Where to get help with modern equipment?

[rjmusto]

Hi Folks,
I am needing some help with the repair of a Tannoy i30 iPod dock and wondered if you could recommend a similar site to this but for modern equipment?

Having already had some great help here on my vintage kit, to would be good find a similar forum for the newer stuff....

Thanks,
Ralph

[threeseven]

I don't know of a site like this for modern equipment, as there is substantially less inclination for people to repair contemporary equipment.
However this site does have a modern technology section, so you could try that.

[rjmusto]

So there is! Now I looked at the forum earlier and never saw that..... age I suppose.

I'll put a post there. Thanks.

[mark pirate]

If it is out of warranty, it seems you are on your own these days, there are probably some 'how to repair' videos on youtube that may help.
I recently repaired a friends mobile phone touchscreen thanks to a youtube video and a replacement screen from ebay.

Most of this modern kit is not designed to be repaired, but it is always worth having a go when you have nothing to loose!

Mark

[pmmunro]

The Tannoy Dock doesn't seem to be listed, but you may find other useful guides to modern equipment here.

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/iPod

PMM

[Nickthedentist]

Originally Posted by rjmusto

So there is! Now I looked at the forum earlier and never saw that..... age I suppose.

I think it only becomes visible once you've made a lot of vintage radio-related posts, to stop newbies joining just for free advice on mending new gear.

Nick.

[paulsherwin]

You need to have made 10 posts or more to see the Modern Technology section. It isn't indexed by Google for that reason.

MT isn't what this forum is about, and while we allow the MT section to continue for the benefit of members with a genuine interest in vintage technology, we don't want it to become dominated by people who have only come here to get their flat screen tellies fixed.

In the past, serious consideration has been given to removing the MT section altogether as OT for the forum, but the consensus amongst the mods was that it was better to keep it.

[Nickthedentist]

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

In the past, serious consideration has been given to removing the MT section altogether as OT for the forum, but the consensus amongst the mods was that it was better to keep it.

A good decision! Every one of us will have some modern gear around the house, even if it's just the computer we use to access the forum. It's so useful to be able to discuss it with like-minded people.

N.

[Junk Box Nick]

There's not much in my abode that isn't vintage but I have been grateful for the advice on this forum for the few bits of 'modern' that I have. Frankly, I tend to trust information here more than from other sources.

[threeseven]

The modern tech section is very useful for computer advice, we all use one of these by virtue of being here!

[OscarFoxtrot]

'modern' is relative anyway. For some people discrete transistors are modern; for others they're vintage.

[Radio Wrangler]

Modern stuff has a habit of eventually becoming vintage, and any information on fixing the stuff is therefore a head start on getting ready to repair and restore it when it finally does become acceptably ancient.

There's also the 'grot factor' where tat from the past was unceremoniously dumped leaving few or no surviving examples for display today.

What things available today would make interesting museum exhibits in a few decades? I know that most Ferraris go into storage for investment reasons, but how about a museum of phoolishness? The cables, capacitors and potions wouldn't look too impressive, but Joe Public would boggle at the price tags.

There are signs that people are taking an interest in ephemera from Sinclair and Amstrad (shudder) but maybe it needs preserving to show future generations what not to do?

David

[rjmusto]

Interesting to read all your comments... here's a postscript to my original post:

The main SMPS for the unit was faulty and having spent some time now working on this board, this is what I have found so far:

• one of the main rectifier diodes was arcing to the local ground plane - clearances just too narrow
• the main smoothing electrolytic for the primary regulator chip (3842) was inserted the wrong way round and no longer a capacitor.
• the 'gunge' they used to hold the components has turned into some kind of brittle dark brown and conductive mess. Yes, conductive! Anyone seen this before? It has also corroded the component leads, so maybe it got wet at some point....
• the board layout is terrible - looks like someone just hit the auto-placement button and went with that.

It seems the 3842 controller chip is pretty common in domestic SMPS designs and I have found one for a Dell supply that matches this one closely, so that's a help.

The main switching FET and the 3842 output drive are u/s and am waiting for spares now to see if I can then get this primary side running again.

Annoyingly, the board also has the main audio power chip and all its associated components on the same board, so trying to isolate this while working on the supply has been difficult - multilayer board with no logical component placement.

Heck, turned into a bit of a ramble - but this experience does show that designers do not seem to consider repairs anymore, or some at least .... and maybe the poor quality here is partly why Tannoy discontinued this product.

Ralph

[mark pirate]

the 'gunge' they used to hold the components has turned into some kind of brittle dark brown and conductive mess. Yes, conductive! Anyone seen this before?

I certainly have!
I think it is caused by long term heating of the components, typical of SMPS's.
Originally used to hold the components in place, particularly capacitors. Better quality gear uses some form of silicone sealant to do the job.

If the PSU is external, I would just replace it. From my experience, they are simply not worth repairing.
If it is internal and part of the PCB, I suppose you have little choice than to repair it. Be very careful to remove every trace of the 'Gunge' also check that the PCB itself is not conductive!

Mark

[rjmusto]

Be very careful to remove every trace of the 'Gunge' also check that the PCB itself is not conductive!

Yikes... ok, will take a bit more time to get it cleaner. You're right, the worst affected part has clearly been getting hot as the PCB is discoloured.

It is internal - and has some audio circuitry on it too - so no option but to try a repair.

Fingers crossed.

Ralph

['LIVEWIRE?']

Is this 'gunge' the same stuff that's sometimes referred to as 'Sony Bond'? That also becomes highly conductive, no doubt due to the effect of heating.