Bass amp sound dropout

Ok I'll try that, hoping to not burn anything.
The rail I think would get to more or less 50V, transoformer gives 36Vrms for windings.

In the meantime I post some pics of the power board I've taken

View attachment 1085657

This joint looks quite burned... lol (also the board has a lot of white paste, flux I guess, around joints)
Joint is for -rail reservoir cap

View attachment 1085660

View attachment 1085661

EDIT. Also the joint for the other reservoir looks... "cracked"?
Yes, that was going to be my next suggestion, only I expected to see what´s visible on speaker output.
That looks definitely ugly, cracked open, burning around comes from the electric arc (always VERY hot) caused by current jumping the gap.
Those big heavy capacitors wiggle them free by vibrations, doubly so in a Bass amp.
Although you will eventually replace those caps as suggested above, forn testing repair those joints,those caps were working 1 week ago, "aging" is sloooowwww.
So unsolder and remove both to better clean solder pads, apply fresh solder to them, melt and wipe it away to carry all the crud with a small ball pf paper, clean area with alcohol and a ball of cotton or rag or an old toothbrush, lightly scratch away any carbon you see, and resolder caps with fresh solder.
I bet it will work.
 
Yes, that was going to be my next suggestion, only I expected to see what´s visible on speaker output.
That looks definitely ugly, cracked open, burning around comes from the electric arc (always VERY hot) caused by current jumping the gap.
Those big heavy capacitors wiggle them free by vibrations, doubly so in a Bass amp.
Although you will eventually replace those caps as suggested above, forn testing repair those joints,those caps were working 1 week ago, "aging" is sloooowwww.
So unsolder and remove both to better clean solder pads, apply fresh solder to them, melt and wipe it away to carry all the crud with a small ball pf paper, clean area with alcohol and a ball of cotton or rag or an old toothbrush, lightly scratch away any carbon you see, and resolder caps with fresh solder.
I bet it will work.
Ok, thanks everyone for helping, I'll try this when I've some free time 👍

I was wondering, would it be better to exclude the preamp pcb (by disconnecting the red circled connector below) for testing or it can cause problems?

IMG20220820080402.jpg


I'm also disconnecting 1, 2 , 3, 4 and 5 to exlude the speaker and horn.
 
Oh, replace them if you wish.
I am trying to find now whether that´s the problem or something else, not wait 1 or 2 weeks for new capacitors to arrive.
I've followed what you suggested for the capacitors joints, I've also redone some other solder joints that seemed bad.

This is the results with no speaker connected. (+/- 45V on power supply rails, with full mains voltage)

SodaPDF-converted-SDS00006.jpeg
 
GO-OO-ODDDD!!!! 🙂

Call it "repaired" 🙂

Replace them if you wish, for peace of mind, but it´s already working, ready to rock onstage 🙂

No more hum on speakers, of course.
No more hum of course... thanks to you!

I ask my friend if he likes me to replace them, maybe with some Vishay ones.

Is there any good way to avoid the vibrations problem? (there was some kind of glue on the caps before)

Now I guess the "up and down of volume" issue was caused by those caps? Can it be anything else?

Thanks again
 
Glue them down in place.
I don´t like "rigid" adhesives because they crack on impact (so not hot glue), much prefer slightly elastic ones.

You can draw a bead all around the perimeter with silicone sealant, the kind used for windows and fish tanks.
In principle, it is "not exactly recommended" in Electronics because for the first hours it exhales acid fumes, literally, acetic acid (white vinegar) which is used as a preservant, but that attacks copper if applied to solder tracks , etc.
This reinforcing bead will be between "plastic" PCB surface and plastic capacitor sleeve, so no problem.

Just leave that chassis open overnight or for 24 hours so all acid evaporates.
If you wish, there is acid free silicone, you´ll probably have to special order it; Forum members will certainly suggest some brand.

Personally I use and prefer a bead of neoprene/rubber contact cement, since I always have some around for my speaker assembly, you can buy a little squeeze tube at the Dollar Store, generally sold to repair sports/rubber shoes.
07816216.jpg


In general anything that prevents vibration will help.
 
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Glue them down in place.
I don´t like "rigid" adhesives because they crack on impact (so not hot glue), much prefer slightly elastic ones.

You can draw a bead all around the perimeter with silicone sealant, the kind used for windows and fish tanks.
In principle, it is "not exactly recommended" in Electronics because for the first hours it exhales acid fumes, literally, acetic acid (white vinegar) which is used as a preservant, but that attacks copper if applied to solder tracks , etc.
This reinforcing bead will be between "plastic" PCB surface and plastic capacitor sleeve, so no problem.

Just leave that chassis open overnight or for 24 hours so all acid evaporates.
If you wish, there is acid free silicone, you´ll probably have to special order it; Forum members will certainly suggest some brand.

Personally I use and prefer a bead of neoprene/rubber contact cement, since I always have some around for my speaker assembly, you can buy a little squeeze tube at the Dollar Store, generally sold to repair sports/rubber shoes.
07816216.jpg


In general anything that prevents vibration will help.
One last thing there was some glue on front panel leds too, to keep em still and to prevent leads from touching.
Is this good for this purpose too?