Hi Ciscoguy2,
Okay, to be efficient with our time, please indicate exactly which component you are talking about. Did you mean ZD626? Which capacitor are you talking about here?
ZD606 would make more sense to me. I would measure the resistor values with an ohmmeter, when they run hot the colours may change.
-Chris
Okay, to be efficient with our time, please indicate exactly which component you are talking about. Did you mean ZD626? Which capacitor are you talking about here?
ZD606 would make more sense to me. I would measure the resistor values with an ohmmeter, when they run hot the colours may change.
-Chris
I was thinking about maybe trying to rebuild this, but I have at least one resistor that is black that I can't read the colors on, and the schematic doesn't give values. Can't imagine what damage to the nearby transistors might have taken. Plus the diodes and other things nearby. I could try, but would be wasting money if the thing smoked again.
Okay. First, please indicate exactly what components you are looking at.
This set is more than worth rebuilding. As far as wasting money is concerned, the parts are very cheap - so I don't get where you are coming from.
Now, if you don't know what you are doing, you may well be wasting time and money but that has nothing to do with the equipment. If this is the case, find someone who is actually trained on and good working on Carver equipment. I get sets in all the time where owners attempted to do their own repair and they can make a mess. It always increases the repair bill. Then there are units from guys who call themselves technicians, or people not trained on Carver or audio. Those people can totally destroy units of any brand. They always increase repair costs. Every single time. Would you have a lawnmower mechanic rebuild you car engine? Yourself? See what I mean?
At any rate, this should be a basic, straight forward repair. It is possible you have other issues given the age. Keep an open mind. Don't attempt to save a buck or two as that will always bite you in the rear. Just do the job properly with the correct components purchased from authorized dealers. Do not get fancy here either.
This set is more than worth rebuilding. As far as wasting money is concerned, the parts are very cheap - so I don't get where you are coming from.
Now, if you don't know what you are doing, you may well be wasting time and money but that has nothing to do with the equipment. If this is the case, find someone who is actually trained on and good working on Carver equipment. I get sets in all the time where owners attempted to do their own repair and they can make a mess. It always increases the repair bill. Then there are units from guys who call themselves technicians, or people not trained on Carver or audio. Those people can totally destroy units of any brand. They always increase repair costs. Every single time. Would you have a lawnmower mechanic rebuild you car engine? Yourself? See what I mean?
At any rate, this should be a basic, straight forward repair. It is possible you have other issues given the age. Keep an open mind. Don't attempt to save a buck or two as that will always bite you in the rear. Just do the job properly with the correct components purchased from authorized dealers. Do not get fancy here either.
The problem is, that I got it from somebody else, who put some resistors underneath the unit. The capacitor at C623 was bad, so I replaced it with one of the same. That is when it smoked. There is a resistor at R523 or 533 that is black. I don't know the value, and the schematic doesn't give you that. Gives you a supplier part number. What if Mouser doesn't have that one? And like I said, what other components did that surge destroy? You can't copy from the PDF and highlight just the supplier part number to check in Mouser, maybe if I convert it to Word. I don't have Word.
Sure, I can rebuild it if I want to spend a lot of time doing research, but my time is better spent fixing things that have better documented schematics.
Sure, I can rebuild it if I want to spend a lot of time doing research, but my time is better spent fixing things that have better documented schematics.
Okay, so basic electronics.
C623 can only go bad again if either the zener is open, or you installed it backwards.
R523 is in the amplifier section and is 27K, highly unlikely to ever burn out, R533 is a 68 ohm part and may burn out, but I would expect the output stage to have failed badly in that case.
What else might be bad? Heck, considering someone else messed with it, and you are not familiar with audio electronics, I guess it is anyone's guess. From your comments so far, I would ask you to consider either paying a proper audio tech familiar with Carver to repair it for you, or give it to someone who will do the same. The receiver is well worth repairing properly and I would hate to see it end up in the trash. What a total waste that would be. Clearly putting some effort into learning isn't considered worthwhile, and I got those values off the schematic.
-Chris
C623 can only go bad again if either the zener is open, or you installed it backwards.
R523 is in the amplifier section and is 27K, highly unlikely to ever burn out, R533 is a 68 ohm part and may burn out, but I would expect the output stage to have failed badly in that case.
What else might be bad? Heck, considering someone else messed with it, and you are not familiar with audio electronics, I guess it is anyone's guess. From your comments so far, I would ask you to consider either paying a proper audio tech familiar with Carver to repair it for you, or give it to someone who will do the same. The receiver is well worth repairing properly and I would hate to see it end up in the trash. What a total waste that would be. Clearly putting some effort into learning isn't considered worthwhile, and I got those values off the schematic.
-Chris
Yeah, I realized I didn't go down the PDF far enough and there were the values, of course on my copy there are a lot of pencil marks with other values as well in various places. I understand schematics, what resistors and diodes do, etc. Just frustrated because I have many other things to do. You can pick these units up for $100, shipping might be high. Not going to trash it, but I think it will go on the back burner until I upgrade some turntables.
Hi Ciscoguy2,
A little knowledge can be very dangerous.
Believe it or not, a good audio technician is actually very highly skilled. Higher skill than a network guy is. I know because I did both jobs professionally and was good at both. Carver products require more skill than other brands, and they are not the only brand that requires above average care, attention and understanding. The circuit you are working on is pretty simple actually. It is the little details that matter a great deal. Anyone can get the broad strokes (I guess I shouldn't say anyone - given what I see coming in on the bench).
One thing people have to get a grip on is the perceived value of things. Sure, you can buy things pretty cheap some times, but they always require work. A very good electronic piece of hardware, like a stereo receiver has not had much of anything in the way of technological advances. With Network equipment you get added features and protocols, or firmware updates and the required higher memory. Maybe faster processors, but most network appliances don't require that. But audio equipment is based on build quality and temperature control (so it's reliable) in addition to sound quality.
Want to talk about the actual value of something? Okay, let's do that. Find a current device that performs at the level you have, at the power levels and look at the current price. Then look at the build quality and mean time to failure. (Hint: most new product is lucky to last much beyond warranty - by design). Plus your unit can be improved from a sound quality point of view. Now most people haven't a decent clue as to what something is worth. Carver products are often poorly repaired and are seen as difficult to fix. Well, they do require higher than normal skill to do properly, but they are extremely reliable compared to everything else.
I'm not in love with Carver, I did warranty service for many high-end brands, and what is called good "mid-fi (actually some much better than high end). I will say the same thing about any product. If it is any good, compare the performance and build quality to anything current, then look at the price tag. Did I make my point?
So when you say they can be bought for $100, I guess you mean properly serviced and working to spec? I guess in that case you shouldn't bother. Either that, or it isn't worth the effort to do properly. I'm not trying to be dismissive or be hard on you, but I am trying to illustrate what reality is here. That is actually a good receiver, and it wasn't cheap when it was new. It does happen to be old (god, I worked on them when they were brand new!), but they were produced at a time when actual performance and reliability was important. It is almost impossible to get this quality in a product today, and when you do find it, the cost isn't cheap.
I'm glad you won't bin it, but please give it the respect it deserves. Repair it properly and it will reward you. Now, Carver products are light in weight because of the power supply type, and measures taken to reduce heat production. However make no mistake, it does draw high amounts of power when it delivers the rated output power. Believe me, they do deliver what is claimed without any problem given a decent AC supply. That receiver does have enough power to end most speaker systems without going into clipping. I don't think you really understand what you have there. Find something current with that power output in a receiver (good luck), then look at the retail price. I mean real continuous power output, not the protected, time limited output power measurements common with new equipment.
-Chris
A little knowledge can be very dangerous.
Believe it or not, a good audio technician is actually very highly skilled. Higher skill than a network guy is. I know because I did both jobs professionally and was good at both. Carver products require more skill than other brands, and they are not the only brand that requires above average care, attention and understanding. The circuit you are working on is pretty simple actually. It is the little details that matter a great deal. Anyone can get the broad strokes (I guess I shouldn't say anyone - given what I see coming in on the bench).
One thing people have to get a grip on is the perceived value of things. Sure, you can buy things pretty cheap some times, but they always require work. A very good electronic piece of hardware, like a stereo receiver has not had much of anything in the way of technological advances. With Network equipment you get added features and protocols, or firmware updates and the required higher memory. Maybe faster processors, but most network appliances don't require that. But audio equipment is based on build quality and temperature control (so it's reliable) in addition to sound quality.
Want to talk about the actual value of something? Okay, let's do that. Find a current device that performs at the level you have, at the power levels and look at the current price. Then look at the build quality and mean time to failure. (Hint: most new product is lucky to last much beyond warranty - by design). Plus your unit can be improved from a sound quality point of view. Now most people haven't a decent clue as to what something is worth. Carver products are often poorly repaired and are seen as difficult to fix. Well, they do require higher than normal skill to do properly, but they are extremely reliable compared to everything else.
I'm not in love with Carver, I did warranty service for many high-end brands, and what is called good "mid-fi (actually some much better than high end). I will say the same thing about any product. If it is any good, compare the performance and build quality to anything current, then look at the price tag. Did I make my point?
So when you say they can be bought for $100, I guess you mean properly serviced and working to spec? I guess in that case you shouldn't bother. Either that, or it isn't worth the effort to do properly. I'm not trying to be dismissive or be hard on you, but I am trying to illustrate what reality is here. That is actually a good receiver, and it wasn't cheap when it was new. It does happen to be old (god, I worked on them when they were brand new!), but they were produced at a time when actual performance and reliability was important. It is almost impossible to get this quality in a product today, and when you do find it, the cost isn't cheap.
I'm glad you won't bin it, but please give it the respect it deserves. Repair it properly and it will reward you. Now, Carver products are light in weight because of the power supply type, and measures taken to reduce heat production. However make no mistake, it does draw high amounts of power when it delivers the rated output power. Believe me, they do deliver what is claimed without any problem given a decent AC supply. That receiver does have enough power to end most speaker systems without going into clipping. I don't think you really understand what you have there. Find something current with that power output in a receiver (good luck), then look at the retail price. I mean real continuous power output, not the protected, time limited output power measurements common with new equipment.
-Chris