Help with Cayin HA-1A!!!!!!!!!1 ARGH!! - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Wil · #1 (**permalink**) 05-10-2005, 04:00 PM

Hi,

My HA-1A has been with me for around a year and i love it. However, when i listened to it yesterday there was a weird low buzzing noise i have not heard from it before.

Today, when i turned on the amp, the LED ( for aesthetic purposes ) in between the tubes went mad and started flickering. Worse still, the buzzing noise was louder and became a "tick, tick" sound in accordance to the flicker of the LED.

I took of the cover and decided to see if there a loose connection with the LED ( i removed all electrical connections , of course ) and to my surprise, when i reached beneath the LED to fiddle, i got a slight electrical shock. Thankfully i wasnt injured but a little shaken.

Anyone have any ideas?

Perhaps the DIY-ers on the forum would know more...

Help! sign...i think i need to send it in for servicing already...argh!

Wil · #2 (**permalink**) 05-10-2005, 04:28 PM

bump! the fllickering's getting worse!

sob sob...i think it's a electrical leakage..

some1x · #3 (**permalink**) 05-10-2005, 04:33 PM

Don't go around feeling inside tube amps if you don't know what you're doing. The caps can hold charges for quite a while after you unplug the amp.

ps. Wrong forum.

Wil · #4 (**permalink**) 05-10-2005, 04:34 PM

ps..i noticed..hehe..

sorry was kinda flustered when i posted.

mods please move it if neccesary.

gsferrari · #5 (**permalink**) 05-10-2005, 04:45 PM

WARNING:

Do not muck around inside a tube amp if you dont know what you are doing. And even if you do know what you are doing - take every precaution possible.

Wil · #6 (**permalink**) 05-10-2005, 04:50 PM

yes sir

please punish me now

I was prodding at the LED when my finger brushed pass the PCB and i got a rude shock.

Guess ill have to send it in tmr for PROFESSIONAL help

gsferrari · #7 (**permalink**) 05-10-2005, 04:54 PM

Just a question...did you add the LED yourself? Maybe it is a tube indicator (goes nuts when tubes are at the end of their life cycle?)

Have you tried replacing tubes?

Wil · #8 (**permalink**) 05-10-2005, 04:57 PM

Nope, the LED comes with the tubes. I doubt it is the tubes as i just tube rolled it in Feb. and when it started flickering i changed my tubes just to check and the problem was there.

The LED was flickering in the manner a blub would when there is a loose connection. I believe the LED is an indicator of the status of the circuit ( in which i think in this case, is whacked)

I presume there must be a loose or cold joint that could be the root of it all.

Wil · #9 (**permalink**) 05-10-2005, 06:05 PM

yoohoooooo........

Anybody home........

the_villain · #10 (**permalink**) 05-10-2005, 08:20 PM

First off this is the wrong forum for this question.
This question is for the DIY forum of head-fi. I see that you are quite a novice with electronics, but haven't you heard, that capacitors hold charge for hours??? Anyway, your explanation is missing some details. Describe the problem with details and somebody might help you. BUT. With your level of expertise it is advisable to refrain from fiddling with that amp. Your best bet is (if the amp is not in warranty) to ask some friend of yours with knowledge of electrics to repair it. The problem might be anything from loose connection to dying tube to faulty transformer to ... anything. Good luck.

Wil · #11 (**permalink**) 05-12-2005, 04:49 PM

Hm. Called my Technician today. He said there wasnt a problem with the amp. No cold joints, no burt resistors. HOWEVER, the bloody LED in the amp was still flickering and blinking( it interfers with the sound ) when the LED flickers once, the cans go tick once ( left channel ), he did say that once the amp warmed up the LED became stable. Anyway to disable tha stupid LED ( btw, it's for aesthetic purposes )