Behringer DDX3216 - Trying to repair, please help!

[soundmandoug]

OK, thanks. I did try a factory reset (I presume you mean holding down 1-16 and setup whilst powering on) - still the same. IC19, is that the 28 pin DIP on the far right?

Doug

[S2udio]

Yup, 27c512

[soundmandoug]

OK Guys, I owe you a beer! in fact, serveral beers, because IT WORKS!!!!!!! I replaced IC19 and no joy, so I just bit the bullet and replaced all 4 of the AM29F040Bs en bloc, and IT WORKS!!!!!! - sorry, have I already shouted that ;-))

It's just that I'm so happy, I could run down the street naked shouting IT WORKS!!!!!

:-)

I have a friend who reckons he has a programmer that'll handle these chips, so I'll try replacing one at a time 'till it doesn't work again, then try re-programming. If that doesn't work, I'll wait for the new ones to arrive from Hong Kong.

Doug (Happy)

[S2udio]

Well done

Which one was it doug, ? would be good to know then i can write it up in my faut log

[soundmandoug]

OK People, I now have TWO WORKING MIXERS! with two sets of working EPROMS. Here's what happened:

1. replaced all chips in non-working mixer (we'll call this mixer A) with known working chips from mixer B. Mixer A now WORKS. Also, I have the snapshots from mixer B, so snapshots are saved in the flash EPROMS.
2. changed back the CPU code chip (IC19) - still worked.
3. changed back first (leftmost) EPROM - still works
4. changed back second from left EPROM - still works
5. changed back third eprom - starts up OK but I get the message "couldn't save the file - medium is full" as it starts up. I power cycle with factory reset switches held (1-16/setup). Now error message is gone and I can store/retrieve snapshots.
6. changed back fourth eprom - get error message again and snapshot saving seems erratic. So I power cycle again with factory reset. Then I update firmware (to the same level as currently running - 1.1). Now mixer A ALL WORKS FINE with original eproms.

7. I put working eproms back in mixer B. Now I get same "couldn't save the file - medium is full" message on mixer B (the originally working mixer, with original chips). So I do factory reset, followed by firmware re-flash (again to same version as running - 1.1) and now I have two perfect working mixers!!

So conclusion is that mixer A appeared to have corrupted a snapshot save at some point (probably power supply issue, knowing these units :-) and thereafter it couldn't start up as it tried to load the previous snapshot when it finished it's boot sequence and hung when it hit the corrupt snapshot record. changing one chip at a time gave it enough of a readable snapshot to come up, albiet with complaints about the snapshot condition. Resets and new microcode loads cleared the condition completely!

... one for the log?

Doug (very Happy!!)

[soundmandoug]

OK People, I now have TWO WORKING MIXERS! with two sets of working EPROMS. Here's what happened:

1. replaced all chips in non-working mixer (we'll call this mixer A) with known working chips from mixer B. Mixer A now WORKS. Also, I have the snapshots from mixer B, so snapshots are saved in the flash EPROMS.
2. changed back the CPU code chip (IC19) - still worked.
3. changed back first (leftmost) EPROM - still works
4. changed back second from left EPROM - still works
5. changed back third eprom - starts up OK but I get the message "couldn't save the file - medium is full" as it starts up. I power cycle with factory reset switches held (1-16/setup). Now error message is gone and I can store/retrieve snapshots.
6. changed back fourth eprom - get error message again and snapshot saving seems erratic. So I power cycle again with factory reset. Then I update firmware (to the same level as currently running - 1.1). Now mixer A ALL WORKS FINE with original eproms.

7. I put working eproms back in mixer B. Now I get same "couldn't save the file - medium is full" message on mixer B (the originally working mixer, with original chips). So I do factory reset, followed by firmware re-flash (again to same version as running - 1.1) and now I have two perfect working mixers!!

So conclusion is that mixer A appeared to have corrupted a snapshot save at some point (probably power supply issue, knowing these units :-) and thereafter it couldn't start up as it tried to load the previous snapshot when it finished it's boot sequence and hung when it hit the corrupt snapshot record. changing one chip at a time gave it enough of a readable snapshot to come up, albiet with complaints about the snapshot condition. Resets and new microcode loads cleared the condition completely!

... one for the log?

Doug (very Happy!!)

[soundmandoug]

So, now I'm in the market for a knob and two red knob surrounds for the channel parameter knobs. Anyone know where I can source these?

Also, how does one recover the factory preset EQ and Dynamics settings? The manual talks of preset factory settings in some of the lib slots for the EQ and comp sections of the channels. But all mine have slot one as "default" and the rest as "empty". I have the factory presets for the effects lib, but that's all. Any thoughts?

Cheers
Doug

[S2udio]

Well done doug !!
Looks like the eeproms are not faulty then !
I also owe you a beer,........nice work.
Looks like a few resets and a reload of the firmware with snapshots is a fix for the corrupt eeproms then.
Excellent piece of detective work there chap.

[S2udio]

I have spare knobs and surrounds available .
As for the EQ and the Dynamics presets.......they dont exist,the manual is misleading and badly worded.
If you think about it how would you know what eq or dyn is required for an unknown source per channel?
They are userbank presets to be saved to and only exist if you set them up.

Regards Paul

[soundmandoug]

Well I couldn't have done it without the support of this great place - thanks again to Marcellino for pointing me at the EPROMs to begin with. Paul, I'd like to discuss terms re the knob and surrounds. I'll send you a message with my email address, if that's OK.

Thanks again all

Doug

[S2udio]

Thats fine Doug.
A full recap of the PSU recommended

[soundmandoug]

I did start by repairing the PSU (the +-8V section needed a new SMPS chip, as it was singing and noisy). What I did on my working mixer, and what I'll now do on this fixed one, is replace the fan with a larger one (same 40mm diameter, so it would fit the same screw holes, but 20mm deep and more powerful. I then put the old fan on top of the power supply case, over the slots at the back by the analog out board. This now has the effect of pulling air through the PSU and keeping it running cool. I now don't have the other fault symptom that the working mixer was showing, which was that when it was warm (running for an hour or so) powering off then on again would most of the time bring all the PEAK LEDs on on the analog inputs. I'm told this is a symptom of loss of the +17v line. Powering off, leaving for a few 10s of seconds, then powering off again normally cleared the fault, but clearly something was heating up in the PSU (C48 has been suggested). Since the fan mod, the fault has not re-occurred, even when left for several hours running in a hot office. So clearly the fan mod has made a big difference (for the princely sum of £6,50 for a new fan).

Doug

[soundmandoug]

Folks, another question while we're on the subject of DDX3216... Now I have two DDX3216 mixers, and I've just acquired a TDIF interface. I'd love to run the mixers together as a larger unit. I understand folks have done this with ADAT interfaces (of which I also have two, one for each mixer) but I want to keep these for ADA8000 I/O. Therefore, is it possible to use two TDIF interfaces (I'll need to acquire another one), one in each mixer, with the out of one to the in of the other?

Then I could use the first mixer to mix 32 down to 16 channels; put the 16 channels into the second mixer, along with 16 of it's own, down to 2 (or maybe 32-8 on both desks).

I guess I'll need external clock (as the DDX3216 can only be master for the internal TDIF interface clock) but I'm presuming I can run the word clock out from one desk into the in of the other.

What do we think?

Doug

[Nisse]

Hi again,

Thanks for helping me last time with the crystal problem!
Now I have another question that you might know something about:
I got hold on another DDX that hangs during startup.
When I power up the mixer, the display shows DDX3216, then the software version shows up and after a while the "fader page" shows up, but the faders is missing (on the screen), only the squares above them is visible. (It's here the mixer hangs) The fades should be moved to its right position now, but nothing happens.
Have you (or any one) any idea of what this is?

Best regards,
Nisse

[S2udio]

Read soundmandougs post no 80-81 ...........
Do a factory reset.....Hold CH1-16 + SETUP and switch on...
Then a reflash via RS232.
Its a PSU problem 5V rail going low when hot .
Needs a service.