If the fire was not caused by this amplifier, I would try to repair it, but I would warn the owner that only trying will require an economic expense that will be replaced by the repair price (quite substantial) if the operation is successful.
If it had been me, I would have done so for two reasons:
1 - I would have defended myself if the operation would be a failure, paying off my lost time (after all, the owner was notified of everything)
2 - I would have taken the question as a challenge, to be able to learn something new and have the satisfaction of having repaired an amplifier that many other people would have thrown in the bin.
If you think about it, if the fire is not caused by him, most likely, a lot of components still work, we would have to check if the transformer insulation enamel is intact or loose, in case, rewind the transformer should not be too expensive, unsolder it, clean the board, unsolder the power terminals, grind them and do the same thing with the frame (with the possibility of changing its color).
I know it is not worth it, and that you almost certainly consider me crazy to think this, but I like challenges and there is a good chance that that amplifier will work again.
Problem is that the PCB looks to have been carbonised in places. Carbon is conductive..
The voltage / clipping indicator area is completely burnt off so it will never be the same again.
You may be able to recover some components off the board but I very much suspect that for an $800 amp, this unit would be beyond economical repair unless it means something special to the OP.
The voltage / clipping indicator area is completely burnt off so it will never be the same again.
You may be able to recover some components off the board but I very much suspect that for an $800 amp, this unit would be beyond economical repair unless it means something special to the OP.
It looks like the amplifier was recovered from a burning landfill. The high likelihood of repair failure does NOT justify the necessarily big expense. Moreover, such failure will damage your reputation as a technician. Take such challenges privately where eventual failure cannot tarnish your reputation.
I wouldnt attempt that even if the owner offered 2X what the amp is worth. The carbonized board is one thing but your also going to be dealing with replacing all the hardware and possibly extracting broken screws and/or retapping new holes in the heatsink.
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I would seal it in a heavy duty plastic bag and use it as a door stop.
No point in even attempting a repair on something that will fail again because the pcb will never recover.
No point in even attempting a repair on something that will fail again because the pcb will never recover.
If this amp was working when the car caught fire, there's a good chance that it still works and just needs to have the terminal blocks repaired/replaced and maybe a few caps. Or. the heat could have caused a lot of the caps and semis to be affected and not be 100%. If you have to repair it, you will have to warranty it. If you only have to do caps and terminals, it won't hurt too much to have to refund the money. If you have to spend time and money replacing outputs and such, it will be more painful. For me, the smell would be too much to bear.
I did this to make a living. The first few years, I tried to prove that I was super-tech and repair everything. Then common sense took over and I repaired what made sense to repair. Many items were marked UTR (uneconomical to repair).
I did this to make a living. The first few years, I tried to prove that I was super-tech and repair everything. Then common sense took over and I repaired what made sense to repair. Many items were marked UTR (uneconomical to repair).
Ah Perry, the voice of reason as always. I’m not looking to make a name for myself. It looks like a challenge, but I’m pretty busy right now so I’m not looking to do anything with it for some time. I may hold on to it and work on it if I get bored. The two areas of concern for me are the PCB and the transformer.
The amplifier didn’t cause the fire. His car caught on fire due to a wiring issue under the dash. He pulled it out of the car after the fire was put out.
It intrigues me to the point that I may learn something but I’m certainly not going to aggravate myself with it. I certainly won’t invest much money in it. I may initially try to bring it up with parts from donor amps and used parts I have laying around.
I appreciate everyone’s input. All are reasonable thoughts. I’ve got time to think on it and see if things slow down in the fall like it did for me last year. If not then I won’t even attempt it.
On second thought, I may just give it back to the owner and tell him I’m too busy to take it on right now.
Thanks,
David
The amplifier didn’t cause the fire. His car caught on fire due to a wiring issue under the dash. He pulled it out of the car after the fire was put out.
It intrigues me to the point that I may learn something but I’m certainly not going to aggravate myself with it. I certainly won’t invest much money in it. I may initially try to bring it up with parts from donor amps and used parts I have laying around.
I appreciate everyone’s input. All are reasonable thoughts. I’ve got time to think on it and see if things slow down in the fall like it did for me last year. If not then I won’t even attempt it.
On second thought, I may just give it back to the owner and tell him I’m too busy to take it on right now.
Thanks,
David