Fuse and Protection

[trem]

Yeah.....thanks for reminding me about that capacitor link. I got side-tracked after my computer saw it as some type of Ad/Spam. I should have searched it sooner.

Anyway......the problem is indeed right at the IEC. Sloppy work by the QA/QC people i guess, but it is hard to say. I THINK this amp is from 2008.
It LOOKS Like, when the PCB went over the wave machine, that there must have been some kind Contamination/Problem on Both The hot and neutral lugs of the IEC socket. There IS solder on both lugs, but it is mostly at the tip of the lug. As well, there IS solder on the trace pads, but it is mostly on the outer edge, and not in the center where the lug pokes through.
So i guess the solder never flowed very well, and made a poor connection from the beginning. The Center/ Ground lug looks just fine. It is obvious to the naked (or scantily clad) eye as soon as you turn the board over. It Might Have looked a lot better when this board was new.? But i doubt it ever could have looked too good, even before plugs were being pushed and pulled into the IEC.
Thanks for the help and the cap lesson.
On a hand-wired amp, this would have been a Very Quick fix

[Enzo]

I wouldn't be so quick to blame them. Every time you plug in or take out the power cord, it puts mechanical stress on the solder of those pins. In many brands of gear with the IEC connector soldered to the board - or to A board - that connection cracking it one of the more common failures. That is why I suggested it in post #4.