yesterday i finally had time to take my Pioneer A400 apart and try to fix some minor quibles i had been having and to give it a spring clean - and boy am i reaping the rewards now! I now have what sounds like a new amp with a now 3D soundstage, improved detail, better seperation, imaging and and a sense of more space! Plus i also fixed the problems i had been having: sometimes when i powered it up it wouldnt balance properly and also there was a slight crackling when i adjusted the volume. After unplugging it from the mains and removing the top half of the case i took to it with a soft paintbrush and vacuum cleaner. after removing all the dust i could see i sprayed Caig DeOxit contact cleaner on all the switches, pots, contact points and pieces of copper wire i could see. I then sprayed more Caig over the entire PCB and used the paintbrush to clean it. I left the amp for 1 hr to let all the cleaner evaporate before putting it all back together. No more crackling, no more balance issues and boy oh boy it sounds phenomenal! it is as if i have upgraded my cdp. so my advice to you is if you have a some spare time soon get cleaning and prepare to be amazed!
Upgrade your amp for free - clean it!
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You are a lucky man and I certainly would'nt advise anybody to open their Naim, Primare or whatever and take a vacuum cleaner (!) to it, never mind the indiscriminate application of contact cleaner and soft brush. If you have the urge to spring clean, blow dust of the circuits. Its very easy to dislocate/break/hoover up fragile componentry.
... or you can try this one; Some adventureous folks believe that by wrapping your amplifier carefully in clingfilm, then placing it overnight in the freezer and thaw it carefully the next day, it will have been cryogenically treated and sound so much better. One for the brave
[quote user="drummerman"]
You are a lucky man and I certainly would'nt advise anybody to open their Naim, Primare or whatever and take a vacuum cleaner (!) to it, never mind the indiscriminate application of contact cleaner and soft brush. If you have the urge to spring clean, blow dust of the circuits. Its very easy to dislocate/break/hoover up fragile componentry.
[/quote]
i think you misunderstood me - i held the vacuum cleaner above where i was brushing so as to suck the dust away as it came off. and if you had any experience with the inside of amps you would realise that there arent any very fragile or delicate parts in there. all the parts are securely soldered in place. and the contact cleaner evaporates after it has done its business so there is no harm there either. but hey i wouldnt expect a cynic like you to believe me!
You are a lucky man and I certainly would'nt advise anybody to open their Naim, Primare or whatever and take a vacuum cleaner (!) to it, never mind the indiscriminate application of contact cleaner and soft brush. If you have the urge to spring clean, blow dust of the circuits. Its very easy to dislocate/break/hoover up fragile componentry.
[/quote]
i think you misunderstood me - i held the vacuum cleaner above where i was brushing so as to suck the dust away as it came off. and if you had any experience with the inside of amps you would realise that there arent any very fragile or delicate parts in there. all the parts are securely soldered in place. and the contact cleaner evaporates after it has done its business so there is no harm there either. but hey i wouldnt expect a cynic like you to believe me!
[quote user="ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit"]and if you had any experience with the inside of amps you would realise[/quote]
:-
(cracks open a beer, puts feet up and waits for the show to begin)
:-
(cracks open a beer, puts feet up and waits for the show to begin)
[quote user="ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit"][quote user="drummerman"]
You are a lucky man and I certainly would'nt advise anybody to open their Naim, Primare or whatever and take a vacuum cleaner (!) to it, never mind the indiscriminate application of contact cleaner and soft brush. If you have the urge to spring clean, blow dust of the circuits. Its very easy to dislocate/break/hoover up fragile componentry.
[/quote] i think you misunderstood me - i held the vacuum cleaner above where i was brushing so as to suck the dust away as it came off. and if you had any experience with the inside of amps you would realise that there arent any very fragile or delicate parts in there. all the parts are securely soldered in place. and the contact cleaner evaporates after it has done its business so there is no harm there either. but hey i wouldnt expect a cynic like you to believe me![/quote]
I understud you perfectly. Solder joints can be fragile especially but not exclusively in older equipment that has been moved a few times. If the component casing is'nt solid ie. thin sheet metal the pcb's can flex and further weaken component contact points. Surface mount (or through hole) componentry can easily be dislocated by an accidental touch of a brush or hoover nozzle. I think its only sensible to leave the innards alone unless you have a specific problem such as a noisy volume pot where your idea makes sense if the equipment is old/out of warranty.
And what is wrong with being a cynic? Do you believe everything you read or what people tell you?
You are a lucky man and I certainly would'nt advise anybody to open their Naim, Primare or whatever and take a vacuum cleaner (!) to it, never mind the indiscriminate application of contact cleaner and soft brush. If you have the urge to spring clean, blow dust of the circuits. Its very easy to dislocate/break/hoover up fragile componentry.
[/quote] i think you misunderstood me - i held the vacuum cleaner above where i was brushing so as to suck the dust away as it came off. and if you had any experience with the inside of amps you would realise that there arent any very fragile or delicate parts in there. all the parts are securely soldered in place. and the contact cleaner evaporates after it has done its business so there is no harm there either. but hey i wouldnt expect a cynic like you to believe me![/quote]
I understud you perfectly. Solder joints can be fragile especially but not exclusively in older equipment that has been moved a few times. If the component casing is'nt solid ie. thin sheet metal the pcb's can flex and further weaken component contact points. Surface mount (or through hole) componentry can easily be dislocated by an accidental touch of a brush or hoover nozzle. I think its only sensible to leave the innards alone unless you have a specific problem such as a noisy volume pot where your idea makes sense if the equipment is old/out of warranty.
And what is wrong with being a cynic? Do you believe everything you read or what people tell you?
[quote user="tractorboy"]
(cracks open a beer, puts feet up and waits for the show to begin)
[/quote]
(cracks open a beer, puts feet up and waits for the show to begin)
[/quote]
Gosh, no fireworks. Anyway, perhaps someone should add the usual caveat to this thread as regards prodding around in equipment powered by 240 volt mains. I read something on a recent thread about making sure the capacitors are discharged. Could someone explain this, and how it is done? Am I correct in thinking that capacitors store electrical charge, and if so, is this the full 240 volts? Also, does leaving an amp unplugged for an hour or two discharge them and / or turning the amp on and off a couple of times after it's been unplugged?
As you can see, I'm no electronics expert, but I do recall an unpleasant experience from childhood involving a screwdriver and a camera flash...
As you can see, I'm no electronics expert, but I do recall an unpleasant experience from childhood involving a screwdriver and a camera flash...
[quote user="tractorboy"]Gosh, no fireworks. Anyway, perhaps someone should add the usual caveat to this thread as regards prodding around in equipment powered by 240 volt mains. I read something on a recent thread about making sure the capacitors are discharged. Could someone explain this, and how it is done? Am I correct in thinking that capacitors store electrical charge, and if so, is this the full 240 volts? Also, does leaving an amp unplugged for an hour or two discharge them and / or turning the amp on and off a couple of times after it's been unplugged?[/quote]
I dont have an electronics degree either just a little bit of experience/interest. It depends on the capacitor size/farads on how much they store. I believe the only certain way of knowing if they have completely discharged is to disconnect them and bridge a test light between the terminals.
[quote user="tractorboy"]As you can see, I'm no electronics expert, but I do recall an unpleasant experience from childhood involving a screwdriver and a camera flash[/quote]
... worrying ...
I dont have an electronics degree either just a little bit of experience/interest. It depends on the capacitor size/farads on how much they store. I believe the only certain way of knowing if they have completely discharged is to disconnect them and bridge a test light between the terminals.
[quote user="tractorboy"]As you can see, I'm no electronics expert, but I do recall an unpleasant experience from childhood involving a screwdriver and a camera flash[/quote]
... worrying ...
Interested in this,do you think it would be worth doing to my 9 year old Arcam Alpha 9 amp which has been repaired twice and has the same crackles you mention sometimes but not always?
fatboyslimfast
Well-known member
As DM says, tread carefully. I generally work on the rule that if it's unbroken enough to listen to it, my screwdrivers stay in their box. If it's broken to the point where it may have to go in the bin (obviously assuming no dealer support or warranty due to age or economics), then it's worth having a go.
The contact cleaner can do the trick for noisy volume controls, but be aware that they do leave a residue - where do you think all the rubbish that they shift goes? Metal oxide doesn't evaporate...
I understand that contact cleaners can work in the short term, but you can find that unless you bathe the whole PCB in the stuff, agitating it enough to rinse away the residue, in the long term it can make things worse...
Oh, and the capacitor thing? The only way to discharge them is to place a low-value resistor across the terminals until there is no voltage measureable. You can short them with a screwdriver or similar, but that is a sure-fire way to kill them and weld your screwdriver to the terminals in the process (especially if they are high-capacity electrolytics as found in power supplies etc).
The contact cleaner can do the trick for noisy volume controls, but be aware that they do leave a residue - where do you think all the rubbish that they shift goes? Metal oxide doesn't evaporate...
I understand that contact cleaners can work in the short term, but you can find that unless you bathe the whole PCB in the stuff, agitating it enough to rinse away the residue, in the long term it can make things worse...
Oh, and the capacitor thing? The only way to discharge them is to place a low-value resistor across the terminals until there is no voltage measureable. You can short them with a screwdriver or similar, but that is a sure-fire way to kill them and weld your screwdriver to the terminals in the process (especially if they are high-capacity electrolytics as found in power supplies etc).
[quote user="drummerman"]
And what is wrong with being a cynic? Do you believe everything you read or what people tell you?
[/quote]
oh dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with being a cynic but sometimes i feel that you border on ZootPhartMcAlipline's level of cynicism. especially when it comes to discussions about cables. i have healthy doses of cynicism - it was only last week i nearly laughed at someone when they told me to clean my amp out with a soft paintbrush to improve the sound quality... but low and behold! i didnt believe aftermarket mains leads could make a difference in sound quality until i tried one then i became a believer.
tractorboy - no fireworks mate - i didnt mean to come across as agressive. i have cleaned out about 20 odd amps now for purposes of buying then reselling them and have never had any problems with damaging any components or being electrocuted - i was just speaking from my experience and IMHO. i just thought someone else on this forum might be able to acheive a similar positive outcome from reading this thread...
And what is wrong with being a cynic? Do you believe everything you read or what people tell you?
[/quote]
oh dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with being a cynic but sometimes i feel that you border on ZootPhartMcAlipline's level of cynicism. especially when it comes to discussions about cables. i have healthy doses of cynicism - it was only last week i nearly laughed at someone when they told me to clean my amp out with a soft paintbrush to improve the sound quality... but low and behold! i didnt believe aftermarket mains leads could make a difference in sound quality until i tried one then i became a believer.
tractorboy - no fireworks mate - i didnt mean to come across as agressive. i have cleaned out about 20 odd amps now for purposes of buying then reselling them and have never had any problems with damaging any components or being electrocuted - i was just speaking from my experience and IMHO. i just thought someone else on this forum might be able to acheive a similar positive outcome from reading this thread...
[quote user="ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit"]oh dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with being a cynic but sometimes i feel that you border on ZootPhartMcAlipline's level of cynicism. especially when it comes to discussions about cables[/quote]
I guess you mean the other person as I dont get to involved when it comes to cables.
I guess you mean the other person as I dont get to involved when it comes to cables.
[quote user="ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit"] tractorboy - no fireworks mate - i didnt mean to come across as agressive. i have cleaned out about 20 odd amps now for purposes of buying then reselling them and have never had any problems with damaging any components or being electrocuted - i was just speaking from my experience and IMHO. i just thought someone else on this forum might be able to acheive a similar positive outcome from reading this thread...[/quote]
Just teasing ;-)
Seriously though, I find prevention to be better than cure when it comes to dust in equipment. I'm meticulous to the point of being anal when it comes to keeping the dust covers on my kit when it's not being used. Just the sight of my other half pulling the hoover out of the cupboard will have me scurrying to cover up my kit before all that dust kicks up. It works though.Not so long ago I opened up a 4 year old amp to have a look at the prospects of fitting a phono stage and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was absolutely pristine inside.
Just teasing ;-)
Seriously though, I find prevention to be better than cure when it comes to dust in equipment. I'm meticulous to the point of being anal when it comes to keeping the dust covers on my kit when it's not being used. Just the sight of my other half pulling the hoover out of the cupboard will have me scurrying to cover up my kit before all that dust kicks up. It works though.Not so long ago I opened up a 4 year old amp to have a look at the prospects of fitting a phono stage and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was absolutely pristine inside.
It's perfectly OK to open and clean the amp by hoovering and soft brushing . Contact cleaner is the start to any repair or cleaning . Components are very robust . If you think you can damage a naim by doing this , you must be a very paranoid person . I work on amplifiers all day Long , they all do well after a dust and a clean . I work on naim , quad , macintosh , all sorts , they all need a good hoover and brush before work , . You're a fool if you think your naim will die by be in brushed .
Al ears
Well-known member
mightyquin
Well-known member
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