electrical probelm

Well Ive had my empeg running for a couple weeks now. But now it will go off on bumps and if i hit the console it will do the same thing. It usually pops right back on. As I was troubleshooting connections I noticed that the cradle is making an electrical connection with parts of the framework. the empeg only works when this contact is made. What is that about? And what should I do?

Thanks,

mark

You have a loose or bad ground wire on the docking connector.

Some players shipped with a docking connector that was not properly crimped and the wires would tend to pull out. This can be repaired yourself, or it can be replaced by support (assuming your player is under warranty). Either way you have to deinstall it from the car to get at the docking connector.

ok - so I need to check the ground connection on the docking cradle? Seemed like everything was tight but I will check again.

It just so happens I was already planning on making a FAQ entry on this topic, to show off one of David's repair movies.

The new FAQ entry, including a movie of the repair procedure, is here.

Well the wires seemed tight. I was having trouble getting a good ground on the wire I was using so I switched to another. But it seems im getting power from the docking cradle still. I was able to get a ground from the connector on the cradle so I dont know whats up now.

Well, then it's probably something else up with the wiring, not necessarily a problem with the docking connector itself. Some other loose or mis-wired connection somewhere in the system.

yep - I was talking to a buddy of mine who knows electrical stuff much more than i do and he thinks it is something internal to the empeg itself. Ive had it for near 2 years now so the warranty is no longer an issue so im going to open it up and see what I can find this weekend.

That's possible, I suppose. If there is a loose screw inside the player, that might cause the behavior you're seeing. Or perhaps a completely loose drive tray assembly (rubber mounts came out). I wouldn't rule out external connections in the car wiring though. Definitely check the external wiring as well.

Also, you said you've had it for two years? Now we have to ask: is it a Mark1 or a Mark2 player?

If it's a Mark1, possible problems are: Loose drive mounts, disk drive cable rubbing on a motherboard jumper, audio riser on back of motherboard loose.

Also, the docking connector on the Mark1 needs to be cleaned regularly (alcohol and q-tips) to prevent it from making dodgy connections. It could be that simple.

Sorry, I couldn't hlep it.

lol - well you got me on the spelling ;-p

My player is an mk2 that i purchased 8-2000

I should have time this weekend to open it up and see if something is amiss.

well I opened up my empeg and nothing was broke. Wires were connected nothing frayed. Guess I will check out the care wiring now.

So what could be wrong with my car wiring? I have the right connections for power and amp remote. I know I have a ground wire. But when I have the cradle out of the frame the empeg doesnt work. While it is out I can attach a cable to the dash frame and touch it to the empeg and it starts right up. What should be my next steps. Ive taken the empeg apart and saw no exposed wiring.

Start with making a new ground connection.

/Michael

Yup, definitly a ground problem. The empeg's case is connected to the ground of the player, so when you connect the wire to the frame, you're grounding it. It could be that the ground wire has come loose on the sled, or that your ground wire in your car is bad. Check the sled and see if that looks like the problem, or use a volt meter to see if your ground wire is good... Or just ground the sled and forget about it...

Matthew

I was thinking of just grounding the sled but I will try the voltmeter first to test the grounds.

Thanks for the help everyone,

mark