Help needed; DM3200 no sound on output

[Vignale]

Hi everyone,

I'm stuck again ;-(
When powering up my DM it doesn't give output anymore to XLR/headphones and Control room (VU meters IN and OUT work; I can see it on the meterbridge)
I suspected the IF/FW MKll card, so I've sent them to repair/check to TASCAM repair in Holland (I have 2 of them)
One was OK, the other was repaired,,,,,

I work for many years now with the DM (and Cubase 11/Upgradedd MAC Pro 5.1/Mojave) all connections on the DM and Mac are right......
So even when I load another project on the DM from the memory card, outcome is the same
Sometimes when resetting the SDRAM a few times before powering up the DM make the outputs come alive again; this morning not ;-(

So I want to open the DM and check/clean connections or maybe I can see something wrong there, but what part is the part/board where things go wrong or could be faulty?
I checked how to open the DM in stickies on this forum, but before I do that, maybe someone here can give me advice about it, or thinks different......

Thanks in advance!

Chris.

 

[shredd]

I'm afraid I can't help with opening up the DM...though it seems to be more likely a software/driver/OS issue, than hardware?

But I just wanted to say: your English is excellent and your dog is AWESOME.

 

[Peter Batah]

Opening up the DM is not a difficult task at all. If you still need help with that I may be able to provide some photos.

 

[Vignale]

Shredd: thanks for the compliments ;-)
It's notsoftware/driver/OS issue; I've been working for years like this, besides: sometimes (after restarting everything and also sometimes resetting the sdram on the DM) it works!

Peter: thanks for chiming in; The opening is not the problem, the problem is finding which board could be the troublemaker
Or do I just get going and detach/clean all connections?
Photos are always welcome of course ;-)

 

[Peter Batah]

I understand @Vignale Getting your hands on a reputable contact cleaner (I use Caig products) is a very good start. If you still want me to send pics on how to open the DM please let me know. From your response I gather that you have already opened up the unit in the past. Best of luck!

 

[Vignale]

Yes, I have contact cleaner (I'm a luthier and restore old Italian cars, besides making CD's of our music: beesandus on Spotify for example) which I took from Holland; now that I live in Portugal, these products are more difficult to find!
I have never opened the DM before (I saw a sticky from Cmaffia (I think) "how to open a DM3200" that doesn't look too difficult.....

 

[Vignale]

And yes; I would like them photos (if it's not too inconveinient for you)

 

[Peter Batah]

I think that I can do one better. This is what I used when replacing my DM's display.

https://tinyurl.com/2djhn2zu

 

[Peter Batah]

@Vignale And here is a YT presentation showing how to open up the DM for the purpose of replacing the native display.

https://tinyurl.com/2s3ppp8w

 

[Vignale]

Wow! Even in Dutch!
Thanks Peter!

 

[Vignale]

Maybe, there’s someone who can point out, what board I should get my attention to?!

 

[Peter Batah]

Prego @Vignale Unfortunately, I cannot be of much help in that technical department. I am confident that someone here on the forum will chime in. Keep us posted on your progress. Arrivederci

 

[Vignale]

 

[mixerizer]

Ciao Vignale!

Have you read the various sections of the service manual for the Dm mixer? If you read it slowly and take the time, u can probably get a sense of which pcb might need to be swapped. It contains a detailed breakdown of the possible boards u could try to swap. And opening the mixer isn’t too bad.

 

[Vignale]

Hah! That could be helpful indeed! Tnx!
After opening, I just closed the DM again; couldn’t see any loose or dirty contacts or something else out of place; guess I keep it on the workbench, go read and open it again ;-)
I must say inside it looks like a quality product as well!
To be continued…..

 

[mixerizer]

One more idea, since u r working on the stereo buss and monitoring, U might find the internal oscillator very helpful for testing signal without external wiring.

 

[mixerizer]

Last bit of advice not because I’m any kind of expert, but because I’ve been there… and you are obviously expert already! since you aren’t familiar yet with the specifics and complexities of the internal board stuff, go slow. Don’t let worry or frustration cause you to forget some important step, or take some detour you have to undo. Take it slow and make sure u understand your options from the service manual before you start disturbing anything inside… opening your board isn’t difficult but it is a big moment and while it’s open, it’s much more vulnerable to further damage.

So if you do surgery on your board, be cautious and confident and remember the physician’s Oath:
“primum non nocere” / “First, do no harm.”

good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Vignale]

Mixerizer; can you explain me what you mean with the internal oscillator?

I'm absolutely not an expert! I just make music with the DM when it works normally ;-)
Besides that: English is not my native language; I'm from Holland.... so all the abbreviations in the service manual are unknow by me, but I sorted that out; every test showed up as OK (!)
Also your right with your last post: primum non nocere ;-)
That's why I closed down the DM again.......
But it's hard to keep my patience; already started looking for a DM substitute (!) (Yamaha TF?) (also since my Mac becomes a bit outdated and the "new" Mac M1/2 look very promising)
Later today I'm going to call a rep. from TASCAM repairs in Holland, whereto I've sent my IF/FW cards to repair: if I only knew what board to send to them for a repair......

 

[mixerizer]

Ah, I love Amsterdam and Utrecht, love Holland, have enjoyed visiting friends there.

you are certainly a seasoned music tech/ repair person, so I am pretty certain you can solve this or migrate to a new board, whichever works best for u.

I would suggest since it appears to be localized in the stereo output and control room output, and it was previously fixed w the SRAM INIT, it is possibly something w the motherboard’s processing of the inputs and busses into the stereo mix. Since busses and meters work but outputs don’t, that means it would be the section of the motherboard that processes the outputs, or something in the digital to analog converters and amplifiers that drive the outputs (which would be the pcb on the back right-side corner looking into the mixer that serves those jacks).

those are the two I would look for - and the fact that u pass the diagnostics suggests (to me) that it may be a mechanical problem w the jacks pcb, not the main board after all.

Do the digital outs 1&2 (AES or SPDIF) work w mains and/or the control room’s source assigned? If so, I bet it’s the jacks pcb.

Note - u can send the part for repair, or u can look for one on eBay… parts pop up a lot there for not a lot of $ and it can be easier to make a speculative small investment than a speculative big one on repair and/or a new board.

good luck and enjoy the learning that goes along w the process, whether u recover ur mixer or move to a new tool u still gain the experience and confidence!

Succes!

 

[mixerizer]

No problem!

the internal oscillator is visible on the MONITOR page.

it will provide a tone that you can activate and send to any of the busses, auxes or stereo mains. You can set its volume and frequency. It’s super useful for checking routing and outputs, whether hardware or software, without having to worry about bad input sources or cables.