Audio cuts out S3000xl

Hi, I have an issue with my S3000xl where the audio randomly stops after editing a sample or sometimes editing a program. It seems a bit random and I can’t pin it down, but I can get it back by going to Global/Tune and increasing/decreasing the levels, or after a hard reboot. I’ve got a ZuluSCSI installed but I don’t think it connected to that. Seems like a bug - could it be a corrupt OS? Or a hardware issue? Thanks!

It could be multiple things.

Remove the RAM from your S3000XL and see if the problem persists.

Ok thanks, I’ll give that a go

I've isolated this down to the EB16 FX board. Weird because the effects seems to be working fine. It's just when I edit a sample - usually after a trim - that the audio stops working and I have to go to Global > Tune and change the master level up or down, then it starts working again. Any thoughts? Thanks

Hi,

I'm assuming that after removing the EB16 everything works OK?
It is possible that the RAM on the EB16 board failed somewhere in the middle, but there are 5 chips there. DSP, decoder and 3 dRAMs. Anything could have happened. This is unlikely to be diagnosed remotely. It is possible that even firmware EPROM can be failed in a location related to the EB16 service Try to replace EPROM with fresh programmed one first.

Cheerz
tOri

Thanks mate, will try a new eprom first

I'm having exactly same problem, have you manage to resolve it?

I have Akai S3000XL with the EB16 effects board
changes output level at random, somtimes very loud, somtimes very quiet, sometimes audio soundes corrupt.
i can reset it in global setting but somtimes audio stays corrupt and needs switching off and on again

i took out the EB16, still happens
took out memory sticks ... still same
seems like its either EPROM or internal 2mwords memory is corrupt
also seem to be happening more when i have audio coming in and going thru reverb but can't be sure as it's so random

spider.recording wrote:I'm having exactly same problem, have you manage to resolve it?

I have Akai S3000XL with the EB16 effects board
changes output level at random, somtimes very loud, somtimes very quiet, sometimes audio soundes corrupt.
i can reset it in global setting but somtimes audio stays corrupt and needs switching off and on again

i took out the EB16, still happens
took out memory sticks ... still same
seems like its either EPROM or internal 2mwords memory is corrupt
also seem to be happening more when i have audio coming in and going thru reverb but can't be sure as it's so random

hi, did you ever resolve this? i'm having the exact same issue.

hi birdlabs,
i removed the EB16 and the bug occurs once per session, thats as far i got
the audio bug didn't go away but happens rarely and i doesn't make audio really loud, I use the sampler nearly daily

whats your symptoms?

spider.recording wrote:hi birdlabs,
i removed the EB16 and the bug occurs once per session, thats as far i got
the audio bug didn't go away but happens rarely and i doesn't make audio really loud, I use the sampler nearly daily

whats your symptoms?

it's pretty much exactly as you described. audio cuts out every time i have the EB16 installed unless i don't load any samples or very few. without it installed it happens occasionally, mainly when i load a lot of samples and usually only with the most recently loaded ones. when it cuts out, i'm not able to load new samples so it seems to have to do with the RAM or memory bus in some way.

i've replaced the PSU, EPROM, 32mb RAM, and up next is to replace the entire main board. i'll report back if that solves it, it's en route from Turkey to the US. i've spent more trying to fix the damn thing than i spent to get it in the first place!!

okay, replacing the main board seems to have done the trick.

it's also worth noting that my S3Kxl had a LED backlight upgrade which the previous owner had plugged into the power supply that originally fed the backlight inverter (W102). when i first opened up the unit i noticed that ground at W102 had been disconnected. i hooked that power source up to an oscilloscope and noticed quite a bit of noise on top of the 5VDC there, so when i replaced the board i hooked it up to P21, the molex connector next to the SCSI port near the back of the board, and the screen looks very nice now. i'm wondering if being ungrounded or just plugged into a dirty power source had caused permanent instability in the 5V rail and messed up the memory system.

it's also worth noting that there are two versions of the S3Kxl main board, L6039A5020 and L6039A5050, the second version. mine had the '50 and most units i've seen in videos of people opening theirs up had that one as well. i was fortunate enough to be able to locate a '50 board so i didn't need to change much. this site: https://www.studio.supplies/product/akai-s3000xl-main-board-l6039a5020/ has main boards in stock, but it's only the original PCB, so it's hard to say how much of a hassle that would be to install if you have the second version.

this has been quite a journey! i'm very relieved to have my sampler back and finally have a working effects board after all the hassle.