Death of a friend? (AU-717)

[Xappa]

Y'all helped me in the past, when I was having trouble with the right channel of my AU-717. A *thorough* cleaning with a good cleaner brought my baby back to life.

Now, the left channel went away. The service department of the dealer in Omaha that I have been patronizing, and trusting, since the late 60's has closed. They referred me to another shop in the area. In went the Sansui. In return, I received a call that it was unrepairable. The tech there said that the "...conductive glue used in manufacturing..." was causing "...bad circuitry...".

Does this sound on the up-and-up? Am I left to mourn my electronic friend of 24 years?

If all is hopeless, where does one begin to look for a modern equivalent of this classic Sansui as a replacement?
Thanks for all your help...

X.

 

[bully]

I think a visit to EchoWars is in order. Hop on I-29, head south, take a left on US-71.

AU-717 is too nice not to bring back to its glory.

 

[Haoleb]

one of the friends i never got to know lays halfway in the grave in my closet

AU-517

First it was distortion sounds in both channels. Then it developed into after roughly 5 mins of power up it would go into protect mode. Any ideas whats wrong with it?

I would like to get it fixed but i dont wanna just go messing around in there if i dunno whats wrong. I could most likely fix anything if i knew what it was.

 

[BeatleFred]

Well coincidentally, the discussion regarding the glue came up recently- I had first read about it on the Message Board at www.sansui.us (see link below) and I had thought it was also discussed here shortly thereafter - yet it eludes me as to where that mesage is here, I was looking at some of the past messages but I havent found it yet.

I am inclined to think that you can get your AU-717 fixed- not at the place that you took it to but if you dont mind shipping it out, you can have the place that the other person is sending his 717 to (to have the same problem fixed), do it.

In the unlikely event that the 717 is not repairable, you can always get another one on Ebay.

Here's the link to the sansui.us message (and now that I think of it, perhaps the info about the glue was sent to me via email instead of on this site- I'll check when I get back home to my computer there, I'm using someone's else computer now)

http://www.sansui.us/BBS_General/messages/955.shtml


B/F

 

[BeatleFred]

Found this in my email:

Yes, that is a common problem. In fact, I just repaired another one last week for the exact same issue. On the predriver board, there is a hold down glue that becomes conductive and injects the predriver voltage (about 60V) into the differential input pair. The protection circuit senses the DC voltage at the output terminals and refuses to let the relay kick in – if it ever did, it would surely damage your speakers within a few seconds. There are several other checks I put the amplifier through, including a 24 hour burn-in/biasing test that allows me to drive each channel while being monitored over a 24 hour period. This insures full operation by the time you receive your unit. It is guaranteed to work as repaired for one year without fault.

The flat-rate labor fee for integrated amplifiers is $75 plus parts and return shipping costs, payable by money order, personal check or Paypal sent with the unit at the time of shipping. When the estimate is given either by phone or (more conveniently, for me) email, you can choose to accept or reject the estimate. If I estimate the parts to be at $20 and I make a mistake in judgment – I don't change the estimate if it's in your favor – I just eat the remaining parts and learn for next time. It does happen on occasion.

If the estimate is rejected, you will be shipped the unit back to you with a check for the remaining amount (from $75) for the cost of shipping. Typically, it costs around $30 to ship the unit and you would receive a check for $45. I don't charge estimate fees...

If you accept the estimate, I will proceed with the repair and request that a parts payment be sent in addition to a return shipment payment. The initial labor and return shipping payments can be combined at the outset if you wish, with only the parts payment necessary to return the unit back to you.


You will be kept up to date on your repair status. Typically this involves an email confirmation of delivery, estimates, repair, burn-in results and return shipment times. Sometimes more often if any questions arise.


My shipping address is:


Envision Electronic Repair

353 NE Delaware Ave Ste 409

Ankeny, IA 50021


Thank you for your inquiries. I hope this turns out to be an enjoyable experience for you and your Sansui.



Regards,

Aaron Hammett

Envision Electronic Repair

 

[SolderIron]

Glue becames conductive. That is a tough one to figure out when trouble shooting. Good to know about for future reference.

The service guy sounds very reasonable.

 

[Xappa]

The depth of knowledge on the board is amazing. In a span of two days, the "conductive glue" issue has been explained in clear detail and, I have been provided with the names of at least two contacts who would be willing to repair my AU-717. With their skill, I may be able to enjoy my Sansui for another 24 years!

I want to thank those who have contacted me via email offering suggestions.

Peace...

 

[GordonW]

BTW, Aaron Hammett has MOVED since that email...

He now lives in Springboro OH... he actually now works (day job) at Parts Express, and AFAIK, he's now set up again to do repairs in his new home.

if you wanna reach him, his email is:

aaron@envisionelectronics.com

I can vouch for his efficacy as a repair tech- he's fixed an Altec car amp for me, and I've heard from MANY people who've had Sansui vintage pieces fixed by him, who were quite happy. He sometimes gets buried in stuff and doesn't come up for air for a while, but bear with him... I've not heard anyone who ever got stiffed by him... it'll get done.

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[Johnny]

Hey man, if all else fails. Check ebay, I see them all the time at fairly reasonable prices.

And good luck !!! I hope to have my 717 just as long. Just a sweet lil amp.

John