Two Blown Amps - With Pictures... (Zx2500.1, Viper 2500D)

[MitchZ 10+ year member]

I bought my friends broken Viper 2500D off him for 100$, because I figured it would be a cheap fix. And its my original Zx2500.

Here are each of the stories will pictures included....

Kicker Zx2500.1.....

I was running 2 Pioneer Premier subs (800 RMS each) @ 4 Ohms, I took the subs out for a few days just so I could clean up my car a bit, vacuum, etc. I left my amp plugged into everything. (Power/Ground/Remote/RCA's), but there was no output.

So it would just Idle with the green light on. Then on Friday, I'm driving around a corner and "POP" and it started smoking. I was like "Oh fkkkk....." and I turned my engine off immediately and I ripped off the deck faceplate. I unplugged the amp and looked inside... There are 3-4 noticeable burn marks, each are on different channels of the amp on the transistors.

Pictures:

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/4711/dsc00201da3.jpg

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/6806/dsc00202ex5.jpg

Viper 2500D.....

My friend was playing the amp on very low volume. (5/60) but he was running on stock electrical and his Solo X 10. Then his just blew up the same way mine did.

Neither of our amps turn on. There is this only noticeable burn mark.

Picture:

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/9086/dsc00199fb9.jpg

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I've talked to many people about transistors, fixing electronics in general.

A guy at my work (a computer tech) says transistors usually blow in pairs, and they cost 4-5$ a pop).

The guy at the electronics repair shop... (Who has the Viper, because all the transistors were pulled out by a car audio shop - who were idiots) explained to me about how "Either all the transistors are blown, or it could be just 1 or 2." (and they go for 4-5$ a pop) And the other channel should be fine.

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Is there anyway to test transistors to see if they work with a DMM?

Should I try to fix it myself with the correct transistor? (I know how to solder)

Could there be another problem other than these transistors?

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif Any help / advice / explainations is very much appreciated. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Click to read more...

 

[brtnboarder3241 5,000+ posts]

sell them to me

 

[MitchZ 10+ year member]

sell them to me

Nah, unless you pay 400$ a pop + shippin //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[chithead81 10+ year member]

I am in the same boat here. I recently let it leak out around town that I was fixing my own equipment and now everyone and their mother's brother is bringing me amps with burnt up transistors. I have replaced capacitors and resoldered loose RCA connections, I dont see why changing out a transistor would be much different as long as the correct one was used as the replacement. I wonder if there is a Service Manual for these model amps you have? I lucked up and found one earlier to a Kenwood KAC-9102D that I am working on, it gives every part number for the resistors, transistors, capacitors, everything. Even how many volts should be reading when you test certain parts of the board.

 

[Keith H 10+ year member]

I'm guessing bad ground.

 

[IamDeMan 5,000+ posts]

It was clipped.

 

[Slikk]

db-r.com FTW

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

They will never be the same if you fix them yourself.

Send them to a repair facility.

nG

 

[MitchZ 10+ year member]

I am in the same boat here. I recently let it leak out around town that I was fixing my own equipment and now everyone and their mother's brother is bringing me amps with burnt up transistors. I have replaced capacitors and resoldered loose RCA connections, I dont see why changing out a transistor would be much different as long as the correct one was used as the replacement. I wonder if there is a Service Manual for these model amps you have? I lucked up and found one earlier to a Kenwood KAC-9102D that I am working on, it gives every part number for the resistors, transistors, capacitors, everything. Even how many volts should be reading when you test certain parts of the board.

There is no service manual for either of them... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

Well maybe online.....

The part number is on the transistors themselves though.

I'm guessing bad ground.

Doubt it. With my friends, he had 2 4-gauge power inputs from the battery and 2 4-gauge grounds directly to the chassis and sanded and all.

With mine, it was sanded directly 100% to the chassis and bolted down.

They will never be the same if you fix them yourself.
Send them to a repair facility.

nG

So if its just a transistor.... The little Chinese man's solder job will be somehow better than if my friend solders the transistor onto the board? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

Or is there something else wrong with the amp?

 

[icpurplepplalot 5,000+ posts]

There is always a chance that something else on the board it messed up as well. When an amp blows, it puts a huge strain on the entire board.

And I don't see how sending it in to a reapair facility such as db-r equates to having a "little Chinese man's solder job." They do excellent work and will test the whole board to see what else is wrong with it, not to mention the excellent cs.

 

[MitchZ 10+ year member]

There is always a chance that something else on the board it messed up as well. When an amp blows, it puts a huge strain on the entire board.
And I don't see how sending it in to a reapair facility such as db-r equates to having a "little Chinese man's solder job." They do excellent work and will test the whole board to see what else is wrong with it, not to mention the excellent cs.

But I live in Canada, any alternatives?

Would it be the same shipping, etc...?

 

[jaredcroop 10+ year member]

ground? try a new one once... if not try reconnecting everything... hope it works .. lol i just bought a 1000.2 orien amp (blue) its preatty dankkk

 

[MitchZ 10+ year member]

ground? try a new one once... if not try reconnecting everything... hope it works .. lol i just bought a 1000.2 orien amp (blue) its preatty dankkk

I highly doubt its the ground.

Its grounded DIRECTLY to the chassis, and sanded. Solid chassis. Bolted the ring terminal down it it hard....

 

[icpurplepplalot 5,000+ posts]

But I live in Canada, any alternatives?Would it be the same shipping, etc...?

I'd contact them. http://www.db-r.com is who I'd go with as he is a good guy. There are others you could check out, but from some reviews I have read, don't seem to be all that great with cs.

 

[valter 10+ year member]

They will never be the same if you fix them yourself.
Send them to a repair facility.

nG

+1

Big amps has a lot of transistors or FET's in parallel, if one is blown - most certainly all parallel ones dead too. BTW, it looks like there is nothing wrong with rectifier on first pic.