Fender Deluxe 85 may be blown?

[d. spree]

Dear JSD - I am very much a beginner and I have gotten tons of help here. Basically I suggest the forum experts (and there are many here, not me) are most helpful when you offer a step by step and detailed and specific description of the problem and any actions you are taking. They will walk you through things and will stick around until you've figured it out - but you have to present the information in a way that they can understand. So step by step, bit by bit, and pictures of the insides of the amp always help them diagnose the problem. Suggest you don't poke around in the amp without guidance - and you can damage yourself not just the amp. So a patient step by step approach will help you.

[jsd]

Thanks to all of you guys for putting up with a noobie haha
Really bummed the amp isn't working. Picking up a new fuse today. I didn't pull out the screws for the heat sink. I am totally a beginner. that figured If i can wire a guitar up. I can try and fix the amp by swapping faulty parts. I've been dabbling in making small transistor preamps. nothing too crazy. I am capable of swapping the parts. Identifying the bad ones, and how they are used in the circuit is where I reckon the learning begins. I do have a multimeter. Eager to learn more. If someone can help me through this. I would be the most grateful. I just dont have the money to pay someone to look at it. and find out i have to pay double what i payed for it to get fixed, when with the right guidance I could perform the labor. i just need to be shown what to do.

[The Dude]

Here's a link to the light bulb limiter DrGonz is referring to, which is kind of a "poor mans variac/current limiter". If you continue blowing fuses, it will assist you in troubleshooting the amp. Before you attempt to fire it up again, make sure everything is connected properly and nothing is touching the chassis that shouldn't be (grounding out). Then report back. If you do get it to fire up, take a look at my earlier post #6 about the solder on the input jack. I do believe I see some problems there. I downloaded your pic and circled the problem areas I see, but the site won't let me upload the picture (not sure why). Also, if you can report back and tell us if input 2 works, it will help narrow down the problem.

[jsd]

I just got back from the store with the fuses. will give an update when I get to it. Input 2 does not work

[jsd]

It turns on now. not quite sure where it is you saw the problem. could you PM me the pic http://music-electronics-forum.com/n...1&noquote=1you had circled?

[jsd]

I dont know if it means anything. but should the black and white whites be offset? or should it be black on one side and white on the other?

[Jazz P Bass]

If that is the way it was wired from the factory, it does not matter.
I have attached a blow up of your first photo.
It appears that there is a blob of solder 'jumpering' two of the copper traces.
The first thing I would do is clean up that flux crap so you can see what is going on.
It can be GENTLY scraped off & then use an old tooth brush to finish the job.
Avoid the copper tracks when scraping.

[The Dude]

It turns on now. not quite sure where it is you saw the problem. could you PM me the pic http://music-electronics-forum.com/n...1&noquote=1you had circled?

I've been trying to the point of getting extremely pissed off. I can't upload photos to this site at all- not in a thread, PM, or anywhere. If somebody has an idea why, please let me know!

[The Dude]

Since I can't upload a G&*^DAM* photo, I'll try once again by description.

Picture DSC00614
Jack on the left
Bottom left 2 pads of that jack.
1st pad far left- you can see rings around the connector that sticks through. It appears to be "cold" and needs to be resoldered.
2nd pad next in from far left- at the bottom of the pad, it appears that the trace is broken from solder pad to trace. It will need to be repaired. Scrape the coating from the trace and solder a wire across the break.

This is what I see looking at the pics. Sometimes pics are deceiving, so double check continuity with a meter. Also, as Jazz P says if you could clean up the flux mess, we could better see what is going on.

[The Dude]

Check your email. Photo sent.

[jsd]

Thanks! I got the email. No luck so far, Although i had resoldered the cold spot you spoke of,nothing. didn't see the trace picture before I put it away for the night, Got an early morning tomorrow. also. when I bridged the pre in and power out with guitar plugged into channel 1 i could hear a high pitch ringing sort of noise.not sure if this helps with diagnosis. Thanks again all who have attempted to help me out. I will work on it when I get home from work to see if i can fix that trace on the pcb.

[Enzo]

Try a different browser. MY IE for some reason is no longer allowing me to successfully post files here, or for that matter make attachments to email. I generally don't use it, but Chrome is allowing those activities. I suspect my IE is corrupted, and the issue is not on this forum end.

[jsd]

cleaned it up a bit.

[Enzo]

Don't know what, if anything, this will do, but I see a cracked joint. In your most recent cleaned up photo, up top, wide horizontal trace, it connects the ground pins of the two jacks, and at its right end appears to solder to the support bracket of the pot there. That joint at the pot bracket is cracked all around. And at the left end where that trace makes a right angle turn at another pot bracket, that looks cracked too.

Fender liked to use the row of pot brackets to carry a ground trace along the front of the board. A busted ground connection could result in some parts not having their ground connections. Go down the whole row of pots, check not only the solder on the three pins of each, but also the four bracket mount points.

[g1]

Along with the bad solder at the bracket Enzo mentioned, the left pin of that pot looks bad too. I see a couple joints like that and I just go ahead and resolder all pots, brackets, and jacks. Then the typical "hot spots" like the dropping resistors/zeners for low voltage supplies, and the filter caps.
And look close at the jack pads like the Dude mentioned. I see a few kinked looking traces at the left jack, give all the jack pads a good push and see if any wiggle and are broken from the traces.