Hi,
Yes, but DIY is only effective when you have the required knowledge and tools. Service is specific, building a project is another thing again. General questions can lead to an answer. I am glad you asked rather than just went at it!
Yes, remove the cover and place the screws in a pill bottle or mall container. Have a general look around. If you see a fuse that is all silver or black, take it to a good service person right off. That is a high energy fault, if the wire is simply broken or melted, then try and replace it - JUST ONCE! I always use a variac and monitor the current, but I'll assume you don't have that equipment. Doing this can extend the damage if it was a high current event.
Look for obvious burned components. Do not replace them! Just bring it in for service. If you replace those parts, you may not get the correct ones, and you are obscuring the evidence that can lead to a quick diagnosis. That will only increase your repair costs. Most transistors look fine but turn into the equivalent of a piece of wire if they are shorted. However the failure modes are many and we use specialized testing equipment to find leakage, out of spec gain and other issues. Parts can look perfect and be defective.
Everyone, there is a difference between DIY and repairing complicated circuits and restoring proper operation on equipment that is frankly more like 40 years old. When service people and engineers discuss these things, they leave out a ton of information that is universally known to those in those professions. Therefore it looks simple to others, but it isn't.
-Chris
Yes, but DIY is only effective when you have the required knowledge and tools. Service is specific, building a project is another thing again. General questions can lead to an answer. I am glad you asked rather than just went at it!
Yes, remove the cover and place the screws in a pill bottle or mall container. Have a general look around. If you see a fuse that is all silver or black, take it to a good service person right off. That is a high energy fault, if the wire is simply broken or melted, then try and replace it - JUST ONCE! I always use a variac and monitor the current, but I'll assume you don't have that equipment. Doing this can extend the damage if it was a high current event.
Look for obvious burned components. Do not replace them! Just bring it in for service. If you replace those parts, you may not get the correct ones, and you are obscuring the evidence that can lead to a quick diagnosis. That will only increase your repair costs. Most transistors look fine but turn into the equivalent of a piece of wire if they are shorted. However the failure modes are many and we use specialized testing equipment to find leakage, out of spec gain and other issues. Parts can look perfect and be defective.
Everyone, there is a difference between DIY and repairing complicated circuits and restoring proper operation on equipment that is frankly more like 40 years old. When service people and engineers discuss these things, they leave out a ton of information that is universally known to those in those professions. Therefore it looks simple to others, but it isn't.
-Chris
Did it fail in situ, or after shifting, and you tried to connect wires while the power was on?
In any case, tech time in Canada is about $125 per hour, so you are looking at something like $500 as the rough estimate with parts.
Consider that aspect also, if indeed the fault needs service tech attention.
In any case, tech time in Canada is about $125 per hour, so you are looking at something like $500 as the rough estimate with parts.
Consider that aspect also, if indeed the fault needs service tech attention.
Hi,
I wish I charged $125 / Hr. Why are you quoting figures without any knowledge of what the actual charges might be? I might charge as little as $40 depending on the fault.
If the unit is worth owning, it is worth fixing properly. You simply can't buy that quality anymore.
I wish I charged $125 / Hr. Why are you quoting figures without any knowledge of what the actual charges might be? I might charge as little as $40 depending on the fault.
If the unit is worth owning, it is worth fixing properly. You simply can't buy that quality anymore.
There is a member here, 'kodabmx', who charges C$90, based in Toronto, said he was able to do that as he works from home, shop rate is C$125.
My post was based on his figures, I may be wrong about it.
In any case, my apologies.
Luxman is a special item, as it were, and needs experienced service, some faults may be particular to their designs, also a lot of parts may not be available any more, substitution and circuit modification for that is also needed at times.
Best give it to somebody who has done it earlier, you get experience and the person's overall expertise.
I replace my watch cells, but if a quartz watch stops working, the thing goes to a tech, and sometimes it is better to simply replace the movement in a clock or cell.
That is where I am paying for experience, tools, facility, and so should anybody who is out of their experience level.
But yes, I too have had my share of botched repairs on things, some people can be over smart.
My post was based on his figures, I may be wrong about it.
In any case, my apologies.
Luxman is a special item, as it were, and needs experienced service, some faults may be particular to their designs, also a lot of parts may not be available any more, substitution and circuit modification for that is also needed at times.
Best give it to somebody who has done it earlier, you get experience and the person's overall expertise.
I replace my watch cells, but if a quartz watch stops working, the thing goes to a tech, and sometimes it is better to simply replace the movement in a clock or cell.
That is where I am paying for experience, tools, facility, and so should anybody who is out of their experience level.
But yes, I too have had my share of botched repairs on things, some people can be over smart.
Here is the story. I had a cottage.. The luxman was my cottage receiver. I have a pioneer sx 838 as my home receiver. Sold the cottage mid summer. Carefully transported the luxman in my backseat to my house. Swapped out the Pioneer with the luxman. It was working for about a month . Now only one channel works.. Humid at the cottage by the lake.. Dryer at my house . Who knows. Bottom line.. No drops, no live wires.
How dry?
Less than 10% humidity?
Possible cause?
Check the fuses, and so on.
Then take it to somebody who knows these sets, if it is beyond your skill set.
Less than 10% humidity?
Possible cause?
Check the fuses, and so on.
Then take it to somebody who knows these sets, if it is beyond your skill set.
Hi NareshBrd,
I'm in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and my bench rate is $80 / hour. Others running a shop like I used to do (6,000 sq ft and a bunch of techs) tell me I ought to be charging $120 from home. That's considering my skill level and equipment I use. But there is a limit to what people can afford and I try to be sensitive to that, and always have been.
Hi CanadianJack,
Your Luxman may have had a fault simply due to age, nothing to do with what moving and using it did. As long as you have good ventilation above it and were not pounding it I can't see any reason for it to fail beyond age. Every part has a failure rate that is accelerated by temperature and simply run time. That's why ventilation is so important. The failure rate doubles for every 10°C rise in operating temperature.
It will sound much better than your Pioneer ever could. I used to be authorized warranty for Luxman and am very familiar with your equipment. It is a very good set, but some areas are somewhat more difficult to get into to service.
Have a look around inside. I don't expect you to find anything except maybe a blown fuse. Possibly burned components (instant take to service). Realistically speaking, your set is old enough so that it needs to be checked out. I recommend every 10 years to check bias currents, DC offsets and power supply health. Your tuner is probably out of alignment by now. DC offsets you can easily check yourself, but your meter must be good enough to show 0.00 mA on the display. It your lowest range is 200mV the meter is not suitable. You can get a rough idea, but that is it. Measuring bias currents on your set is more advanced. I use a clamp-on DC current meter (HP 428A) and have modern DC current clamps, but can also use other methods that are easier than the one in the manual. Beyond that, it isn't realistic to expect anyone untrained to be able to do a proper job.
I'm also certified in VoIP (Avaya) since 2004, and while I understand networks and basic security, I know enough to get myself into trouble. I generally just tell people in your profession what ports and iP addresses I need (or get assigned). Mind you, IT people are terrible at setting up a communications system. They don't think that way, but they get the connectivity right. Moving switches to the "cloud" made everything worse and everyone lost customization to suit their way of doing business.
I'm in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and my bench rate is $80 / hour. Others running a shop like I used to do (6,000 sq ft and a bunch of techs) tell me I ought to be charging $120 from home. That's considering my skill level and equipment I use. But there is a limit to what people can afford and I try to be sensitive to that, and always have been.
Hi CanadianJack,
Your Luxman may have had a fault simply due to age, nothing to do with what moving and using it did. As long as you have good ventilation above it and were not pounding it I can't see any reason for it to fail beyond age. Every part has a failure rate that is accelerated by temperature and simply run time. That's why ventilation is so important. The failure rate doubles for every 10°C rise in operating temperature.
It will sound much better than your Pioneer ever could. I used to be authorized warranty for Luxman and am very familiar with your equipment. It is a very good set, but some areas are somewhat more difficult to get into to service.
Have a look around inside. I don't expect you to find anything except maybe a blown fuse. Possibly burned components (instant take to service). Realistically speaking, your set is old enough so that it needs to be checked out. I recommend every 10 years to check bias currents, DC offsets and power supply health. Your tuner is probably out of alignment by now. DC offsets you can easily check yourself, but your meter must be good enough to show 0.00 mA on the display. It your lowest range is 200mV the meter is not suitable. You can get a rough idea, but that is it. Measuring bias currents on your set is more advanced. I use a clamp-on DC current meter (HP 428A) and have modern DC current clamps, but can also use other methods that are easier than the one in the manual. Beyond that, it isn't realistic to expect anyone untrained to be able to do a proper job.
I'm also certified in VoIP (Avaya) since 2004, and while I understand networks and basic security, I know enough to get myself into trouble. I generally just tell people in your profession what ports and iP addresses I need (or get assigned). Mind you, IT people are terrible at setting up a communications system. They don't think that way, but they get the connectivity right. Moving switches to the "cloud" made everything worse and everyone lost customization to suit their way of doing business.
@CanadianJack,
if everything is OK with the fuses on the power supply of the non working channel, I suggest that you measure with ohm meter connections on your input selector, it may be the reason of the no sound on one channel. Dry enviroment may cause your problem.
If contact resistance is low, maybe failure is some of the electrolytic capacitor. Searching where the failure in electronic component is not easy task as anatech described. My sugestion is based on my diy expirience and my job expirience, so to me something is trivial when for others may be compicated.
if everything is OK with the fuses on the power supply of the non working channel, I suggest that you measure with ohm meter connections on your input selector, it may be the reason of the no sound on one channel. Dry enviroment may cause your problem.
If contact resistance is low, maybe failure is some of the electrolytic capacitor. Searching where the failure in electronic component is not easy task as anatech described. My sugestion is based on my diy expirience and my job expirience, so to me something is trivial when for others may be compicated.
Hi pitbul,
You're guessing and have no idea.
You're guessing and have no idea.
No, actually a dry environment is the best for electronics. Dry and cool. Moisture is the enemy to electronics and especially contacts of all kinds.
Wow, that would be a real pain considering you would need a Kelvin lead set to get any meaningful measurement - not to mention a good bench meter, > $1K easily.
Anatech / Chris, so I was not far off in terms of rates.
I think a complete service / adjustment without parts would still be in the $200 range, you have to dismantle the set, clean up, inspect, adjust bias and other parameters, then put it back together and then put it through its paces.
Parts would be extra.
I would need most of the day to achieve that, taking more time than most....this is not my field of experience.
And if the item is nearing end of life, a fairly complete replacement of capacitors would be needed, and some parts known to be in too warm areas of the unit, so prone to failure.
So the cost for those will add to the final bill.
That is where the technical experience counts, and the equipment used by the tech.
6,000 square feet is impressive for a service setup.
This old unit would need a renovation, as it were, to make it last a long time, and if it is indeed age related, a lot of parts will need swapping.
As you said, it must be worth it, the sound will be better than a Pioneer.
I think a complete service / adjustment without parts would still be in the $200 range, you have to dismantle the set, clean up, inspect, adjust bias and other parameters, then put it back together and then put it through its paces.
Parts would be extra.
I would need most of the day to achieve that, taking more time than most....this is not my field of experience.
And if the item is nearing end of life, a fairly complete replacement of capacitors would be needed, and some parts known to be in too warm areas of the unit, so prone to failure.
So the cost for those will add to the final bill.
That is where the technical experience counts, and the equipment used by the tech.
6,000 square feet is impressive for a service setup.
This old unit would need a renovation, as it were, to make it last a long time, and if it is indeed age related, a lot of parts will need swapping.
As you said, it must be worth it, the sound will be better than a Pioneer.
If the OP is still following all this, I would just say that the OP came to us because we are a diy site, and tbh rarely have I seen a thread with such a clear opening post as this one take such a turn as this one has done.
There are no guarantees, but we (as a site) have some remarkable success stories (and failures too) and that it is up to the OP whether he wants to venture down the diy route.
There are no guarantees, but we (as a site) have some remarkable success stories (and failures too) and that it is up to the OP whether he wants to venture down the diy route.
@anatech,
your kind of thinking is very short.
where was device before...
and after that
dry enviroment will make such problems.
In my expirience I saw lot of problems which makes inbalance or loss of signal,
anatech, you are silly, if it is not your way, every other solution should not to be mentioned.
your kind of thinking is very short.
where was device before...
and after that
dry enviroment will make such problems.
In my expirience I saw lot of problems which makes inbalance or loss of signal,
anatech, you are silly, if it is not your way, every other solution should not to be mentioned.
pitbul, I am highly experienced in both test and measurement equipment and sound equipment. I also am highly experienced in communications equipment and my area of specialty was water treatment plants.
You are incorrect.
You are incorrect.
Team,, here is where I am at..
Yes,, I came in looking for a starting place for some simple DYI advice before I just run to a technician. I do this for everything that is giving me problems in my house.
Molly gave me some fantastic advice.. Check the fuses
I took the case off and said,, boy there are a lot of fuses in here
I then checked the diagram Molly gave me and that helped me pin-point the fuses that could be the problem.
Just by looking at them I could see one was blown.
I have ordered new fuses and they will arrive on Thursday. So, I will have an update on Friday.
I was informed that I should try and replace the fuse once and only once. If it blows again then I contact someone like Anatech.
The other but of advice was again, very basic dyi stuff,, that is make sure the bare speakers don't touch it other at the back of the unit .
Again this is great DYI basic simple stuff,, but guess what I was doing just last week..
I was seeing what sounded best..
3 Turntables, and 3 sets of speakers on the luxman doing a sound test.. picking what sounds best.
With all that said I am putting money on,, the fuse replacement and me being more careful when hooking up my speakers will resolve the issue.
Yes,, I came in looking for a starting place for some simple DYI advice before I just run to a technician. I do this for everything that is giving me problems in my house.
Molly gave me some fantastic advice.. Check the fuses
I took the case off and said,, boy there are a lot of fuses in here
I then checked the diagram Molly gave me and that helped me pin-point the fuses that could be the problem.
Just by looking at them I could see one was blown.
I have ordered new fuses and they will arrive on Thursday. So, I will have an update on Friday.
I was informed that I should try and replace the fuse once and only once. If it blows again then I contact someone like Anatech.
The other but of advice was again, very basic dyi stuff,, that is make sure the bare speakers don't touch it other at the back of the unit .
Again this is great DYI basic simple stuff,, but guess what I was doing just last week..
I was seeing what sounded best..
3 Turntables, and 3 sets of speakers on the luxman doing a sound test.. picking what sounds best.
With all that said I am putting money on,, the fuse replacement and me being more careful when hooking up my speakers will resolve the issue.
Sorry Mooly, I spelled your username incorrectly.
Just wanted to give you a shoutout because I think your advice and guidance will be spot on.. Will find out Friday 😀
I did say that earlier...see Post #22
The man is playing with a rare set, and does this, and plays innocent.
This emoji is the one I found here, below, there seem to be none for holding your head in your hands, or (Asian, I think), hitting your forehead with your palm...
😱
The man is playing with a rare set, and does this, and plays innocent.
This emoji is the one I found here, below, there seem to be none for holding your head in your hands, or (Asian, I think), hitting your forehead with your palm...
😱
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