200a Bad Volume Pot?

[ImNotDedYet]

So I finally got around to doing some work on my 200a - replaced the original amp board that had fuses jumped with the Warneck 200a amp from Retrolinear.  I also replaced the Line fuse with a Vintage Vibe fuse holder.  The Aux out has always worked, but headphone and internal speakers haven't since I bought it a month or two ago.  The light would occasionally flicker on when I turn on or off, (or remove the fuse) and this is still the case along with no sound out of the headphone jack or internal speakers.  I've double checked all the wiring on the amp and grounds - everything appears to be solidly in place.

I've read a number of things saying that a quirky volume pot could cause all kinds of odd issues - although volume and vibrato work just fine with aux out.  So, at this point, I'm wondering if there's an issue with the wiring to the headphone jack, then speakers, or something - but that doesn't explain the flickering light.  Any other things you experts could recommend checking?

Much appreciated!

[Tim W]

Hi,

It is likely you have 2 separate problems:

1.  Neon Light:  It is going bad or there is a bad connection.  Replace it or make sure it is properly soldered to the AC terminal strip.  We have replacements.

2.  Speakers: There is probably something wrong with your speaker and/or headphone wiring in the piano.  If the Aux out is working and you can vary the volume using the volume pot (make sure the switch on the amp is set to VAR) the volume pot is fine. 
In the 200A the speaker wires often get pinched and damaged in the process of opening and closing the case because they are attached to the speakers on the lid.    The headphone jack can go bad as well, causing lack of connection to the speakers when nothing is plugged in.  BUT- if you don't have a signal through headphones when plugged in, something is probably wrong with the wiring from the amp to the headphone jack.  The amp's output goes to the headphone jack and then from the jack to the speakers.  To test your speakers, use test clips on one of the speakers terminals and directly connect to the amp board SPKR OUT.  Disconnect any other wires in the piano from the SPKR OUT block. You may need a few scrap pieces of wire to go into the terminal block on the amp- test clips won't fit.  The power amp output is fault protected, so it is unlikely you will blow it out.

Let us know what you find.

Tim
retrolinear.com

[ImNotDedYet]

Hi,

It is likely you have 2 separate problems:

1.  Neon Light:  It is going bad or there is a bad connection.  Replace it or make sure it is properly soldered to the AC terminal strip.  We have replacements.

2.  Speakers: There is probably something wrong with your speaker and/or headphone wiring in the piano.  If the Aux out is working and you can vary the volume using the volume pot (make sure the switch on the amp is set to VAR) the volume pot is fine. 
In the 200A the speaker wires often get pinched and damaged in the process of opening and closing the case because they are attached to the speakers on the lid.    The headphone jack can go bad as well, causing lack of connection to the speakers when nothing is plugged in.  BUT- if you don't have a signal through headphones when plugged in, something is probably wrong with the wiring from the amp to the headphone jack.  The amp's output goes to the headphone jack and then from the jack to the speakers.  To test your speakers, use test clips on one of the speakers terminals and directly connect to the amp board SPKR OUT.  Disconnect any other wires in the piano from the SPKR OUT block. You may need a few scrap pieces of wire to go into the terminal block on the amp- test clips won't fit.  The power amp output is fault protected, so it is unlikely you will blow it out.

Let us know what you find.

Tim
retrolinear.com

Thx Tim!

I'll check the wiring from the amp to the headphone jack.  The light, I'm not overly concerned with at the moment, but would really like to get sound out of the internal speakers.

BTW, the amp sounds fantastic!  The noise floor to my amp, even on the dirty channel is so much lower, not to mention it really sounds fantastic! (and yes, the volume knob certainly works fine w/ the amp switch set to variable)