ZX600 Ti Repair

[trickyricky]

I bought this knowing it was having issues, so I picked it up pretty cheap. I quickly notice this amplifier had the "HF" 2200uf 16v capacitors in the DC filter section, so I replace those with "FC" 3300uf 25v caps. Yes they leaked, just take a look at the pictures. They didn't do any damage, thankfully, then I checked all the outputs and power fets....all tested good. Next I cleaned it up as it was very dusty/dirty especially around the air intake/out-take. Assemble it back together and tested it, GOT 746watts at 4ohm mono prior to clipping.

[oldschoolpgfan1]

Is this recommended? And safe? If so id like to do this to my zx600. Will it handle semi long periods of play? How hot does amp get? Thanks

[trickyricky]

Is it recommended? Only by everyone, lol, the "HF" caps have/will/are leaking.....TRUST ME. If yours have the HF caps, I wouldn't even want to have it installed.

There are several members here that can do the cap replacement (shawnK, eric just to name a couple). I can do them if you wish, pm me for more info.

[audiophyle_247]

There is plenty of room inside these amps to go even larger on the caps btw.
All 4 of my Ti amps happily fit 10,000uf caps instead of the 2200uf original caps.
Their height is the same as the daughter board & there was plenty of room to the sides.

[trickyricky]

What I used is what I had in my capacitor case/box. I don't think you can go any higher than 30mm because of how the sides slope down, one capacitor is right by the smoke plexi-glass right where it slopes ***right between the thermal LED and the overload LED***. What caps did you use audiophyle247 and dimensions please.

[audiophyle_247]

I went with these
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Pan ... wPqPqdU%3d

They are 35.5mm tall, the ONE cap at the very end will touch the acrylic if it cant be bent in toward the amp.
Once mounted (silicone still wet) the typical amount of cap wiggle was more than enough to tilt it inward & not touch the acrylic. Id say anything 32mm or under would clear without any problem, and the 35.5mm I used went in just fine too. Looking at the amps you cannot even tell anyway thanks to the angle in the acrylic distorting the view.

Worth it to me considering the jump from 6,600uf to 30,000uf (450% increase).

[trickyricky]

I consider specs on datasheets when I choose replacement caps. That's why I went with the FC series, when compared to the NHG...the FC is a better replacement for the DC filter section. I also stick with 25v instead of the 16v, that's why I couldn't increase capacitance as much as 4.5x , that and the fact that I kept it under 30mm. But I do have some HE (UHE1E562MHD) Nichicon that I wanted to use but again the plexiglass that's slope would have cause issues , and I didn't want it to look like the leaning tower of Pisa lol .

[trickyricky]

Recently purchased a Titanium 600.2 (which is the same exact amplifier as this one here), and I found out the power supply was shot. I replaced all power supply fets and their gate resistors and got it back on its feet. I'll post pics of this one on it's own thread.

[LowandLoud]

I am envious of you guys being able to bring these monsters back from the dead. I also purchased a ZX600.2Ti last week that was in thermal for $15! I bought it mainly for spare parts as i have a few friends who were looking for small pieces (mounting feet, remote set screw and fan). I now plan on using this amp and another non working M100 i have to practice the ps cap replacement. I have far too many amps that need re-capping to send them out for service. I am a DIY guy and love to learn new skills. I know this is a little different than soldering a water pipe together though! lol

LL

[trickyricky]

That ZX600.2ti deserves to live again, don't part it out lol. Whats wrong with the M100? That's not an amplifier I would want to use as a teaching tool, again because its a very nice amplifier and it also needs LIFE.

You'll learn all the tricks when soldering, very different from copper water pipes. Check youtube for a few tutorials (EVV BLOG, Afrotechmods, paceworldwide) the last one mentioned has a bunch of neat soldering videos their old but don't let that fool you.

[LowandLoud]

Thanks for the tips on where to start looking.
The ZX600 was missing all of the screws that hold it together when i bought it. And it helped a few buddies out to keep their PG amps running and looking good. I am okay with sacrificing that one. The M100 was tossed in when i bought another M100. I checked the fuse inside and it seemed good. The caps had fluid under them so i pulled them, clipped the leads and cleaned the board up with 99% iso alcohol. I would like to change the caps and see if it powers, that would be killer. Then i could run one M100 to each Xmax

Do you suggest practicing on something else? I have a couple junk printers here i could rip the boards out of.

LL

[trickyricky]

Other amps would be good, but as long as the boards your practicing are double sided you should be good. Make sure the caps you practice on are just as big as the ones you'll be replacing that way you know what iron tip and temperature to use. I usually have my station set at 350-375c, and I get solder joints done in 2-3sec. You don't want to hold the iron for longer than 3sec as you may/will damage the via hole/pad (which then you'll have to fix....Eric has a great tutorial for this problem) Make sure you check out his tutorial http://www.soundbuggy.com/Eric/Car%20Au ... index.html & http://www.soundbuggy.com/Eric/Car%20Au ... index.html.

Hope Eric doesn't mind me sharing his links, if so I'll remove them or mods feel free to remove.

[LowandLoud]

Thanks for the advice Tricky. I have read all of Eric's (and others) tutorials over and over. I feel confident with a little practice i could handle a ps cap replacement. Is there a specific iron that you would recommend for a guy just starting out? I have wondered which would be better, electric or gas? I dont mind laying out some cash for good quality tools, but i will not be starting a business or anything so no need for aerospace industry stuff, lol.

LL

[trickyricky]

They are becoming more and more affordable, I enjoy my Hakko 936 and I picked it up for around 60.00 shipped about 4 years ago (still to this day works like a charm). Hakko and Weller would be brands I would trust (there are others manufacture but may be a bit more expensive).

[Bomber Z]

This is an inspiring post. Makes me want to pull out of old amps and practice soldering some caps and stuff. It has been a while.

[groundpounder]

Nice poast trickyricky. I am sure you have helped to save some vintage amps from ending up in the dumpster. It is supriseing what people will unwhittingly do from a lack of knoledge, especially those who no little about electronics or repair. I have a pair of rare and highly sought after AR home speakers that I noticed a stranger at a gas station was haulling off along with trash. I ask about them and he just gave them to me to save money on the landfill bill. All they needed was new speaker surrounds and now look and sound like new. It never hurts to ask.

[trickyricky]

I might start a thread for a LP 4503IQ I got that was in horrible shape...a total nightmare. I already got it working but have to customize the end plate. Its going to get panel mounted tiffany style RCA's, 5-way bonding post for the speaker terminals and a power block.

[vwdude]

So instead of creating a new thread I figured I'd add to Ricky's thread on the same amp...sorry Ricky if I'm stepping on your toes.

So I bought this amp off eBay as a working model. My intent is to have the outer case refinished along with my 475ti. Not sure what I'm doing with these matching amps after I'm done, but I don't plan to sell them.



After using my solder sucker to remove excess solder...


Notice the electrolytic fluid where the caps were. This is why the caps need to be changed...



New caps...notice that they are exactly the same size as the factory ones but are much higher capacitance AND 25v rather than 16v. They don't match exactly, but niche on caps are also very good.


And all complete, although I still need to trim off the extra material on the legs

[Murph]

I'd like someone to repair mine. Can one of y'all pm me details.