• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Darkglass Microtubes 500 V2 randomly shuts down

#27
wave rider said:
I’m helix illiterate. Can you play through it and only use the HPF?

I’m being curious but if having the bass knob maxxed on your bass is essential for your sound, the HPF might tame the signal for your Darkglass.
Click to expand...

I’ll definitely give it a go. Yeah you can EQ whatever you want with the helix. So I have one EQ “patch” that is the HPF and LPF, as well as any other EQ I want
 
  • Like
Reactions: wave rider
#28
Brief update:

It was sent back and tested and they couldn’t find anything wrong with it. I was told they played with it for about half an hour, but it seems to cut out around 45 minutes. Today, it did it again. I’ve cut the bass, I’m back on the helix, and the active button is pushed. I have no idea what’s going on.

Sending it back.
 
#29
Is it possible the cabinet has been serviced, “modified” or “upgraded “?

Can you try your amp with a different cabinet, just to rule out the possibility of a defect in the cabinet (like an intermittent shorted turn on the VC that’s temperature rise sensitive)?
 
  • Like
Reactions: LP Freak
#30
agedhorse said:
Is it possible the cabinet has been serviced, “modified” or “upgraded “?

Can you try your amp with a different cabinet, just to rule out the possibility of a defect in the cabinet (like an intermittent shorted turn on the VC that’s temperature rise sensitive)?
Click to expand...

I bought the cab from new a few years ago and it has run perfectly with the old head the entire time. When I say shutting off, the power to the heads seems to cut out, the lights go off and sound stops. It switches itself off.
 
#31
dirtychinchilla said:
I bought the cab from new a few years ago and it has run perfectly with the old head the entire time. When I say shutting off, the power to the heads seems to cut out, the lights go off and sound stops. It switches itself off.
Click to expand...
Even so, it’s a good idea to verify what you have. I’ve seen enough “surprises” not to trust anything.
 
#32
agedhorse said:
Even so, it’s a good idea to verify what you have. I’ve seen enough “surprises” not to trust anything.
Click to expand...

Can I ask why you suspect the cab? I suppose I could use a different cab in the practice room later this week, but I’m hoping I’ll have a replacement by that point.

I know there’s potential factors that I don’t understand, but I’ve not had one issue with the cab in 3 years running the other amp…
 
#33
dirtychinchilla said:
Can I ask why you suspect the cab? I suppose I could use a different cab in the practice room later this week, but I’m hoping I’ll have a replacement by that point.

I know there’s potential factors that I don’t understand, but I’ve not had one issue with the cab in 3 years running the other amp…
Click to expand...
Because mistakes get made and if for example there were 2 x 4 ohm drivers that were supposed to be wired in series and they were by accident wired in parallel, you would end up with an unexpected 2 ohms.

There are also crossover failures that can create an illegal load to the amp.

I'm just following good troubleshooting practices... eliminate the cabinet as a possible cause by substituting a different cabinet. Not saying that it IS defective, but that it's not an uncommon cause.

I can't tell you the number of times (some documented here) where the suspected defective piece of gear was not in fact defective but the symptoms were caused by something else.

If you are not interested in the help, just let me know and I will stop.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wave rider and NKBassman
#34
agedhorse said:
25827617[/URL], member: 68399"]Because mistakes get made and if for example there were 2 x 4 ohm drivers that were supposed to be wired in series and they were by accident wired in parallel, you would end up with an unexpected 2 ohms.

There are also crossover failures that can create an illegal load to the amp.

I'm just following good troubleshooting practices... eliminate the cabinet as a possible cause by substituting a different cabinet. Not saying that it IS defective, but that it's not an uncommon cause.

I can't tell you the number of times (some documented here) where the suspected defective piece of gear was not in fact defective but the symptoms were caused by something else.

If you are not interested in the help, just let me know and I will stop.
Click to expand...

I definitely want your help; who wouldn’t?! If there’s a fault with the cab I 100% want to know about it. I was just going to replace the amp but I should be able to try another cab on Wednesday, so I’ll do that and see what happens.

You’re the expert! I just want an easy life.

One question actually - how long would that sort of issue normally take to show up? It seems to be happening at around 45 minutes of actual playing.
 
#36
agedhorse said:
Possibly about 45 minutes…

Is the fan running on your amp after say 15-30 minutes of playing? That’s another possible defect related to the amp.
Click to expand...

Test one: left the amp on without playing through it with cab connected. It cut out after roughly half an hour.

Test two: disconnected the cab. The amp still turned off after about half an hour. Again, I wasn't playing through it either.

With regards to the fan, it spins up when you swtich the amp on, but I haven't heard it come on at all after that.

Honestly, I don't think I can keep it long enough to see if the fan does anything other than spin up at the start. But I'm also assuming it spins up at the start to ensure that it actually works?

I think I'm going to return it today and get a replacement. I think I've eliminated the factors, aside from my house's (new) electricity supply, that could relate to my setup here.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: S-Bigbottom and agedhorse
#37
Is it going into Standby? Sounds like an intermittent switched mode PSU fault rather than a 'user' issue.

Does it need to cool before it will restart? If so, something is getting hot but it could be a faulty PTC sensor.

Exit - you said it shut down completely. I'm guessing it's the PSU having an issue. switched mode PSUs can be quite tweaky...
 
Last edited:
#38
Alex Masters said:
Is it going into Standby? Sounds like an intermittent switched mode PSU fault rather than a 'user' issue.

Does it need to cool before it will restart? If so, something is getting hot but it could be a faulty PTC sensor.
Click to expand...

I’m not sure that it has a standby. It just appears to go off and as you say, it takes a while to start up again. I believe it needs to cool down, yes
 
#39
There are many possible causes IF the fan is not running when this happens, that's one (of many) possible causes. I'm not sure why a PTC would be the first or even likely cause, and that assumes that either the amplifier or SMPS actually uses one.

If the amp shuts down after time with no load attached, it's certainly the amp and the manufacturer should help you get this resolved.
 
#40
agedhorse said:
There are many possible causes IF the fan is not running when this happens, that's one (of many) possible causes. I'm not sure why a PTC would be the first or even likely cause, and that assumes that either the amplifier or SMPS actually uses one.

If the amp shuts down after time with no load attached, it's certainly the amp and the manufacturer should help you get this resolved.
Click to expand...

Annoying!! I’m just relieved that it wasn’t the cab to be honest as that is out of warranty.
 
  • Like
Reactions: agedhorse and S-Bigbottom

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back