any idea where i can get an out-of-warranty ipod dock repaired?

November 8, 2009 7:51 AM

i purchased a specktone retro ii a couple years back, basically this thing. unfortunately, i got it at a bargain bin reduced price from an ebay mass seller, with a very short warranty.

sure enough, right at the end of the warranty the thing started wigging out. the original seller wouldn't take it back, of course, and the manufacturer won't take it either; they said to return it to the seller. a perfect feedback loop of screwed.

you might tell me to cut my losses and buy a new dock. and i do have another dock. but i like this thing. the sound is great, it looks cool, and it takes up very little space. it's just sitting around and i hate to waste it. every few months i'll start it up again, and i get a nice 15 minutes of brigadoon before the thing starts flipping out. i'd like to work it out. i need to work it out.

oh the problem - it plays fine for the first 15 minutes or so, then the audio cuts in and out continually in split second bursts. your only option is to unplug it, let it sit for awhile, then start over again. (if left plugged in the problem will continue without the ipod docked - the speakers cut in and out continually without cessation.)

if anyone knows anywhere i could send this thing to get it fixed, that would be great. if it's someplace in the atlanta area that would be even better. what would be THE BEST, if it's a simple solution that i can fix myself, and someone could tell me how to do it. it's got to have something to do with the power, and not the docking mechanism itself.
thank you! come again.

posted by camdan to home & garden (3 comments total)

It sounds like a shorting issue, based on the Amazon reviews. If you're handy with a soldering iron and a multimeter, you could probably crack it open and try to track down where the problem is. Finding a short isn't a fun job, though.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5458654_volt-short-circuit.html has a very basic set of details, but if you need that guide, you probably shouldn't try it yourself. A radio or TV repair shop might be able to do it, however, especially if you can describe the problem and ask them to look for a shorted circuit.
posted by ellF at 8:02 AM on November 8, 2009

It sounds like it might be an overheating issue. This might sound wacky but I'd try putting it my fridge for awhile (a few hours at least), actually run the unit in the fridge if you can. Does it stay running longer? Note: you may not want to run your iPod in the fridge.

Anyway, intermittent failures are the hardest to diagnose, so I'd be realistic about your chances for success. If you've never worked with electronics before I don't think you can fix this on your own. But you could try taking it apart to see if there's something obviously physically wrong with the unit, like a loose connector or something that might make sporadic contact somewhere. That's really your only chance for successfully diagnosing a problem, unless fridge method suggests something overheats.

Now as for getting it fixed, anything can be fixed for enough money. Try the manufacturer again first. Tell them you like the unit and want to pay to have them fix it. But! Be warned if you go this route they will probably do something like replace a circuit board. If the few reviews on Amazon are anything to go by, this unit may have a fundamentally flawed design, so it's very likely the unit will break at some point in the future. That may also have been why the manufacturer sent you back to the seller. They know it's a bad design and will invariably break again. Maybe I'm too cynical. But if you mention paying for the repair you may get more attention vs. trying to make it a warranty issue.

The other option is finding someone else to fix it. How do you find someone local? Look up electronics repair in your phone book. Or TV repair. There aren't as many of these guys around as there used to be but you should be able to find someone in Atlanta. Take it in to the shop. If you see a cluttered bench with lots of parts and TVs and other things around, in various states of disassembly, you're probably on the right track. If you see an oscilloscope you're there. He (or, unlikely, she) can probably at least figure out what's wrong with it. You might not like the answer when you hear or the cost to repair. Some things will be an easy fix. But on these mass-manufactured electronics devices sometimes an actual repair is simply not cost-effective. In that case he'll probably try to replace the circuit board if he can find one (see fundamental design flaw above). Yeah, I said anything can be fixed for enough money. But say the problem turns out to be an issue with a microprocessor running some flavor of embedded Linux or Windows. The fix there would be replace the microprocessor and have a software guy write new software for the thing which, obviously, will get extremely expensive, especially if you don't have detailed documentation.

If it were me, I'd take it apart to see if I can spot something. Then try TV repair guy to see if it's something relatively easy. Beyond that, would you spend hundreds of dollars to fix it? I wouldn't. I'd spend that money on another dock that I like the style of but gets good reviews on Amazon and is made by a company I recognize.

Good luck!
posted by 6550 at 9:01 AM on November 8, 2009

thanks guys, i haven't tried it yet but i bought a multimeter and i plan on fiddling with it on a long and empty weekend. if that fails i'll take it to a tv repair place. if that fails i'll chuck it or replace the parts with a working stereo. the idealism of my youth is being curbed by the hard facts of reality...
posted by camdan at 2:15 PM on December 10, 2009