This post was first published in March 2014 at projectstudiohandbook.com/PSHforum
Like many studio owners, we have spent a fortune on repairs over the years. The day you finally have all the gear you want is the day you realise that at any one time it will never all be working.
We have found that on average there are always 3 pieces of gear that need fixing.
Today, as we look around the studio, they are ..
a HHB Dual Burn CD recorder
a Yamaha 01V96 (several push/tact switches broken)
a nasty buzz coming from a Korg rack tuner
a Dave Hills Designs Europa with a dodgy gain pot[/list]
OK, so that's 4!
It should be possible to fix all of these things ourselves, even though we we have no specialist skills at all. It's not necessary to know 'how' the thing works, just what goes where. If someone hasn't made a YouTube video, its still may be possible to work it out for yourself.
The important bit is diagnosis. So, let's see how we might approach our 4 repairs.
The Dual Burn needs a new CD tray (should be possible to order and replace), but we're not 100% percent sure if the laser will need re-aligning. I phone call to HHBs service department may provide an answer.
The worn tact switch on the Yamaha are a simple fix, cheap and easy to re-solder. This is a common problem with gear that is 5+ years old. All you need is a circuit board schematic, past list, dis-assembly instructions, a cheap de-soldering tool (essentially a simple plastic pump), and a soldering iron.
You locate the components on the schematic, reference them on the parts list to get the parts number (usually different from the part name/code), order them from Yamaha (just phone the parts/service desk), remove the worn ones and soldering in the new. Cost? A few dollars.
We're sure that the hardest part will be taking the mixer apart, but Yamaha always include disassembly instructions in their service manuals (most of which can be found online in forums, or from the manufactures themselves).
A good tip, is to use your mobile phone to take regular pictures as you go, and have a lots of bowls or cups to put the screws in.
The Korg tuner is trickier. The buzz doesn't appear at power up but slowly builds over a period of 30 minutes. This sound like a power supply issues, possibly a transformer that is vibrating as it gets hotter. Definitely worth taking apart to see if it's loose, and maybe searching the web for any advice on similar issues.
Or it might be a leaky capacitor. Capacitor's deteriorate over time and leak out onto the circuit board. They are standard components, easy to identify and replace. Often, a visual check of any circuit board is all you need to diagnose a problem. Order replacements and solder them in.
The Europa is within guarantee, is an expensive piece of kit so we're sending it back for service. But the fix will be a simple task of exchanging a worn potentiometer which will be a standard part, available like most other components from RS Components. If not, then we'd call the manufacture and buy the part. We have replaced many broken pots on a variety of synths and outboard in the past.
The most difficult repairs normally involve integrated circuits, transistors, chips, diodes and resistor failures where you can't easily visibly see any defect. But failure of these components is far less likely.
Other easy fixes include replacing backup batteries, and backlight's for LCD displays. The hardest part of the latter is disassembly.
So next time a piece of gear fails, you may be able to repair it yourself. Get online and see what help and advice is out there, Chances are someone else has had a similar problem, and even if you do end up using a service engineer, you will probably only have wasted a few dollars in parts.
Thanks for reading.
FairFax
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