Power issues with my Traynor YBA-1

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Sat May 01, 2010 5:41 pm

So the Traynor took a dump on me, right onstage during soundcheck the other night.
Thank christ, we were only a few blocks away from Awesome Bassist's house where she and her boyfriend keep their Bassmasters.
I was allowed to walk one of theirs over, which was excellent BUT...

My own amp has developed an issue I've never come across before.

Basically, the amp will not power on unless I toggle the circuit breaker button (no fuse holder in this model) while the power switch is set to "on".
Then it lights up, everything seems okay BUT THEN, the amp powers right the fuck down as soon as I put it off standby. What??

When I press this circuit breaker button with the amp powered up and on standby, the power light will blink in unison with my pressing, which I would assume is normal. I have to do this a few times for the amp to stay powered on.

I didn't notice any burning smell or didn't see any smoke.
I can get all the tubes to light up, none of them are showing any indication of failure.
It never passes any kind of signal to the speakers. not even in the split second where it dies, when I take it off standby.

What do you guys think might be the problem?
Should I start replacing crap in the amp or would taking it straight to a tech be the more cost effective strategy?

kim · Post by **kim** » Sat May 01, 2010 6:40 pm

don't know crap about amps but maybe it could also be the power cable or soemthing, not the amp itself ? although you say it's powered when on standby and stays powered fine untill you take it out of standby...

maybe something messed with the connections when you switch it on from standby...

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Sat May 01, 2010 6:49 pm

Yeah. from my perspective, it could be anything, really.
This happened after we got stuck in traffic for 45 minutes, trying to get to the venue with the rest of my band piled on top of the gear, in the back of the van.
God knows what these clowns might have accidentally feked up, back there.

Could one of the power tubes be bad, despite not showing any signs and be tripping the breaker?

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Sat May 01, 2010 8:46 pm

Sounds like you have some sort of short in the power line, that might be intermittent, perhaps a loose wire, or even with the circuit breaker itself.

If you're so inclined, take it apart and check all of the wires. Check the joints on the breaker.

If not, take it to a tech, though personally I'd open it up myself at least to check for anything obvious.

Will · Post by **Will** » Sat May 01, 2010 9:58 pm

Sounds like you've got a short! Where is the mystery.

Check the tube sockets for signs of arcing.

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Sat May 01, 2010 10:09 pm

You guys are probably right about the short.

So I opened the amp up.
Nothing looked out of place or damaged but I wasn't looking for shorts in particular
I did look at the circuit breaker box closely and it, as well as its solder joints look fine.

When I moved the amp, I had connected my Power-All adapter in the peripheral power jack on the back of the amp.
Part of the adapter may have been resting on the circuit breaker button and I'm thinking maybe it might have stressed the CB assembly and somehow damaged it, though no damage is apparent. The circuit breaker does seem to work as intended.

I tried switching the power tubes around
Tried to run it on power tube 1 in socket 1 alone
Tried to run it on power tube 2 in socket 2 alone
Tried to run it on power tube 1 in socket 2 alone
Tried to run it on power tube 2 in socket 1 alone
Tried to power on with no power tubes whatsoever

Every time, the circuit breaker trips (I can hear it click) as soon as I put the amp in drive.

Will, do you mean check for burn marks?
Am I looking at the top part of the socket, like where the wires are soldered to the pins or the ceramic base, where the tubes go in?

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Wed May 05, 2010 1:10 am

So on a hunch, I went in my rehearsal space today. I unscrew the top panel on the YBA and flip the amp upside down.

*clink - clink*

Out falls the tip off a quarter inch connector.
It must have been shorting something out cause my amp works now.
Who in the fuck breaks a cable in an amp and doesn't bother to fish it out.
The previous owner or sabotage?

No matter, happiness restored.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Wed May 05, 2010 4:11 am

So glad to hear a Traynor is still alive and kicking!

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Wed May 05, 2010 4:25 am

wow, good news.

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Wed May 05, 2010 5:47 am

Thanks, dudes.
Super happy I didn't have to resort to having it looked at by a tech, though it'd be interesting to have seen what "problems" a tech might have come up with, knowing this was the issue.

Ankhanu · Post by **Ankhanu** » Wed May 05, 2010 2:42 pm

Traynors are fucking tanks

Weird shit with the jack tip.

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Fri May 07, 2010 1:57 am

awesome, i like when issues are resolved. i also like circuit breakers rather than fuses. way to go traynor!