Klipsch Promedia 5.1's - Amp repair

I have a set of Promedia 2.1's with a dead sub, and I'd appreciate it if anyone could point me in the right direction... the satellites work fine, however the sub is completely dead, and makes absolutely no sound.

I inspected the components and I can't find anything obviously wrong, I repaired a broken solder joint where the PSU meets the LF Amp, but I'm still having the same issue. No components look burned, but the LF Amp PCB is almost completely blackened. What components should I test, if any? And would it be on the LF Amp board, or somewhere on the PSU?

EDIT: Pics of LF Amp:





One of the ceramic capacitors (C03) is cracked on one end, could this be the problem?
 
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I FIXED IT!

Sorry for caps but I'm a bit excited right now... :p I replaced the capcitor with one of these, re-soldered everything, and turned it on and the sub came right on! Pic of the board with the new capacitor:



Anyway, thanks for looking at least, and I hope this can help someone out. :p

EDIT: There seems to be a high pitched modulating whine in the sub every once in a while, could a slight difference in the capacitor specs cause this, or is another component going bad?
 
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I had the 2.1 setup and the sub died from the normal problem I'm sure... I ended up just selling the amp board for like $50 on ebay. I just use my Logitech sub now for everything which is good enough, but that Klipsch sub hit LOW. Very clean sound. I'm getting more into soldering now, this would have been a fun project..... oh well.
 
My Daughter Board on my 5.1 Ultras is fried and cannot be reused. Do you all think that I could just use one of those square PCBoards from Radio Shack or should I try to make my own with the exact same layout with etching solution?

I have already bought the replacement electronics for the board and didn't realize till later that it was unusable.
 
fung0 said:
Another thought... has anyone tried wiring up the ProMedia sub to an external amp?

Seems to me that the BASH amplifier is probably a self-contained piece, so there should be a pretty obvious lead going to the sub itself. It should be trivial to run that out of the enclosure. Then all you'd need would be a decent 5.1 amp, and the problems are solved, permanently.
Click to expand...

Why hasn't anyone commented on this?

Yes, there is a red and black lead coming from the sub itself (I forget if it's two reds/two blacks or not).

You'd still have to drive the speakers, though, and I know nothing about driving sats through a receiver...
 
Had my Promedia 5.1 Ultra amp die recently. I kept it running 24/7 since 2003 so it's given good service. I never shut it off for any reason. Also ran it on 240 volts at 50 hertz using a 120 volt stepdown transformer. And I read you couldn't operate these on 50 hertz current, lol. Anyway I heard a small pop one day with no music playing.

What died in my amp was one IRF740 voltage regulator and a couple resistors on the AC/DC daughter board.

A big thanks to the guys on www.thompdale.com/bash_amplifier/bash_amp.htm for the schematics and parts descriptions. With their help it made my repair very easy. Hardest part was removing that 8 pin daughterboard from the AC/DC board. I used a heatgun that worked great. I used a simple multimeter that measures caps and diodes.

Total parts price was $14.00. I replaced all the caps and resistors on the AC/DC daughterboard. Most measured fine but replaced anyway since I was there. I used all mil spec higher temp devices and 1/4 and 1/2 watt resistors. Nice little parts upgrade. I'd be happy to assist others in their repair. Also thanks to the other guys on here that posted helpful tips.

I will also BUY any dead 5.1 Promedia's if anyone knows where they can be found. These are simple to repair.

regards
slomo
 
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"I'd be happy to assist others in their repair."

You can assist me, my question has gone two weeks without reply. How can I replace the actual PC Board for the Daughter Board - mine is fried. The board itself is totally fired with the leads burned off the board.
 
Zachnap said:
"I'd be happy to assist others in their repair."

You can assist me, my question has gone two weeks without reply. How can I replace the actual PC Board for the Daughter Board - mine is fried. The board itself is totally fired with the leads burned off the board.
Click to expand...

The daughterboard itself might be salvagable. Probably just the resistors or the IRF740 voltage regulators got smoked like mine did. That deposited black soot on the daughterboard. Have you traced the board out and confirmed your board is actually bad? Is the daughterboard physically fried? Post some pictures.

You can repair it depending on the damage. You'd have to trace it out and find where it's burned up then either repair the trace or install a wire to do the same thing. Basically you'd rebuild the trace again. Sounds like you are saying all 8 pins on the daughterboard are smoked.

Use the schematic off the http://www.thompdale.com/bash_amplifier/bash_amp.htm site. Trace out that daughterboard and see if the board is bad. Use a simple multimeter with the continuity feature turned on. Find where the trace is broken and install a small wire to the next resistor or cap so to say. Really not that hard. Only 8 pins as you know that connect to the main board. Buy a breadboard if yours is really smoked. Plug the new resistors, diodes and caps into it then connect to the main board. Dion't give up one these speakers. You will not find anything better than the 5.1 Ultra's.

Here is one place that has board repair supplies. You can get your speakers running again for a few bucks. Even worst case it won't cost a lot. http://www.rpelectronics.com/chemicals-prototyping/breadboards-and-pc-boards

PICTURES PLEASE

cityjim
 
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cityjim said:
"You will not find anything better than the 5.1 Ultra's."
Click to expand...

Amongst computer speaker sets, probably. But you can definitely do better if you put together your own sound system.
I felt as if I wasted money repairing the amp twice.
Should've just dropped it on a new receiver and amp.
 
jalaj said:
Amongst computer speaker sets, probably. But you can definitely do better if you put together your own sound system.
I felt as if I wasted money repairing the amp twice.
Should've just dropped it on a new receiver and amp.
Click to expand...

Well in my case $14.00 is easy to stomach. Two repairs might come out to $28.00 "if" I ever need to. Anyway this thread mentions Klipsch 5.1 repairs not buying an entire new system to replace them. Do you have a set that needs repaired or willing to offer assistance to those that are in need?

cityjim
 
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Need some quick help guys.
Does the "controller" box or whatever its called use a standard keyboard PS/2 plug? I am in desperate need of relocating my controller box as the wires are way too short to put it where I want.

Will there be any issues with this??
Thanks!
 
investinwaffles said:
Need some quick help guys.
Does the "controller" box or whatever its called use a standard keyboard PS/2 plug? I am in desperate need of relocating my controller box as the wires are way too short to put it where I want.

Will there be any issues with this??
Thanks!
Click to expand...
The plug on my Promedia 2.1's was a standard PS/2 plug, not sure about the other models though.
 
cityjim said:
Well in my case $14.00 is easy to stomach. Two repairs might come out to $28.00 "if" I ever need to. Anyway this thread mentions Klipsch 5.1 repairs not buying an entire new system to replace them. Do you have a set that needs repaired or willing to offer assistance to those that are in need?

cityjim
Click to expand...

I previously sent in my amp twice to Elliot for repair. Similarly to everyone else, I did experience a long wait for each return. I think the amp died both times due to a gradual degradation caused by turning the attached power strip off in attempt to save some energy costs (which was stupid because the repairs definitely exceeded the cost of idle power usage).
I believe there's enough documentation now to do some self repairs. It's just irking that other sound systems haven't the need for such maintenance, at least from what I've seen.
Even amps repaired by Klipsch were patch up jobs and not true fixes to correct the design flaw.
 
jalaj said:
I previously sent in my amp twice to Elliot for repair. Similarly to everyone else, I did experience a long wait for each return. I think the amp died both times due to a gradual degradation caused by turning the attached power strip off in attempt to save some energy costs (which was stupid because the repairs definitely exceeded the cost of idle power usage).
I believe there's enough documentation now to do some self repairs. It's just irking that other sound systems haven't the need for such maintenance, at least from what I've seen.
Even amps repaired by Klipsch were patch up jobs and not true fixes to correct the design flaw.
Click to expand...

Like I stated before, the hard part is done by the thoughtful guys on http://www.thompdale.com/bash_amplifier/bash_amp.htm . All the schematics and diagrams are here. All you have to do is read. If you have a multimeter that measures caps and diodes you are in the game.

First thing I would do is measure the output of the AC/DC board. Are you getting the proper voltages or not?? Mine was dead at the output. Started checking resistors and diodes and what do you know, $14.00 later with all uprated Mil spec parts the amp is running again 24/7. And that $14.00 was to replace all the daughter board components not just the dead ones. The ACTUAL price to get mine back running was less than $3.00. The IRF740 voltage regulator was a couple bucks alone. But I replaced and uprated everything since I was there anyway.

I used to never shut mine off. That probably saved mine from an earlier repair. When you turn on there is a large current inrush that's hard on parts. Same with all electrical items. More current draw the worse this condition is.

cityjim
 
I am another Klipsch user who now has the "Hiss of Death" in my speakers. I have the promedia 5.1 (non-ultras), that now hiss when i turn them on. I can still hear sound through them, but the hissing is always there too.

I have read over the this long thread, and I am unable to tell what needs to be done to repair this. I have an option to send them off, try to do it myself, or replace them. I'm looking for some clear suggestions on what to do to replace my computer speakers.

Like I mentioned, I wouldn't mind trying to fix them, but I have NO idea where to start. And I am afraid that something will just fail on these again. This is my 3rd set of Klipsch Promedias. The other's had to be sent back a couple of times. I'm pretty sure something else will die.

I have a Harmon Kardon receiver that was in my HT, but I upgraded and it's just sitting around. It is about 7 years old, no HDMI on the receiver, but supports everything else. I'm sure it's more than I need or this setup.

As other's have stated, I would just use my promedia satellites, and then I would just need to get a new sub. I would really appreciate some advice on subs that would be comparable or a step up from the Klipsch Promedia subwoofer.

Is anyone worried about powering the receiver the whole time. It's a pretty good sized receiver, space is a concern, but I also wonder how much power it's going to draw. Is this something to be worried about?

Also, what's the most common way to hook these up to the x-fi sound card? My promedia's are hooked up analog. I'm happy with the sound. If I do go optical, does that mess with the sound any? Any opinions? Advice?

Is there any other kind of 5.1 analog amp that would power a setup, but not all the extra frills of a receiver? Something smaller, plug it in, and let the sound card do all the work?

Wow, lots of ramblings...These are thoughts that are going around. I want to get something up and going, but not sure the best route.

Thanks for any feedback.

Woody
 
I've got a problem with my promedia 5.1's as well.

My problem with my 5.1's is that no sound comes out of the speakers. The control pod will come on. I hear a click from the relay and i've checked voltages past the relay and it appears that it is supplying power to the rest of the amp. There is a loud squeeling noise coming from somewhere. I haven't been able to trace the source of the squeeling noise. I've always thought that the squeeling noise usually comes from a transformer or a bad solder joint.

Oh the headphone ouptut seems to work.
 
cityjim said:
Like I stated before, the hard part is done by the thoughtful guys on http://www.thompdale.com/bash_amplifier/bash_amp.htm . All the schematics and diagrams are here. All you have to do is read. If you have a multimeter that measures caps and diodes you are in the game.

First thing I would do is measure the output of the AC/DC board. Are you getting the proper voltages or not?? Mine was dead at the output. Started checking resistors and diodes and what do you know, $14.00 later with all uprated Mil spec parts the amp is running again 24/7. And that $14.00 was to replace all the daughter board components not just the dead ones. The ACTUAL price to get mine back running was less than $3.00. The IRF740 voltage regulator was a couple bucks alone. But I replaced and uprated everything since I was there anyway.

I used to never shut mine off. That probably saved mine from an earlier repair. When you turn on there is a large current inrush that's hard on parts. Same with all electrical items. More current draw the worse this condition is.

cityjim
Click to expand...

Yeah, I see the amp board has now been pretty much dissected to the point that one can figure it out with the right tools. Thanks.
 
The daughterboard itself might be salvageable. Probably just the resistors or the IRF740 voltage regulators got smoked like mine did. That deposited black soot on the daughterboard. Have you traced the board out and confirmed your board is actually bad? Is the daughterboard physically fried? Post some pictures.
Click to expand...

Its definitely physically fried. The trace around the mounting holes broke off in a few places.I don't really have a way to post pictures but between the frying and the desoldering iron, my board is a mess.

I've already bought the parts ($30), taking lots of time to make sure that everything was an exact match or really close, I am just worried that I will make a new board and things won't work for whatever reason.
 
Klipsch 5.1 Ultra REPAIRED today. Installed the BASH controller on the SAT side
and that was it. Both of my BASH chips were bad.
 
Upgraded the heat sinks on the PWR supply board, replaced 6 electrolytic caps, all the transistors and switching diodes attached to heatsinks and both BASH chips for less than $100.00. The system sound ridiculously good. I purchased Klipsh 2.1 in the interim and they sound good but just don't even compare to the Ultra 5.1.
 
Have just joined forum,so hello to all.

Could someone please tell me what the white pastey stuff is on Rectifiers U501,502,D510,504 on Ultra power board,and where i could get some from.

Many Thanks
 
Thanks Sysjack,

Have been following both yourself and Racerc2000 along with many others, thanks for the time and effort you all went through.
I also have a ultra that has developed a constant hum, have sent off to Mouser for lots of bits as from the 2009 listing from you and Racerc2000 and hope all goes well.
If there is any other advice etc you have since then it will be grately appreciated.

Many Thanks

Steve
 
Why did the amps take a dump for interest sake? A lot of clipping? Big speaker setups?
 
Sysjack said:
It's just generic thermal/heatsink compound.
Click to expand...


Hold on there. In some places it might not make a difference, but on the FETs you need to make sure to not short the FET to the board, so conductive pastes could be very bad.

I would get a non-conductive paste for any use in there just to be safe.
 
I bought a used Promedia 5.1 Ultra set a few years ago off one of the forums online. It developed the following issues over the last few months last year. I haven't used them in 6 months or so since the issues got to be very annoying.

1. Loud popping sound when turning on the set and even louder pop when shutting them off.
2. Volume has decreased. Have to turn the control pod volume from around 35 to 50 now to have decently loud sound.
3. Constant hum, gets much louder the longer the set has been left on.
4. Issue from the get go: the control knob on the control pod is very touchy. Like a millimeter of movement will turn the volume up 3 dBs. Sometimes it goes in the opposite direction, i.e. turning the volume down from 25 to 20 and when you stop it turns back up to 22 or 23.

I'm debating about repairing this myself, sending it to one of the recommended people in the thread to repair it, or just selling it and build out a real set.
 
My 5.1 Ultra's just bit the dust - usual problem, daughterboard looks fried and I'm not too confident in my solder skills to fix it (no other noticeable damage). They power to the control pod, but produce no sound (except at the headphone jack). I heard crackling a few days before when I would first play sound.

They lasted quite a while (I left them on). Since I had a spare Yamaha HTR-5370 500w receiver with analog 6ch input, I just rigged that up. Speakers sound great, but obviously I can't power the sub. I was thinking of getting a cheap amp to power the Klipsch sub. Anyone have recommendations for a cheap amp (preferably under $50)? I was looking at the BOSS R1002 or SSL EV.200 (both would be powered by a spare PSU I have) in a bridged (mono) mode.

What ohm's is the stock subs at? I saw 170w on the Klipsch site for the wattage, so I was aiming at a 200w AMP (which would need a PSU capable of 16A on the 12v). The goal would be to utilize the sub+enclosure+satellites and sell off the damaged amp + pod for cheap.
 
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So far I've replaced all the burnt up parts on the main AC/DC board, but the daughter board has some that I'm having trouble finding on mouser, anyone know which parts these would be?

MD2 ("D2" on daughterboard schematic) - Says "H T-60" under it. It's a diode.
MR2 ("R2" on daughterboard schematic) - Says "22" under it. Resister, I assume 22ohm. Does the wattage matter?

Very much a beginner with soldering skills, so trying to figure this stuff out.

*edit*
Found'em. For future reference, the MR2 is 22ohm +/- 1% and the MD2 (HT60) is a 60v DIAC. I don't think the DIAC is bad, given how they operate (now that I've read up on it).
 
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So I put everything back together and tested it - MR2 and MR6 immediately went up in a blaze of glory (and I promptly killed power). Anyone have ideas on what that might be from? I checked for shorts and couldn't find any, I had replaced these with high quality 1% 1/8w resistors - I noticed the diagram says "all resistors 1/4w unless specified" but these appeared to be 1/8 based on size.
 
After skimming through the forum a while ago in regards to my dead Pro Media 1.5 amp, I decided to go with “Henry” for the repair. My first amp from Klipsch died within a year. Thankfully, it was still under warranty. It took about 8-10 weeks before I received the replacement. This one lasted about 4 ½ years before it died again.

When I first contacted Henry through his email: [email protected], I described to him the problem I was having. A few hours later, he responded back telling me the approximate cost, what he will do, shipping and payment etc.

I received the amp back this past week and I must say, I am very please with the repair as well as my experience with Henry.

It took just a couple of weeks and now the system works beautifully again. He upgraded many parts and also installed a cooling fan. The following is what he wrote to me:

“A dual diode for the satellite section of the power supply (AC-DC converter board) had shorted. What was interesting was that even though the identification was very faded, the shorted component appeared to be the wrong part (one number is almost entirely illegible)--the part number that is supposed to be in the subwoofer section's power supply. I replaced that dual diode with a new one with definitely the correct part number. Once replaced the system works fine. I then went through the rest of the panel, upgrading parts that had aged from heat or tend to fail.

I removed the daughterboard from the power supply and replaced 10 of its 20 components. These boards can reach 185 degrees Fahrenheit when working in open air (and likely higher when inside an enclosed sub without a fan), and individual components rise above 190 degrees (measured on a THX panel on my bench).
--I upgraded two 470 ohm resistors at the bottom that sometimes char the daughterboard. The replacements are 2 watt and mounted above the board for better airflow, using different mounting points to avoid the area that chars.
I replaced
--four 1/8 watt 1% precision resistors with 1/4 watt,
--a 205,000 ohm undersized 1/8 watt 1% precision resistor that often heats and rises in value. Yours had risen to 211,000 ohms, just above tolerance. I've seen panels stop working when that resistor has continued to rise. The replacement is rated for 1/4 watt and will be under the cooling airflow of a fan.
--two capacitors, and
--the 100,000 ohm resistor that is part of my cooling kit on eBay (one watt flameproof).
The board will now be under a cooling fan, so its temperature will be much lower. The resistor that rises to 190 degrees will operate at about 110 degrees.

On the power supply board I replaced 10 parts, including 6 electrolytic capacitors that can dry out over time (originals were 85 deg. Celsius; the replacements are rated to 105 degrees Celsius). I replaced and mounted for better airflow four other parts: a resistor (original is typically 1 or 2 watt; replacement is 3 watt), a fast recovery diode, a zener diode and transistor that can fail from heat.

On the main board I replaced five capacitors that are close to a couple of warm heat sinks. The capacitors can cause a hum when they dry out over time (internal heating, mostly). The originals were rated 85 degrees Celsius and of unknown quality. Two 100 uF 16v capacitors were replaced with new 25v 100uF capacitors rated for 105 degrees, and two 100 uF 35v capacitors are replaced with 100 uF 35v 85 deg. Mallory low ESR capacitors. I also upgraded a 220 uF 35 volt capacitor.

I re-greased with silicone heat sink compound the small black heat-sinks of three power transistors on the main board, and reinforced their connections with silicone adhesive (these heat sinks can fall off during shipping). I also reinforced the mounting of the main power relay, which can easily be damaged during shipping or installation.
I installed a 92mm 11dB Silenx fan with its own power supply that will switch on when the panel is turned on. The attached page shows how the transformer can be mounted.”

As I said, I am very pleased with him. The turn-around was adequate. The correspondence was all dealt with in a professional manner. He provided a 90 warranty as well. I felt his charge of $115 was worth it. I would highly recommend Henry to anyone who needs their Klipsch Pro Media 5.1 system repaired. Again, you can contact him at: [email protected]
 
I have the Logitech 5300 and when I first bought it, 1 of the speaker never worked and never returned it or got it fixed, now that I moved, it's just sitting somewhere. It still sounds great. I suspect it was the amp, so I plugged in a working speaker into the same non-working speaker jack and it worked.

Will he look into logitech 5300 also and fix it?
 
I don't think so. On his (Henry's) business card that he sent to me, the heading is:

"Klipsch Pro Media 5.1 Repair"
THX & Ultra Cooling & Upgrades

It wouldn't hurt to ask him. Send him an e-mail and see what he says.
 
kcexpress said:
I don't think so. On his (Henry's) business card that he sent to me, the heading is:

"Klipsch Pro Media 5.1 Repair"
THX & Ultra Cooling & Upgrades

It wouldn't hurt to ask him. Send him an e-mail and see what he says.
Click to expand...

hmmm... thanks for that reply!. well I gotta find that sub first. Don't even know where it's lying around at.

Maybe check it out myself before anything else.
 
The answer to this may be in here, not sure. I recently had my Klipsch amp repaired, got it back and center channel is not very strong. So, I have added a Sony 5.1 channel reciever to my computer sound output and use the Klipsch hooked to the Sony, sounds great. Also bought a Polk Audio sub that I am about to return because it doesn't supply the bass I'm used to from the Klipsch sub. Now, my question, is the any way to hook the Klipsch sub to my Sony receiver?:
 
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