I just came upon a Vox Pathfinder 10 on Craigslist for $20. Seller said it just quit and needs to be fixed. I'm new to electronic and still trying to get my feet wet. I figured this would be a great starter project.
Any help would be awesome. So I've checked the fuse and it doesn't look blown so I've moved on to check the on/off switch and the power cable. I just bought a mulitmeter to check voltage but I'm still unsure what I'm looking for.
1. Should I be on AC or DC when checking voltage on a solid state amp?
2. What voltage am I looking for when checking the on/off switch?
3. What voltage for the power cable? It splits into 3 cables when coming into the chassis. One ground and two other cables. Do I test the two non-ground cables?
Sorry for the newbie questions. Any help?
I managed to wiggle around the wires connecting the on/off switch and it seems to be working. I might need to pin-point what wire is the problem or if it's the jack. Any suggestions?
Hi VectoRay.
To begin with, please do NOT touch anything inside your amplifier while it´s plugged into mains power.
To know if you´re getting power into it, first check that the fuse is good, then plug the amplifier and turn it on. Does the Led light?
Does the speaker click, hum, hiss, or make any noise at all?
Post your results.
J M Fahey
Thanks J M, Heres my results:
1. Originally the amp would not turn on, LED was not lit.
2. I checked the fuse while the amp was unplugged and it looked fine.
3. I unconnected and reconnected the wires to the on/off switch.
4. I tried plugging in the amp again and the LED was flickering on and off. I wiggled the wires connected to the on/off switch and the amp turned on.
5. I tried turning off and on a few times to see if it was fixed and noticed a little crackling and LED flicker as I turned on.
I think it's the on/off switch or the wires connecting the switch.
Ok Vector, so far so good. Keep fearing electricity, it´s the safe way to go.
1)clip an inch or so from the power cable, where it joins the switch, (it might be corroded under the insulation), peel about 1/8" and re solder it to the switch. Practice soldering on scrap pieces of wire, until you do it well.
While the switch is unsoldered, try to squirt into it some WD40 or similar, and move it on/off many times, to clean the contacts; then wipe it clean with some tissue.
The *real* solution, of course, is to replace it, mail order a replacement.
This is just to advance somewhat meanwhile.
Always do *everything* with the amp unplugged and the power connector in plain sight over the table.
After you clean or replace the switch and resolder the power cable, plug it and power it.
Hopefully it will be solid on.
You might have to replace the power cable in full.
Very probably it has some power IC, read its code , and also what´s written on the filter caps (the two largest ones)
Bye.
J M