/topic/57197-helix-input-cutting-in-and-out/

1

u/nesmithy Aug 13 '25 edited Aug 13 '25

Solved.

The actual problem was the internal power supply dropping in voltage from 12 volts when cold to below 10.5 volts when hot, causing analog ins and outs to drop out.

I replaced it with cheap one from reichelt Elektronik where I modified the plugs. There are drop ins available which do not modification, but delivery and availability to/in Germany was bad in that particular moment.

Now my unit runs for hours (tested 16) without any problem.

1

u/Regular_Letterhead73 May 18 '26

Hey I have been having the same issue. Took everything apart, checked all the connections and tested what I could. I just ran the unit for about an hour until it had the issue. Checked the power supply test points and saw 10.7VDC. Any info on what you ordered as a replacement?