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Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

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    Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

    I'm getting an intermittent issue with this amp.

    Sometimes when I start my car, my subwoofer does a full blast non stop constant BBBBRRRRRRRR. I've isolated the amp, and know the problem is inside the amp.

    I've opened it up and found a cap that looks like it has been leaking electrolyte fluid. It appears to have some residue on and around it, and an evaporated puddle next to it. in the pictures, its in the top left.

    I did some research, and filter caps are supposed to emit a 60Hz tone or buzz or hum when going bad.

    I googled a 60Hz test tone, and this is pretty much what I'm getting.

    Am I on the right track? would this cap be a filter cap? I ordered this one off amazon:
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    it matches the specs written on the side of the cap I'm replacing.

    thanks for the help!
    Attached Files

    #2
    Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

    A bit hard to tell but I guess it could be leaking, they usually pop the top a bit if they are bad but not always. If the fault is intermitint I would check for cold solder connections, The amp inverter power supply runs at a high frequency, maybe around 30 Khz not 60Hz
    That cap should work ok
    I had a samwha that was completely dried up and rattling in the can but it did not pop the top that much and it had no leakage, It was completely open.
    Last edited by R_J; 01-31-2017, 04:55 PM.

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      #3
      Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

      That cap is toast.

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

        I replaced the suspect cap last night. Everything went well. This morning it worked great. Will see results later on. The amp usually gives me that "intermittent" problem in the afternoons, after the car has been sitting in the sun all day.

        someone mentioned a bad/cold solder joint, and I agree the symptoms sound like that, but I haven't found any. Will give results after a few days. Thanks for the helpful input!

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          #5
          Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

          Originally posted by mattress View Post
          I did some research, and filter caps are supposed to emit a 60Hz tone or buzz or hum when going bad.

          I googled a 60Hz test tone, and this is pretty much what I'm getting.
          Only if your car is powered by a very very long extension cable directly from the power grid
          "The one who says it cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it."

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

            Originally posted by Per Hansson View Post
            Only if your car is powered by a very very long extension cable directly from the power grid
            Oh, so the hum is from the A/C power line in those situations I was referring to?

            Would there be a different explanation for a full blast, shocking loud, around ~60Hz blast coming from the amp, when I apply power (but only sometimes, never in the mornings after the car has been sitting all night, and mostly every time in the after noon after the car has been sitting all day).

            There were no cold solder joints, burn marks, scorches, cracked fets, or anything else I could find, other than what appeared to be a leaking cap.

            I'm still waiting to test it after work this afternoon to see if it knocks my head off again.

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

              Just wanted to update .... cap replaced, and still no problems yet. hopefully it's a done deal! thanks everyone

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                #8
                Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                Since car amps use batteries for power, you were not hearing 60Hz power supply hum. Loud hum that you describe comes from open ground connections on the signal wires. Less common would be a low frequency oscillation in the amplifier. Oscillation might happen if the power cables were too thin, poor battery power grounding - maybe even internal oscillation related to a faulty bulk capacitor. Maybe. Check in if the noise comes back.
                Is it plugged in?

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                  thanks for the update!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                    Noise came back!

                    Not sure what to look for next.


                    Originally posted by Longbow View Post
                    Loud hum that you describe comes from open ground connections on the signal wires. ... Check in if the noise comes back.
                    I have 1/0 gauge power and ground wires to the amp, I don't think I have any external issues. Any idea what I could look for per what you're describing?


                    Originally posted by R_J View Post
                    I would check for cold solder connections
                    Any idea where to start? I have no idea how to test for cold joints (besides poking and prodding while the device is powered up)... but I still wouldn't know where physically to look on the board


                    Don't see any visual indications again.

                    I'm open to ideas/suggestions!

                    Will post more pics, don't know if it'd help
                    Last edited by mattress; 07-17-2017, 07:03 PM.

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                      #11
                      Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                      Pics attached
                      Attached Files

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                        #12
                        Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                        Just checking in again. Haven't found what was wrong yet. Haven't done much testing either. I don't have an ESR meter, so I haven't pulled the caps off.

                        I guess I could go on a re-soldering spree and re resolder all the things in the board hoping I'll cover my cold joint.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                          That would be a good idea at this point - it does sound like some ground connection is intermittent.
                          Originally posted by PeteS in CA
                          Remember that by the time consequences of a short-sighted decision are experienced, the idiot who made the bad decision may have already been promoted or moved on to a better job at another company.
                          A working TV? How boring!

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                            I ended up making matters worse. Went on a rampage reheating most every pad on the bottom, and now the "clipping" light is on constant, and I hear a ticking noise somewhere from the board. Might take another look at it another night. Hard to find free time.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                              Carefully check over all of your reflowed solder joints. Dollars to donuts you have a slight solder bridge somewhere now, most likely across the outputs or possibly somewhere in the driver circuitry.

                              As for the original hum, I would do as suggested above, start by checking the big wet caps. I have seen many car audio amplifiers that the caps did not vent, but instead leaked electrolyte out the bottom. The electrolyte is conductive, and in some cases corrosive. Make sure you cleaned the board thoroughly where the one you know was leaking. I honestly would start pulling those and replace them with quality parts. If one was leaking, more probably are.

                              Good luck,
                              Jason

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                                Ok. Now I'm back where I started. I had a solder point that was grounding out against the case of the amp.

                                There are 3 adjustment knobs on my amp: Low pass, Bass boost, and, Input.

                                I had the amp and the sub working perfectly on my bench.
                                I had the amp powered from a car battery on my table.
                                I used an iPod as the input to the amp.
                                It seemed to be working fine.

                                I put the amp in my garage for a few days until I had time to put it back in my vehicle. It's been very hot and very humid here lately.
                                Once I hooked the amp up to power, the clipping light was on solid. No inputs, nor the sub was connected at this point.

                                I turned off the power, hooked up the sub, and powered back up, and gut the loud BRRRRRRRR from before.

                                This time, I played with the input knob on the amp.
                                For the last 10 years or so, I've had the input knob set all the way down.
                                Once I turned the knob up about halfway, I noticed the clipping light turned off, and it started acting normal again.

                                So again, it seems to be temperature/humidity related if that makes any sense?
                                And now I don't know if it helps identify the problem, but the input knob makes a difference.


                                It seems if the amp cools down to room temperature, the problem goes away

                                //edit
                                I just went outside to mess with it. I guess it's not hot enough to trigger the problem.
                                The input knob goes from .2v to 8v. I've had it set to .2v forever. It's the input sensitivity. The halfway point, I'm guessing 4v, seems to be ok for now, however as stated before, after the conditions for the problem go away, I can turn the knob back to .2v with no problems.
                                Last edited by mattress; 09-02-2017, 04:54 PM.

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                                  Pull the riser board with the pots on it and examine the soldering of the surface mount socket on the main board.

                                  Resolder the pots, especially the two ground wing tabs on each.

                                  Deoxit (or equiv) that plug when connecting back to its socket.
                                  "pokemon go... to hell!"

                                  EOL it...
                                  Originally posted by shango066
                                  All style and no substance.
                                  Originally posted by smashstuff30
                                  guilty,guilty,guilty,guilty!
                                  guilty of being cheap-made!

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                                    Originally posted by mattress View Post
                                    I just went outside to mess with it. I guess it's not hot enough to trigger the problem.
                                    The input knob goes from .2v to 8v. I've had it set to .2v forever. It's the input sensitivity. The halfway point, I'm guessing 4v, seems to be ok for now, however as stated before, after the conditions for the problem go away, I can turn the knob back to .2v with no problems.
                                    Sounds like you have to replace that potentiometer. By this description it is very likely that the potentiometer has gunked up and has an intermittent connection issue which is creating your noise problem (it is losing the ground connection).

                                    Intermittent connection issues are very common in old pots.
                                    Originally posted by PeteS in CA
                                    Remember that by the time consequences of a short-sighted decision are experienced, the idiot who made the bad decision may have already been promoted or moved on to a better job at another company.
                                    A working TV? How boring!

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                                      Alright, I finally got time to sit down and rip this thing apart again.

                                      The pots are on a little sub board. I've attached pictures. I've set the pots to their midpoint. I'm sorry for the sloppy mess, I'm doing all the markup from my phone.

                                      The left most pot is the problematic one. The middle pot is is the same part number, so I compared their readings, and these are the results. KIE 3B203X2V

                                      It looks like the bottom right pin on the left most pot is open. I tried to hit it with a soldering iron in case it wasn't set correctly, but it didn't help.

                                      I tried googling what I think is the part number for this KIE pot ... but either my Google fu is bad, or there's no info out there (which I doubt). I was hoping to find a data sheet I could try to fumble around with and try to understand. I was also hoping to find a direct replacement pot, but again, I came up empty handed. I would GREATLY appreciate any advice on replacing this thing with a correct replacement.


                                      And as a bandaid, it's probably a dumb idea, but I couldn't just throw a jumper wire on there from the top right pin to the bottom right pin, could I?

                                      Thanks for all the help and advice, I couldn't have reached this point without you guys.
                                      Attached Files
                                      Last edited by mattress; 11-18-2017, 09:23 AM.

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                                        #20
                                        Re: Eclipse XA1000 car subwoofer amp full blast buzz

                                        I took the pot out, and tested it out of circuit , and now the funky readings I was getting before are gone, and everything is reading normally.

                                        I wonder if heat or something has changed the readings. If that's the case, it backs up the experience I was having while the amp was in my vehicle on hot days, and seemed to work fine after cooling off....


                                        I'll let this thing sit for a little while and test again.
                                        Attached Files

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