Definitive technology SC 2000 subwoofer amp's power supply clicking and popping

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  • JimBanville
    Senior Member
    • Aug 2020
    • 118
    • United States

    #1

    Definitive technology SC 2000 subwoofer amp's power supply clicking and popping

    The sub developed a constant popping every couple seconds from woofer and power LED flickering with nothing but wall AC connected. Connecting an audio cable didn't change anything. It doesn't play but a second or two of audio in between the pops.
    Opened it up and discovered the power supply is making a faint clicking or ticking sound.
    I measured the amp's output to the woofer and it pulses up to 50mv DC to be driver. The pulses coincide with the power supply ticking/clicking.
    I measured the power supply output going to the amp board and it too has this pulsing. Voltage cycles between 9v and 40v DC
    It's like the power supply is trying but failing to power up fully. I've read this is common behavior in switch mode power supplies that are detecting over voltage or under voltage.
    I measured all caps on all boards (3 boards...power supply, amp, and input) and they all measure ok. I removed all but the two biggest caps from the PS board and they all measured ok (ESR and capacitance). I couldn't desolder the two biggest caps because my iron doesn't get hot enough for the huge leads, but measuring them in place showed they were ok. Btw, I measured all the caps in circuit and then removed them and re-measured and the results were the same.
    I measured all transistor type devices on all the boards and they all seemed to measure ok based on my limited knowledge.
    Only two transistor type devices measured "shorted" on the outer pins in circuit, but I removed them and they measured ok out of circuit. They are a pair of BYV32E 200 PJA1921 C4 9115 that are at the output of the PS board. I took them out of circuit and the short went away. I don't know if another component coupled to them is shorted, but I couldn't find it. I reinstalled them.
    Disconnected the amp board from the two smaller boards (amp board and input board) didn't change the noise the power supply is making so I assume this means the fault is in the power supply. BUT I think the IC for the power supply may be on the amp board, which could complicate matters. I don't see an IC anywhere on the amp board and there is a connector between the PS board and amp board with both the a three line power connection (+, - and ground), but a fourth line called OPTO, which may be the link to the PS's pair of optocouplers that control power regulation and feedback.
    I don't want to spend too much repairing this. I might spend $20 on a new pair of those suspect BYV32E 200's, a second pair of transistors on the PS board and some various capacitors, and basically giving up if that doesn't fix it.
    Thoughts? What else should I check?
    THANKS!
    Last edited by JimBanville; 09-13-2023, 07:48 AM.
  • stj
    Great Sage 齊天大聖
    • Dec 2009
    • 31015
    • Albion

    #2
    Re: Definitive technology SC 2000 subwoofer amp's power supply clicking and popping

    BYV32E are double diodes.
    i would be looking very closely for a cracked solder joint myself

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    • JimBanville
      Senior Member
      • Aug 2020
      • 118
      • United States

      #3
      Re: Definitive technology SC 2000 subwoofer amp's power supply clicking and popping

      Originally posted by stj
      BYV32E are double diodes.
      i would be looking very closely for a cracked solder joint myself
      When those double diodes are used with a pair of 50v caps right where the 40v output (as I measured it) leaves the PS to go to the amplifier board, would the outer pins measure "shorted" in-circuit and NOT measure shorted when taken out of circuit? I've spent hours looking at these boards. I've inspected the board and found no cracked solder joints. I also moved the board around and gave it a few taps to see if anything changed due to loose connections, etc and nothing changed.
      Last edited by JimBanville; 09-13-2023, 07:52 AM.

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      • JimBanville
        Senior Member
        • Aug 2020
        • 118
        • United States

        #4
        Re: Definitive technology SC 2000 subwoofer amp's power supply clicking and popping

        Also, I was suspicious of the pair of optocouplers. Being a novice to all this, I measured them with the PS not connected to AC. The LED side measured as diodes as you'd expect. On the sensor sides, one measured open, but the second one beside it measured as if it were coupled to a cap. I got a rising voltage. I switch the leads around in opposite polarity and got the same result on that same optocoupler. Normal?

        Comment

        • stj
          Great Sage 齊天大聖
          • Dec 2009
          • 31015
          • Albion

          #5
          Re: Definitive technology SC 2000 subwoofer amp's power supply clicking and popping

          the diodes question:
          if you check the board there is a 75% chance you will find the outer pins are connected by the copper tracks to run them in parallel.

          as for opto couplers - they are tricky.
          one thing you can do is power the led from a 1.5v battery and then meter the transistor part

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