Update On the Trace Eliott ELF That I Blew Up.

[agedhorse]

I've still got a power strip like the OP used.
It is nice for devices with Euro plugs or U.K. plugs on them.

FWIW most outlets in Thailand will accept U.S. plugs as well as Euro plugs:

View attachment 2953582

and all public power is 220 Volts

I wonder how many mistakes get made when somebody who has 120V equipment accidentally plugs into such receptacles?

 

[bassstrangler]

Let us agree to disagree.

Sounds fine to me, but see post #134. Maybe I missed something in the OP.

 

[agedhorse]

Is the T.E. Elf switchable?
Maybe a jumper on the board inside?

Plus maybe other things that need to be changed as well. Missing one item could spell instant failure.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I wonder how many mistakes get made when somebody who has 120V equipment accidentally plugs into such receptacles?

very rarely, because most of the devices you can buy locally work on 100 - 250 V
When we had contractors come in from abroad, they were usually equipped with universal-voltage gear.

I just had to be careful when I bought things in the U.S. to take back to Thailand, that they could accept 220V, or I'd get a universal-voltage wall wart that could fit them.
My Norelco razor I bought here, but used in Thailand for a long time, and I think I had to get another wall wart for my U.S. Robotics modem. Ironically, my house was well-protected from electrical storms, at least through the power outlets, but..
my modem got fried during an electrical storm, through the telephone wire. Best modem I'd owned as well. It would actually connect at 52 Mbps & everything I could buy locally only got 44 Mbps.

 

[Son of Wobble]

 

[popcat]

What the OP was using is a typical Asian one size fits all power strip. When it comes to razors and cell phone/laptop chargers they are typically fine because of wide-range AC wall-warts.

Also be aware, that just because there is a third wire on the plug doesn't mean there is a an earth ground. Especially in China and India, which have some of the worst power generation and lack of building codes (or lack of adherence to) in the somewhat civilized world.

I wonder if the OP will ever "forget" again.

 

[gitfiddl]

Why all the hate? I've been a lurking member here since 2005, relatively active only for the last month or three. The OP has admitted his error. People are bashing him for everything from the title of his thread to his wish to find a solution within his budget in his immediate locale. So much for a sense of community...

 

[StatesideRambler]

I don't think it was evident. The OP indicated his buddy would take a look at the head and TE should offer tech support to his buddy the tech. It also seems the OP couldn't afford to send it to Meridian for repairs, let alone afford the repairs once it got to Meridian.

At least that's what was evident to me.

TE has no way to verify that the buddy has any knowledge of or experience with electronic design and repair. TE would wisely say "No!" to supporting an unknown person.

They're versatile, accept almost everything (except U.K. & a couple others).

Is the T.E. Elf switchable?
Maybe a jumper on the board inside?

Allow me to introduce a term of art: homologation. It means official approval. In the U.S. and Canada the approval for consumer equipment is provided by compliance with the rules of Underwriters Laboratories (UL). The UL name refers to a collective of insurance underwriters. Long ago insurance companies were tired of paying off claims resulting from failures of unsafe equipment so they developed standards and began requiring compliance with those standards before they'd issue insurance coverage. The insurers don't care if the equipment fails; they care that it doesn't take out life and property when it fails. This is what agedhorse has stated in this thread.

Look at the photo of the rear panel of the Elf in seamonkey's post #94; it reads "120 V [AC] 60 Hz." Even if it was simply a matter of opening the case and moving a jumper, there still isn't a way to change the rating text on the rear panel. It would be rendered non-compliant by a voltage jumper change. I'd venture (with confidence coming of being a retired electrical engineer) that there's no way to change the line voltage that the U.S. version of the Elf requires. I'm betting that TE makes a 240V model with a different catalog number and it's probably not sold in the U.S.A.

I'll once again quote the late Malcolm Forbes, "It's so much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem."

Why all the hate? I've been a lurking member here since 2005, relatively active only for the last month or three. The OP has admitted his error. People are bashing him for everything from the title of his thread to his wish to find a solution within his budget in his immediate locale. So much for a sense of community...

I'll grant that some of the replies are rather tart but no more here than in most TB threads. The reality is that TE evidently has no presence where OP lives, therefore OP bypassed normal merchant channels to get his TE amp, OP made a serious (for his situation) blunder and he's now upset that TE isn't catering to him outside its range of trade.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I wasn't trying to suggest a solution, it's already fried.
I'm smelling an air of "insulting my intelligence".

I've seen it right here on TB where the change is as simple as a jumper relocation.

 

[popcat]

If the unit does not have an external, user accessible, voltage switch (as some amps and other products do), then opening the unit and changing a jumper will render the unit non-compliant to various compliance authorities (UL, TUV, etc.), as well as void the warranty (because the unit is now in violation of its markings). Some people wouldn't care, it's their equipment, but it's not a recommended move.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

The warranty was already void when it went outside the U.S., and compliance?, really?

I think I'm done here, recalling how this went last time!

 

[bassstrangler]

TE has no way to verify that the buddy has any knowledge of or experience with electronic design and repair. TE would wisely say "No!" to supporting an unknown person.

I agree with you.

It seems to me the ultimate answer to this thread is salvage what parts you can, move on and save money for your next head. The Elf is dead.

In the big picture the OP didn't even buy the head from a retailer. He bought it from a friend who brought it back from America where it was purchased from Guitar Center.

Warranty voided, tech support most likely denied.

 

[StatesideRambler]

I wasn't trying to suggest a solution, it's already fried.
I'm smelling an air of "insulting my intelligence".

I've seen it right here on TB where the change is as simple as a jumper relocation.

No insult was intended and I'm sorry if it read that way. Tone of voice is impossible to put across in text.

Line voltage is user selectable for some equipment but that's far from universal. I read the Elf owner manual and found in the specs that it's available for 120V and 240V but nothing that states or implies that the user can make the change. TE on page 5 of the Elf owner manual states, "Damage to the equipment may result if improper line voltage is used. (See line voltage marking on unit.)"

Markbass addresses this directly, saying, "Markbass apparatuses are manufactured to be sold and used in the country of purchase, and are factory preset to that country’s voltage.
Due to homologation issues, the voltage may not be changed."

 

[-Asdfgh-]

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.
:-(

The outer metal box of the amp, and the knobs might be salvagable.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I checked and:

The Sweetwater listing for the Elf clearly shows that it's for 120 Volts 60 Hz

Trace Elliot ELF 200-watt Micro Bass Head


Thomann (Deutschland) listing has 220V - 240V on the back of it:

Invalid Link Removed

This a difficult lesson for the OP, but next time check those voltages before buying a product from the U.S..

I always warned any visitors to leave their 120V devices at home, if they were preparing for a trip to Asia.
Most tourists only bring laptops & maybe electrical razors, but they normally have universal voltage adapters.

IIRC, G-K's MB200 has a jumper & is switchable.
I think there is a thread on here from an Ozzie user who switched his.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Someone somewhere needs a new case, knobs, etc. Then move on and buy another one.

That reminds me to locate which bit of gear the knob I found on the floor belongs to. Thanks!

I should have kept the Tascam 4 track with the bad PCB for the knobs! I'd have had knobs for life.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

very rarely, because most of the devices you can buy locally work on 100 - 250 V
When we had contractors come in from abroad, they were usually equipped with universal-voltage gear.

I just had to be careful when I bought things in the U.S. to take back to Thailand, that they could accept 220V, or I'd get a universal-voltage wall wart that could fit them.
My Norelco razor I bought here, but used in Thailand for a long time, and I think I had to get another wall wart for my U.S. Robotics modem. Ironically, my house was well-protected from electrical storms, at least through the power outlets, but..
my modem got fried during an electrical storm, through the telephone wire. Best modem I'd owned as well. It would actually connect at 52 Mbps & everything I could buy locally only got 44 Mbps.

I once had a monitor get fried during a thunderstorm which was closer than I thought. Ironically, my Trace Elliot AH250SM had a fuse of the same value and size in it somewhere, so I borrowed that the next day until I could get to the electronics shop and replace it in the monitor. Or at least I remember it being the same value. Either that or I was risking the monitor even more...

 

[dreamadream99]

Ask a $5000 bass owner musician if he would earn $300 and he will "cut your throat" for that cash

That’s some dark stuff, right there. I don’t think that is the standard in North America.

 

[popcat]

Ancient alien theorists believe that knobs are not actually lost, they simply move to another dimension. Sort of like one shoe along the roadside.

 

[popcat]

The warranty was already void when it went outside the U.S., and compliance?, really?

Some people wouldn't care, it's their equipment, but it's not a recommended move.