Blew my Empeg by supplying too much A's.

I must be out of my mind or something for being _this_ stupid. Feel free to flame.

I noticed from the great FAQ that I might get another power supply for my Empeg (mark 1). So I searched for a few adapters, tried to plug 'em. Few didn't work. So I kept searching for the one that does work. Plugged in a 15v 1100mA supply (harman/kardon model no A481511)... Didn't give any signs of life and I thought again, not working. Before I removed the plug, there was a nice SNAP! Smoke began flowing out of Empeg... So instead of giving my unit ~1A, I gave it 11A?

So. I blew my Empeg.

Opened it in 25 seconds. Removed the harddisks. One circuit has blown. One right next to the plug. Colored yellowish/brown I believe. On the right side of the plug. Notice, this is Mark 1.

So. What can I do?
What is this circuit I've blown?
Is it still possible to use the Empeg in my car?
How to replace it? Should I send my unit to support or can I bring it to a local electronic store? (Living in Finland)

I feel so aggressive and angry now. How could I be so stupid!

The 1100mA actually approximates the 1A supply required. I'm (just) guessing, but the power you supplied probably reversed the polarity. Hopefully that damage is localized. You'll need to contact support in the U.K.

I just feel sooo stupid.

So, emailingl [email protected] should solve my problem? I was wondering how expencive this would be. Could some of my best buddies fix this by soldering the right part out and a brand new in? How to see if the damage is really localized?

Well... This isn't all for today.

Slightly after this Empeg-accident I boot up my quite brand new Dell Inspiron, nice laptop with 2.2ghz 512mb geforce4 64mb. Right. Boots up nicely with battery. Plug in the original powersupply and BOOM. Screen scrambles. -> rebooting doesn't help. Blew up something, AGAIN! Need to contact Dell's support on monday... goddamnit :/

After that I figured out that I wanted to play some Nintendo 8-bit. So nicely asked for my girlfriend to turn on the television. Figured out I shouldn't touch anything electrical anymore this day..

About the title of this thread, you did not blow your Empeg by supplying it too many amps. Ohms law applies nicely here. Amps= volts/ resistance. The Empeg will only draw the current (amps) that the combination of resistance in the overall circuit and the voltage supplied will allow. 1100 ma is 1.1 A. 11,000 ma is 11 amps, but either would work! It's just a rating by the power supply manufacturer of how much current the supply can pass without damage to itself.

As already suggested, you probably got the polarity reversed, either through the wrong wiring in the plug or by using an AC power supply.

If you could find what parts are damaged, I'm sure that your friends could remove the old parts and put in new, as long as they know what they are doing.

Good luck

Stu

The voltage and current specifications on that adapter were perfect. What you probably didn't check is if it was AC or DC, and if DC what polarity the connector was.

When you contact support David can arrange to bring your player to the UK and repair it. You may have just blown a diode or solid state fuse, but it sounds like you could have also burned a track off the board. There isn't usually a problem fixing such issues. David can also advise you on selecting (and testing) a suitable adapter.

Rob

If there's anything you'd like me to change in the FAQ to make it more clear, let me know.

As I said before: One circuit has blown. One right next to the plug. This by my bare eye. This box is between the power supply plug and the usb plug. Notice again, Mark 1. I'd like to know what this circuit truly was. Interested if it's only used at home and if I could still use the player in my car.. Ain't going to try without knowledge :/

And. Any raw estimated price for support to fix this issue?

Damn I'm lost w/o my Empeg. Guess I won't be using my car for a while 8-)

Tony, you could make it more clear that this could happen.. If it seems player isn't going to boot in 1 sec you definedly should remove the plug. Point out AC's DC's and polarizations in this matter.

Am I the first who did this? How come everyone else got their spare powers w/o troubles? *shrug*

it would be nice to know if that adapter was AC or DC and what the polarity of the plug was. (just for the curious.) this information is on the back of the plug 95% of the time. sometimes there is a little graphic that shows the pug and there will be (+) pointing to one part. the empeg requires positive on the center pin.

either way, ISTR that the fuse isn't easily user-replacable. Unlesss you're comfortable with a soldering iron, I think you'll probably need to send it across the pond. why don't you email david directly to figure out your options?

John

Dunno about about AC / DC / polarity. Doesn't say on the supply.. If truly interested try searching: harman/kardon, model no.: A481511, Part No.: HK195-02T

Actually, I think that David would be quite interested to know as well, since it could have a bearing on the advice he would give you. Since HK's site is impossible to search by part number or keyword you need to be more specific as to what HK equipment the supply was designed for.

And why should *we* do the searching to help *you*? This site is a wonderful place full of helpful people - witness the multiple responses you've had already. But you've got make a bit of effort too!

I'm now assuming that David is the guy behind support.. So.
Supply was designed for speakers, dunno what kind of. Found it in a big box full of different sized speakers & power supplies, just wanted to try if it could be right for the job.

I truly thank for everyone's help on this issue. But since I really don't know that much about electrics I dunno what should I find out and what's important.. That's why I'm asking..

Tony, you could make it more clear that this could happen.. If it seems player isn't going to boot in 1 sec you definedly should remove the plug. Point out AC's DC's and polarizations in this matter.

I have slightly enhanced the wording of the FAQ entry, but I have not really added any new information other than a warning to make sure the power supply really meets the requirements that were already listed there.

Supply was designed for speakers

Almost certainly AC then..

Rob

Let's hope so...

TommyE

Why do you say that Rob ? All the powered speakers I have ever seen had DC power supplies.

If it seems player isn't going to boot in 1 sec you definedly should remove the plug.

I can't imagine how Tony could work this into the FAQ. It would sorta be equivalent to "Inspect the feed slot of the log chipper after 1 second to make certain that you have inserted a log and not your forearm..."

Yeah, besides, I think I like the changes I made better.

Yeah, the changes you made were fine. And your FAQ is great anyhow. Just my fault that I did something I wasn't supposed to do and I don't think that anyone else would do such a thing

Well. Waiting for the support to answer to my email but since my budject for the month is about 100€.. :/ Being a student rocks.

Hopefully you are not studying "principles of electrical engineering"

In reply to:

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Why do you say that Rob ? All the powered speakers I have ever seen had DC power supplies.

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That's what I was thinking - I did a quick search and found this page which has a diagram that states the input as AC. Advanced image enhancement techniques like those used by the FBI (Photoshop) has produced the attached image.

A colleague has the same speakers at work - I'll check to see if the UK version has a DC "wall wart" or not.

Gareth

Hey, nice sleuthing.

All I can say about David is...

HE ROCKS! Good person.

Actually. Studying engineering, just started the electronics part too :/ Though electricity not being my main.

Which school ?

Remind me not to go there.

Just checked my colleagues PSU and it's a HK195-03T, AC 15V 1100ma - similar model to Decay's unit. Definately AC, and first one I've seen like that for sure. Anyone know why they use them rather than the DC units?

Gareth