Orange DT not working, at all... No power or sound.

Hertz32

Hey guys, just had to move my amp today because of a new desk. I cooled the amp down etc. before moving it, didn't drop it or anything. But when I plugged it back in, there was no response. The tubes don't glow when powered on, There is no change in state at all between on and off Not sure what could be wrong... Any of you guys know? I'm slightly worried it could be the transformer or something...

Hertz32

To be fair though, the orange standby light was broken before this happened, so I have no idea if there is any power going to the amp at all.
I have also changed and checked the fuse, so it isn't that either.

ICBM

Have you tried different power cables?

Is there any hum from the amp at all when you turn on, if you put your ear right up against the casing?

Hertz32

Yes, I have tried different cables.
And No, there's no hum

ICBM

It does sound like no power is getting to the amp at all. Have you checked the fuse in the little drawer under the power cable socket? You'll need a small flat screwdriver to get it out… try not to chew up the plastic . Do you have a means of testing a fuse? Sometimes they can break without it being visibly obvious.

If it's not that, the most likely cause is actually a failed power switch rather than the transformer… I've come across a couple of those on Tiny Terrors, although only the off/standby/on version rather than the simple on/off I think.

Hertz32

ICBM said:

It does sound like no power is getting to the amp at all. Have you checked the fuse in the little drawer under the power cable socket? You'll need a small flat screwdriver to get it out… try not to chew up the plastic . Do you have a means of testing a fuse? Sometimes they can break without it being visibly obvious.

If it's not that, the most likely cause is actually a failed power switch rather than the transformer… I've come across a couple of those on Tiny Terrors, although only the off/standby/on version rather than the simple on/off I think.

Yeah, that was the fuse I switched. I had a spare 10A fuse so swapped it out and made no difference unfortunately. 
And I have a simple ON and OFF power switch and a 15W/standby/7W power attenuator switch. 
So probably not the switch itself... 

ICBM

For future reference, NEVER use a fuse of a much higher value to replace a blown one. All you will do is increase the damage which caused the fuse to blow in the first place.

In this case it may not matter if the original fuse wasn't blown anyway, but put it back now!

Still could be the power switch. At this point if you've changed the accessible fuses and it's still not working, you need a tech.

Hertz32

ICBM said:

For future reference, NEVER use a fuse of a much higher value to replace a blown one. All you will do is increase the damage which caused the fuse to blow in the first place.

In this case it may not matter if the original fuse wasn't blown anyway, but put it back now!

Still could be the power switch. At this point if you've changed the accessible fuses and it's still not working, you need a tech.

The original WAS a 10A fuse I wouldn't be that stupid! 
I used an identical fuse to check. 
I have emailed Orange asking about it, and I have the original receipt. It should be within warranty. Unfortunately, if they tell me to return it to the shop I bought it from for assessment, I'll have to be ampless for a while seeing as I live in South Bucks, and the store was in Edinburgh. 

ICBM

The original fuse is not 10A. If it had one in it had already been changed by someone. The correct value is *1* A. Check what it says on the back of the amp.

If a 10A fuse has been fitted this is a bad sign because it means it's likely the original fuse already blew and was replaced with one giving almost no protection, in which case the problem may well be more serious now...

If you bought the amp 'new' and it's the shop I'm thinking of, that wouldn't surprise me .

Hertz32

HA! Found it! 
I didn't spot the other fuse, I thought there would be 2, but there's 3 instead. And this one IS blown. 

it appears to be a T500mAL250V fuse? You wouldn't happen to know the sort of place that might stock them, that isn't online? I have a whole load of free time at the moment so I'd like to go in and buy one tomorrow if possible... 

Where were you thinking of? this place was very near a Zoo, in a place called Corstorphine and has the initials GG? 

ICBM

Yes. If it proves to be the case that this amp was not in fact new but had been previously sold and returned as faulty, and then sold again, let's just say that it's not the first time I have come across this...

Where was the blown fuse? 500mA isn't right for the mains fuse either - that's the one that should be in the drawer. There may be a spare in the outer section of the drawer as well.

The HT fuse in the separate round holder should be T500mA - but if the valves weren't lighting up this one shouldn't be the problem, that's a mains fuse issue.

If for some reason a 500mA fuse has been put in a position calling for a 1A fuse, it could blow for no reason other than being the wrong value.

Hertz32

10A in the mains plug fuse,
500mA in the drawer and 250mA in the HT fuse.

the Drawer fuse was the broken one, but there seems to be a spare in the drawer? There is one that is entirely enclosed in the drawer and can't be in use. but that says T1AL250V, rather than T500mAL250V that is also in the drawer, or T250mAL250V that is the HT fuse.
I assume it's a replacement for the drawer fuse, but I can't be sure... 

Hertz32

Ah, reading the user manual, it appears you can swap the two fuses out for 100/120v operation or 240V operation.
I assume the fuse would just blow instantly if I used one designed to handle 120V to take 240. 

ICBM

No - or not if there's no fault with the amp. It's the wrong value for 240V but it's a higher rather than lower value.

I'm assuming from the values you've given this is a Tiny Terror not a Dual Terror? If so then they're correct, although the mains plug should really have a 3A fuse, although it doesn't really matter - the important one is the one in the drawer which was blown.

Get another T500mA fuse and try replacing it - if it blows again, stop immediately and don't try again, since there is a fault with the amp. If it doesn't, it may have been just due to being bumped when you moved it - they can sometimes. Does the blown fuse look blackened inside? If so it's more likely there's a fault. If it's just cleanly broken there may not be.

I'm a little cautious about saying this, but if it's cleanly broken and you want to risk it you *could* try the 1A fuse - it's not good practice but it might at least tell you if there's likely to be another fault. If you do, replace it as soon as possible with the right value and don't just think it's "fixed".

And get a new bulb for it too! It makes fault finding easier, at least .

chillidoggy

Maplin normally stock fuses, if that's any help?

Hertz32

It's a Dark Terror, sorry! I put DT down forgetting that the Dual Terror existed The fuse is blackened on the inside too. I'll get on replacing it with the right value asap.

ICBM

The black fuse is probably a sign of a worse problem, so don't be surprised if the new one blows as well. In fact, if you want to save yourself the bother and 50p, I would probably just take it to a tech - since you'll have to if it blows the new fuse.

ecc83

ICBM said:

The black fuse is probably a sign of a worse problem, so don't be surprised if the new one blows as well. In fact, if you want to save yourself the bother and 50p, I would probably just take it to a tech - since you'll have to if it blows the new fuse.

Do you know if the amp uses a mains input filter cap' IC?

Dave.

ICBM

ecc83 said:

Do you know if the amp uses a mains input filter cap' IC?

Not as far as I remember.

Hertz32

I emailed Orange about it, they are sending me out a new fuse free of charge, and if that blows they'll probably tell me to take it back to GuitarGuitar :P Cheers for the help guys I'll let you know how it goes.