Mark - AWESOME video! Thank you for the tips....I've got a bum Paradigm sub-woofer (NOT happy with Paradigm, even tho the other speakers are excellent)... and have been waiting forever for someone to post something like this. Amazing tips and step-by-step instructions. I'm going to give this a shot with my sub. Thank you for doing this... you ROCK!
This is amazing! Thank you. Paradigm I’m finding has horrible capacitors. Just learning about them trying to fix a Millenia CT2 system. Not sure if you’ve done but thanks for making it look possible.
Today I pulled the 2 boards from my SUB15 and used my fluke meter set to uf and took readings on all capacitors. The 2 large mains are good reading 2200uF / of the twelve 22uf caps 2 had a good reading 22uf six 15-40 and four reading 0ver 100uf. All the lower ones had a normal reading 10uf. Now I have to decide which brand type and specs I’m going to order. Amazon is endless in its selection and I can find-lots 22uf 35v , I’m just unsure of which one to pick. Going over your video again taking notes
I have a cinema ct series and when the bass hits it like pops slash makes a sound like incoming texts when near a sound device. I opened it and noticed those multi colour i think resistors kinda look like it burnt. Would that be the problem
I have a paradigm monitor series 7 sub with 12” woofer. Picked it up without trying it and got it home and it has no power/sound at all. I took the back off and all the wires/ fuse visually look okay and also continuity was fine on wires and fuse. Any checks that I can do now to narrow down what could be wrong ??
That looks like a cool sub to have in the house. A bit small for my liking but pretty nifty for the 2nd or 3rd system. lol Sounds like the sort of thing i would do on holiday. I once repaired a TV in an African village and wired up their new batteries for their solar system. Some people might struggle to clean out the holes (vias) it can take several techniques on certain boards, I use flux, leaded solder, wick, and various de-soldering tools, if that still doesn't work i try heating and blowing it out and sometimes it's just easier to heat the blocked hole while inserting the new component. If the hole is being particularly difficult you might need to preheat the area gently with a heat gun or infra red heat source. It can also mean that the via is broken half way through the board, if this is the case it may need to be tested depending on which side of the via the tracks go. It may need to be soldered from the side where the tracks connect to be sure or just test for connection after it's soldered.
I've also seen caps that were factory installed backwards with reverse polarity (matching the silkscreen, so it was obviously a design flaw), so I got the habit of checking the voltage on all caps to see if it's correct.
does anybody know if the heatsinks had insulators. The ones on the right did but i think i might have lost the ones on the left side, and does it cover the copper side and the silver side or just one side. Tried without an insulator and it blows the fuse. Did I lose something. Any help would be appreciated
Another thing to keep in mind is the size/footprint/lead spacing. The higher voltage caps could have a larger diameter or be taller. About the brands: Panasonic, Nippon Chemi-Con, Nichicon. What do you think of Rubycon?
Mark, I have a ps1000v4, recently my fuse blew, I Replaced the fuse. Now the amp is humming regardless of rca input from my stereo. Do you know what the problem may be.
Can you put the part numbers for the caps you got. Either on video description or here somewhere. Or at least give some values for the ESR and ripple rating. Most the ones listed don’t have an ESR rating
Hi, real cool video! I have the same problem so i thought trying to change the capacitors too :). Whilst taking the capacitors out I messed up with 2 capacitors, not knowing which one was which. Would you know the value of capacitor C32 (either 10 or 22 microF). Paradigm doe does not want to help :(.
I too have a Paradigm Subwoofer (PDM-10) to repair: It ramped up to a loud hum in a number of seconds and them blew fuse. (sounds like a cap fizzling bad). *Stupid question:* Is it really possible to check caps w/o removal? *RE: Atlas Peak ESR70:* I do occasional repairs (mostly PC mobos) but wondering if it is worth the $130? Sounds like in-circuit ESR testing could be invaluable.
I own an Atlas ESR70 Gold and yes, they are worth it if you repair stuff often. You will not regret buying it. And yes, you can *usually* test capacitors in-circuit, depends on the circuit configuration. But if you see an ESR that's high in-circuit, it's definitely bad. In general, it's best to remove all caps and test them out of circuit if you want it to last long-term. Because if one has failed...the others may be failing soon. And replacing all of them is worth it. These CapXon caps are CRAP, they are the cheapest available and never last. For that reason, I'd never recommend buying a Paradigm speaker. If they put good caps in for $5 more, I'd highly recommend them.
I have a set of Definitive Technology BP-7001 sc's and they have 1500 watt amps in each tower that don't work , can you repair them? There is no repair shop around me and Definitive Technology wants $600 to " try" to repair them.
Mark Furneaux Are you in Florida? All the repair shops in my area have closed. Hard to find skilled repair techs in my area. My Ultracube 12 is doing the same thing. I’ll drive it to you. :)
Any idea of what controls the auto turn on feature? I have noticed the input sensitivity is quite high. I am attempting to defeat the auto turn on feature. Thoughts?? Thank you for the great video BTW!
Recently I got a broken generic laptop power supply (the one where you can select the output voltage) from a friend for free. It was easy to fix, but while I was inside I noticed that the output caps were rated for 25 volts, and the output can go up to 24 volts. Needless to say I replaced them
Really appreciate this video. I have the same sub not working with a crackling sound. Wonder if you have an idea of what this is and what the fix would be. Either way thank you !
Have a Paradigm Studio Sub15 that has same issues. The sub just cuts out makes a pop noise shuts off and then turns back on. Using balanced cable and tried using PBK kit with no success. I opened it up and it has 2 power boards similar to the one in the one in your video. Looked them both over and can’t see any overheating or bad solder welds. I’m guessing bad capacitors. I’m going to remove both boards and have a local theatre repair shop check them. Hopefully they can determine the bad capacitor
Hello, My power transformer is bad. When it's plugged in it makes a humming noise. Looks like all the soldiers are good I can't see anything wrong. I can't seem to find anywhere to buy the spare transformer. Any idea where to buy a new one?
You called it that switching transformer. What I'm talking about any where I can find a new one? Also do you believe it could be the thing making the noise as it's coming from it
Awesome, what's your repair rates, I have an Ultracube that I would love to hold on to that has a board issue, not sure what. It sounds like its brewing popcorn - just a bunch of pops and when you disconnect the power it fades until it gives an audible thump where you can actually hear the signal.
Great video, very detailed. Thanks! Fixing one now, I hope that's all that's wrong. And yes, CapXon capacitors are CRAP. I replace every one of them when I see them, because others will fail soon afterwards. Why they didn't spend $5 extra to use good or even average caps is beyond me. Maybe the bean counters got involved, but the engineers should have protested.
I use the CPC division of Farnell when ordering components as they offer free delivery on orders over £10 in the UK. Obviously as the US is A LOT bigger, company's can't offer free postage.
Thanks to this segment I've found that 2 100MicroF 25V capacitors on my PDR 10 V4 "dried out" to 15Nf and cause the sub to switch off 30sec after the last Bass. They were on the main board next to the power supply capacitors. 1$ and 2 hours of work (end to end) > Thank you Mark
I just picked up this exact same sub at a yard sale, untested. It was very cheap. So I brought it home and switched it out with my current sub just to test it, and it appeared to be working fine. It sounded great too. A few hours later when I turned my system back on this sub started clicking loudly and the power light was blinking furiously. It doesn't work at all now. All it does is click when you plug it in, whether the RCA line level signal is connected or not. I certainly don't have the skills to fix it and fortunately I don't need it because my old sub works fine. Does anyone have any recommendations on what to do with this boat anchor now. Is it worth anything to anyone in this condition?
This was a great video. I know a little bit about electrics but not enough to do anything. After watching this I've decided to recap the board of my now dead ultracube 10. Do you have any really good newbie tutorials you'd recommend for recapping a board?
The caps managed to last more than 10 years, so as far as the manufacturer is concerned the engineering choice wasn't a bad one. I do have to question though the idea of Paradigm being a good brand when they have used cheapo components. They'll have skimped on other components for sure. And being made in Canada means there's no excuse here - it's understandable when a Chinese vendor uses locally sourced rubbish.
Hey Mark, when you're free (in every sense of the word) can you swing by my place and check out my just purchased Ultracube 10 sub and tell me why the metal plate(s) in the passive radiator sounds like they're loose and clanging on deep bass (like the heartbeat at the beginning of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon) even though I took them out and checked them and they were fine
I defo learned something today.something that is actually unacceptable.a so called high end speaker builder using cheap caps.its a damn disgrace actually.they should be ashamed to sell that sub.
When buying new replacement caps, my first choice are Panasonic FR or FM series. The FR series is rated for 10,000 hours at 105C. Panasonic is the best in my opinion. Brand new panasonic caps measure 0.00 ohms on my peak atlas ESR60. Ive replaced bad Nichicon caps before so I don't buy nichicon. I absolutely loathe CrapXon caps. They are the worst. CrapXon should be banned. The manufacturer obviously used CrapXon on purpose knowing that they would fail.
hey i'm an audio production studio working on a podcast, i'm looking into interviewing some people for parts of this (i'm still developing it right now!) please PM me if you're interested
Thanks for posting this video Mark. Do you know where I can find a replacement transformer for this amp. I can't find anything online for TSF1181 835-00318 0628 CHINA1. Thank you in advance.
Great info on capacitors, suppliers, troubleshooting and such. Also didn't think about the silk screen being wrong. Great tips. Thanks very much.
Thanks Mark. Any chance you can post the material list? That'll be very helpful.
Recently repaired my brothers using this guide. Fantastic resource, thank you! You're right about that solder - sticky and annoying stuff!
Thanks for the tips for buying caps!
Thanks to your video, I repaired my Ultracube 10.
Mark - AWESOME video! Thank you for the tips....I've got a bum Paradigm sub-woofer (NOT happy with Paradigm, even tho the other speakers are excellent)... and have been waiting forever for someone to post something like this. Amazing tips and step-by-step instructions. I'm going to give this a shot with my sub. Thank you for doing this... you ROCK!
AMAZING! I can't thank you enough man. I followed your recommendation, replaced all caps and my subwoofer is now up and running.
On the lower-cost end I've had reasonably good success with JWCo, both their non-low-ESR and low-ESR variety.
This is amazing! Thank you. Paradigm I’m finding has horrible capacitors. Just learning about them trying to fix a Millenia CT2 system. Not sure if you’ve done but thanks for making it look possible.
Today I pulled the 2 boards from my SUB15 and used my fluke meter set to uf and took readings on all capacitors. The 2 large mains are good reading 2200uF / of the twelve 22uf caps 2 had a good reading 22uf six 15-40 and four reading 0ver 100uf. All the lower ones had a normal reading 10uf.
Now I have to decide which brand type and specs I’m going to order. Amazon is endless in its selection and I can find-lots 22uf 35v , I’m just unsure of which one to pick.
Going over your video again taking notes
I have a cinema ct series and when the bass hits it like pops slash makes a sound like incoming texts when near a sound device. I opened it and noticed those multi colour i think resistors kinda look like it burnt. Would that be the problem
I have a paradigm monitor series 7 sub with 12” woofer.
Picked it up without trying it and got it home and it has no power/sound at all. I took the back off and all the wires/ fuse visually look okay and also continuity was fine on wires and fuse. Any checks that I can do now to narrow down what could be wrong ??
Great info and fix!
That looks like a cool sub to have in the house. A bit small for my liking but pretty nifty for the 2nd or 3rd system. lol
Sounds like the sort of thing i would do on holiday. I once repaired a TV in an African village and wired up their new batteries for their solar system. Some people might struggle to clean out the holes (vias) it can take several techniques on certain boards, I use flux, leaded solder, wick, and various de-soldering tools, if that still doesn't work i try heating and blowing it out and sometimes it's just easier to heat the blocked hole while inserting the new component. If the hole is being particularly difficult you might need to preheat the area gently with a heat gun or infra red heat source. It can also mean that the via is broken half way through the board, if this is the case it may need to be tested depending on which side of the via the tracks go. It may need to be soldered from the side where the tracks connect to be sure or just test for connection after it's soldered.
Could you link the capacitors you used? I would greatly appreciate it as I am a newbie. Thanks :)
What was the follow up to this issue? .. Did the sub survive long after this fix?
that is an interesting amp board, where is the DC filtering on the other side of the SMPS?? it is only using the 2 ceramics?
Could you do us a favor and link or list the exact caps you bought here?
Hey question could you tell the firm cap on the Amp the one that says 225k
250js
The correct one to buy on digikey
I've also seen caps that were factory installed backwards with reverse polarity (matching the silkscreen, so it was obviously a design flaw), so I got the habit of checking the voltage on all caps to see if it's correct.
does anybody know if the heatsinks had insulators. The ones on the right did but i think i might have lost the ones on the left side, and does it cover the copper side and the silver side or just one side. Tried without an insulator and it blows the fuse. Did I lose something. Any help would be appreciated
Hi can you please tells me how many voltage is the fuses
Thanks
Would anyone happen to know the impedance of the ultracube 10" woofer?
Interesting amp board - a discrete built digital amp :)
Another thing to keep in mind is the size/footprint/lead spacing. The higher voltage caps could have a larger diameter or be taller. About the brands: Panasonic, Nippon Chemi-Con, Nichicon. What do you think of Rubycon?
Rubycon is fine. They are definitely up there with the others.
Mark, I have a ps1000v4, recently my fuse blew, I Replaced the fuse. Now the amp is humming regardless of rca input from my stereo. Do you know what the problem may be.
If I remember correctly, you said writing firmware was your job, what language would one write firmware in?
Can you put the part numbers for the caps you got. Either on video description or here somewhere. Or at least give some values for the ESR and ripple rating. Most the ones listed don’t have an ESR rating
Can any one help my UltraCube just stopped turning on these caps can any one tell me exactly which to buy I can’t figure it out
Hi, real cool video! I have the same problem so i thought trying to change the capacitors too :). Whilst taking the capacitors out I messed up with 2 capacitors, not knowing which one was which. Would you know the value of capacitor C32 (either 10 or 22 microF). Paradigm doe does not want to help :(.
I too have a Paradigm Subwoofer (PDM-10) to repair: It ramped up to a loud hum in a number of seconds and them blew fuse. (sounds like a cap fizzling bad). *Stupid question:* Is it really possible to check caps w/o removal?
*RE: Atlas Peak ESR70:* I do occasional repairs (mostly PC mobos) but wondering if it is worth the $130? Sounds like in-circuit ESR testing could be invaluable.
I own an Atlas ESR70 Gold and yes, they are worth it if you repair stuff often. You will not regret buying it. And yes, you can *usually* test capacitors in-circuit, depends on the circuit configuration. But if you see an ESR that's high in-circuit, it's definitely bad. In general, it's best to remove all caps and test them out of circuit if you want it to last long-term. Because if one has failed...the others may be failing soon. And replacing all of them is worth it. These CapXon caps are CRAP, they are the cheapest available and never last. For that reason, I'd never recommend buying a Paradigm speaker. If they put good caps in for $5 more, I'd highly recommend them.
Can you give us a list of the specific caps you used? I'd like to do the same with my brothers' Cube.
I have a set of Definitive Technology BP-7001 sc's and they have 1500 watt amps in each tower that don't work , can you repair them?
There is no repair shop around me and Definitive Technology wants $600 to " try" to repair them.
Did you verify the original fault with the popping was gone? In case the caps weren’t the issue but a leaking amp transistor instead.
I did. I ran an extended test (which failed before) and it passes now.
Mark Furneaux Are you in Florida? All the repair shops in my area have closed. Hard to find skilled repair techs in my area. My Ultracube 12 is doing the same thing. I’ll drive it to you. :)
@@fluffysfunhouse8895 did you get yours fixed?
Where to fix my cube 10 isn’t turn on
Hi Mark! Any interest in fixing mine? Same thing before it finally quit. Popping sounds now and again. Now no light, nothing.
I'm having a hard time finding someone that can perform this repair cost effectively, I'm willing to ship the board out any ideas?
Any idea of what controls the auto turn on feature? I have noticed the input sensitivity is quite high. I am attempting to defeat the auto turn on feature. Thoughts?? Thank you for the great video BTW!
were you able to bypass the auto on feature?
@@vibeline583 unfortunately no :(
Recently I got a broken generic laptop power supply (the one where you can select the output voltage) from a friend for free. It was easy to fix, but while I was inside I noticed that the output caps were rated for 25 volts, and the output can go up to 24 volts.
Needless to say I replaced them
Thanks bro
does anyone know where to get the plates with surround for this? mine deteriorated a while back
Just ordered some direct from paradigm
Ultracube 10 passive radiator.
Part # 2090871010
Really appreciate this video. I have the same sub not working with a crackling sound. Wonder if you have an idea of what this is and what the fix would be. Either way thank you !
Have a Paradigm Studio Sub15 that has same issues. The sub just cuts out makes a pop noise shuts off and then turns back on. Using balanced cable and tried using PBK kit with no success. I opened it up and it has 2 power boards similar to the one in the one in your video.
Looked them both over and can’t see any overheating or bad solder welds. I’m guessing bad capacitors. I’m going to remove both boards and have a local theatre repair shop check them.
Hopefully they can determine the bad capacitor
Where can I find repair of my ultra cube 12" sub.tnx
@@raulariola8718 did you ever get yours fixed?
Hello,
My power transformer is bad. When it's plugged in it makes a humming noise. Looks like all the soldiers are good I can't see anything wrong. I can't seem to find anywhere to buy the spare transformer. Any idea where to buy a new one?
You called it that switching transformer. What I'm talking about any where I can find a new one? Also do you believe it could be the thing making the noise as it's coming from it
Awesome, what's your repair rates, I have an Ultracube that I would love to hold on to that has a board issue, not sure what. It sounds like its brewing popcorn - just a bunch of pops and when you disconnect the power it fades until it gives an audible thump where you can actually hear the signal.
I have an ultracube 12 that is doing the exact same thing. did you fix yours?
@@vibeline583 I ended up selling it on ebay for parts - sold for about 170
I use exactly the same criteria. 😀
You only use Panasonic Nippon Chemi-Con and Nichicon.
What’s wrong with Rubycon?
Paradigm say they do not ofer manual service for the sub I try fix. PW-2200 v2. Very painfull
Great video, very detailed. Thanks! Fixing one now, I hope that's all that's wrong. And yes, CapXon capacitors are CRAP. I replace every one of them when I see them, because others will fail soon afterwards. Why they didn't spend $5 extra to use good or even average caps is beyond me. Maybe the bean counters got involved, but the engineers should have protested.
I use the CPC division of Farnell when ordering components as they offer free delivery on orders over £10 in the UK. Obviously as the US is A LOT bigger, company's can't offer free postage.
But I don't live in the US...
Thanks to this segment I've found that 2 100MicroF 25V capacitors on my PDR 10 V4 "dried out" to 15Nf and cause the sub to switch off 30sec after the last Bass. They were on the main board next to the power supply capacitors. 1$ and 2 hours of work (end to end) > Thank you Mark
Здравствуйте, наверное очень мощный сабвуфер? Хочу такой купить б/у. Скажите стоит покупать?
I just picked up this exact same sub at a yard sale, untested. It was very cheap. So I brought it home and switched it out with my current sub just to test it, and it appeared to be working fine. It sounded great too. A few hours later when I turned my system back on this sub started clicking loudly and the power light was blinking furiously. It doesn't work at all now. All it does is click when you plug it in, whether the RCA line level signal is connected or not. I certainly don't have the skills to fix it and fortunately I don't need it because my old sub works fine. Does anyone have any recommendations on what to do with this boat anchor now. Is it worth anything to anyone in this condition?
Still have it?
@@zenlunatic25 No, I sold it to someone who knew how to fix it.
@@zenlunatic25 No
I was super lucky and it was just the fuse on mine!
This was a great video. I know a little bit about electrics but not enough to do anything. After watching this I've decided to recap the board of my now dead ultracube 10. Do you have any really good newbie tutorials you'd recommend for recapping a board?
The caps managed to last more than 10 years, so as far as the manufacturer is concerned the engineering choice wasn't a bad one.
I do have to question though the idea of Paradigm being a good brand when they have used cheapo components. They'll have skimped on other components for sure. And being made in Canada means there's no excuse here - it's understandable when a Chinese vendor uses locally sourced rubbish.
Hey Mark, when you're free (in every sense of the word) can you swing by my place and check out my just purchased Ultracube 10 sub and tell me why the metal plate(s) in the passive radiator sounds like they're loose and clanging on deep bass (like the heartbeat at the beginning of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon) even though I took them out and checked them and they were fine
Holy cap! (see what I did there ?) I didn't know I could learn so much in 15 min!
I just laughed my a** off! You are too funny!
Please i need ur help big guy
I defo learned something today.something that is actually unacceptable.a so called high end speaker builder using cheap caps.its a damn disgrace actually.they should be ashamed to sell that sub.
Like i have power still so ...
@?
When buying new replacement caps, my first choice are Panasonic FR or FM series. The FR series is rated for 10,000 hours at 105C. Panasonic is the best in my opinion. Brand new panasonic caps measure 0.00 ohms on my peak atlas ESR60. Ive replaced bad Nichicon caps before so I don't buy nichicon. I absolutely loathe CrapXon caps. They are the worst. CrapXon should be banned. The manufacturer obviously used CrapXon on purpose knowing that they would fail.
CapXon may be terrible, but I still think that Su'scon and Samwa are more terrible.
Yep, those are bad too.
Passes me off that I spent $1500 dollars on a sub that uses cheap components. I will never buy paradigm again. Spent good money on a overpriced brand.
hello
Amazing how unreliable paradigm stuff is... My pdr 10 "blew" only 5 years after new
Replacing caps = fixing??? NO Fuckin way!!@ where do you learn that from? What a waste of time
hey i'm an audio production studio working on a podcast, i'm looking into interviewing some people for parts of this (i'm still developing it right now!) please PM me if you're interested
It gets irritating when you stick your hand into the frame & gesticulate, in fact it's quite annoying.
Talks to much
Thanks for posting this video Mark.
Do you know where I can find a replacement transformer for this amp.
I can't find anything online for TSF1181 835-00318 0628 CHINA1.
Thank you in advance.