Hello,
I purchased an Xduoo ta-10r tube amp about two years ago and it stopped working a year after the company warranty and they said it would be very expensive for them to fix.
They sent me an image asking if I could repair it myself, even offering to send me a replacement capacitor for it. Is it safe to attempt this repair? While I have opened electronics before repairs like this seem slightly dangerous to me. Plus, the metal chassis is closed with non-standard screws so I would need to make additional purchases to repair it.
They also said I could send it to an electronic repair shop. So, if anyone has any good recommendations on where to send it in Ontario Canada (From GTA). That would be very much appreciated.
Thanks for reading
I purchased an Xduoo ta-10r tube amp about two years ago and it stopped working a year after the company warranty and they said it would be very expensive for them to fix.
They sent me an image asking if I could repair it myself, even offering to send me a replacement capacitor for it. Is it safe to attempt this repair? While I have opened electronics before repairs like this seem slightly dangerous to me. Plus, the metal chassis is closed with non-standard screws so I would need to make additional purchases to repair it.
They also said I could send it to an electronic repair shop. So, if anyone has any good recommendations on where to send it in Ontario Canada (From GTA). That would be very much appreciated.
Thanks for reading
How was it determined that the 'circled' electrolytic is bad?
Does the manufacturer of the tube amplifier know the cap is the most often failure cause?
If you have the electrolytic cap replaced, be sure to use a quality cap, including a higher voltage rating, and a higher temperature rating.
example: 500V versus 400V, 105 degrees C versus 85 degrees C.
Reasons for an electrolytic cap to fail:
Voltage rating too low
Temperature rating too low versus the ambient temperature in the amplifier
Poor quality cap
Does the manufacturer of the tube amplifier know the cap is the most often failure cause?
If you have the electrolytic cap replaced, be sure to use a quality cap, including a higher voltage rating, and a higher temperature rating.
example: 500V versus 400V, 105 degrees C versus 85 degrees C.
Reasons for an electrolytic cap to fail:
Voltage rating too low
Temperature rating too low versus the ambient temperature in the amplifier
Poor quality cap
They just responded to my email saying they think it is a capacitor problem and if I could fix it myself. I had to respond further to get the picture I provided with the capacitor they think is broken in question.
Xduoo didn't mention it explicitly as an often failure cause but they were pretty quick to respond with a repair suggestion so they internally might be aware of it no way for me to tell, searching online leads to only one Reddit thread about a similar failure to mine.
Speaking of your suggestion for cap quality the xduoo-ta10r is known to get a little unreasonably hot and my room gets pretty hot in the summer. Would I be right to be worried that the heat killed my capacitor?
Xduoo didn't mention it explicitly as an often failure cause but they were pretty quick to respond with a repair suggestion so they internally might be aware of it no way for me to tell, searching online leads to only one Reddit thread about a similar failure to mine.
Speaking of your suggestion for cap quality the xduoo-ta10r is known to get a little unreasonably hot and my room gets pretty hot in the summer. Would I be right to be worried that the heat killed my capacitor?
Don't put your hands in there, there's high voltage and/or low voltage and a voltage doubler.
You don't seem to have any experience, take the time to find a workshop to have it repaired.
You don't seem to have any experience, take the time to find a workshop to have it repaired.
The ticking is usually caused by a short circuit on the output. The cap you show I think is on the output side. Do you have the value and voltage. It must be low ESR type. Yep you can replace.
Decades ago I worked on switching power supplies for a 2 year stint.
I developed some special test methods that aided in troubleshooting non working ones, and predicted failures of which one of the totem pole switcher transistors, or both of them. When they went into the 120 degree F Halon room, the predicted part(s) died.
Nothing wrong with using switching power supplies, but . . .
I do not, and will not, use switching power supplies for powering my vacuum tube amplifiers.
Just my experience, and my preference.
I developed some special test methods that aided in troubleshooting non working ones, and predicted failures of which one of the totem pole switcher transistors, or both of them. When they went into the 120 degree F Halon room, the predicted part(s) died.
Nothing wrong with using switching power supplies, but . . .
I do not, and will not, use switching power supplies for powering my vacuum tube amplifiers.
Just my experience, and my preference.
Certainly all parts are cheap "fakes" , first to go bad are the electrolytic caps and should be all replaced if you want a reliable amp ... not just the one probably dead in the circle
Am I right in saying to top of that cap is swollen. Must be a common issue. If it is get them to send a new one - free why not. I guess they will have increased the rating. I can see a filter toroid on the output and a common mode choke on the input so its not that nasty. I can also see an opto isolator so the output will have regulation.