Random loud popping [resolved]

Joe Garfield · 682

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Offline Joe Garfield

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on: September 08, 2020, 01:17:25 AM
I just finished Crack #2. It tested perfectly nominal in resistance and voltage. I started playing music and it sounds great with very quiet background, but there are sudden loud pops. I did a search but post threads about popping also mention hum.

I took the tubes out and they’re working fine in Crack 1.

I’ll check and reflow solder joints but is there any particular area to look at?
« Last Edit: September 09, 2020, 04:39:33 AM by Paul Birkeland »

Joe Marri
Modi MB > Crack > HD650


Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #1 on: September 08, 2020, 05:01:31 AM
I would reflow all of the solder joints.  Popping is often one that's loose with intermittent connections.

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline Joe Garfield

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Reply #2 on: September 08, 2020, 11:45:13 PM
Thanks Paul. In that case I opted to try the chopstick test and found the problem.

Joe Marri
Modi MB > Crack > HD650


Offline hoy83

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Reply #3 on: February 12, 2022, 08:37:26 PM
How did you do the chopsticks thing? you touched the joints while it was operating and found the problem the re-soldered the joint? I'm kind of having some popping sounds too on my crack.. on occasion there would not be but sometimes there's a lot of popping/static. I found that if I wiggled the power plug on the upper right of the chassis the cracking/popping increased..



Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #4 on: February 13, 2022, 04:22:55 AM
Plug some cheap headphones into the amp while it's running and poke around with a wooden chopstick to see what you have to poke to get the noise to happen.

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline hoy83

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Reply #5 on: February 13, 2022, 10:03:33 PM
so, I'll turn the chassis upside down, plug a pair of cheap headphones, connect it to an audio source playing music, then prod with a pair of chopsticks? Which joint creates static is where you have to re-solder?



Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #6 on: February 14, 2022, 05:10:57 AM
Yes, that is the idea.

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline hoy83

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Reply #7 on: February 15, 2022, 12:30:30 AM
oh ok great thanks, that's clearer to me now. But the other guy said in another thread the source should be silent, I'm assuming that I should put the volume of the source to zero then play music? or just not play at all while it's connected?



Online Doc B.

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Reply #8 on: February 15, 2022, 04:51:33 AM
If you ask the same question in two different threads there is a very high likelihood that you will get two different answers. Best bet is to follow this up in just one thread so we can all keep track of the progress.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
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Offline hoy83

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Reply #9 on: February 17, 2022, 04:27:32 AM
alright ok.