LVX32 chip - let the smoke out!

Hi,
My MK1 player worked perfectly for 21/2 years and I got a MK2. I sold the MK1 to a mate of mine who did 'something' whilst installing it and it is now dead as a dodo - won't power up either on car or adapter power.

A quick check revealed a smell of burning and a small burn hole in the top of one of the LVX32 chips.

Any ideas where I can get this repaired - assuming this is the only problem - and any clues how he can have done this?

Cheers

Wayne

Hopefully if that is the only problem a LVX32 is quite a common chip and should be easy to get from somewhere like digikey or Farnell. It's actually a 74LVX32 which is a low voltage version of the 74HC32, 74LS32 etc. It's just a quad 2 input NOR gate. Just looked - Digikey have them for 49 cents.

However, if that has blown a hole in the top of itself, I would suspect something more serious. I doubt a wiring mistake external to the empeg could cause this kind of failure. The most serious wiring error I can picture is reversing +12V and ground external to the empeg but I would hope it's protected against that sort mistake.

Either way, the hole means the chip is definitely stuffed. Any competent TV/radio serviceman could replace this surface mount chip. It only requires a hot air blower to remove and a fine point soldering iron to replace. You could at least start by replacing that chip and see what happens. Perhaps you could show us where on the board it is to give us a better idea of what might have happened (i.e. power supply area, CPU area etc). One of the empeg guys might be able to give a more definitive answer as to what might have happened.

Hm. It's a Mark 1, wonder if it's related to this?

I've put up a picture of it here:
http://www.machx.co.uk/empeg.jpg

its the nearest chip to the display ribbon cable.

Well a start would be to replace the LVX32 at least. However, if something else has gone bung, it could easily take out the replacement LVX32. It's unlikely that a chip like that would fail that catastrophically without external forces.

At 49c a go though it's probably worth a try at least. I'd probably buy 2 just in case.

Or... Find some fine tipped cutters and clip all the leads to remove the body then unsolder each pin one by one.