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Need help with Kenwood KA-7300

Mmeissa

New Member
I got this beautiful amplifier with no audio output from the power amp (preamp output is ok) I checked the 2 power modules and they appear yo be ok (audio signal comming out of the modules and looks perfect on ociliscop) I traced the signal to the relay wich is not tiking and for that the signal stops at this point. Should I go on and try to fix or replace the relay or there are known problems with this amp that I should test 1st?
Any help will be greatly appreciated
Thanks in advance
 
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What voltages are you seeing on the base and collector of Qk2 ?
The voltages are
48.7V on collector and 0.54V on Base
The 0.55V is not enough to turn on the transistor and the 48.7 volts indicates that the transistor is off.
The 12V that supposed to be on QK1 collector is only 2.5V and the base has 0V.
I replaced R7 and C9 and removed Qk1 and still have 2.4V on QK1 collector place instead of 12V.
On the other end of R7 I have 49.3V.
I dont understand why the voltage after R7 is dropped to 2.4V instead of 12V.
Im totally lost now. Any ideas?
 
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The board runs stupid hot. Ck7 frequently fails due to its proximity to Dz1,2 which are a main source of the heat. Replace all of the electrolytics, noting that Ck8 is non-polar.

Qk2 - the relay driver - is a very common failure point and should be replaced. KSC2690AYS is a great sub.

Check the solder side for cracked joints, esp at Dzk1,2 and Rk1,2 as these are the sources of the excessive heat. Be very careful with the solder pads of the zeners - they are likely very fragile.

Note that access to solder side of the board is a bit of a challenge.
 
The board runs stupid hot. Ck7 frequently fails due to its proximity to Dz1,2 which are a main source of the heat. Replace all of the electrolytics, noting that Ck8 is non-polar.

Qk2 - the relay driver - is a very common failure point and should be replaced. KSC2690AYS is a great sub.

Check the solder side for cracked joints, esp at Dzk1,2 and Rk1,2 as these are the sources of the excessive heat. Be very careful with the solder pads of the zeners - they are likely very fragile.

Note that access to solder side of the board is a bit of a challenge.

Thanks for your reply
I totally agree with everything you said but as you mentioned accessing the board is a big challenge that's why I'm trying to limit work on it to only the root of the problem.
Can you think of a specific reason the voltage on QK1 collector is 2.4V instead of 12V?
 
No - I'm not good at such things. The only assumption I can make is that the listed voltages - or some of them - assume that the relay is closed.

I know that you have looked at the output from the amps through a scope. I would also verify DC voltage on each amp by measuring wire wrap pin #6 using the chassis as the ground. Ideally you're looking for 0VDC, but not likely to see that. Anything above approx 1.5VDC or perhaps higher is suspect. I expect you'll find no problem - probably less than 100mvDC, but worth checking.

I own 2 of these - neither working when I got them. No relay click. Both had a failed Qk2 relay driver. Both tested good out of circuit on a tester, but failed to close the relay. I believe over time they lose gain and eventually lack the oomph to close the relay.

One also had a failed Ck7, as in the leads fell out, shrunken wrapper and crusty white electrolyte leaking out the bottom.

Access to the solder side is doable, just a pain. Make sure you first loosen the nylon connector sleeve to the selector switch and slide it back on the rod. From the bottom side get as much slack as you can on the wires to the board. Swing the rear panel down over the edge of your bench and remove the screws that attach the board braces to the chassis. Then you cant tilt the board back far enough hopefully to work on it.

First thing I'd do in your situation after assuring that DC offset is reasonable is to replace Qk2 with a 2690. You can R & R that one without disassembling anything. That is if your main interest is just fixing it. But I understand some want to diagnose it more scientifically.
 
No - I'm not good at such things. The only assumption I can make is that the listed voltages - or some of them - assume that the relay is closed.

I know that you have looked at the output from the amps through a scope. I would also verify DC voltage on each amp by measuring wire wrap pin #6 using the chassis as the ground. Ideally you're looking for 0VDC, but not likely to see that. Anything above approx 1.5VDC or perhaps higher is suspect. I expect you'll find no problem - probably less than 100mvDC, but worth checking.

I own 2 of these - neither working when I got them. No relay click. Both had a failed Qk2 relay driver. Both tested good out of circuit on a tester, but failed to close the relay. I believe over time they lose gain and eventually lack the oomph to close the relay.

One also had a failed Ck7, as in the leads fell out, shrunken wrapper and crusty white electrolyte leaking out the bottom.

Access to the solder side is doable, just a pain. Make sure you first loosen the nylon connector sleeve to the selector switch and slide it back on the rod. From the bottom side get as much slack as you can on the wires to the board. Swing the rear panel down over the edge of your bench and remove the screws that attach the board braces to the chassis. Then you cant tilt the board back far enough hopefully to work on it.

First thing I'd do in your situation after assuring that DC offset is reasonable is to replace Qk2 with a 2690. You can R & R that one without disassembling anything. That is if your main interest is just fixing it. But I understand some want to diagnose it more scientifically.
I went shopping today for caps and transistors for the amp.
Desided to start by replacing Ck7 and the old one was dead due to heat as you mentioned.
I replaced it and voila it works.
It was draining the current comming through RK7 and DK4 thats why there was no 12V on QK1 collectoranx QK2 base volt was too smallto turn the transistor on.
I replaced the other capacitors and left the old transistors as they look ok.

Thanks again for your help
 
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