[TaZ82]

I have always been let down by the minibox battery. The first was with the minibox D and now it is the minibox E+. Both amps could not be recharged. No instruction sheet or documentation was provided together with the amp to aid first time users, like me, in troubleshooting the problem.

If the amp has some peculiar characteristic, at least pack some documentation with it so that buyer will be aware of it and hence be extra careful. I know I am ranting too much but it irritates me to have the amp die on me within a day or two and not knowing why. Guess I should have gone for a predator or a pico.

Don't get me wrong, the minibox e+ is good and has great synergy with my esw9 (which was why I bought it) but the "overall package" is quite poor.

No point crying over spilled milk now. Is there anyway of changing the battery without sending it back to Head-Direct? Or can anyone tell me how to check whether the amp is charging or not. Cos I can only see a red light on the charger. Does it turn green or something when its done? Hope to hear from you guys.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Thermionic]

Yes I agree with you that it is very poor that the amp has no documentation, it seems they have replaced the fragile toggle switches and done away with the mysterious blend option BUT WHY NO INSTRUCTIONS MINIBOX?

One thing I found with my amps was that they were ‘sensitive’ to the sequence that you plugged the charger in. Get it wrong and there was no charging and the battery remained flat The + amp with the charge led helps of course, but the first version was a pain.

What I do is plug the charging lead into the amp first and make sure that the red led is lit on the wall wart, and then plug the wart into the mains. I imagine that if you do it the other way around with the wall wart running and then plug into the amp there sometimes might be a short or sudden discontinuity ‘seen’ by the wart's electronics and it shuts down.

Once you have got the hang of charging I find the amp works for many hours.

 

[TaZ82]

Thanks Thermionic for the input. I think I have read your post before in another thread and I followed the steps but my amp still does not work after like a whole night's worth of charging.

Just asking, do you charge a new amp like you would do for a new handphone? I charged it for about 10 hours on the first day of receiving it and then I ran it overnight the next day and the battery was flat when I woke up. I then proceeded to charge it for another 7 to 8 hours, after which I found out that I could not turn it on. Now it can only work if I plug it into the wall socket.

Do you think that I brokeded my amp by over charging? Man this sucks.

 

[Thermionic]

You are welcome TaZ82.

It does very much look like there is a problem, it is though very unlikely that you caused it.

A couple of questions:

When you plug the charger into the back of the amp does the red led on the wall wart (not plugged into the wall) light up?

When you then plug the wall wart into the mains / wall outlet does the amber/yellow led on the back of the amp light up?

 

[TaZ82]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thermionic /img/forum/go_quote.gif You are welcome TaZ82. It does very much look like there is a problem, it is though very unlikely that you caused it. A couple of questions: When you plug the charger into the back of the amp does the red led on the wall wart (not plugged into the wall) light up? When you then plug the wall wart into the mains / wall outlet does the amber/yellow led on the back of the amp light up?

Let me recall.

1) The red led does come on when I plug the charger into the back of the amp (not plugged into the wall). The red led becomes slightly brighter when I turn on the mains.

2) The yellow led does not light up. Mmm do I push the power plug as deep into the amp or as long there is a connection then it is fine?

 

[Thermionic]

The fact that the red led lights up (wart not plugged in to the wall) obviously indicates that connection has been made with the amp’s battery and there is enough juice in the battery to power the led, and that the wall wart is working as the led brightens when plugged in the wall.

The amber charge led not lit normally indicates that the battery is fully charged, it goes out quite suddenly. Have you ever seen it lit at all?

It could be that the battery is fine and problem is actually something else. Are your interconnects, headphone lead etc ok?

 

[TaZ82]

The amber light does flash once when I switched it on when it is plugged into the wall. So that means the battery is full BUT I cannot switch it on once the power cable has been removed. I am pretty sure that all my cables are properly connected.

The amp sure has its own personality.....

 

[Thermionic]

Not working when the plug is pulled out of the amp does indeed suggest a fault with the amp’s socket or internal circuitry. Naturally you will have tried pushing the charging plug well in and out etc. I can only suggest returning it to Fang for repair or replacement (his customer service seems good). Sorry I have not been of much help.

 

[TaZ82]

Your input has been most helpful Thermionic

Guess I will just have to send the amp back to him for repair or exchange.

Feeling lazy though but there is money at stake here.... should have bought an amp locally to minimize the shipping time.