Another Soundbridge Radio Dead

[rlguildford]

Hi

I've had a R1000 (pinnacle badged) for about 6 months without any problems. Generally I left it plugged in 24/7, but I unplugged it to go on holiday. On return from holiday it failed to restart (no display or sound). I've looked at the discussion forums and it sounded like a power supply problem, but I've measured the voltages at the connector (not under load) and they seem okay. It should still be under warrantly, but I probably voided that by taking the back off and looking into the PSU.

I don't feel inclined to send it to the US (I'm in UK). Can you give me any further advice?

Many thanks
Rob

[alanmc]

Hi rlguildford, welcome to the forums -

I'm sorry to hear that your R1000 has suffered a similar fate to so many others . . . . my advice is to have the PSU rebuilt with upgraded high-quality components by a very highly experienced Technician here in the UK that has the username of g0pkh in these forums -
Send him a PM with your contact details

Edit: the reason I suggested you contact Pete (g0pkh) is that having broken the sealant, as you stated, the warranty will be void. Pinnacle use a company in Germany called Teleplan, their website is http://www.teleplan-repair2000.de/ or Phone: 0049 522 5031 46 -

[S80_UK]

Hi Rob,

Welcome to the forum.

First step, if the unit is only 6 month old, go back to the supplier. they have responsibilities under the sale of goods act to solve the problem one way or another.

If that fails, try Pinnacle themselves.

If that fails, then there are people here who are familiar with the power supply problems and who can probably help you although that would then be an "out of warranty" repair. Specifically, forum member g0pkh (Pete) is in the UK and has reworked quite a number of these.

I cannot recommend that you open the unit yourself. it is not that simple, and would immediately invalidate the warranty that you have.

Good luck,

Les.

[g0pkh]

Hello Rob.

As the others have very kindly recommended me, I would be more than willing to rebuild the PSU for you, this would be done using the best quality components.

As has been mentioned, if you are not familiar with electronics then please don't try this repair yourself.

My bench is currently clear (not for long though, another heading my way as we speak)

As S80_UK has mentioned however, it is an out of warranty repair, as I have no connection whatsoever with Roku.

Since your unit is only 6 months old I would naturally suggest that you contact the normal Supplier\Support channels first.

If you would like a rebuild, then please don't hesitate to contact me via PM.

Pete

[rlguildford]

Hi, thanks for the messages.

I've already taken the back off the R1000 and opened the back section so my warranty will almost certainly be void. I'm not sure this is a PSU problem (voltages looked okay to me - but I'm an amateur), but will PM Pete to see if anything can be done.

Regards
Rob

[rlguildford]

Hi again

After advice from g0pkh (Peter), I checked the voltages of the rails via the connector (when attached to the front part of the radio). The voltages registered +9.5V and +19V on my multimeter, so I'm a bit flumuxed as to what could be the problem. The unit appears to be totally dead, but I don't think this could have been caused by a power spike.

Are there any other suggestions about what may cause this? (and hopefully fix it)

Thanks in advance
Rob

[rlguildford]

Further update...

After doing various tests (described above) I left the radio plugged in and got on with some other work. Low-and-behold, an hour later when I turned round the display was on and it worked!!

I was so pleased I unplugged it and carried it back to its normal location in the kitchen, but alas it won't start again in either location. I've left it plugged in overnight and still no joy

So the good news is it does work and hasn't been fried. The bad news is that the PSU appears to give the correct voltage.

I've seen other posts where people are using alternatiove power supplies. Could you provide me with information for supplying alternative power to the power connector? I've read in an other thread that the 19V rail is only used to drive the speakers, so perhaps I could test the unit by supplying power from a 9v battery? If so, what connections would I need to make??

Many thnaks
Rob

[alanmc]

@ Rob -

Permit me to merely comment that a few years ago I thought I could fit a new timing/cam-belt to a very expensive sports car I owned -
Sure I fitted it "Perfectly" . . . . the consequential repair-cost for having it only 1-cog adrift was in the region of £2000-
Moral of the story: leave it to those who are Electronic Tecnicians . . . . for you are also screwing around in areas where there are some seriously high voltages.

As the Americans say: "Just my 2 cents worth"

[rlguildford]

Hi Alan

Thanks for answering. Hopefully my tinkering with the SB won't be in the same realm as your sports car

I realise I could ruin the unit by applying the wrong voltages - which is why I'm hoping for an answer here before I do anything silly. I'm not a complete newbie (I did an electronics course many years ago), but I'm sufficiently rusty that I won't go beyond unsrewing, measuring, probing and testing.

So can anyone help with the 5 power connections? Would I cause any harm by applying a 9V battery to only the 9V rail and the neighbouring black ground wire? Should this be sufficient to start it up?

Many thanks
Rob

[g0pkh]

Hi Rob.

If you search other threads in this radio forum, you should find the answer.

http://forums.rokulabs.com/viewtopic.ph ... 7&start=15

It is possible to test the unit on a single supply, others have confirmed this in the threads, I have not tried myself however.

I am fairly sure you still have a PSU fault.
Capacitor problems cause just this symptom.
The ESR value falls when they go cold, and if left powered they can sometimes recover just enough, until powered off again.

If your PSU has not failed yet, then you can sure it will sooner or later.
I have 3 Radios, and every one has needed a PSU rebuild.

Does your unit actually have the warranty void sticker on it ?

I have to say that I am a little wary of you saying that your unit actually delivers the full 9.5V on load. Please dont even think I am calling you a liar, but the reason I say this, is because I have never in all the units I have checked (even the working ones) Seen the full 9.5V. 19 is usually spot on.

In an unrepaired working unit I have never seen much more than 8.5 ish.

Just thoughts of course.

Pete

[Burkhardi]

I have to say that I am a little wary of you saying that your unit actually delivers the full 9.5V on load. Please dont even think I am calling you a liar, but the reason I say this, is because I have never in all the units I have repaired or checked (even the working ones before repair) Seen the full 9.5V. 19 is usually spot on.

In a working unit I have never seen much more than 8.5 ish.

Just thoughts of course.

Pete

Just to back up my good friend Pete, I too have seen the same. I only see 9.5v w/o a load. So there could be an open ciruit or perhaps the main regulator on the main PCB of the body died and it's not drawing any current? So this is not passing the "smell test" with me.

BTW, what does the PSU meassure when totaly disconnected from the main body?

Sorry to have butted in.
Regards, Matt

[rlguildford]

Thanks Pete, that's very helpful information.

http://forums.rokulabs.com/viewtopic.ph ... 7&start=15

I found the wiring information in the link you posted, together with the fact that GND /GND / Shield are all interconnected. So a 9V battery test should be easy and should help to confirm the bad PSU diagnosis.

I'll let you know the results.

I've got an old analogue multi-meter which hasn't been callibrated since I bought it, and the 9.5V was an approximate reading. But interestingly I see the poster for the above link measured 10.2V on the 9.5V rail, so perhaps my reading wasn't so far out?

My unit doesn't have the warranty void sticker on it - so presumably it's using the older components even though it's relatively new?

Cheers
Rob

[S80_UK]

Rob - you may need a big battery - the current draw is significant. If I was doing this (or Pete, I suspect) I would use a bench power supply capable of delivering 2 or 3 amps but with the current limit initially set quite low to avoid big bangs in case anything else isn't right.

[g0pkh]

Interesting Les.

I have one in repair at the moment, I will run it up on the Bench PSU, and see what the current draw is.

Certainly at reasonable volume I would think a good amp or so.
I will check.

Pete

[rlguildford]

A further update...

1) I've got a nice juicy 9.5V battery which powers my Bosch screw driver. I checked the output voltage with no load and it read 9.6V, so seems to be a good test power supply for the R1000. Sadly, when connected to the terminal nothing happened, the display remained blank

2) I decided it was time I upgraded my (very) old analgue multi-meter and invested in a new DMM from Maplins. This has allowed me to make some more accurate measurements of the PSU output, both with and without load.

No Load:-
+10.69V
+19.57V
With load (plugged into front unit)
+8.99 - 9.09 (oscillating)
+19.05 (steady)

Does it still sound like a PSU problem?

Thanks all for your help thus far.

Regards
Rob