Did I just pay a high price for my eagerness?

[NetRngr]

Got a Trace Elliott ELF half an hour back from the US. Plugged it in, completely forgetting the fact that the electricity in my country is 220 while on the ELF it's 110.

The amp turned on, the fan started and then I heard a shrill sound, like that of an old fashioned TV being turned on, then smoke came out of the vents and a bad smell.

I immediately turned it off. And now I am shagging depressed. Is this gone ?

Once the mystical blue smoke is released from electronics its pretty much a done deal ... USUALLY. Have it checked out for sure. It may be salvageable.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Once the mystical blue smoke is released from electronics its pretty much a done deal ... USUALLY. Have it checked out for sure. It may be salvageable.

I remember back in the day Eden used to put a note in their manuals about not releasing the magical smoke. I wonder if they still do.

 

[NetRngr]

Could this mean that I might be ... safe?



I plugged it in one of these things. How I could do something so stupid, is beyond me.

View attachment 2950774

Well over volt protection usually just means its protected from spikes not a continuous load of twice the expected power being applied. Again you MIGHT be ok but you need to take it to have it checked out.

 

[NetRngr]

I will try that too. The GC sales rep assured my friend that this will work with the 220V electrical system. that's why I instructed him to buy it right away.



Yes it comes with a cable and I was using that cable itself.

Well it could be that the unit was faulty. Even well respected brands poopie the bed occasionally.

 

[NetRngr]

I remember back in the day Eden used to put a note in their manuals about not releasing the magical smoke. I wonder if they still do.

Hahah didn't know that. Im an IT guy so we know well the properties of mystical blue smoke and the bad things that happen when you release it.

 

[NetRngr]

You think I should open the amp up and send them a picture of the insides?
Or should I contact Guitar center and ask em for any warranty ?

NOOOOOOOOOOO. 99.9% of the time if you open the case the warranty goes out the window. Worst case you send it to them and let THEM open it. That keeps your warranty in tact

 

[agedhorse]

Those power strips that allow an ungrounded 120V plug to fit into a 230V source is part of the cause, what puzzles me is what happened with the ground pin? That usually prevents insertion, but can't tell from the photo.

 

[HertzWhenIPlay]

You could probably have some capacitors replaced and be rocking and rolling again

 

[BigBigGuy44]

The only good thing about this thread is that it gives a great reference point on who not to buy from or sell to.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Hahah didn't know that. Im an IT guy so we know well the properties of mystical blue smoke and the bad things that happen when you release it.

Found an old pdf- it's the second to last paragraph
Invalid Link Removed

 

[loveandbass]

Return it to GC. It's defective

 

[NetRngr]

It seems like your devious plan to avoid import taxes...
*puts on sunglasses*

...went up in smoke!

Yeaaaaaah!

 

[NetRngr]

Found an old pdf- it's the second to last paragraph
Invalid Link Removed

That is beyond awesome!

 

[NetRngr]

I am empathetic to your situation. The protections listed in the TE manual are in reference to the device output; they don't cover extreme overvoltage on the power supply. The amp can likely handle transients on the supply, but this situation was like opening a tin can with freight train.

Quite likely, more than just capacitors suffered terminal damage, and it's quite possible that traces were lifted off the pcb. If the amp will be repaired, all sections of the amp - power supply, preamp/equalization, output - need to be inspected. I could not find a schematic for the amp, but I found a photograph of the top side of the board, and indeed, there is a 120V/220V jumper on the inside.

I sincerely hope that TE customer service will offer you an economical solution.

As someone who deals with electronics daily I would suspect the only think that would be worth keeping would be the case itself. Not sure I would trust SS electronics after a major overvolt like that.

 

[TheReceder]

Never open something new

Found an old pdf- it's the second to last paragraph
Invalid Link Removed

I always thought Dave Nordschow Was a genius thanks for the link

 

[Kikegg]

Maybe not the most ethical response, but if you can, simply return it claiming that you turned it on and it started to smoke... omit the 110-220v incident and of course DO NOT OPEN IT. As any device, some may fail and if there is no traces of abuse/misuse maker should/would take care of it. It's brand new but "defective".

These things happen and your "innocent" return does not hurt no one.

 

[dxb]

So be deceitful? You need to own up to your mistakes, and this is his admitted mistake. Just sayin'

The OP isn't an electronics expert and therefore can't say for sure what happened to the amp. By avoiding needless speculation, he'd merely be acknowledging that fact. Besides, returning that tiny little thing wouldn't even cause a blip on GC's balance sheet, and nobody that works there would care one way or the other.

 

[NetRngr]

So informative this thread is.

 

[zoonose]

...there is a 120V/220V jumper on the inside.

An object lesson in the importance of RTFM.

EDIT: I didn't see anything about the jumper in the manual, so maybe more a case of "do your research".

 

[buldog5151bass]

I think omitting to mention the fact, when you believe that is the reason is quite unethical. I would tell them where you are from, and that their own literature states that the amp is compliant with 220.