Thanks for all the advice guys!
The reduced volume issue seems to have been fixed. Even with the new buzz, vocals and instruments seemed to be more balanced.
I didn't have to really fab anything for the main filter caps except for the standoff.
I DO have a meter with continuity mode. So, I will dig in and anyalyze more with that.
I checked the solder joints of all the new caps and they are identical to the original joints. Not shiny, but they don't appear cold. They appear to be solid and I also verified continuity of all leads to adjacent components on the same trace.
These boards are really stout. I don't think I overheated anything and certainly didn't overheat traces. So, I'm fairly confident there (unless there's something else I need to check).
At one point, I panic'd thinking I had installed the filter caps wrong, but brown wires are positive and blue wires are negative .
I did reinstall the original filter caps and that had no affect.
I think you guys are correct that perhaps I broke a connection loose when moving the boards around. The multi-color harnesses with the white connectors are very tight until you snip the zip ties holding them to the main harnesses.
Although the connectors probably got pulled a bit, I don't see any evidence of broken solder joints. I was very careful not to overheat. I think I had the iron on at the right temp and was holding the cap on the other side of the board as I soldered.
Never got too hot.
Would a board-mount transistor cause a buzz, or are we pretty sure that I'm chasing a bad ground?
I will try to post some pics tonight.
One more thing I noticed, why does the LH pre-driver board have a safety cap from the B+ to ground and not the RH board?
Was the volume reduced RH channel fixed, or are there two different problems now?
I think it would be useful to show some pictures of your work, some details about the parts you used, and particularly some information / pics of the mail filter cap mounting - eg. match original pinout or needed to fab something?
It does sound like you may have just dislodged a connector / broken an earth connection somewhere, but a few different sets of eyes glancing over things can help. It's worth double checking wiring, connections can break when you move the boards. I find having meter in continuity mode (or resistance mode, <0.5Ω = good) and probing either side of suspect wires with the amp switched off works well.
The reduced volume issue seems to have been fixed. Even with the new buzz, vocals and instruments seemed to be more balanced.
I didn't have to really fab anything for the main filter caps except for the standoff.
I DO have a meter with continuity mode. So, I will dig in and anyalyze more with that.
I checked the solder joints of all the new caps and they are identical to the original joints. Not shiny, but they don't appear cold. They appear to be solid and I also verified continuity of all leads to adjacent components on the same trace.
These boards are really stout. I don't think I overheated anything and certainly didn't overheat traces. So, I'm fairly confident there (unless there's something else I need to check).
Thank you. As for polarity, just to confirm....all of the negatives have a solid block printed on the top side of the board to indicate neg, correct? That is how I installed them. (also referred to how the original cap was installed, but it's possible to make a mistake).Check polarity of the caps you have replaced.
At one point, I panic'd thinking I had installed the filter caps wrong, but brown wires are positive and blue wires are negative .
I did reinstall the original filter caps and that had no affect.
Look for interconnect problems from board to board before going backwards and installing the old caps. If all soldering on the new caps is good, then it is likely a connection problem. Also, you may have inadvertently heated up adjacent solder joints on other components near the caps you replaced, may want to inspect for that and make sure none are cold.
I think you guys are correct that perhaps I broke a connection loose when moving the boards around. The multi-color harnesses with the white connectors are very tight until you snip the zip ties holding them to the main harnesses.
Although the connectors probably got pulled a bit, I don't see any evidence of broken solder joints. I was very careful not to overheat. I think I had the iron on at the right temp and was holding the cap on the other side of the board as I soldered.
Never got too hot.
Would a board-mount transistor cause a buzz, or are we pretty sure that I'm chasing a bad ground?
I will try to post some pics tonight.
One more thing I noticed, why does the LH pre-driver board have a safety cap from the B+ to ground and not the RH board?