Update On the Trace Eliott ELF That I Blew Up.

[somedevil]

Here is the backstory if you aren't familiar.

So I emailed Trace Eliott. There was no response for one and a half days so I sent them a reminder.

I got an email from a customer service guy named Chris and he essentially said that since the amp was bought in the US and carried outside of the US border, there is nothing they can do.

He said that there might be some local distributor (I searched, there is none) and they might or might not repair it for me since the unit was bought in the US.

That's it.

Well I wasn't expecting them to replace my unit. But I was surely hoping that at least he would give me an idea of the extent of the damage. Or provide some repair solution (for e.g. replacement of the board and the cost involved).

I am pretty disappointed with their scripted response.

I have written to them again. Asking them if they can provide tech support with respect to the repairs, as I know a competent technician here who regularly repairs amps and pedals. And has offered to take a look at my unit. He did mention that he might need some support from the manufacturer and we might need to ship in some parts. That was the support I was looking for from TE.

Now I am awaiting their reply again.

 

[BadExample]

I'm sorry about what happened. I would not want to pay very much money for a repair, because any parts that may appear to have survived may be what we call the "Walking Wounded."

What part of Asia are you in? If it's a low cost of labor area, it might not cost much for a repair of sorts. In the Philippines they repair cell phones without support. Maybe take it to a shop and ask for an estimate. Otherwise, I'm afraid it's best to toss it and consider it a lesson learned.

 

[SteveCS]

Sad to say that modern consumer electronics have become just that - consumables. They are generally built from pre-assembled and pre-tested parts that are often built from commercial off the shelf components that themselves are highly integrated but whose internal configuration will be the IP of the brand and not immediately apparent to a non-privvy engineer. Production/integration lines are slick and fast and testing will be highly automated. There is no way that a competent engineer at competent engineer rates can repair, or even diagnose (beyond 'looks like toast') such a device at less than the cost of a new one.
:-(

 

[agedhorse]

Especially when the damage is catastrophic.

 

[BadExample]

And it probably is

 

[somedevil]

While the situation is rather bleak, I have some hope in the technician I know, as he does such sorts of a thing on a regular basis. And he is also very passionate about his work. I just dropped off the amp and I am hoping against hope.

 

[JakobT]

I followed the previous thread, and I have to say that if it had been me, I would have bitten the bullet, and let the whole thing go.

OF COURSE the damage is catastrophic when you plug a 110v device into a 220v socket. OF COURSE Trace Elliot US Customer Service wash their hands of the matter when you bought an amp in the US to use in Asia.

OP, I’m sorry this happened to you, but this is the way that one went. Trying to fix it is throwing good money after bad in my opinion, as well as being a lot of extra effort which will probably come to nothing. The amp is dead. You killed it. Move on.

 

[somedevil]

Well, necessity leads a man down many untrodden paths

 

[Urich_jr]

Don't be upset man. As a rule of thumb electronics don't get destroyed completely. Ask them for schematics and get it to any soldering-guy. I'm sure it's all fixable.

 

[buldog5151bass]

What about where you bought it (GC if I recall)?

 

[BassmanPaul]

Don't be upset man. As a rule of thumb electronics don't get destroyed completely. Ask them for schematics and get it to any soldering-guy. I'm sure it's all fixable.

I’ll bet the amp was built around a pre made class D module that includes the power supply. It would likely be cheaper to replace that module as I suspect that the pre-amp could be all right.

I’m a pretty canny guy but I would be the first to admit that I know little about Class D amplifiers. I would not attempt to repair such an amp as it’s beyond my skill set.

All that said I’ll add that if the amp DID get repaired it would likely cost more than a replacement amplifier.

Last thought directed to the OP is that the amp did not blow up due to a fault. It blew through gross misuse. I feel that the thread title is misleading and should be edited to show the true facts.

 

[40Hz]

Well, necessity leads a man down many untrodden paths

Yes indeed. “Necessity furthers. No blame.” as the oracle teaches.

You have a great positive attitude. My respect for you has just gone up several notches higher than it already was because of that. Good man!

With luck, which I think is what’s called for here, it may be fixable.

Fingers crossed it’s nothing more than a popped electrolytic cap and maybe some diodes on the power input end.

Onward.

 

[agedhorse]

Don't be upset man. As a rule of thumb electronics don't get destroyed completely. Ask them for schematics and get it to any soldering-guy. I'm sure it's all fixable.

As a rule of thumb, when switchmode/class D amps get plugged into twice the voltage they were designed for, the destruction is typically fairly complete... at least compared with the cost of replacing.

One reason why manufacturers discourage such repairs is that it involves working on circuits on both sides of the primary-secondary safety barrier. After such repairs, the power supply should be retested according to the international safety standards they were designed to. This is to insure that no damage was missed that could jeopardize safety (both shock and fire).

Most repair shops do not have this equipment and knowledge to do so. No manufacturer that I know of wants to go down this road, too much liability.

 

[Bigbri]

I followed the previous thread, and I have to say that if it had been me, I would have bitten the bullet, and let the whole thing go.

OF COURSE the damage is catastrophic when you plug a 110v device into a 220v socket. OF COURSE Trace Elliot US Customer Service wash their hands of the matter when you bought an amp in the US to use in Asia.

OP, I’m sorry this happened to you, but this is the way that one went. Trying to fix it is throwing good money after bad in my opinion, as well as being a lot of extra effort which will probably come to nothing. The amp is dead. You killed it. Move on.

Is there no power fuse in the elf? My svt and v6 have both blown 10 A power fuses and saved expensive repairs. I got carried away and forgot I was using an 8 ohm cab on both and pop....silence.

 

[john_g]

What exactly are you disappointed in? That they didnt straight up replace your amp free of charge even though it was your fault? Or diagnose the damage from another country? Im sorry, I dont mean to sound snarky but as a business owner myself, I cant help but put myself in their shoes and quite frankly, it was your fault and is going to cost more to repair, if at all, than it would be to buy a new one.

 

[zoonose]

What about where you bought it (GC if I recall)?

Per OP, the amp was purchased in the US and shipped out of country.
The GC it came from isn't responsible for the damage any more than the manufacturer is.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

I’ve wrecked far more than the cost of that amp. Just chalk it up to paying your dues.

Sell it on eBay for parts/as is for $50. Someone somewhere needs a new case, knobs, etc. Then move on and buy another one.

 

[Urich_jr]

As a rule of thumb, when switchmode/class D amps get plugged into twice the voltage they were designed for, the destruction is typically fairly complete... at least compared with the cost of replacing.

One reason why manufacturers discourage such repairs is that it involves working on circuits on both sides of the primary-secondary safety barrier. After such repairs, the power supply should be retested according to the international safety standards they were designed to. This is to insure that no damage was missed that could jeopardize safety (both shock and fire).

Most repair shops do not have this equipment and knowledge to do so. No manufacturer that I know of wants to go down this road, too much liability.

That thread and your comments are actually very useful for me, cause i'm buying that amp tomorrow. I'm very appreciated with it, thanks.

 

[tradernick]

I just have to say that I don’t understand all the people suggesting to the OP that this very low priced amp is fixable given what happened. The chances of fixing this for less than the cost of a replacement and ending up with something that you can have faith in have gotta be less than 2 in 10. It’s a function of the way these amps are made, as has been stated several times.

agedhorse knows more about this stuff than all of us put together and he has patiently tried to convey the reality of the situation. SteveCS explains it above.

Should the OP try to get this fixed? Probably not, but if he insists, he should consider the cost. If he’s spending more than what...60% of replacement cost, then to me it doesn’t make sense.

OP, your tech might tell you he thinks it’s fixable. Go ahead and try if you want but definitely temper your expectations. Your amp is almost certainly injured badly enough that trying to fix it is sub-optimal.

 

[madbass6]

Here is the backstory if you aren't familiar.

So I emailed Trace Eliott. There was no response for one and a half days so I sent them a reminder.

I got an email from a customer service guy named Chris and he essentially said that since the amp was bought in the US and carried outside of the US border, there is nothing they can do.

He said that there might be some local distributor (I searched, there is none) and they might or might not repair it for me since the unit was bought in the US.

That's it.

Well I wasn't expecting them to replace my unit. But I was surely hoping that at least he would give me an idea of the extent of the damage. Or provide some repair solution (for e.g. replacement of the board and the cost involved).

I am pretty disappointed with their scripted response.

I have written to them again. Asking them if they can provide tech support with respect to the repairs, as I know a competent technician here who regularly repairs amps and pedals. And has offered to take a look at my unit. He did mention that he might need some support from the manufacturer and we might need to ship in some parts. That was the support I was looking for from TE.

Now I am awaiting their reply again.

Good luck man!! But the tittle should be, update on trace [ELF that I fried.