Mackie Mixer Jacks

[52 Bill]

Beginning to hate all things Mackie.

Just spent a half an hour tracking down a problem with the aux/mon outputs on a Mackie 12 channel mixer, only to find out that both jacks have the ends of the tip contacts broken off.

Would still be looking for an electrical problem with the circuit, if I hadn't happen to look into the end of the jacks as I was removing the thousand or so jacknuts it takes to get the board out.

Also found one input jack broken as well. I wonder how long it will be before the rest of these break?

[Enzo]

Just as soon as that bag plug gets stuffed down each one. One bad plug in your cord kit can destroy your jacks.

[jrfrond]

I feel your pain totally, but Mackie is hardly alone in their mixer architecture. Just about ALL cheap and midline mixers are constructed the same way.

However, Greg Mackie DID pioneer this method of motherboard construction with his first offerings, to wit, early Tapco mixers. Remember THOSE??? 6000RB, 6100RB, 6200RB?

Yes my warhorse friends, perhaps we CAN blame it all on Mackie!

[52 Bill]

...Remember THOSE??? 6000RB, 6100RB, 6200RB?

Yesssssssss, I ssssssssscertainly do remember thossssssssssssssssse Tapco boardsssssssssssss.

We always had a bunch of those spider legged pots in stock because of all of the broken off plastic shafts.

[jbltwin1]

mackie

I got so sick of mackie stuff. We had THREE tha all did the same thing. All 1402's(I think that was the one) and every one of them was intermittant main out. Wouldn't do it for long and SURE wouldn't do it on the bench. Would go tits' up about 2.5 hours through a job and just quit for about three seconds, then come back. I wiggled, banged, cold sprayed, heated every freaking component in it and couldn't get it to do it on the bench. It belonged to our singer so she took it and traded it back in on another one(yeah, that was stupid) and it did it new out of the box. No, it wasn't cables. Took that one back and got another one and THAT one didn't work at all. Finally bought some yorkville stuff and it's been working ever since. I remember those old tapco's. I actually had pretty good luck with them. Had one tha was purple that you had to smack every now and then though. GAWD, I am getting old.

[martinnez]

i've also had a lot of that problem!! like input chnnels not working and some aux outputs too. It seems tome that some jacks have this weakness and a plug inserted with to much force or if it is a bit out of center at the tip, it does the trick. I've been changing them with generic type jacks and don't have a problem, just checked all my 1/4" plugs and replaced those that looked bad.
LIke someone said, it's not exclusive of mackie mixers, just cheap weak metal parts in the jack!!

[jrfrond]

In all due respect, there are also lots of cheap cables with cheap Chinese connectors that break pretty easily. And in the end, it's the person handling the gear that causes the problem.

[Dano]

Mackie 1402 VLZ Pro

I'm working on a Mackie VLZ Pro that has a problem with the phantom power.

I just replaced a power transformer that had an open primary.

When the circuit boards are out of the chassis, the phantom Voltage is about 25 volts. When I put everything back together, the phantom voltage drops to 3 volts.

After another disassembly, I measured the voltage between the 1/4" jack grounds and the chassis ground and had 20 volts on the 1/4" jacks (all of them) compared to the chassis ground.

I'm thinking of just disconnecting the phantom and telling the customer to go without it.

Option 2 would be a decision on a size and type of hammer.

Option 3 would entail help from this forum.

Thanks,
Dan

[martinnez]

phanton power problem

hi dano!! just in case that it may help you:
i think you have a short circuit maybe in a channel input, cause i always get 48 v out of the phantom supply, or close to; and, if you have 25v out, and 20 v at the inputs ground, maybe thats your problem!!
once i had my mixers ps out and after doing some work on it, tried to test the mixer and had to put a wire from ground at the ps to the 1/4 inch inputs groung to get it working, also had some issues with some zenner diodes i one channel and the resistor for phantom power in the same channel.
maybe if you give it a tryyou can get it back to life!!!
i always get those old mixers of my friends and they come back quite nicely, just get the proper parts and take your time.!!!!!!
Martinnez
uruapan
michoacan
mexico




PS. check also the icreg for the 48 v out and asociated components..