Need some help with a Ampeg BA-210 SP

[StratTone]

Hey guys I got one here that I'm hoping has a common problem. I'm not much of a solid state repair guy but I told a friend I would take a look at his amp for him. Ok, the problem I have figured out is in the on board effects setion. The amp will not crackle and pop if you have the effects set to Dry or if I unplug the SP board. When this problem is happening there is also a sort of upper range noise going on with the amp. Any of the cables going to the effects board in the amp can be wiggled and cause the problem to occur. I'm more of a tube amp repair guy and don't want to get to deep in this thing really. Any help would be greatly appreciated as always. Thanks guys.

[Enzo]

Troubleshooting is troubleshooting, tubes or solid state doesn;t matter.

What would you do if your tube amp popped and crackled every time you wiggled a wire? I am going to wager you'd start soldering things. You have some inline connectors? FLip the board over and resolder the male connector pins. That is where I'd start.

[StratTone]

Yeah I guess I should have added a little more detail. I have taken the effects board out and inspected the joints and all are in good shape. I have no idea at all how to trouble shoot chips for the effects board. I was hoping there was a simular common problem for these I suppose. It is a friend of a friend kind of deal and lately don't have as much time to work on amps but I said I would take a look and see if it was something simple but if it wasn't I wouldn't have time. He just wants to trade it in and get a bigger amp is all and wants to know for sure that it is working properly before he tries to trade it in. I feel bad but I may have to tell him he is just out of luck or to try and find another guy to look it over. He gonna have to head to atlanta I suppose. haha

[Enzo]

Don't just inpect those solder joints. Resolder them. Of course they are on a ciircuit board, so a nice polite solder iron is needed, not a 140 watt gun.

Hold things down with your one hand while wiggling with the other. Try to isolate what responds. WHen you just shake wires, it transfers some of that mechanical energy into the things the qwires connect to. SO by holding a wire down against the chassis for example, you can wiggle one end of it without moving the other.


Look, I am in the business, and I am not going to do much on that little DSP card at a component level either. Not because I can't but because I usually don;t have to, and a new card is not expensive when compared with my labor. ANy socketed chips on it? Rap on top of them with a knuckle to reseat them - freshens up the contacts.