Hi I have a rega 3 brio which has one dead channel.
I'm fairly practical and have some experience in home electrics, plumbing etc. I have a multimeter. I was wondering how I would go about repairing the amp myself. What I need - equipment, diagrams etc? What skills I need to learn? Where I would get quality/original parts? If anyone has any thoughts to these questions it would be much appreciated. Also willing to be told go to a professional..
Thanks in advance
I'm fairly practical and have some experience in home electrics, plumbing etc. I have a multimeter. I was wondering how I would go about repairing the amp myself. What I need - equipment, diagrams etc? What skills I need to learn? Where I would get quality/original parts? If anyone has any thoughts to these questions it would be much appreciated. Also willing to be told go to a professional..
Thanks in advance
Have you done gone through trying to isolate a bad input channel, or input lead by swapping inputs cd to tuner etc, and swapped the L and right channel signal leads.
The same goes for the outputs and speaker cables a quick swap should prove you definitely have one channel down.
Going further you will need to understand how to open the amp up, sometimes they have hidden screws etc.
Then you will need a circuit diagram and the know how to follow the signal flow. Plus electrical safety aspects there is 240 Volts in there somewhere.
Sometimes with the chassis opened up you can see an obvious mistake, like a broken speaker wire or the pcb cracked around the input and output connectors. Or discolouration of the PCB or a capacitor that has bulged or leaked electrolyte. A friendly teacher might be best to introduce you to some of the subtleties.
If there are damaged or blown components you will need to be able to solder, and obtain a replacement or replacements, Once fitted you sensibly need a dim bulb tester or variac to limit current or bring the voltage up slowly.
Speaking to Rega and finding out if they have a fixed repair cost might be the simplest option.
The same goes for the outputs and speaker cables a quick swap should prove you definitely have one channel down.
Going further you will need to understand how to open the amp up, sometimes they have hidden screws etc.
Then you will need a circuit diagram and the know how to follow the signal flow. Plus electrical safety aspects there is 240 Volts in there somewhere.
Sometimes with the chassis opened up you can see an obvious mistake, like a broken speaker wire or the pcb cracked around the input and output connectors. Or discolouration of the PCB or a capacitor that has bulged or leaked electrolyte. A friendly teacher might be best to introduce you to some of the subtleties.
If there are damaged or blown components you will need to be able to solder, and obtain a replacement or replacements, Once fitted you sensibly need a dim bulb tester or variac to limit current or bring the voltage up slowly.
Speaking to Rega and finding out if they have a fixed repair cost might be the simplest option.
Hi Raymond, yes I've tried the easy wins but no joy. Thanks for your advice. It's given me an idea of finding an electronics club/course.
Are you certain it is the turntable? Have you swapped the turntable RCA plugs between phono input channels?
If the problem stays in the same speaker, it is not the turntable.
If the problem stays in the same speaker, it is not the turntable.
Welcome to the forum!
If you were to substitute "broken down car" for "dead amp" and ask someone the same questions as above, you wouldn't be at all surprised if you were advised to see a professional! 🙂
However, I'll put possible answers to some of your questions in a box:
I presume you have done all the basic troubleshooting - checking the dead channel for hum - looking for a blown fuse inside the amp - eliminating a possible fault with the source equipment, the interconnect cable, the speaker cable and the speaker itself - looking for visible signs of component damage.
Unfortunately, apart from some obvious causes of failure, it can be very difficult to troubleshoot solid state amplifiers.
EDIT: I wrote all this stuff before seeing the other posts. Sorry for the duplication!
If you were to substitute "broken down car" for "dead amp" and ask someone the same questions as above, you wouldn't be at all surprised if you were advised to see a professional! 🙂
However, I'll put possible answers to some of your questions in a box:
I presume you have done all the basic troubleshooting - checking the dead channel for hum - looking for a blown fuse inside the amp - eliminating a possible fault with the source equipment, the interconnect cable, the speaker cable and the speaker itself - looking for visible signs of component damage.
Unfortunately, apart from some obvious causes of failure, it can be very difficult to troubleshoot solid state amplifiers.
EDIT: I wrote all this stuff before seeing the other posts. Sorry for the duplication!