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Stereo Receivers dead after power surge but all fuses intact

M

Mienie

Jan 1, 1970
0
I have two stereo recievers that are dead after a power spike
(high-low on the pole on the corner of my block). I was hoping that it
would be a simple matter of replacing a blown fuse, however, when I
opened them up the fuses were fine. Both the one near the AC cord and
those on the transformer.

Any ideas on what the problem is or where I should start looking? I
have a multimeter though I'm just getting up to speed on how to use
it--and basic electronics! ;-)

The receivers are a Pioneer VSX-454 and a Sony STR-D605. Looking
around for cheap replacements reveals that low-end receivers no longer
have phono inputs and this is a feature I often use so I'm definitely
looking to fix these.
 
R

Ross Mac

Jan 1, 1970
0
Mienie said:
I have two stereo recievers that are dead after a power spike
(high-low on the pole on the corner of my block). I was hoping that it
would be a simple matter of replacing a blown fuse, however, when I
opened them up the fuses were fine. Both the one near the AC cord and
those on the transformer.

Any ideas on what the problem is or where I should start looking? I
have a multimeter though I'm just getting up to speed on how to use
it--and basic electronics! ;-)

The receivers are a Pioneer VSX-454 and a Sony STR-D605. Looking
around for cheap replacements reveals that low-end receivers no longer
have phono inputs and this is a feature I often use so I'm definitely
looking to fix these.
Try sci.electronics.repair......
 
R

Ross Mac

Jan 1, 1970
0
Mienie said:
Shall do. Sorry to be off topic.
Hey, there's a lot of sharp guys here too that may be able to help you, but
that newsgroup specializes in consumer electronics...Good Luck, Ross
 
A

Art

Jan 1, 1970
0
Ross, initial thing would be to check for the fuse devices, which you have
done. Then check the resistance of the power input transformer primary for
open, apply voltage and check secondary derived voltages. Then follow the
rectified paths to the other circuits. Again: safety is the first concern.
Also do post to "ele*repair" as suggested.
 
R

Ross Mac

Jan 1, 1970
0
Art said:
Ross, initial thing would be to check for the fuse devices, which you have
done. Then check the resistance of the power input transformer primary for
open, apply voltage and check secondary derived voltages. Then follow the
rectified paths to the other circuits. Again: safety is the first concern.
Also do post to "ele*repair" as suggested.
Art....I didn't post this one...I just sent the poster to the consumer
group....take care, Ross
 
G

Grumpy OM

Jan 1, 1970
0
Mienie said:
I have two stereo recievers that are dead after a power spike
(high-low on the pole on the corner of my block). I was hoping that it
would be a simple matter of replacing a blown fuse, however, when I
opened them up the fuses were fine. Both the one near the AC cord and
those on the transformer.

Any ideas on what the problem is or where I should start looking? I
have a multimeter though I'm just getting up to speed on how to use
it--and basic electronics! ;-)

The receivers are a Pioneer VSX-454 and a Sony STR-D605. Looking
around for cheap replacements reveals that low-end receivers no longer
have phono inputs and this is a feature I often use so I'm definitely
looking to fix these.

Mienie,
How do you know there was a surge? Was it caused by a direct
lightning strike on the pole? Were both receivers turned on at the
time? Silly question, but have you checked for voltage at the outlet?
I've had lightning strkes on my lines, but the only part of the
receiver that fails is the tuner.
Grumpy
 
| I have two stereo recievers that are dead after a power spike
| (high-low on the pole on the corner of my block). I was hoping that it
| would be a simple matter of replacing a blown fuse, however, when I
| opened them up the fuses were fine. Both the one near the AC cord and
| those on the transformer.

About 20 years ago I had a stereo system in an apartment with very unstable
floors that would easily kick the turntable needle out of the groove (this
was about when CDs came out, so most of my collection was still on vinyl).
My solution to that was to relocate the system to another room and pull the
speakers into the living room. The speaker runs were about 20 meters so I
got some very big thick monster cable for it. All went well.

Later I decided to move the stereo upstairs and create a "listening room"
out of a spare bedroom (the largest one in fact). Now I only needed about
2.5 meters of run to the speakers. Not wanting to cut up that precious
speaker cable (I might decide to move things back downstairs later on), I
just coiled up the excess into a closet that was conveniently between the
amplifier and the speakers.

I religiously unplugged everything from the power mains, especially making
sure during thunderstorms. But that didn't stop a nearby lightning strike
killing the system. All the amplifier PA transistors were toast. The bass
speakers survived, but the tweeter coils were vaporized! I assume it was
the high frequency impulse induced on the coiled speaker cables. Repairs
cost about $400. Had I just bought some new shorter speaker cables that
didn't need to be so thick, it would have been about $20 (though it still
could induce some voltage on some length of wiring).
 
G

Grumpy OM

Jan 1, 1970
0
stuff deleted

I religiously unplugged everything from the power mains, especially making
sure during thunderstorms. But that didn't stop a nearby lightning strike
killing the system. All the amplifier PA transistors were toast. The bass
speakers survived, but the tweeter coils were vaporized! I assume it was
the high frequency impulse induced on the coiled speaker cables. Repairs
cost about $400. Had I just bought some new shorter speaker cables that
didn't need to be so thick, it would have been about $20 (though it still
could induce some voltage on some length of wiring).
Phil,
That's a good anecdote, and why I asked for more specifics. When
lightning hit my electric pole it blew my external modem. There was a
crater in the center of the board where a chip had been. The spark by
passed all of the filters. Those cables of yours made a great loop
antenna.

Grumpy
 
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