my amp got fried..what to do?

[mindtwist07]

Hi I have a line 6 spider III 75 watts amp I have it a couple of years now. Last october while on a gig. My friend accidentally plugged my (110v amp) on a 220v plug without plugging it first on the transformer i have installed inside the amp. I can smell the burnt coming out of the back of the amp as well as small amounts of smoke. 2 days after, I plugged it to a 110v plug, turned it on all the leds were on same with the small lcd screen, but you can only hear a loud hum/feedback. I opened it up and saw the fuse was still intact. I didn't touch the pcb board because I might electrocute myself. Did anyone of you here experienced this and have that chance to fix the amp?

Thanks a lot.


James

[1955]

The good news is that Christmas is only a couple days away! That sounds like a fried amp to me. But what do I know? Good luck!

[fezz parka]

Make it into a floor lamp?

[robt57]

Have a Funeral I am afraid...



And Fez, we don't like non tube lAmps round here

[TeleTim911]

If you like the amp take it to a tech. If not, keep the cab for an extension speaker, and get something else.

[muchxs]

Line 6 repair procedure:

Grab amp with both hands. That means you'll need your buddy to open the back door on your way to the dumpster. Carry it out back, drop it in the dumpster.

If you smelled smoke you might as well put pennies on its eyes and bury it.

[mindtwist07]

Whoa! lot of line 6 SS amp haters here.. I didn't expect that..It's a good laugh though thanks for that especially with that lamp thingy :)

There's no Line 6 service center here in our country. After reading stuffs in the line 6 forums their customer/tech service kinda sucks. I think a extension cab seems feasible to me. I'm just thinking if there's any possibility that it can be fixed. I guess I was wrong. Thanks teleTim

[muchxs]

Originally Posted by mindtwist07

Whoa! lot of line 6 SS amp haters here.. I didn't expect that..It's a good laugh though thanks for that especially with that lamp thingy :)

I don't hate 'em. I don't like 'em, either. I don't like 'em because when they blow up they generally can't be repaired. Not by Line 6, not by anyone.

If you hooked it up to double the voltage the power supply is supposed to see it's likely fried. Cooked power supply, zorched processor.

[Northerntele]

What you need to do is gut the chassis and build something all tube in there. Just to mess with the line 6 haters.

[vjf1968]

Originally Posted by mindtwist07

Whoa! lot of line 6 SS amp haters here.. I didn't expect that..It's a good laugh though thanks for that especially with that lamp thingy :)

There's no Line 6 service center here in our country. After reading stuffs in the line 6 forums their customer/tech service kinda sucks. I think a extension cab seems feasible to me. I'm just thinking if there's any possibility that it can be fixed. I guess I was wrong. Thanks teleTim

Actually, Line 6 is pretty good with customer service over all. They do repsond to inquires and do try to help those who need it. Of course other people's experience vary but I have never had a problem with them.

What happened to your amp could have happened with any amp with the wrong voltage going through it, especially in the price range of the Spider. It was not Line 6's fault you amp got toasted.

[robt57]

Do not count me among the 'Haters' I have had quite a few spiders and Flextones. Plain fact which I would bet on is that is it would be cost prohibitive to repair the amp and I would bet money on that. I say that due to the modular approach in the way they are built. Line 6 is going to offer only a total guts or board replacement I'd bet. I had one Flex from which I gained the experience of trying to get fixed make that statement.
And that broke on it's own, not from 220 electro-shock-therapy. ;O

[CoolBlueGlow]

Before I toss that puppy I'd pop it open and check the electrolytic filter caps in the power supply. I've seen this before. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but the signal processor section of this amp is actually protected by something like a good old 5708 5V regulator, which is amazingly robust when it comes to regulating down those over-voltages. That's why "all your LED" and "the small screen" are acting o.k. They aren't fried. They're protected by the regulator.
Now the smell you smell is not transformer either - otherwise, it wouldn't be buzzing at all now when you plug it into 110. The buzz you now hear means the power tranny didn't short out - it's still putting out AC which is being rectified by the rectifier diodes into DC with ripple. The ripple is the buzz you hear, at 120 cycles. That smell was probably fried electrolytic caps in the B+ supply section of the power amplifier section.

You see, when you doubled the voltage on the primary of the thing, it merely hit the power section DC filter caps with twice the voltage they expected, which means almost instant failure for a 'lytic. If you pushed 220v through the mains, the VERY first component that would fail would be those two big electrolytic filter caps that provide the B+ for your power section, hence the "big buzz" you hear. unfiltered DC.

So, before I tossed it, I'd pop it open and examine those caps. You can replace them on the cheap and see if it works.

I saw the same thing happen to a US line 6 used in the UK a few years back. Same scenario - I replaced the B+ caps and five years later the thing is is still working.

[CoolBlueGlow]

...but just for the record, I don't work on SS stuff. :-)

[Fred.T]

Originally Posted by CoolBlueGlow

Before I toss that puppy I'd pop it open and check the electrolytic filter caps in the power supply. I've seen this before. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but the signal processor section of this amp is actually protected by something like a good old 5708 5V regulator, which is amazingly robust when it comes to regulating down those over-voltages. That's why "all your LED" and "the small screen" are acting o.k. They aren't fried. They're protected by the regulator.
Now the smell you smell is not transformer either - otherwise, it wouldn't be buzzing at all now when you plug it into 110. The buzz you now hear means the power tranny didn't short out - it's still putting out AC which is being rectified by the rectifier diodes into DC with ripple. The ripple is the buzz you hear, at 120 cycles. That smell was probably fried electrolytic caps in the B+ supply section of the power amplifier section.

You see, when you doubled the voltage on the primary of the thing, it merely hit the power section DC filter caps with twice the voltage they expected, which means almost instant failure for a 'lytic. If you pushed 220v through the mains, the VERY first component that would fail would be those two big electrolytic filter caps that provide the B+ for your power section, hence the "big buzz" you hear. unfiltered DC.

So, before I tossed it, I'd pop it open and examine those caps. You can replace them on the cheap and see if it works.

I saw the same thing happen to a US line 6 used in the UK a few years back. Same scenario - I replaced the B+ caps and five years later the thing is is still working.

now that's an advice, thumbs up for you sir!

[celeste]

Originally Posted by mindtwist07

Whoa! lot of line 6 SS amp haters here.. I didn't expect that..It's a good laugh though thanks for that especially with that lamp thingy :)

There's no Line 6 service center here in our country. After reading stuffs in the line 6 forums their customer/tech service kinda sucks. I think a extension cab seems feasible to me. I'm just thinking if there's any possibility that it can be fixed. I guess I was wrong. Thanks teleTim

Not a Line 6 hater, but it is built in a way that usually makes repair uneconomical. There is a good chance the PT is bad, and most likely every Solid State part in the amp is bad as are the power supply caps, I would not be surprised to see burned traces on the PCB. In other words it is likely that only the cab and speaker are good, and there is a chance the speaker is bad as well.

If my nephew brought me that amp and asked if it could be repaired, I would ask him what kind of tube amp he wanted to use the chassis and cab for. Unless you can find a used complete PCB and PT, it is cheaper to buy a new amp then try to repair what you have.

[TxTeleMan]

Originally Posted by robt57

And Fez, we don't like non tube Amps round here

You mean they make amps without tubes?

[brookdalebill]

Check out a Roland Cube 80XL.
IMO, they are the best "Swiss Army Knife" amps.
Light, loud, cheap, versatile, dependable and replaceable.
I've been using nothing but Cube 60s or 80s for the last 6 years.
0 hassles.

[jefrs]

It is a myth that solid state cannot be repaired. This is just not true.

Repairs are often simpler and cheaper than compared to valve amps.

But the problem is finding a solid-state amp tech. Most of the folks that can do this have been to uni, have letters after their name and are employed in industry as electronics engineers, i.e. they are not set up in business as guitar amp techs. Some of them do take on hobby jobs.

It sounds like the power supply is fritzed, but I am surprised it didn't blow its fuse.

Perhaps best asking Line6 about their repair services?
http://line6.com/service_centers/

[muchxs]

Originally Posted by jefrs

It is a myth that solid state cannot be repaired. This is just not true.

Get your story straight. It's not just solid state, it's digital. That means when you give the damn thing electroshock therapy it sits in the corner with a blank stare drooling down its shirt.

I pass all the digital repairs to my associate, the factory authorized Hammond / Roland / Kurzweil tech. When you're talking high end Roland or Kurzweil it's worth dicking around all day especially at $125 an hour. Yup, that's what we bill that out at and believe me, it barely pays for the hair replacement treatments.

The parts are usually expensive, like $600-$1000 for a replacement circuit board... if the replacement parts are available. Some practically new gear has NLA parts. Those may or may not be Line 6 prices.

Then, the replacement parts may not fit. "They" send the latest version which may or may not be what we're lookin' at.

Originally Posted by jefrs

Repairs are often simpler and cheaper than compared to valve amps.

No argument there! Grab the thing with both hands, march confidently out the back door and drop it off the loading dock into the dumpster.

Hey, if it were right here I'd look at it. Why not?

Originally Posted by jefrs

But the problem is finding a solid-state amp tech. Most of the folks that can do this have been to uni, have letters after their name and are employed in industry as electronics engineers, i.e. they are not set up in business as guitar amp techs. Some of them do take on hobby jobs.

No problem! I had a girlfriend who left me. She said, "I have to find myself!" Any time I need to find myself I just reach down in the shower.

Find a tech? Yeah, I think I know who's who for over a hundred miles in any direction. Engineering consultation is easy. I have a long list of associates. I pick one with the right skill set and buy them lunch. If I didn't know the answer before lunch I'm usually good to go afterwards.

Originally Posted by jefrs

It sounds like the power supply is fritzed, but I am surprised it didn't blow its fuse.

That's easy! The correct fuse for 117 volts is about double what you'd use for 240 volts. Assuming the amp has the correct fuse.

[mindtwist07]

First of all I like Fred T.'s comment about CoolBlueGlow, Thats one good damn advice. It's pretty straight forward and it kinda makes some sense. I'll try it out. Thanks a bunch sir.

Before throwing it to the ''dumpster'' like muchxs pretty much have said. I'll try to check the chassis and have it fixed first.

I'm just going to clear out something, It's not that I hate the line 6 customer service. I think they are good, although some guy have the same experience as I in his line 6 spider amp. But the admin's/moderators/tech's can't give a straight answer. After reading some of the thread itself. They think its the transformer but for some reason it isn't. It all ends up with the guy bringing it to his uncle (which is an electrician btw) and let his uncle fixed the damn amp.

I dont want to give it up just yet, The amp has a sort of a sentimental value.It's a gift I might say. Its not that I love it so much, I have another ''tube'' amp which i use a lot. I'll take all options first although some parts are very limited here. If everything fails then I'll just turn it to a cab or something or even try Northerntele's advice, mess up with the chassis and turn it to a tube amp.

jefrs: yeah the fuse is still intact, i even bothers me how that happened. So I was thinking It will not have an effect on the PT. About the Line 6 service centers, we dont have it here in our country that's why i need to rely on an all around amp tech, electricians or whatever who has a clear understanding of electronics and just check or replace the filter caps/IC's.

Again thanks for the advices everyone, I'll take each one as an option (keeps finger crossed) :D