tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post585922203962767971..comments2024-03-14T10:57:52.588+00:00Comments on mending things: Mending a pair of M-AUDIO BX5a monitorsMr Iveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14965084993191032538noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-69449665880144622082020-06-06T08:18:24.035+01:002020-06-06T08:18:24.035+01:00greetings essp74,
yes this blog still seems to ge...greetings essp74,<br /><br />yes this blog still seems to get hits. Regarding your speakers I'm not familiar with this model but some of the steps I follow may help diagnose the problem. I think I would attempt to remove the tweeter and test for electrical continuity across its positive and negative terminals, as I did with my faulty bass driver issue. It could be a broken wire in the tweeter, which would require a replacement, but I hope it is perhaps just a bad connection of the wires which connect to the tweeter. I cannot see from pictures how you get the front of the speaker off , only screws on the back, . If the wires from the tweeter extend to the amp board at the back and these have a pish fit , you can test the continuity of bot tweeter and the wires by setting the range to Ohms/resistance and seeing it there is a circuit. You can get a multimeter for $5 on ebay and they are very useful tools to have for all kinds of problems, both audio and household, so a good investment. Good luckMr Iveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14965084993191032538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-7205340741383778802020-06-05T18:08:38.659+01:002020-06-05T18:08:38.659+01:00Hello, I see that this thread never runs out. My p...Hello, I see that this thread never runs out. My problem is that on a Bx5 D2 monitor, the tweeter does not work, just press a little on it and it works, but when I stop pressing it stops sounding.<br /><br />Any advice?<br />Thank you so much.essp74https://www.blogger.com/profile/11217454277037090988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-64345058397647154702020-06-05T18:07:49.310+01:002020-06-05T18:07:49.310+01:00Hello, I see that this thread never runs out. My p...Hello, I see that this thread never runs out. My problem is that on a Bx5 D2 monitor, the tweeter does not work, just press a little on it and it works, but when I stop pressing it stops sounding.<br /><br />Any advice?<br />Thank you so much.essp74https://www.blogger.com/profile/11217454277037090988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-17017430789568767552019-08-17T00:09:41.553+01:002019-08-17T00:09:41.553+01:00Hello, Mr Ives & John B,
Well I thought I'...Hello, Mr Ives & John B,<br />Well I thought I'd done a reasonable job of de-soldering the old ones, as the new capacitors - which were slightly narrower btw but with the right numbering etc, fitted easily through the wire holes, and I soldered them so that they were/are fairly firm, but didn't glue them back as well. The top of circuit board does have some sort of 'coating' near the capacitors, which I'm unsure is normal? the old capacitors don't appear to have leaked though, so I don't know what it is. I'd better take the speaker apart again guess to double check the polarity. But if that's okay and it's a faulty chip as John suggests, then that's beyond my repair skills I'd say, and I'll have to stay with mono sound from my one good monitor. It was worth a try though.Tom A Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17748348606916715805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-90898665360966549512019-08-15T06:29:08.017+01:002019-08-15T06:29:08.017+01:00Thank you John B Thank you John B Mr Iveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14965084993191032538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-19181537454802461772019-08-14T20:53:12.151+01:002019-08-14T20:53:12.151+01:00Hi Tom A Jones
I had the larger Bx8A's and you...Hi Tom A Jones<br />I had the larger Bx8A's and your symptoms and the way they've played out seem similar to what I had - A faulty IC chip (the chip adhered to the heatsink), and a resistor that needed replacing in my case. I too hoped it was just the capacitors but replacing them yielded the same hum and behaviour. It's not a sure bet but just wanted to add this as a possible avenue to explore. You can search my findings in this thread via 'John B'.<br />Best of luck with it!John Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13546656692287478183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-68601121761327515842019-08-14T18:08:44.858+01:002019-08-14T18:08:44.858+01:00Hi Tom, sorry it's still giving you hum. In my...Hi Tom, sorry it's still giving you hum. In my pictures above the negative side of the cap has the grey white strip with arrow heads on it, and negative symbols, but I agree it's not obvious.<br /><br />It is important that they are the right way round, but is that the cause of humming still ? Not sure. You managed to get the old caps removed and the solder cleaned up without damaging the tracks ? Are the new solder joints good ?<br /><br />Mr Iveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14965084993191032538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-20497965562798909552019-08-14T16:22:20.955+01:002019-08-14T16:22:20.955+01:00Hello, Well that's a long thread! and I read i...Hello, Well that's a long thread! and I read it all :) But none the wiser as to why my repair of replacing both capacitors hasn't worked? Neither looked to be leaky btw, so I replaced one and tested - Still Buzzing. Then replaced the other and still.. buzzing. took me almost 2 hours too. The only thing I'm unsure about is the polarity? The Youtube video I followed did not mention the importance or not of this, so I was not 100% certain they went in the same way - I just looked at the colouring on the side of the old capacitor and though slightly different thought I'd got them both the same way. As there are no visible + and - signs on the capacitor or the board, I was thinking then maybe it's not that important? Would I still get the same loud buzzing if I got the polarity the wrong way? So I'm back to mono sound again, at least my other BX5a is working okay.Tom A Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17748348606916715805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-66341165467515597792019-08-14T16:19:20.139+01:002019-08-14T16:19:20.139+01:00Hello, Well that's a long thread! and I read i...Hello, Well that's a long thread! and I read it all :) But none the wiser as to why my repair of replacing both capacitors hasn't worked? Neither looked to be leaky btw, so I replaced one and tested - Still Buzzing. Then replaced the other and still.. buzzing. took me almost 2 hours too. The only thing I'm unsure about is the polarity? The Youtube video I followed did not mention the importance or not of this, so I was not 100% certain they went in the same way - I just looked at the colouring on the side of the old capacitor and though slightly different thought I'd got them both the same way. As there are no visible + and - signs on the capacitor or the board, I was thinking then maybe it's not that important? Would I still get the same loud buzzing if I got the polarity the wrong way? So I'm back to mono sound again, at least my other BX5a is working okay.Tom A Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17748348606916715805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-44456465485141562612019-08-14T16:18:49.681+01:002019-08-14T16:18:49.681+01:00Hello, Well that's a long thread! and I read i...Hello, Well that's a long thread! and I read it all :) But none the wiser as to why my repair of replacing both capacitors hasn't worked? Neither looked to be leaky btw, so I replaced one and tested - Still Buzzing. Then replaced the other and still.. buzzing. took me almost 2 hours too. The only thing I'm unsure about is the polarity? The Youtube video I followed did not mention the importance or not of this, so I was not 100% certain they went in the same way - I just looked at the colouring on the side of the old capacitor and though slightly different thought I'd got them both the same way. As there are no visible + and - signs on the capacitor or the board, I was thinking then maybe it's not that important? Would I still get the same loud buzzing if I got the polarity the wrong way? So I'm back to mono sound again, at least my other BX5a is working okay.Tom A Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17748348606916715805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-33446492138809557852019-07-12T07:17:59.325+01:002019-07-12T07:17:59.325+01:00My pleasure Fred, glad its still of useMy pleasure Fred, glad its still of useMr Iveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14965084993191032538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-6152282755769198042019-07-12T02:52:56.294+01:002019-07-12T02:52:56.294+01:00Thanks so much for this post and for keeping up wi...Thanks so much for this post and for keeping up with the years of comments! This fix made my speakers the bargain that I thought I was getting at the yard sale. For other US folks, I used the Nichicon 68000uF 20%25V Radial capacitor from Digi-Key, their part number 493-1846-ND, manufacturer's PN UPW1E682MHD.Fred Petershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14479749371620741980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-25659173965744325632019-05-02T11:36:39.000+01:002019-05-02T11:36:39.000+01:00Hi guys , anyone has an idea what impedance are th...Hi guys , anyone has an idea what impedance are the low and high frequency drivers on the bx5 d2 , I would like to replace the drivers with oem drivers with lower distortion than the original M-Audio drivers ✌🏽Deeptribe Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10092618723291392584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-67907198681886648412018-11-20T18:48:33.336+00:002018-11-20T18:48:33.336+00:00Hi and thank you for sharing your experience. I am...Hi and thank you for sharing your experience. I am currently dealing with failed M-Audio BX5 D2 :( transformer is giving correct voltage, blue LED lit, but no sound is going out. Do you have any hint where to find circuit scheme?<br />Thank you,<br />MirekMireknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-58419525632499609422018-10-23T21:40:52.131+01:002018-10-23T21:40:52.131+01:00BobCov and Anonymous, sorry for taking a while to ...BobCov and Anonymous, sorry for taking a while to reply, blogger seems to have not been sending me email notifications.<br /><br />glad you both are progressing getting these speakers back to normal workinMr Iveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14965084993191032538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-7540655787786250912018-06-22T18:02:41.032+01:002018-06-22T18:02:41.032+01:00Hi, I made half of this repair today. The glue aro...Hi, I made half of this repair today. The glue around the capacitors was quite a challenge and presented the greatest risk. At one point, I removed one of the rectifier diodes in order to get better access, but I was not making any headway. My solution was to cut the plastic wrapper around the capacitor and peel it off. The glue was stuck to the wrapper, not the metal body of the capacitor. I then was able to easily remove it. However, to do the same with the 2nd would have involved removing another diode. Based on the condition of the cap, I took the risk that it was still functioning and did not change it out. The speaker is running fine again and I have the other capacitor in reserve in case I need it. (Pardon me if this comment gets submitted twice)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-8507352862276099032018-05-30T20:43:42.811+01:002018-05-30T20:43:42.811+01:00Thanks for a clear and thorough guide. I also have...Thanks for a clear and thorough guide. I also have the bad capacitor symptoms. These speakers were given to me because one didn't work at all. At the time, I was able to buy a power circuit board from M-Audio for about $50 and make the repair. Now it is some 8 years later and one of the speakers failed. Considering that these were rarely on for more than 10 hours per month, this is exceptionally poor quality control. I will begin the hunt in Germany for the right capacitors.BobCovnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-23053441812204363932018-04-20T21:50:31.737+01:002018-04-20T21:50:31.737+01:00Mr. Ives,
Thank you for the quick response - espec...Mr. Ives,<br />Thank you for the quick response - especially with the time difference!<br />The tweeter was still in the cabinet, i used alligator clips from it to the ohm meter. -0- ohms. I'll pull that out another day. I have some other speakers to check. Maybe out of these 3 I can get 2 good ones. That's a win for us.<br />If I make some earth-shattering discovery to the cause of my problem I'll post it.<br />Happy Spring!<br />BillAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-2652114063867948472018-04-19T07:10:48.306+01:002018-04-19T07:10:48.306+01:00Hi Bill, sorry to hear you still having issues. I ...Hi Bill, sorry to hear you still having issues. I favour getting caps of physically the same dimensions - pitch and diameter even if I have to stay at 25v - excluding length - there is space for longer, as you get a really secure bond between the cap and the board. Any vibration or flexing with heat is better tolerated. Running wires to remote caps I think is OK but the caps are not securely fastened to the board and you have longer runs - more places that can fail or touch other stuff. I'd suspect a dry or open joint somewhere on those runs to the caps. . <br /><br />An earlier post suggested these as being the right physical size. <br /><br />http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=EEU-HD1V682virtualkey66720000virtualkey667-EEU-HD1V682<br /><br /> In the UK where I am both Farnell and RS allow you to filter caps by pitch and diameter. That drops the possibles down to just a handful , but it means you get a nice fit.<br /><br />The tweeter is a worry. I had the bass driver go open circuit due to a poor solder joint on the braided connections from the coils to the tabs but the tweeter doesn't have these. assume you tested out of the speaker ? <br /><br />Mr Iveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14965084993191032538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-10051467485010756952018-04-18T22:31:37.639+01:002018-04-18T22:31:37.639+01:00Mr. Ives,
Thank you for your information. I had d...Mr. Ives,<br />Thank you for your information. I had discovered this capacitor upgrade previously as suggested by a local electronics store. A problem I've face with upgrading to 35 volts is the sizes and shapes they have available at the time. I usually solder leads to the capacitors, solder the leads to the boards, then silicon the capacitors to the plastic port tube. This has worked well for several speakers. But this time it worked for a few minutes, then quit and went to a quite "hummmmmmm". Further checking has led me to find the tweeter to be to be an open circuit and the transformer and heat sink become very warm. (The transformer is putting out 18v on each red lead.) I unsoldered the rectifier diodes and they check fine. Nothing looks "burnt". Any other suggestions????<br />Thank you!<br />BillAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-12048793450987329042018-01-23T06:34:41.061+00:002018-01-23T06:34:41.061+00:00Thanks Anonymous for the update, glad it worked an...Thanks Anonymous for the update, glad it worked and some extra voltage headroom is good.Mr Iveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14965084993191032538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-61475032569643600772018-01-23T01:25:43.487+00:002018-01-23T01:25:43.487+00:00I followed your instructions and they worked like ...I followed your instructions and they worked like a charm. Only I replaced the 6800uF 25v with 6800uF 35v to make sure that this does not happen again. The speakers sound good again. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-86277926514742683302018-01-18T09:37:03.585+00:002018-01-18T09:37:03.585+00:00Thanks a lot Mr Ives!
I will try and update you on...Thanks a lot Mr Ives!<br />I will try and update you on my experience.<br /><br />Have a good one!<br />:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-4938510146410319122018-01-17T14:15:21.991+00:002018-01-17T14:15:21.991+00:00Greetings Raffaello,
yes there are a couple of fu...Greetings Raffaello,<br /><br />yes there are a couple of fuses inside the speakers, it could be those, worth testing. If you follow the blog and open the speakers you should see the small glass fuses. Remove them and test them with a multi-meter to see if they are open circuit.Mr Iveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14965084993191032538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000191682087974772.post-41317871138971766312018-01-17T13:30:24.769+00:002018-01-17T13:30:24.769+00:00hi, thanks for this work!
I think I blew up the po...hi, thanks for this work!<br />I think I blew up the power supplies by changing the aC selector, speaker were buzzing all time so I had this brilliant idea.<br />Is there a way I can fix that by opening the speakers? Is there a fuse I can change and get back to life my monitors?<br />Thanks a lot really!<br /><br />RaffaelloAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com