Problem with a RF amp.

CPHILHOWER

I just installed a RF BD1001 in my Escape on Wed 3/10/04. Now I smell smoke. Wires arent shorting, Fuse fine. Stereo amp also stopped working. I removed the Remote lead from the BD1001, Now my stereo amp works. Reattache the Remote lead and the stereo amp stops. Any theories? I did purchase this amp a couple of months ago on Ebay. Not sure if its under Warranty.
Thanks
Chris

sntnsupermen131

i had a bd1000...back in the day...i smelled smoke...died the next day...
(to the tune of ironic by alanis morrisette)
thats why ill probably never buy an amp off of ebay...speakers maybe...amp no
-Cody

TrappedUnder Ice

Chalk another victory up for RF......

sounds like the amp has bit the dust...sorry...

PoweredByDodge

the remote input may be simply shorted out -- be the smell of smoke doesn't lend me to think that's a possibility... you probably killed it good. now you've got a very expensive paperweight.

CPHILHOWER

When I get a chance, I'll have to take it over to the place that fixed my last amp. The BD500 that had a Power Supply that was singing. When I got it back, It worked better than when I bought it.
Chris

MacLeod

This is why Ill never buy stuff online unless its from an authorized dealer.

TrappedUnder Ice

Wheels on the bus go round and round

CPHILHOWER

I just took the amp out of my truck. Took the cover off. Found a couple of MOSFET's are burnt. The one looks like it has a hole in it. Is this repairable?
Chris

neomagus00

is this worth the repair cost?

round and round, all around the town... :rolleyes:

PoweredByDodge

well chris...

if you said "couple mosfets are burnt" (and stopped there), then i'd say, "you can probably have it fixed relatively cheap" -- as its most likely just a shorted fet which will (for a shop repair) run you around 75 - 100 bucks (on which they make about 55 to 80 bucks... go figure).

however, "and one has a hole in it" is not good.

i've only seen one other amp before with a hole in a transistor... and that was cody's ... right after it decided to spit out DC power through the speaker outputs, burn up the power supply (literally) and make a loud "pop" sound like a firecracker. It was at that point i gave up, lit up a cigarette and "smoked with the fosgate".

however, all kidding aside -- transistors of any kind (bjt or fet) do not normally explode like that.... they'll short out, but rarely do they explode. hence, there's something a whole lot more wrong with that amplifier than just those transistors. in most smaller amps, even if the output shorts closed, the power supply is not being demanded the kind of current as a mono class D big ol honkin 1500 watt amp... so the transistors can take it, and 3/4 of the time be salvaged! in this case, i'd say your output stage must have shorted closed. cody's had fried open so when i replaced it, that allowed the circuit to again be completed, hence, putting hte nail in the coffin... current again flowed through the power supply and poof she went. if yours shorted closed, this would explain the instantaneous explosion of that power supply transistor.

my opinion... sell it on ebay "as is" for 100 bucks as a "parts donor" amp.

CPHILHOWER

Thanks, I guess I'm in the market for another amp then. The Protection light doesnt even come on. The PS must have blown. There was a Loud POP then smoke.
Chris

MacLeod

Buy an MTX. They are virtually indestructible.

CPHILHOWER

PBD, You said the Output stage may have shorted closed. Is their a way to check it with an OHM meter? I think I can replace the MOSFET. Get them from Radio Shack cheap. This amp is nolonger in production. Only found one place with it. If the website is correct. Etronics.Com.
Thanks
Chris

CPHILHOWER

Tonight. I talked to a Tech at Crutchfield. He thinks I should send it back to RF for repair. Said he would never throw away big amp like this.
Chris

PoweredByDodge

chris, if there is no warranty on the amp, you're looking at 200+ dollars for fosgate to fix it. that's their minimum charge for that amp.

as far as the mosfets... i've got the part numbers written down somewhere... you could buy all the ouput stage mosfets along with all the power supply stage mosfets -- cost you roughly 80 bucks to buy all of them through www.digikey.com or www.arrow.com -- radio shack will not have the proper replacements, they stopped carrying any good IC's about 2 yrs ago, and they never carried high current ones anyway.

as far as checking it -- you can use a DIMM set to the diode test mode and jump base to emitter, emitter to collector, base to collector, record the readings... then do the opposite (emitter to base, collector to emitter, base to collector). if any of them read as a "0.00" resistance or "0.01" or "0.05" or something ridiculously low (most diode test modes are measured in kilo ohms) then you know you've got a shot one on your hands.

the problem that you get into is that due to the huge **** amounts of current that flow through a class D amp, at such low impedances, when you cook an output and dump a power supply, you end up running so much goddamn unwanted, unneeded, and "over the top" power through the main board of the amp. to cut to the chase... you could fix the thing that caused the problem (lets say the output if that is what happened anyway), fix the #1 thing it had an effect on (the power supply) and still have a dead amp because that massive amount of current going through the board may have smoked anything from the primary input stage to the op amps which are usually what does the bulk of the "amplifying" of the RCA line signal before sending that amped signal to the output stage where assloads of current are given to it to push the speakers. i dumped about 45 or 50 bucks into cody's... replaced the shitted out output stage, two power supply fets, as well as one of the op amps that got smoked by the amp dying, a couple voltage regulators for teh PS as well as the two transistors which work as a "distributor cap" for the output stage and it STILL didn't want to give me anything but DC output -- i traced it back and the result i got was realizing that the lack of an AC output was coming from the processing end -- must have been knocked dead when the rest of it went ... ended up blowing the **** out of the power supply in the end.

as far as the guy at crutchfield -- he's right and he's wrong -- if you paid retail for the amp (what is it, like 800 or 900 bucks retail?) then its dumb to scrap it -- 200 bucks or so is chump change for a repair when u paid that much -- but if u ebayed it for 300 or something, then why spend 200 to fix it when u can get a brand new one for another 250 or 3 on ebay again. it's all relative.

as far as what i'd do -- i'd get an 1000D, 81000D, 1501D mtx. they're unkillable. specs aren't as good SQ wise as the RF, i'll make no bones about that, but its got a little more juice and its insanely more well built.

CPHILHOWER

Did I mention that I Under Fused the amp. I used am 80 AGU instead of the 100 that is required. And it never popped.
Chris

TrappedUnder Ice

sounds just like you got a lemon...It happens!

CPHILHOWER

On a Good note. I also purchased a RF Power 851x at the same time. Yes from the same seller. Has been in my truck since Sun. Works GREAT. Using it to push my Kenwood 6*8 3 way and Kenwood Tweeters in each door. Man that thing Hammers!! When I got to work today, I could feel the pressure in my ears. No I havent done anything with the BD1001 yet. Need to fix my Exhaust first.
Chris