The corrosive glue problem is known for a long time from different brands.
It happens years after manufacture.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...tic-diagrams-help.284017/page-11#post-7690470
It happens years after manufacture.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...tic-diagrams-help.284017/page-11#post-7690470
I don't think this was intentionaly done by ADAM. Makes no sense for a quality manufacturer to produce things that fail over time. There are other industries doing that, but not High End Audio. Seems that the Asian sub manufacturer saw the oportunity to increase profit 8 Cents per unit and used some acid curing substance instead of the more expensive stuff. I'm quite sure the description in the contract was something like "vibration damping compound for electronics." Which, in Europe, would be non corrosive in any case. In some other region a material that doesn't eat away the whole thing after 2 years may be considered "non corrosive".
The usual. ultra cheap elastic silicone you use around the house, is containing acid which is needed to cure it. You may know the distinctive vinegar like smell. In the end of the reaction there is always some left that contaminates the region where it was applied. Usually without consequences, around your house. Never use it on raw metall.
PS I'm not counting Harman/JBL a High End Manufacturer. They, like many others want their products to go to the land fill after 2 years and the customer should buy the new version.
The usual. ultra cheap elastic silicone you use around the house, is containing acid which is needed to cure it. You may know the distinctive vinegar like smell. In the end of the reaction there is always some left that contaminates the region where it was applied. Usually without consequences, around your house. Never use it on raw metall.
PS I'm not counting Harman/JBL a High End Manufacturer. They, like many others want their products to go to the land fill after 2 years and the customer should buy the new version.
Here is the update on the troubleshooting and repair of my Adam 2SA
As soon as I got the schematics I opened the back of the monitor for a visual inspection. All looked clean. Then I rigged it to play some music : no sound at all. That was surprising because, prior to that, there was at least some sound coming through. So I started to wiggle around with the wires and connectors to find out that one of the JST connector, SV11, was damage (see schematics on post #218). The spring part of one of the crimp terminal was broken. I just replaced it. Then I was back to the conditions described on my first post.
Next I tested the ribbon cable that passes through to the control panel (SV1 to SV6), since the controls were not responsive at all, except for the standby switch. Only the middle part of the wire showed continuity. That's after I removed the speakers that the source of the problem revealed itself.
MICE!
The monitors had been stored for a years. Definitely the best architecture for mice house! And they love to eat wires.
So I ordered the parts to make myself a replacement cable, then reconnected the system (out of the box). Everything is working good. Now the problem I'm left with is to replace the cabinet damping material. I hoped I could somehow clean it and keep it, but, frankly, it is definitely ruined. I also inspected the other monitor and it shows traces of rodent life, although nothing has been damage, apart from the damping material.
It's the first time I have to shop for that material. It's the white fluffy stuff. It's 2 inch thick when not compressed. I am really not sure what to look for. From my search, I understand it is either poly-fill or Dacron (or is it the same thing?).
Can someone point me in the right direction? What to buy and where? (I am located in Canada)
This materal is used for stuffing cushions and can be found in household hardware stores.
Perhaps it is even cheaper to buy one or two simple cushions.
Perhaps it is even cheaper to buy one or two simple cushions.
Speakers with reflex ports should always be stored with fully covered holes,
otherwise it is an invitation for small animals. I once had a subwoofer in for
repair which was only used occasionally and stored in a garage. Mice went
in and used the inside as dining area. The cabinet was filled with nutshells.
The original complaint from the owner, a local wedding DJ, was bad sound.
otherwise it is an invitation for small animals. I once had a subwoofer in for
repair which was only used occasionally and stored in a garage. Mice went
in and used the inside as dining area. The cabinet was filled with nutshells.
The original complaint from the owner, a local wedding DJ, was bad sound.
"Bad sound", ahahah! In the case of studio monitors, that could also mean "bad smell". I guess it would not be much ealthy having these speaker pumping this filthy air through the ports straight in the face.
Is there a specific material that makers like Adam use? I don't mind getting something a bit more expensive if it is to get the same thickness/density/dampening effect as the original. Perhaps I did not mention, but this will be to the seller's expense. I fact, he will pay me for the repair job. I could have the pair for something like cad700$ instead of the 900$ he was asking for.
Is there a specific material that makers like Adam use? I don't mind getting something a bit more expensive if it is to get the same thickness/density/dampening effect as the original. Perhaps I did not mention, but this will be to the seller's expense. I fact, he will pay me for the repair job. I could have the pair for something like cad700$ instead of the 900$ he was asking for.
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I found some Fiberflex polyester batting at Solen Canada with the right thickness. It's quite cheap. They cut it straight from a 42" roll and they send you a little more than you ask.
https://www.solen.ca/en/products/polyester
https://www.solen.ca/en/products/polyester
My Adam P11A pair both have problems with the amplifiers. One of them is losing response in the woofer and the other is losing response in the tweeter. The drivers themselves test perfectly fine.
I replaced all of the small capacitors near the heatsinks, but unfortunately that did not work for either speaker. I’m going to try replacing some of the larger capacitors and testing the toroidal transformers next.
Anyone got any ideas? If I can’t get them working soon then I’ll probably cut my losses and sell them “for parts only.”
I replaced all of the small capacitors near the heatsinks, but unfortunately that did not work for either speaker. I’m going to try replacing some of the larger capacitors and testing the toroidal transformers next.
Anyone got any ideas? If I can’t get them working soon then I’ll probably cut my losses and sell them “for parts only.”
Searching for P11A in this thread turns up a few reults :
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/search/1699977/?q=p11a&t=post&c[thread]=284017&o=relevance
No need to test the transformers if the unit powers up. The big caps rarely fail.
Have a close look at more small caps which may have failed.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/search/1699977/?q=p11a&t=post&c[thread]=284017&o=relevance
No need to test the transformers if the unit powers up. The big caps rarely fail.
Have a close look at more small caps which may have failed.
In my simple, personal opinion any active speaker has a limited life span. The combination of vibration and heat cycles is not the best ambient for electronics build to a price point. Adam is a very good product at a very reasonable price. The professional user will keep it for a limited time, my estimate about 5 years.
Then such used speakers, that usually where powered on for the whole work day, are handed down to a living room user, who switches them on and off quite often. One day they simply fail. From my memory, hardly any electronic gadget in my hands that failed did so while powering it on.
I think this is something to keep in mind with repairing these electronics. Vibration and heat are the cause for failure and one should look at parts and obvious locations where this matters most. 85°C limited and heavy parts on the PCB are a priority. If people that repair such speakers would always post the end result, we should be able to develop a pattern of typical faults, making diagnose and fix simpler.
I fear in the future we will see a whole lot of defective active speaker here.
We can not compare from price and build quality, a mass produced ADAM to some vintage German Neumann studio monitors, made to last decades.
Then such used speakers, that usually where powered on for the whole work day, are handed down to a living room user, who switches them on and off quite often. One day they simply fail. From my memory, hardly any electronic gadget in my hands that failed did so while powering it on.
I think this is something to keep in mind with repairing these electronics. Vibration and heat are the cause for failure and one should look at parts and obvious locations where this matters most. 85°C limited and heavy parts on the PCB are a priority. If people that repair such speakers would always post the end result, we should be able to develop a pattern of typical faults, making diagnose and fix simpler.
I fear in the future we will see a whole lot of defective active speaker here.
We can not compare from price and build quality, a mass produced ADAM to some vintage German Neumann studio monitors, made to last decades.
Hi guys! I'm searching for diagrams for S4X-V... One of my S4X-V is acting funny, there is sometimes a buzz/crackling noises coming from the mid driver. It's intermittent, sometimes loud enough to be hearable above a track, sometimes just a background scratching noise similar to an old record being played. I disassembled both of the amps, the 500w ICE and 250w ICE are spotless but the filters doesn't look good. A lot of flux residue, some solder joints seems funky...
I searched the whole internet for schematics, no luck thus far...
I understand that many parts are similar/identical to S3X-V/H (the filters have labels with S3X on them but they are crossed out and S4X written on the PCB with a permanent marker) however when I compare the filter schematics of the S3X-V with the actual filters from the S4X, there seems to be some differences.
The adam distributor in Belgium supposedly sells S4X-V spare parts but I suspect that they are just S3X's parts... Don't want to buy the wrong stuff...
So if anybody knows something about those odd beasts, I'd like to hear about it!
thanks
I searched the whole internet for schematics, no luck thus far...
I understand that many parts are similar/identical to S3X-V/H (the filters have labels with S3X on them but they are crossed out and S4X written on the PCB with a permanent marker) however when I compare the filter schematics of the S3X-V with the actual filters from the S4X, there seems to be some differences.
The adam distributor in Belgium supposedly sells S4X-V spare parts but I suspect that they are just S3X's parts... Don't want to buy the wrong stuff...
So if anybody knows something about those odd beasts, I'd like to hear about it!
thanks
ADAM S4XH papers added.
These are pretty much the same as S4XV.
It is said there may be mechanical differences.
These are pretty much the same as S4XV.
It is said there may be mechanical differences.
Thanks! That's a great help!
After further tests, I am 99% sure it comes from the ICEpower 250a powering the mid driver. No signs of wear on the unit, but the noise followed when I switched modules between speakers. Tried reflowing the solders but no luck...
After further tests, I am 99% sure it comes from the ICEpower 250a powering the mid driver. No signs of wear on the unit, but the noise followed when I switched modules between speakers. Tried reflowing the solders but no luck...
A follow up on my repair of the Artist 6. Thanks to the schematics from @as_audio I was able to diagnose the issue. I had to replace the LNK264pn IC with the corresponding 4.7 Ohms safety resistor. I have also replaced a cap that I destroyed during the repair attempt. It all seems to work fine now. I hope it stays like this for a long time.
Are you sure it was not published here before ?
Please everybody be specific with any type numbers.
Hi everyone!
I am having an issue with an older Adam S3A. s/n is P3267 and it is the version that does NOT have the heat sinks on the back - just a smooth plate.
The issue was with a low level low frequency sawtooth sound - very quiet. Once I had some down time I switched the power supply board with a working unit and the problem did not repeat - so the PS board. I replaced all four 10,000uf caps on that board.
(Image of power board attached below)
Now the problem is that there is a pop on startup and the o/l red light comes on (very dim audio does actually pass through but very distorted!)
I removed the caps and checked the PCB trace connections and they seem fine. Put them back again but no good.
I cannot find a schematic for this particular version of the PSU (I found the one in post #90) but regardless, I just need some guidance in trying to fix this. It would be great if I could trace power through the PCB to isolate the problem.
Most of the components seem to be fairly generic... rectifier, relays diodes a couple of FETs. In theory it shouldn't be too complicated.
Any help is very much appreciated 🙂
Phil
I am having an issue with an older Adam S3A. s/n is P3267 and it is the version that does NOT have the heat sinks on the back - just a smooth plate.
The issue was with a low level low frequency sawtooth sound - very quiet. Once I had some down time I switched the power supply board with a working unit and the problem did not repeat - so the PS board. I replaced all four 10,000uf caps on that board.
(Image of power board attached below)
Now the problem is that there is a pop on startup and the o/l red light comes on (very dim audio does actually pass through but very distorted!)
I removed the caps and checked the PCB trace connections and they seem fine. Put them back again but no good.
I cannot find a schematic for this particular version of the PSU (I found the one in post #90) but regardless, I just need some guidance in trying to fix this. It would be great if I could trace power through the PCB to isolate the problem.
Most of the components seem to be fairly generic... rectifier, relays diodes a couple of FETs. In theory it shouldn't be too complicated.
Any help is very much appreciated 🙂
Phil
...a little follow on...
So the power supply on this provides two rails with a common ground.
The block connector has a BLACK, a BLUE and a BROWN wire that goes to the main amplifier board.
On a healthy supply the BLACK is the negative rail, the BLUE is at +42V and the BROWN is +84 V (with an obvious pd of 42V between the BROWN and BLUE)
On this defective unit, there is only 42V between the BLACK (-ve) and BROWN (and also the same 42V between the BLUE and BROWN) .
Additionally there appears to be a short between the BROWN and BLUE connectors, which might explain the same voltage on both, and the overload light staying on, if one rail is shorting somewhere.
I wish I had a schematic!
Phil
So the power supply on this provides two rails with a common ground.
The block connector has a BLACK, a BLUE and a BROWN wire that goes to the main amplifier board.
On a healthy supply the BLACK is the negative rail, the BLUE is at +42V and the BROWN is +84 V (with an obvious pd of 42V between the BROWN and BLUE)
On this defective unit, there is only 42V between the BLACK (-ve) and BROWN (and also the same 42V between the BLUE and BROWN) .
Additionally there appears to be a short between the BROWN and BLUE connectors, which might explain the same voltage on both, and the overload light staying on, if one rail is shorting somewhere.
I wish I had a schematic!
Phil
You should measure +42V and -42V with respect to ground. Are you sure wire colours are correct ?
Was a "through hole connection" of the pcb damaged by desoldering ? Have a look at the lugs of the
old caps. More pictures are required.
Was a "through hole connection" of the pcb damaged by desoldering ? Have a look at the lugs of the
old caps. More pictures are required.
Thank you for the response as_audio 😊
The ground is the blue wire, center connector terminal 2 of the J4.
And yes, my bad, the good unit shows +42v and -42v on terminals 1 and 3 respectively.
The bad power supply:
1) there is no connection between terminal 3 to the rectifier (or the +ve side of C2 and C8)
2) there appears to be a short between terminal 1 and terminal 3 of the J4 !
I believe I have the wire colors correct. It is possible that there was damage to the PCB when I de-soldered the old capacitors. I am pretty good at this and very careful, but there may be some damage which I will have to check.
Assuming there is damage to a “through hole connection” would you have any good tips or suggestions for a repair? I suppose I can use small jumper wires.
The rectifier seems to be testing good and so at this point, maybe damage to the PCB might be the problem?
The ground is the blue wire, center connector terminal 2 of the J4.
And yes, my bad, the good unit shows +42v and -42v on terminals 1 and 3 respectively.
The bad power supply:
1) there is no connection between terminal 3 to the rectifier (or the +ve side of C2 and C8)
2) there appears to be a short between terminal 1 and terminal 3 of the J4 !
I believe I have the wire colors correct. It is possible that there was damage to the PCB when I de-soldered the old capacitors. I am pretty good at this and very careful, but there may be some damage which I will have to check.
Assuming there is damage to a “through hole connection” would you have any good tips or suggestions for a repair? I suppose I can use small jumper wires.
The rectifier seems to be testing good and so at this point, maybe damage to the PCB might be the problem?