Audio Tech Tip - E-MU 1616m audio interface repair
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- Опубликовано: 28 авг 2024
- My E-MU 1616m audio interface was malfunctioning. There was a nasty whining sound coming out of the unit itself. It was singing a constant high pitched, jittery 12.5 kilohertz whistling noise kind of like tinnitus, and it was contaminating the audio signals from the unit as well. And then the unit started dropping MIDI input and getting stuck notes… Talk about killing the vibe. Poor thing needed help bad. But since Creative no longer services this model, it has to be a DIY fix, or else its going in the bin! In this video I will show you how I located the issue and fixed it by replacing some capacitors. Hope this helps somebody.
Hi there. Reaching out here as a sort of last desperate hope... I've had the same unit for a number of years and really like it. It saw limited hobby use for a while, until I had to carefully pack it up (along with the rest of my system) for a period of time while we moved and got our new home set up. Recently, I finally found the time to pull it all out and set it back up. I was really enjoying the process of reintroducing myself to the process...had about 3 weeks under my belt...and was looking forward to digging in hard and starting to make music again. Then...yesterday...one of my sweet pooches (who likes to hang out in the studio with me) got tangled in the extended headphone cord. And, as he walked away, he drug the unit off the short pedestal it was sitting on. It only dropped about an inch, but the unit had been on for several hours and was warm. Now, it refuses to turn on. Wondering if you might be interested in repairing this one...or you might be able to point me at someone who could...or?? I've seen some on Ebay. I don't mind spending the money for repairs or a replacement (or 2!). I'm just not finding much in the way of help. Thanks in advance for any help or advice you can offer. Eddie
thnx, its helps for me. checked where noising coming from in all inputs after dc change. 13 capacitors blobing
Same failure mode for the EMU 1820 - thanks very much for filming and uploading this. Noticed that those bad caps are still flat-topped. Important diagnostic clue that these caps can fail without any visible signs - except for that very handy scope display showing a lot of ripple.
This is an amazing audio interface, not only it has incredible pre-amps, it also has a mixer software, DSP effects, AND 6 analog outputs, which allows you to do 5.1 mixing. Mine is still working
Cheers. Nothing appeared wrong with my unit or the caps, but replacing them improved the noise floor by a little over 5 dB.
Thank You
thank you for this. I love my 1820m
Good stuff. Thanks for sharing!
I just went from Scarlett 2i2 to Behringer Umc22, now i am looking to get something with more outputs, and i found that 1616m has some good specs even for todays standards, so i am looking to buy it. 80$, not too much if you ask me, coz i really did hear the difference between the first two, and felt the latency difference with Soft synths, i got the PCI port so i should be good. And yes, i want to recap it, i got some spare Rubicon and Nichicon caps. I can go above the ratings as i understood, 10v -> 16v, 680mF-1000mF, at least for the PSU part. Cheers
I used Panasonic FC series, you could change the cap to 1000uF and also uprgade the AKM-converter's also often faulty caps(4/ one ADC) to the max according to the IC specifications. You could also install more local buffer and decoupling caps, and strengthen the opamp's PSU rails too.
thank you
Awesome.
Hello, I've 2 E-mu 1820M and with my amplifier (Hypex Ucd 180 Hg hxr) I've a very loud noise floor , similar to white/pink noise. I tried all possible solutions (a 12 v dc power supply for car, connected to a car battery too) in hardware and software, replaced all power supply capacitors in the dock and in the Pci board with Panasonic Fc with same values in the older board. They work perfectly but that noise is right there. When I open a new session with all inputs activated the noise is more strong. I tried with a low pass filter in the outputs, it's works but it reduces the output level and it get sound worse on my ears. I think it's a noise inducted by the supply section, how could I solve this? I tried a 12v power supply for the amplifier too, so this is not an issue caused by home current. An impedance mismatch, is it possible? Could I try with a technician help? Higher capacitors value? I've the same situation with both 1820m, the recapped too, the boards work very perfectly in all features and they sound very very well, but damn, that noise...
Hello! My E-MU 1616m has a faulty phantom48v one-side condenser microphone A, it only accepts dynamic mic but noise, side B works fine all microphones. Can it be repaired?
Thank you for sharing!
I have a ground loop noise issue with my E-MU. Do you have any idea from where could I start to check the problem? thanks
Ground loop, if its a complicated setup with a bunch of AC adapters and AC plugs, I'd start by simplifying it one step at a time. Unplug something, if the problem persists, unplug the next thing. If you hear buzz in the monitors, double check its actually getting recorded in the DAW tracks, if not, look at your monitor setup, is there a 3-prong AC plug somewhere in the system (mixer, powered monitors?) If no 3-prong plug anywhere, then any 2-prong AC adapters are pumping noise into the system with no place for it to go. Just some suggestions... good luck!
Does anyone know how to get the face plates off. I feel like I am about to crack it. This video conveniently skips over that stuff?
Thanks in advance.
**UPDATE**: I guess someone repaired mine. The [potentiometer knobs] had crazy glue in it and they wouldn't come off. I kept prying at it.
Either way, the front plate is held by the potentiometer knobs, but they are supposed to easily slide off when using a wrench to pry. The back plate of the dock is held by the two nut screws on the midi connection. I hope it helps someone. This video puts them back together at: ruclips.net/video/QyBoW5FcK54/видео.html
Also, that thermal insulator sheet is blue, but it has brown flux looking color. I am starting to guess that it might be brown because it was getting cooked|[ over heating]. So the burn marks might show which capacitors are running way too hot and can help you diagnose bad caps. I put an ESR meter to them, and it was 20 to 30 ohms. I had to change all the G-Luxon capacitors located on the upper (or daughter board).
All of these:
c115 220uf 35v polarized electrolytic caps
c118 220uf 35v polarized electrolytic caps
c121 220uf 35v polarized electrolytic caps
c124 220uf 35v polarized electrolytic caps
c135 220uf 35v polarized electrolytic caps
c125 680uf 10v polarized electrolytic caps
c131 680uf 10v polarized electrolytic caps
c34 120uF 63V electrolytic polarized caps
Something else might be wrong with the unit.
Hello, is it actually okay that this dock heats up so much? I'm somewhat concerned about it
Ours always gets warm while its on. I used to leave the power on for days on end. That probably quickened the demise of its capacitors.
@@EA78751 after browsing forums and such, I figured that it's a normal behavior, yeah. Mine is barely used and I usually turn it on in the evenings. So it should work for a while. Thanks
can be work this interface with windows 8 pc?
Interesting... but i was asking how Its possible to use my emu 1616m in new generation of motherboard with small pci port... i need help
Use one of those pci-e to pci adapters.
www.ebay.com/itm/PCI-E-Express-X1-to-Dual-2-PCI-Riser-Extend-Adapter-Card-With-USB-3-0-Cable/
I was stunned to discover that modern boards with PCI are still being made! See www.msi.com/Motherboard/A520M-PRO-C-DASH/Overview
Can I use any brand of capacitor ?
I suggest Nichicon or Panasonic, select a type thats rated for high temperature (105C instead of 85C), its probably the best choice for long term reliability since this unit runs hot. "Audio Grade" capacitors don't really matter here. Nichicon HE Series, thats rated 105C
@@EA78751 Thanks!