Line 6 Spider Valve 112

[bsco]

Has anybody on this forum have any experience with Line 6 guitar amps??? This one when powered up shows a bunch of blocks on the display and then stays there...no lights on the amp anywhere except for the pilot lamp...The tubes light up as well.....no sound. Tried a factory reset....Is it possible that this has a micro malfunction and it is basically stuck in a power on self test and can't come out of it?? There are two regulators on the controller board....one for +12 and one for +5...both are good....outside of that I checked for bad connections, reseated cables, etc....but most of the inter-connecting cables in this unit are soldered to the boards and then glued in place.....can't find any documentation and of course Line 6 won't release anything....the amp is not under warranty.....
Suggestions, comments, etc....kindly welcome.......
Cheers,
Bernie

[silverfox]

It sounds like just after the system reset goes low the processor is locking up. Could be a RAM error or high speed glitch in the clock signals. But it could also be something simple. Read on-

I'm thinking this is going to be a surface mount component product. Under those circumstances about the only thing you can do is look for an obvious loose connection. Even if you find a missing or over voltage clue to the problem, unless you have surface mount rework skills the amp is an end table or external speaker cabinet at best.

I was able to by pass the switched on a Digitech amp emulator and connect them to an external switch bank taken from an old Lowery Organ but that is due to my soldering skills and being able to diagnose the problem as mechanical.

Watch some youtube videos on surface mount soldering for an idea of what it takes to replace a surface mount component and then perhaps this would be an opportunity to learn such a skill as well as how to use logic analyzers and high speed scopes.

And as I'm writing this post my keyboard stops working as I just found a loose USB connection. Hmmm.

Silverfox.

[bsco]

Hey guy...Thanks for the reply......I have worked on SMT electronics in the past.....used to work for a Lottery and pretty much everything was SMT.....and they had all the necessary equipment......This amp is all pretty much SMT.......checked for loose connections and probed the board with a chop-stick....this is not going to be a mechanical problem...it is more likely electronic......If I could get my hands on the schematic I might be able to figure it out but Line 6 won't release anything to anybody....I am thinking it is something on the micro-processor board and I believe there are some proprietory chips there.....without a schematic it is next to impossible.....I am going to check out youtube to see if anything is there but I kind of doubt it.....Thank you very much for replying to me....really appreciate it.........
Cheers,
Bernie

[Jazz P Bass]

If the display is coming up 'blocks', then It was not initialized.

Microprocessor is not initializing it or the lcd is bad.

These computer amps suck.

[Enzo]

If it comes up blocks but it reacts to control inputs in some way, then at least it is running to some extent and memory is scrambled. if it just comes up inert blocks, the CPU may not be running at all, and thus not initiable.

[bsco]

Doesn't react to any controls.....it seems to be a microprocessor problem....Like Jazz P said....these fucking laptop computers suck...
thanks for replying both Enzo and Jazz P....you guys are great....I have to ask a question...all you guys are here on this forum all the time answering questions from people like me...where do you find the time man??? I really appreciate it....
Cheers,
Bernie

[The Dude]

Don't have one or a schematic for one in front of me, but I recall having similar problems with a little 3.3V regulator chip on the DSP board with some of the Line 6 products. It seems many of the amps use the same DSP board, so that might be something to check. I wish I could give more details, but that is from the depths of what's left of my mind. Maybe you can track down the 3.3v regulator via datasheets? I think that's how I got on to it.

[bsco]

OK. Thanks guy...I will check that out...You have been most helpful...Really appreciate it.....
Cheers,
Bernie
P.S. I had to come back for a minute..these low voltage regulators.....don't they normally get their input voltage form the 5 volt regulator?? if so, then I might be able to trace where the output goes and hopefully lead me to the 3.3V reg as you suggested......just a thought

[The Dude]

Yes, the 3.3V regulator normally gets its input from the 5V line. If I recall, I looked up the data sheet for one or a few of the chips on the board and figured out where the 3.3V pin(s) were. It wasn't there so I found my way to a little SMD regulator that was dead. It's been quite some time since that particular repair, but I do remember having to replace a tiny little SMD regulator. The other thing is, this may not even be the same board. Again, I'm going totally from memory.

[Jazz P Bass]

Spider Valve 100 Schematic

The 3.3V regulator should be a NJM2872.
It is a 5 legged ic. 3 on top, 2 on the bottom.
New Japan Radio - datasheet pdf
I have the Spider Valve 100 schematic that I will attach.

[bsco]

Thanks very much Jazz P...I'll check it out tomorrow...kind of late here now.....
Cheers,
Bernie

[bsco]

Checked this out and the 3.3 volt supply is there...The reset line is not right...it is supposed to be low at power up then switch high...but is toggling back and forth every couple seconds....there is a chip that generates the reset for the CPU so this seems like a Micro related problem..address and data lines appear to be dead...at least the ones I was able to probe.....due to the super small components and coupled with the fact that I am not equipped to effectively service this type of equipment with the test gear that I presently have, and parts are only released and sold to authorized repair falcilities, this will have to be shipped out to an authorized Line 6 repair center....if the customer chooses to proceed.....so i am waiting to hear back from him.....I want to thank everybody for their input...It is very much appreciated....
Cheers,
Bernie