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Darkglass Microtubes 900 + DG410C Shuts down on stage

x-y-z

x-y-z

Sep 13, 2017
11
2
the coast of North Carolina
#1
(thanks to those who already replied to this question on an earlier thread)

I recently got a new Darkglass Microtubes 900 + DG410C - and have "tried" to use it twice at recent outdoor gigs. Both times the amp sounded perfect during setup but as soon as we started the first song, the amp shut itself off - then came back - then off again. Ridiculous. Had to go to a back up rig. I don't have a power conditioner but have been told it might be because of poor power supply - however, guitar amp, PA and lights all worked fine. Just mine failed. As a weekend gigging band, we are usually supplied a typical extension cord from a house or in a club, and that's it - but even when we play indoor shows, we won't get much better power than that. Of course at home it works perfectly at any volume I want. I've asked for a replacement 900 but really nervous to trust it again. Any thoughts?
 
#2
I had a situation this last summer at an outdoor gig where everything worked fine as we were setting up, but once we started playing, we lost our (LED) lights and mixer. Apparently the long power lead and our load created a voltage drop, and our equipment had different minimum power requirements and thresholds for operating. I'm not sure if a power conditioner would have helped that or not. It would be worth asking the Darkglass people how sensitive their stuff is to power fluctuations or low voltages.
 
#3
BlueTalon said:
I had a situation this last summer at an outdoor gig where everything worked fine as we were setting up, but once we started playing, we lost our (LED) lights and mixer. Apparently the long power lead and our load created a voltage drop, and our equipment had different minimum power requirements and thresholds for operating. I'm not sure if a power conditioner would have helped that or not. It would be worth asking the Darkglass people how sensitive their stuff is to power fluctuations or low voltages.
Click to expand...
Darkglass support said it has a protection mode at 90V - but I don't know what that is or what power we were being fed...all I know is it happened twice and that's one too many for me unfortunately, because when working, it's amazing.
 
#4
"Protection mode" means it shuts down, rather than running the risk of damaging any of the circuitry. But if that was it, it seems to be that other stuff would be dropping out too, because 90 volts is pretty darn low.
 
#6
Each piece of equipment will have its own protection thresholds (if they have protection) I wouldn't use any of my equipment on power lower than 90V myself.
 
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#7
Ive gone thru the same problems myself back when I was playing keyboards (they shut down from undervoltage). I picked up a TrippLite LC1800 power conditioner/stabilizer. It corrects under and over voltages in the 89V-147V range and gives a good 120V output. Its saved my ass quite a few times. Now I use it with my bass rigs whenever I play shows where Im unsure of what kind of power Im going to be getting.
 
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#8
Hey @x-y-z first of all sorry for the inconvenience! It must be incredibly frustrating to have your amp shut down mid gig, my apologies for the inconvenience.

We have seen some issues whenever power drops to 100VAC, all though the ICEPower module was rated for 80VAC.
We actually brought this up to them and found a solution, we have since tested the modules at much lower voltages full blast without any shutdowns!

I'm sending you a PM so we can find the best and fastest way to fix it.

Any other questions, feel free to let me know!

Kind regards,
D.
 
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#12
@Darkglass I own the same amp and love it but have had the same problems. It shut off three different times at my gig last night and have had it do the same thing at a few different venues. Please help, thank you
 
#13
Hi guys!

Sorry to hear about your issues, please send us your location and product serial number to [email protected].

I am quite sure your issues will be solved by replacing the ICEPower module (we have had a few faulty units in an earlier batch).

Please email us so we can get you guys sorted out.

Kind regards,
Doug.

Edit: Sorry, I had a typo on the support email. I posted this yesterday after a 18 hour workday. I will refrain from posting at 3AM from now on :).
 
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#14
Darkglass said:
Hi guys!

Sorry to hear about your issues, please send us your location and product serial number to [email protected].

I am quite sure your issues will be solved by replacing the ICEPower module (we have had a few faulty units in an earlier batch).

Please email us so we can get you guys sorted out.

Kind regards,
Doug.

Edit: Sorry, I had a typo on the support email. I posted this yesterday after a 18 hour workday. I will refrain from posting at 3AM from now on :).
Click to expand...
Doug - I follow you on Instagram - your workouts are impressive! You're allowed a typo after all that weight you're picking up!
 
#16
I just found this thread and sent an e-mail to support. I had one of the first batches of Darkglass heads to make it to the US and I played my first full volume gigs this weekend with it and it was cutting out on me repeatedly at stage volume. I had to back off the overdrive section and power section to get it to quit doing it. I have more gigs coming up and will see what support says and proceed from there. I am unemployed with no backup, so this is a crap situation for me. Doug, I appreciate what you are doing and being available to answer questions for us. Hopefully my problem is something that is fixable.
 
#17
x-y-z said:
(thanks to those who already replied to this question on an earlier thread)

I recently got a new Darkglass Microtubes 900 + DG410C - and have "tried" to use it twice at recent outdoor gigs. Both times the amp sounded perfect during setup but as soon as we started the first song, the amp shut itself off - then came back - then off again. Ridiculous. Had to go to a back up rig. I don't have a power conditioner but have been told it might be because of poor power supply - however, guitar amp, PA and lights all worked fine. Just mine failed. As a weekend gigging band, we are usually supplied a typical extension cord from a house or in a club, and that's it - but even when we play indoor shows, we won't get much better power than that. Of course at home it works perfectly at any volume I want. I've asked for a replacement 900 but really nervous to trust it again. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Was there a generator or a direct line to outside current? Might be a low voltage thing.
 
#18
I don't think it was a low voltage thing. I frequent the club and I have never seen anyone have an issue with power there. It also cleared up by lowering input gain and master volume. My settings were not crazy extreme either. Mostly cuts in the EQ, and the B3K overdrive section had the drive at max but the blend is quite low as well as the level. It seemed like the input signal was throwing the power section into a fault protection mode or something. That said, this head has monster tone and I get nothing but compliments. I love my Darkglass tone.
 
#19
Fat_Bottom_End said:
I don't think it was a low voltage thing. I frequent the club and I have never seen anyone have an issue with power there. It also cleared up by lowering input gain and master volume. My settings were not crazy extreme either. Mostly cuts in the EQ, and the B3K overdrive section had the drive at max but the blend is quite low as well as the level. It seemed like the input signal was throwing the power section into a fault protection mode or something. That said, this head has monster tone and I get nothing but compliments. I love my Darkglass tone.
Click to expand...

Hi! We have seen some ICEPowers not work correctly when mains voltage nears 100VAC (despite them being specified for 85VAC minimum) this was addressed in later revisions and the fix is relatively easy (switching the ice power module).

Please send us an email to [email protected] specifying the issue, your location and serial number so we can take a look.

Kind regards,
Doug.
 
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#20
Darkglass said:
Hi! We have seen some ICEPowers not work correctly when mains voltage nears 100VAC (despite them being specified for 85VAC minimum) this was addressed in later revisions and the fix is relatively easy (switching the ice power module).

Please send us an email to [email protected] specifying the issue, your location and serial number so we can take a look.

Kind regards,
Doug.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. I sent off an e-mail but forgot to give my location. :/ Keep pushing the boundaries, I love what you have done for bass players tonal needs. I may have talked some people into Darkglass equipment at the show this weekend, I had a lot of people ask me what I was playing through. We have a small fellowship of Darkglass users in the metal scene here in Austin Texas and we keep spreading the word. :)
 
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