How To Change The Battery In Your Line 6 Vetta HD or Combo: The Vetta XONE: Part 5

If you own a Line 6 Vetta 2 Combo or Vetta HD,

at some point you will have to replace the internal CR2430 lithium battery.

The battery doesn't last forever, so it's an eventual issue that you'll have to address.

Guess what?

It isn't as hard as you think it is.

Really!

Just follow this guide, as well as the Line 6 Vetta Reddit Group's excellent guide to Vetta Battery Replacement.

To begin, I'm still using my Line 6 Vetta HD (Ver2.50) that I originally purchased in 2003!! It's currently full of custom patches for the 42 songs in my band's live set. I'm still loving how it sounds after all these years. I also bought a used Vetta Combo (ver2.50) as a backup.

I've already replaced the Vetta Combo's Battery. Click here for that.

After successfully replacing the Combo's Battery,

I decided to replace the battery in my Vetta HD.

Here's how I did it:

Unplug everything from the HD

Take pictures before every step!

First I loosened the 4 main Chassis screws on the bottom of the HD.

Now you can pull the amp housing out by itself.

Next, you unscrew the 8 small Phillips head screws along the top and front of the Chassis. Lastly, you unscrew the 2 medium Phillips Head Screws in the two recessed spaces on the top. 

Then you can slowly open the two amp chassis.

You will need to disconnect 6 wires to separate the Chassis halves

Here are the 4 main wires that connect the two parts of the Vetta HD's amp chassis.

The small white wire in the front, comes from the Input Jack.

The next two ribbon Cables, 1 Small, 1 Large

Then, at the other end of the board, the Large White Multi-Wire

Next, un-hook the power leads from the power button

Now you can separate the 2 halves of the Chassis

I unscrewed the tiny Phillips Head Screws from the XLR Direct Outs, and the Plastic Nuts on the other I/Os. Then took out the 5 Phillips Head Screws keeping the Main Board in Place.

You can see the battery on the bottom right

There was a fair amount of dust inside,

so I cleaned everything up

I attached the board to my helping hands and turned the board on it's side

Here's the original battery with the factory silicone, holding the battery in place

I scraped off the Silicone with an xacto knife, keeping the original battery in place.

Here's the original battery, silicone off

Then I just flipped the board on it's back with the helping hands, and used my soldering iron to heat the solder on the 3 points where the battery is attached.

By heating those 3 points on the back, the battery falls right out

Battery removed

Now, just install the new CR2430 Battery. You'll have the bend the legs of the battery holder to fit them into the holes. Then while holding the battery in place with your finger, re-solder the 3 holes in the back. 

Flip over the board and add a small bead of solder to each of the back legs.

Now your battery is in place

Next, I added some new clear silicone to keep the battery in place for travel

I waited 15 minutes for the tack to set in the silicone.

While I did that, I replaced my original power button, which wasn't working, with a new one.

Old and new button

The new button installed

Then I re-assembled the chassis, connecting all 6 wires first, then the 10 Phillips Head Screws, 8 small, 2 Medium.

Don't forget to re-insert the stabilizers on each side

Put the Chassis back in the HD, and re attach the 4 Phillips Head Screws on the bottom.

Well Done!!

You have just given your Line 6 Vetta another 10-20 years of life!!!

Don't forget to read my other Line 6 Vetta articles in this Series:

The Way To Tweak AWESOME TONE From The Line 6 Vetta (Part 1)

The Way To Tweak AWESOME TONE From The Line 6 Vetta (Part 2)

The Way To Tweak AWESOME TONE From The Line 6 Vetta (Part 3)

The Way To Tweak AWESOME TONE From The Line 6 Vetta (Part 4)

The Way To Tweak AWESOME TONE From The Line 6 Vetta (Part 4): The Vetta Combo XONE!!!!

I'm still using my Line 6 Vetta HD (Ver2.50) that I originally purchased in 2003!! It's currently full of custom patches for the 42 songs in my band's live set. I'm still loving how it sounds after all these years, and to make sure that I had a comparable backup for playing gigs again, I bought a used Line 6 Vetta Combo for a way low price!! It is in amazing shape too.

I painted the corners and the logo/handle of the Combo to black, like I did on my Vetta HD.

The Vetta Combo came with Ver2.03 Firmware loaded.

So I immediately went to the awesome Line 6 Vetta Reddit Group website, where these awesome guys have made available all the Vetta HD and Combo Firmware versions as well as, Model Defaults, and Factory Bank files readily available for download, and then upload into your Vetta.

Check out their Vetta Firmware Install Instructions. I followed them to the letter and it worked perfectly the first time. The Vetta Combo was now up to Ver2.50.

I loaded My Vetta HD's custom Factory and User Banks into the Vetta Combo with Line 6 Edit. I also changed all the patches for the Combo to use the G12T75 (4x12 Brit T75) Speaker Cab model, since I run my Vetta HD, with no Cab Model, through my Marshall 1960A 4x12 Cab (with G12T75 Speakers).

I set all the System Settings, and Output Settings to match my Vetta HD, then I connected my FBV Longboard, and connected my Ibanez RGD2120Z Guitar. It totally matched the tone of my Vetta HD Rig, as I played through the whole 42 songs set!!

One small issue did remain.

When I restarted the Vetta, none of the System, or Output Settings stayed where I had set them. This meant that the internal CR2430 lithium battery needed to be replaced

Once again, The Line 6 Vetta Reddit Group saved the day!

I followed their superb Vetta Battery Replacement Guide to the letter.

First I took the Vetta Combo apart, and I took pictures every step of the way so I could reconnect everything correctly. I wore latex gloves the whole time.

I unhooked the Combo's Speakers.

Then I loosened the 2 main handle screws, the 2 forward head screws, and the 5 small allen wrench screws along the back of the amp. Then the two amp chassis parts came apart.

Here are the 3 main wires that connect the two parts of the Vetta's amp chassis.

The Green Wire

The White Ribbon Cable

The White Wire

I unhooked the cables and separated the chassis

After successfully taking the amp apart, putting it back together, and then re-starting up the amp successfully,

I was ready to tackle the actual battery replacement

I took the chassis apart again,

and removed the smaller White Ribbon Wire attached to the middle of the circuit board.

The Small White Ribbon Wire

I then removed the whole board with the battery on it.

I cut away the silicon around the battery with an xacto knife. I put the board on its side, and saw the 3 holes where the battery is soldered to the board from underneath

To get the Battery out of the board, I heated the holes from the bottom with a Weller 8200, pulling the legs out as the solder heated to liquid. All three came out very easy, and the battery was free.

I had to bend the 3 legs of the new Mouser 3-Pin Battery to fit all 3 holes at once.

I put the board back on its side, holding the new battery in place.

As I heated each hole, I pushed the battery leg into the hole, as the solder liquified.

I held the battery in place until it cooled.

The battery didn't go completely flush, but the legs went all the way through the holes. I then added new solder to each hole on the bottom, and then the two back legs on top to keep the battery solid and in place.

Here's the old battery next to the new battery

I put the whole thing back together, reconnected everything.

Then I plugged the Vetta Combo in, and flipped the On Switch.

VIOLA!!!

The Vetta Combo fired right up in ver2.50, with all my patches still intact. I set the System and Output Settings to the same as my Vetta HD. Saved a user patch just to be sure.

Then I turned the amp off, waited ten seconds, and turned it back on.

All of my Vetta HD settings were still in the amp!!!!

The battery replacement worked perfectly!!

Vetta Users, at some point, the internal CR2430 Battery in your Line 6 Vetta is going to need replacing. I am not an expert in electronic wiring, or a solder master, but I was able to give my Vetta Combo another 10 years of life (at least), and I know I can do it again!!

Next, I'm going to replace the battery in my Vetta HD.

With upcoming shows, I need my Vettas ready to go,

and battery replacement is the way to be sure.

Don't forget to read my other Line 6 Vetta articles in this Series:

The Way To Tweak AWESOME TONE From The Line 6 Vetta (Part 1)

The Way To Tweak AWESOME TONE From The Line 6 Vetta (Part 2)

The Way To Tweak AWESOME TONE From The Line 6 Vetta (Part 3)

XONE is at ReverbNation!

Head on over to ReverbNation and listen to the shorter songs from my 2016 album Maxxed Out At Full Capacity 

You can also hear the longer songs at SoundCloud

XONE at SOUNDCLOUD!!

XONE is now at SOUNDCLOUD!!!

Pop on over to SoundCloud and hear the longer tracks from my 2016 album Maxxed Out At Full Capacity!!

Listen and Download XONE's new song "I Will Be Waiting" for FREE at ReverbNation.com!

Listen and Download XONE's new song "I Will Be Waiting" at ReverbNation.com!


"I Will Be Waiting" can be heard on XONE's 2016 album "Maxxed Out At Full Capacity"
available at itunes, Amazon MP3, Google Play

Download the new XONE song "Ignorance Isn't Bliss" at ReverbNation.com!

Download the new XONE song "Ignorance Isn't Bliss" at ReverbNation.com!
Knowledge and understanding are the only way to peace

"Ignorance Isn't Bliss" is off XONE's 2016 album "Maxxed Out At Full Capacity"
available at itunes, Amazon MP3, Google Play

Hear the New XONE Single: When One Door Closes at ReverbNation.com!

Listen to XONE's new single: When One Door Closes
at REVERBNATION.com

Off XONE's 2016 album "Maxxed Out At Full Capacity"
available at itunes, Amazon MP3, Google Play, Spotify