By Craig AndertonGear isn’t just something we use, it’s an investment. When good gear goes bad and breaks down, not only does it disrupt our workflow and/or business, but we have to decide whether to repair or replace.
The issue with replacing is expense, but so is the issue of repair. I recently had an Avid control surface
Definition:
A device that provides mechanical controls, such as switches, rotary controls, and faders to provide hands-on control of software parameters. A typical application is creating a box with faders to control the levels in a software mixer. break down; due to the rapid depreciation of older digitalDefinition:
A signal or data expressed as series of the digits 0 and 1, typically represented by values of a physical quantity such as voltage or magnetic polarization. gear, sending it to a repair facility that could fix it would cost more than getting a used model in near-mint condition.
However, if you’re capable of doing any needed repairs yourself, you can get your gear back in action quickly, and at minimal cost. You can also keep spare parts around for mission-critical equipment so you can fix it at a moment’s notice. Full Compass stocks a lot of replacement parts, and if not in stock, can usually obtain them from the manufacturer.
Are You Up to the Task?
Some repairs are easy: if a wall wartDefinition:
A self-contained power supply that plugs directly into a wall outlet. breaks, just plugDefinition:
A connector, normally male and attached to a cable. in a new one. Some repairs require taking a unit apart, and if you’re relatively handy, you can do these fixes yourself—especially if you locate a copy of the service manual (which sometimes is as easy to find as doing an online search). Or you may need more specialized skills and even specialized tools.
I’ve found that as long as you’re not dealing with super-miniaturized gear, it’s been getting easier to do your own repairs. This is because few companies repair on the component level, but drop in a new module—power supply, ampDefinition:
Abbreviation for either Ampere or Amplifier., connector assembly, etc. With repair centers needing to make money, being able to do repairs quickly keeps labor costs down. Often, all that needs to be done is to take off the cover from a piece of gear, unplug some cables, unscrew some screws, put in the new module, then put the cover back on again.
However, don’t forget the medical term “iatrogenic,” which means an illness caused by medical examination or treatment. You don’t want to make matters worse by trying to fix a piece of gear! A slipped screwdriver head that tears across a circuit boardDefinition:
A flat, thin piece of material, usually made of epoxy-glass or phenolic, on which various components mount. Thin electrical pathways called traces, usually made of copper, provide the electrical connections among the various components. can mean a really expensive repair instead of a simple, inexpensive one. Ribbon cable connections to circuit boards can be delicate and held in place by pressure from a thin (and easily broken) piece of plastic.
Finding replacement parts isn’t always easy. I check Full Compass first because the company has an enormous selection. If I can find the part, the next step is searching on specific repair procedures. You’d be surprised how many YouTube video and blog posts tell you what you need to know to do a repair, including potential “traps” like hidden screws that have to be removed before you can access the insides of a piece of gear.
Typical Repairs You Can Do
Power supplies. As the heart of most gear, power supplies have a fairly stressful life because they need to deliver the power that makes everything run. I’d estimate that the majority of repairs I’ve done over the years relate to the power supplyDefinition:
A device (internal or external to another device) that provides power for active circuitry. Can be AC, DC or battery-powered. in some way. Fortunately, manufacturers recognize this and often, power supplies are separate modules that connect to the rest of the gear via cables. Often, replacing a power supply simply involves unplugging the cables, and unscrewing (or otherwise unmounting) the supply from the chassis. It probably goes without saying that the unit should not be plugged in, but also, wear a grounding strap—you don’t want to damage any parts that are sensitive to static electricity.
As one example, suppose you’ve been running a Behringer EXP4000 for the past seven years, and the power supply dies. It’s not in production anymore so you can buy its successor for $330—or you can buy the drop-in replacement power supply for $169.99, and keep the amp chugging along (Fig. 1).
To find the part on the Full Compass site, search for Power Supply, then filter by the category Replacement Parts. You can also filter further by brand. You’ll find replacement power supplies for products from Allen & Heath, American DJDefinition:
DJ (Disk Jockey):
1. Traditionally applied to people who played recorded music on the radio or at events. 2. Artists who perform using any combination of pre-recorded music, samples, turntables, and musical instruments., Audio-Technica, Avid, and many more (those are just the listings under “A”). You can even find a replacement power supply for the Nord EX 76, Electro 3, NC1, and NC2.
Wall warts. Not all power supplies are internal to gear. Although some wall warts are relatively standard so you can use a “universal” AC adapterDefinition:
A power supply that allows using conventional alternating current as a power source instead of batteries. as a replacement, some manufacturer-specific wall warts are non-standard—and if you can’t replace them, your gear becomes a doorstop.
In addition to replacing broken or lost AC adapters, it’s often worth the $25 or so to have a spare as a backup—especially if the gear is reaching end of life, and AC adapters may not be that easy to find in the future.
LCDs. LCDs don’t last forever, especially under heavy use. Fortunately, like power supplies, these are often drop-in modules that you can fix yourself by unplugging cables and unscrewing the module from its mounting. For example, if the LCDDefinition:
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display): A display that uses fluid crystals that can block, reflect, or transmit light from a back illuminator, and uses very little power. goes out on your Korg Pa4X Arranger Keyboard, you can get a replacement for $290—or replace the touchscreen in the Pa600 or Pa900 keyboards for $195 (Fig. 2).
In fact, I counted 93 replacement parts for Korg keyboards on the Full Compass website including encoders, keyboard keys, joysticks, faders, connector boards, and more—you can even replace entire keyboard keybeds. And for $140, you can replace the LCD in ten different Yamaha keyboards.
Connector boards. To cut costs, a lot of manufacturers solderDefinition:
A melt-able alloy metal used to fuse two metal surfaces together. Used for mechanical fusing or plumbing joints, attaching parts of metal musical instruments and attaching electronic components to circuit boards and each other. For electrical joining, traditional solder used a 60/40 alloy of tin and lead with had a low melting point of 370-degrees F, but has been replaced with new alloys to avoid lead leaching from landfills. New lead free solders have higher melting points and may damage older electronic components designed for lead based solders, obsoleting older designs. connectors like audio input and output jacks directly to circuit boards that mount to the chassis; holes cut in the chassis provide access to the jacks. However, if someone yanks on a cord or pushes down on it, the pressure can crack the circuit board. Also, with repeated plugging and unplugging, sometimes jacks just plain wear out.
The easiest way to find replacement parts is to choose Replacement Parts, search on the type of gear, and filter by manufacturer. For example, if someone got heavy-handed with your Behringer X32, you can replace the output circuit board assembly with eight XLR jacks for $50.99, and get back into action (Fig. 3).
You can often obtain individual parts as well, like a power jack or UBS connector. When pins get bent or connections wear out, an individual part may be all you need.
PADefinition:
(Public Address) A sound system intended to provide audio coverage to large groups of people. systems. Did someone blow out the high-frequencyDefinition:
A value, expressed in Hertz, that indicates how many cycles of a periodic signal occur in one second. driver for your Alto TS210, TS212, or TS215? No problem...you can replace it for $33.99. Woofers are easy to find, as well. Many PA systems have drop-in replacement modules for their amps (Fig. 4), like the Electro-Voice amp assembly for the ELX115P, JBL’s amp for the VRX932LAP, or Mackie’s amp for the SRM450-V2.
The Fix Is In
Repairing your own gear can save money, but it’s also satisfying. There’s something cool about reviving a piece of gear you may have given up for dead. And not all repairs have to be complicated—what about the knob that came off your mixerDefinition:
Combiner, controller, and router for multiple audio or video signals., and was never replaced? Replacing it can eliminate a “dripping faucet” that’s bothered you for weeks, months, or even years.
Again, let me emphasize do-it-yourself repairs are not for everyone. It’s all too easy to make things worse instead of better if you’re impatient, not careful, or don’t have the needed tools. But if you’re reasonably handy, there’s a lot to be said for making your old gear new again.