thanks so much I found a small 35v 220uv cap on the amp board that was making a nasty hum unit i worked the sub. The cap was testing ok in the board with a small budge on top. with this video and lots of patience i fixed a very $$$ speaker for cents. I used a 25v cap for now just to see if it was that. I ordered a 35v to be safe. My board had lots of the glue that was dark brown. I spent hours scraping it off carefully. The cap i replaced was right by the red and blue transformer on the amp side.
I know from experience that pots and switches can also give trouble as well as capacitors. Gotta love technology! If there is a part 2 I will be sure to watch. Cheers :)
What are the odds 2 pots go out? I was going to say being a cube sub they couldn't handle the weight and dropped it onto the knobs, then I saw the specs and it's kinda small.... still could've been dropped tho. I wonder what the pots look like close up.
I was literally screaming at the screen NO! THEY ARE NOT FINE! LoL. I don't know what the obsession is with ESR meters! High ESR capacitors are only a problem in the power supply! There's only one way to test a capacitor and that's to pull it out of circuit and use even one of those cheap eBay component testers which also gives you a Vloss (voltage loss, leakage) reading! The first clue to a bad capacitor apart from physically leaking electrolyte or expansion is a capacity reading that is higher than what it's rated for! There's no such thing as an overachiever capacitor! It's bad and if it hasn't destroyed something else yet, it's already in process to do so! An LCR Bridge Meter is the best tool for capacitor testing but even those cheap eBay component testers will get the job done but the capacitor has to come out first! There's no free lunch and there's no easy way around it!
Just curious as to why you don't seem to check the actual Capacitance value of the caps? I only see you checking ESR. In my experience, sometimes the ESR can be perfectly fine, but the capacitance is way low, or way high ( over 20%).
Are the 100v 220uf capacitors on the preamp board dangerous to handle? I imagine the ones on the amp are pretty nasty and could kill you. I'm asking to see if replacing these pots can be done without special equipment.
Hi Steve, i was really disappointed with the board that was sent to you and been reasonable time but too much excuses. Can you just please send all the boards to me? I dont have to beg my own stuff. Thank you
Power amp ground including that big heatsink is held at 170VDC vs mains neutral, watch yourself on this guy if you don't have isolation. :) Phase control is 50k audio, low pass is 20k linear, volume is 5k audio. 👍
After a little research on the net, it seems that there were a fault on X amount of these boards. The company are aware of this, and some peeps contacted them about the issue. They ask for the serie number and from that they can tell if it's one of the bad boards. Those peeps I read about, they actually got a brand new board from the company, free of charge 😉 So my best advice would be to call the manufacturer of the sub, and tell them about issue and let them know the serial number. Who knows, maybe you guys get a new board for free 😃 PS. There were another model with the same bad board, I think it was the one called Reference. But I'm not 💯% sure for this one.
Hello - Nice work on the diagnosis! Question - Did you solder the 1k ohm resistor to the left 2 pot leads or did you somehow run it across all 3 leads? I tried zooming in but couldn’t tell. Having the same exact issue with my Supercube and just want a quick fix. Thanks for your help.
How about the auto on function? Any ideas on why that would stop working? My ProSub 80 only senses a signal if you unplug it from the wall then plug it back in. It will work just fine until you turn the system off.
Hi,on the pre amp side behind the 5pin connection are two resisters, there's white glue on top of them,do you know the value of the both of them?,mine burnt out.
Hi! I have a Definitive Technology SC 6000 sub. It works fine for 5 minutes, then turns OFF. I have unplugg the powercord, wait for 2 minutes, plug it back in, then it works fine for the next 5-10 min. And I have to repeat the prossedyre. What do you think is the problem? Hope you can help. :)
Hi NorCal715, I owned the same subwoofer but it's don't turn on at all (the power LED don't light-up also). I've checked the low voltage on the pre-amp board and it's seems normal. All caps works well. Which part should I check in next?
Hello - Im a bit late here.My cube stopped working couple of years ago and I didnt get down to figuring out and let it sit for a while.I have an issue with the unit not turning on and the red led not lighting up.Ive checked the power leads and fuse and it is Ok.Any help and suggestions would be appreciated.Thanks in Advance.
I would need to trouble shoot it to make a determination. If you do not get the LED then possibly bad potentiometers like the one in my video. Bad potentiometers will keep it from powering up. Make sure you watch both parts of my repair video.
Call definitive research. They will do a small diagnostic over the phone. The amp is like 100 bucks and you'll get a warranty again. They have the best customer service.
Look at you trouble shooting your bud off try to figure out what the heck is wrong with this thing. I hope the customer is smart enough to tell you to replace then with quality pots that will work reliable. The unit sounds like it's the investment based on the surmised wattage rating you feel that it is. After doing some research on them they appear to be a high end product, at least price wise. Defiantly worth fixing IMHO. Fingers crossed.
ESR meter must be an abbreviation for let's frustrate people! I think that it's time to stop using the ESR meter for capacitor testing, it's telling you nothing important about the capacitors! If you can't see that the capacitor is bad from it being expanded and your ESR meter is still telling you that it's good! WTF! Something is clearly wrong. ESR is only important for the filter capacitors in the power supply, ESR means nothing for the rest! EPR is what matters! EPR is the failure mode that stops equipment from working! You have a lot of capacitors that are leaking DC which is probably why the pots aren't working! You have no choice but to remove capacitors out of circuit and test them on a device that gives you capacity, Vloss and lastly ESR, there's no easy way around it! A good capacitor should have a reading of just below it's rated capacity! It should never be higher! If it is, then it's leaking DC, replace it! Get rid of that bob parker ESR meter, it's not giving you the information that you really need! Bad capacitors usually have low ESR readings! I really don't know what else that I can say to get the point across! Get on eBay and search for component testers, the one's that test transistors and basically everything! Look for one that has pictures of the screen showing a capacitor being tested, look for one that shows a Vloss % reading, this is what you need! For all that I know you might already have one of those things! Everyone has one of those things because they are cheap! You are wasting your time with that ESR meter! I know, I got my in circuit ESR tester age's ago, thinking that it's so easy to test without having to pull capacitors out but nothing is ever that easy! Once you get used to testing for DC leakage, you will never look back! Yes it takes longer but when you know what you are looking for, you get right into it and it's done before you realize it, a vacuum desolder gun makes sense for this application and speeds things up dramatically and it's a much better tool than an ESR meter! Please stop with the ESR meter!!!!!!
@@norcal715 I would but it makes no financial sense to send out a product from Australia that costs under $10 and then then apply both shipping and import charges when you can get it delivered free directly from China! Otherwise, you can use your multimeter! Set it to micro amp's and put the capacitor under test in series with it and apply DC to it, all capacitors should draw a current until they reach full capacity! You can compare new for old to see the difference between the two! A capacitor that is leaking DC is going to over bias what ever is after it. We both know that AC and DC can be present in the same part of a circuit, but some components can be over saturated with both types of voltage present which is why we use capacitors to divide up the voltages and send the correct one to where it needs to go! A high ESR capacitor is only going to limit the current, whereas low parallel resistance or DC leakage it the very thing that is responsible for equipment failure! I'm not trying to have a go at you! I like your channel, you work on interesting equipment, you are well and clear spoken but I can't help but feel that there is a lack of understanding when it comes to capacitors! If a survey was conducted, I wouldn't be surprised if 99% of all electronic equipment failures are caused by capacitors with low parallel resistance! High ESR only becomes a problem with power supply filtering and high switching frequency circuits.. they will cause problems in operation but total failure is in the domain of leaky capacitors! I'm sure that you have some old bad capacitors on hand with new ones to compare to, grab your lab supply and your multimeter and do some testing! I'm sure that it would make a great video In the process! Who doesn't love watching capacitors being tested? Especially new for old!
![NOSFERATU - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters December 25](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nulvWqYUM8k/mqdefault.jpg)
Thats probbly the last thing iv checked fella,well done for finding this fault.:o)
Pots fail many times in subs, last week I fix 3 subs with broken pots.
Good job.
Best Regards.
do you know where I can get the Main level pot? i cant seem to find anything close online.
@@lotust251 I buy many pots in Ebay.
Love the strange ones. Excellent job tracking that one down.
Love your video's well done Sir.
thanks so much I found a small 35v 220uv cap on the amp board that was making a nasty hum unit i worked the sub. The cap was testing ok in the board with a small budge on top. with this video and lots of patience i fixed a very $$$ speaker for cents. I used a 25v cap for now just to see if it was that. I ordered a 35v to be safe. My board had lots of the glue that was dark brown. I spent hours scraping it off carefully. The cap i replaced was right by the red and blue transformer on the amp side.
I know from experience that pots and switches can also give trouble as well as capacitors. Gotta love technology!
If there is a part 2 I will be sure to watch. Cheers :)
Can I get a part number on that volume pot?
Excellent troubleshoot and vid! Thanks a lot.
What are the odds 2 pots go out? I was going to say being a cube sub they couldn't handle the weight and dropped it onto the knobs, then I saw the specs and it's kinda small.... still could've been dropped tho. I wonder what the pots look like close up.
I have found even with good ESR still does not mean the cap is any good. I have found out of spec caps but the ESR was still within spec.
I was literally screaming at the screen NO! THEY ARE NOT FINE! LoL.
I don't know what the obsession is with ESR meters! High ESR capacitors are only a problem in the power supply!
There's only one way to test a capacitor and that's to pull it out of circuit and use even one of those cheap eBay component testers which also gives you a Vloss (voltage loss, leakage) reading!
The first clue to a bad capacitor apart from physically leaking electrolyte or expansion is a capacity reading that is higher than what it's rated for!
There's no such thing as an overachiever capacitor! It's bad and if it hasn't destroyed something else yet, it's already in process to do so!
An LCR Bridge Meter is the best tool for capacitor testing but even those cheap eBay component testers will get the job done but the capacitor has to come out first!
There's no free lunch and there's no easy way around it!
Unexpected failure, very informative!
Just curious as to why you don't seem to check the actual Capacitance value of the caps? I only see you checking ESR. In my experience, sometimes the ESR can be perfectly fine, but the capacitance is way low, or way high ( over 20%).
Are the 100v 220uf capacitors on the preamp board dangerous to handle? I imagine the ones on the amp are pretty nasty and could kill you. I'm asking to see if replacing these pots can be done without special equipment.
Hi Steve, i was really disappointed with the board that was sent to you and been reasonable time but too much excuses. Can you just please send all the boards to me? I dont have to beg my own stuff. Thank you
Power amp ground including that big heatsink is held at 170VDC vs mains neutral, watch yourself on this guy if you don't have isolation. :) Phase control is 50k audio, low pass is 20k linear, volume is 5k audio. 👍
After a little research on the net, it seems that there were a fault on X amount of these boards. The company are aware of this, and some peeps contacted them about the issue. They ask for the serie number and from that they can tell if it's one of the bad boards.
Those peeps I read about, they actually got a brand new board from the company, free of charge 😉
So my best advice would be to call the manufacturer of the sub, and tell them about issue and let them know the serial number.
Who knows, maybe you guys get a new board for free 😃
PS. There were another model with the same bad board, I think it was the one called Reference. But I'm not 💯% sure for this one.
Its already repaired and on its way back to the customer. Here is the repair part ruclips.net/video/8QVHWl5otyM/видео.html
@@norcal715 Already saw it, amazing repair 😉👍 👏🙂
Hello - Nice work on the diagnosis!
Question - Did you solder the 1k ohm resistor to the left 2 pot leads or did you somehow run it across all 3 leads? I tried zooming in but couldn’t tell. Having the same exact issue with my Supercube and just want a quick fix.
Thanks for your help.
At what time in the video are you referring to?
Hi -
12:10 - 12-30 mark.
Thanks!
hi, could you help me to find definitive PF15TL+ subwoofer service manual?
you could use contact spray KONTAKT WL to get the pots working at least for finding out the value, again nice video NorCal715 LIKE
Thank you..
How about the auto on function? Any ideas on why that would stop working? My ProSub 80 only senses a signal if you unplug it from the wall then plug it back in. It will work just fine until you turn the system off.
Hi,on the pre amp side behind the 5pin connection are two resisters, there's white glue on top of them,do you know the value of the both of them?,mine burnt out.
Sorry no, I already shipped this unit back to the customer.
I also have the SC1 not the 3 but the look very similar I also don't have the same looking caps.
How about a SC4000
Hi! I have a Definitive Technology SC 6000 sub. It works fine for 5 minutes, then turns OFF. I have unplugg the powercord, wait for 2 minutes, plug it back in, then it works fine for the next 5-10 min. And I have to repeat the prossedyre. What do you think is the problem? Hope you can help. :)
What no acetone? 🤣 Nice job Steve. 🙌
Acetone in part 2 coming up!
Hi. bro if you have definitive technology powerfield supercube iii service manual pdf. please send it
Hi NorCal715,
I owned the same subwoofer but it's don't turn on at all (the power LED don't light-up also). I've checked the low voltage on the pre-amp board and it's seems normal. All caps works well. Which part should I check in next?
Check the level pots, I think the auto-on circuit uses one of the pots for a reference signal.
How do you get the backing off the sub. The board with the inputs and all. I took all the screws out and I can’t get it out
I don't know! all of my units have been disassembled by the customer, then they send me the internals. Sorry.
Any info and help you can provide for a Supercube3 with the subwoofer level pot stuck on max?? Please and thank you
It most likely has a failing pot. the return ground side is probably open, thus no divider when the pot is at the low end.
My woofer sem problem no sound only red led lite is on
If you need to know the value of the variable volume control markings are in front you need to remove the circuit board to see it.
Or he could open the potentiometer and drag the meter probe on the resistive element inside and figure out the resistance.
That could also work.
See part 2 ruclips.net/video/8QVHWl5otyM/видео.html
Hello - Im a bit late here.My cube stopped working couple of years ago and I didnt get down to figuring out and let it sit for a while.I have an issue with the unit not turning on and the red led not lighting up.Ive checked the power leads and fuse and it is Ok.Any help and suggestions would be appreciated.Thanks in Advance.
I would need to trouble shoot it to make a determination. If you do not get the LED then possibly bad potentiometers like the one in my video. Bad potentiometers will keep it from powering up. Make sure you watch both parts of my repair video.
Call definitive research. They will do a small diagnostic over the phone. The amp is like 100 bucks and you'll get a warranty again. They have the best customer service.
Has Anyone had an issue with the power light not comming on? Supercube III
the cap is dry economically they need some people power
Look at you trouble shooting your bud off try to figure out what the heck is wrong with this thing. I hope the customer is smart enough to tell you to replace then with quality pots that will work reliable. The unit sounds like it's the investment based on the surmised wattage rating you feel that it is. After doing some research on them they appear to be a high end product, at least price wise. Defiantly worth fixing IMHO. Fingers crossed.
There will be a pert 2
@@norcal715 Outstanding!
A bit of pot luck.
ESR meter must be an abbreviation for let's frustrate people!
I think that it's time to stop using the ESR meter for capacitor testing, it's telling you nothing important about the capacitors!
If you can't see that the capacitor is bad from it being expanded and your ESR meter is still telling you that it's good! WTF! Something is clearly wrong.
ESR is only important for the filter capacitors in the power supply, ESR means nothing for the rest! EPR is what matters! EPR is the failure mode that stops equipment from working! You have a lot of capacitors that are leaking DC which is probably why the pots aren't working!
You have no choice but to remove capacitors out of circuit and test them on a device that gives you capacity, Vloss and lastly ESR, there's no easy way around it!
A good capacitor should have a reading of just below it's rated capacity! It should never be higher! If it is, then it's leaking DC, replace it!
Get rid of that bob parker ESR meter, it's not giving you the information that you really need! Bad capacitors usually have low ESR readings!
I really don't know what else that I can say to get the point across!
Get on eBay and search for component testers, the one's that test transistors and basically everything! Look for one that has pictures of the screen showing a capacitor being tested, look for one that shows a Vloss % reading, this is what you need! For all that I know you might already have one of those things! Everyone has one of those things because they are cheap! You are wasting your time with that ESR meter! I know, I got my in circuit ESR tester age's ago, thinking that it's so easy to test without having to pull capacitors out but nothing is ever that easy! Once you get used to testing for DC leakage, you will never look back! Yes it takes longer but when you know what you are looking for, you get right into it and it's done before you realize it, a vacuum desolder gun makes sense for this application and speeds things up dramatically and it's a much better tool than an ESR meter!
Please stop with the ESR meter!!!!!!
If you want to send me one I will certainly give it a try.
@@norcal715 I would but it makes no financial sense to send out a product from Australia that costs under $10 and then then apply both shipping and import charges when you can get it delivered free directly from China!
Otherwise, you can use your multimeter! Set it to micro amp's and put the capacitor under test in series with it and apply DC to it, all capacitors should draw a current until they reach full capacity! You can compare new for old to see the difference between the two!
A capacitor that is leaking DC is going to over bias what ever is after it. We both know that AC and DC can be present in the same part of a circuit, but some components can be over saturated with both types of voltage present which is why we use capacitors to divide up the voltages and send the correct one to where it needs to go! A high ESR capacitor is only going to limit the current, whereas low parallel resistance or DC leakage it the very thing that is responsible for equipment failure!
I'm not trying to have a go at you! I like your channel, you work on interesting equipment, you are well and clear spoken but I can't help but feel that there is a lack of understanding when it comes to capacitors!
If a survey was conducted, I wouldn't be surprised if 99% of all electronic equipment failures are caused by capacitors with low parallel resistance! High ESR only becomes a problem with power supply filtering and high switching frequency circuits.. they will cause problems in operation but total failure is in the domain of leaky capacitors!
I'm sure that you have some old bad capacitors on hand with new ones to compare to, grab your lab supply and your multimeter and do some testing! I'm sure that it would make a great video In the process! Who doesn't love watching capacitors being tested? Especially new for old!
DO NOT BUY Definitive Tech products!!! This cheese ball company does not back their subwoofers!!
WEIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The biggest problem with this amp is it is a Definitive brand, AKA Directed Electronics. I won't own another one.