Share your knowledge on these two classic MPCs
By amazingmaze Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:47 pm
Hello,
I am kinda shocked right now:

I was working on a beat about an hour ago and then left the MPC for some time.
Out of nothing I heard that clicking noise my speakers make when I turn off the MPC - I looked up and saw that the LCD monitor that is connected to my MPC didnt show the MPC screen anymore.

So - my MPC turned off out of nothing. When I tried to power it nothing happened. I plugged out the power cable and plugged it in again but that didnt change anything.

When I power the MPC the backlight doesnt really turn on but seem to get a little brighter - but the machine doesnt seem to boot. There is no noise coming from the inside (no noise coming from the internal zip drive neither - so I take it as the MPC isn't really booting...)

I opened the MPC to check for anything obvious that even a noob like me could consider as the problem but couldnt find anything aside from the fact that the parts above the power generator seem to be real "dark" due to the heat coming from the power generator:
Image

I have an MPC 3000 running the Vailixi OS.
I read through a few threads on here the search function showed and found a certain one talking about blown fuses, wrong ACs etc.
Even though I am pretty sure I didn't do anything wrong regearding the power supply as I have been running this machine for about two years now with no problem, is there any way I could find out if I did something wrong?
Like honestly mentioned above, I am a total noob when it comes to electrics etc - so I dont even know how to find out if my machine is from the US or an European model...Is there anyway I can find out? How can I find out if I used the wrong / right cables / power supply?

I really hope you guys can help me - I really do not wanna see her die and have no clue what to do.

Any help is truly appreciated.

thanks in advance
MAZE
By MPCHunter Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:41 pm
amazingmaze wrote:Even though I am pretty sure I didn't do anything wrong regearding the power supply as I have been running this machine for about two years now with no problem, is there any way I could find out if I did something wrong?
Like honestly mentioned above, I am a total noob when it comes to electrics etc - so I dont even know how to find out if my machine is from the US or an European model...Is there anyway I can find out? How can I find out if I used the wrong / right cables / power supply?


Something may have jarred itself loose inside while you were playing.

With the power cord unplugged, open up the MPC and reseat every connector on the various boards.

Also, while it is open, take a look at the glass fuses on the power supply to make sure none of them have blown or are burnt.

Regading the voltage, on the back of the MPC there should be a sticker that says what the power the model takes.If it's a US model it'll say something like 120 VAC -- Japanese and European models will have a different voltage.

What does your unit say, and what is the voltage that runs in the room that you are making music?
By amazingmaze Fri Jun 04, 2010 10:04 am
MPCHunter wrote:
amazingmaze wrote:Even though I am pretty sure I didn't do anything wrong regearding the power supply as I have been running this machine for about two years now with no problem, is there any way I could find out if I did something wrong?
Like honestly mentioned above, I am a total noob when it comes to electrics etc - so I dont even know how to find out if my machine is from the US or an European model...Is there anyway I can find out? How can I find out if I used the wrong / right cables / power supply?


Something may have jarred itself loose inside while you were playing.

With the power cord unplugged, open up the MPC and reseat every connector on the various boards.

Also, while it is open, take a look at the glass fuses on the power supply to make sure none of them have blown or are burnt.

Regading the voltage, on the back of the MPC there should be a sticker that says what the power the model takes.If it's a US model it'll say something like 120 VAC -- Japanese and European models will have a different voltage.

What does your unit say, and what is the voltage that runs in the room that you are making music?


Hey MPCHunter
thanks for your reply.

The back of my MPC says 220-230V - thats exactly the power we use over here in Germany. On the same sticker it also states "E" which, according to the service manual, indicates that the machine was built for usage in Europe.
I will take the MPC to a friend who's an electrican to check for the fuses etc....
Did you check the picture I added to my post? what about that dark thing? Is that normal?

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate the help
User avatar
By NearTao Fri Jun 04, 2010 12:58 pm
The 'burnt' part on the PCB may look bad, but that's probably more of an age issue from just being exposed to a lot of heat from the capacitors than an indication of a real problem. If it were a younger unit, or it was black I'd be more concerned.

Be careful pushing on stuff around the capacitors or even touching them... they can really hurt you.
By amazingmaze Fri Jun 04, 2010 4:31 pm
a little update: I just looked at the four fuses inside the MPC and they seem okay (they all still have their "thin line" inside which, to my knowledge, would have been broken in case they are not correct anymore).
Also I just powered the MPC again and realized that not only the screen seems to get a little brighter but also all red LED's above the buttons work, so they all get "on"...but still no sign of the machine to boot or something..?!
By MPCHunter Fri Jun 04, 2010 7:02 pm
Have you checked all the internal cables to make sure they are still seated properly?

Pay particular attention to the cables that connect the pads.


I have a feeling that something wiggled loose while you were playing.

If the cables are good, then we may need to look further electrically.
By amazingmaze Fri Jun 04, 2010 10:33 pm
MPCHunter wrote:Have you checked all the internal cables to make sure they are still seated properly?

Pay particular attention to the cables that connect the pads.


I have a feeling that something wiggled loose while you were playing.

If the cables are good, then we may need to look further electrically.


Yo MPCHunter

thanks for your response again.

I checked the cables as good as I could and they all seem to be seated properly...damn....I really hoped it would be the fuses or something like that....Do you have any idea what the reason could be?

thanks in advance
By MPCHunter Sat Jun 05, 2010 11:05 pm
For starters, you will need to check the power voltages using a multimeter at W904 on the Power PCB. It's likely that one of the regulators has gone and will need to be replaced...

oldgearguy here on the forums has been kind enough to post the service manual for the MPC 3000 in full on his website. http://www.oldgearguy.com/

If you aren't able to do this repair yourself, find a technician or someone that can.You can easily damage your MPC or yourself if you do not know what you are doing.
User avatar
By b.read Thu Jun 10, 2010 3:50 pm
Thanks for the link ^^^


Keep us posted on what the fix was, Maze!
By amazingmaze Fri Jun 11, 2010 11:18 am
Yo
the electrician just called - I can pick up my beloved baby today!
Damn, I am so **** happy, I can*t even tell you - I am right in the middle of finishing the last Tracks for my producer album (featuring Kool G Rap, Sean Price, Torae, Rasco, Large Pro, Reef The Lost Cauze, Lord Tariq and many more) and a broken MPC is the last thing I could handle at this point - so thank god it worked out well.

I will ask the electrician to explain in detail what happened, how he fixed it etc. and will let you know!

Thanks for the help - good to see there is a place where skilled and knowledgeable people dwell and are willing to help out!
User avatar
By b.read Fri Jun 11, 2010 12:44 pm
amazingmaze wrote:I will ask the electrician to explain in detail what happened, how he fixed it etc. and will let you know!



Sounds good!

Good luck with the release- I'm guessing you'll post a thread about it in the "your music" section?
By Oldskull Sat Jun 26, 2010 2:24 pm
I'm pretty interested what was wrong in your unit. While reading this thread post by post - I've thought myself that the internal power supply have made a lil barbecque. Power supplys are not toasting very often, but I have some experience with repairing those damn Vestax pdx 2000 turntables, and I've notice in some of them, that the problem of not properly working unit is caused by blown, or overheated power supply. Hit us up, what was wrong with your sweetie.
By Dave_Mode Wed Jun 01, 2011 5:17 am
Has anyone else had this issue, and solved it?
Yo AmazingMaze ... what was the final solution to your power issue?
By HaterNob Wed Jun 01, 2011 6:16 am
I'm pretty sure I had this issue, or one very similar at least...

When I powered up the MPC the screen came on and all of the LEDS but the machine would not boot.

After growing some balls I took the power board out of the machine and noticed a cracked solder joint on the line that takes power to the ROM board. I resoldered that and the bastard is working again!