So my trusty Velocity started acting funny a couple months ago. The right side player stopped powering on and then the whole unit stopped powering on. I have used these seldomly since i purchased them back in 2003 (Manufacturer's date is 1/03) so they weren't abused.

I opened up the cover and to my astonishment I find that 2 of the capacitors on the power supply exploded and left this papery rusty residue on the inside of the case. (see pictures)





My commons sense thinks that I can just replace the power supply and it should work. Ordered a new one from Ernie, swapped them and NOTHING. ugh. I also switched fuses but that didn't work either.

So now I am sitting here with a piece of equipment i spent $1000 for and have no clue how to fix it. I guess I should just send it off to get repaired but it is out of warranty and I don't want to spend a ton of money when I could buy a newer model for cheaper. Any advice on how I can get this up and running?

EP_001_(Medium).jpg (92 KB, 0 downloads) Residue left from exploded capacitor.

Well, you hit the nail on thehead, blown caps. Might be best to replace them all. But, looking at image 2, I see residue elsewhere on the next PCB, which might have caused additional damage. I also see residue on the black wire in mimage 2, and what APPEARS to be a frayed section on another black wire. It could also be residue, can't tell from the image.

I think more images directed here and seen my support may lead to better answers.

When I had an issue on a camera last year, they simply snapped of and replaced all the caps. They are so small it's easier to do this than scope them one by one. And caps do "fail" in time.

That is residue on the wires in the picture above they aren't frayed at all. I cleaned off the residue from the board and there appears to be no damage. look:



Here is the remaining damage after i cleaned it up. Only left a stain on the case. No remaining discolor on any of the boards.



hmm.. all the caps look good and there doesn't appear to be any other visual signs of trouble. i just don't get why it isn't turning on?

If I need to replace all the caps then isn't it wiser to just get a whole new setup? (

Well, it depends. When you have a camera that you can't afford to replace(Super long story), then it made more sense to repair it. Also, caps are relatively speaking, cheap. All the cost is mainly labor for replacement.

In this case, just because you've cleaned the residue, doesn't mean that there is downstream damage, or upstream for that matter. The goo inside is an electrically conductive liquid or gel, so that spray could have caused something else to fry. And that's probably where the problem is, an IC paid the price for this accident.

One of your issues is the "seldomly used". A more frequently used item tends to not have these problems. But, I've seen "new" stuff fail like this as well, so it's more of a "guideline" and not a hard rule.

I'd say give service a call and see what they'd say it costs to fix. It might be cheaper than you expect. IF so, send it in. If not, then take your other option and replace it.

We don't work in a cheap business. This stuff costs money.

I guess you could design plastic shields to prevent a repeat? Sorry, I know it's not comfortng. Here's to hoping your Velocity is up and running soon!