Can my dead Squeezebox 3 be saved?
December 28, 2011 6:32 PM Subscribe
Can I fix my dead Squeezebox 3, or failing that, can I have some fun trying to fix it?
My beloved Squeezebox 3 has served me very well for years, but over the last few months it's taken to shutting off spontaneously in mid-song. A reboot always set things right again, until a few weeks ago, when I asked the box to play a track and it reacted by going into a coma. The standard Squeezebox troubleshooting methods (unplug-replug, factory reset using the remote, new power brick) have failed to elicit any sign of life; the only sign that the box is even receiving power is a feeble red glow from the optical out port. (It seems a lot dimmer than it was when the box was working, but that could be my imagination.)
Googling, I found a few people claiming that they had the same symptoms and fixed them by pulling out the wi-fi card; unfortunately that didn't help in my case. Logitech doesn't repair these anymore. I called a few local electronics repair shops and they're reluctant to take this on.
So it seems like it's up to me. I've got a cheap multimeter and soldering iron, but basically no diagnostic skills. The interior of the Squeezebox is essentially a single board; pictures of it
(with wi-fi card already removed) are here: front, side, side, side, back.
I'm wondering if there's anything obvious that I should try.
My beloved Squeezebox 3 has served me very well for years, but over the last few months it's taken to shutting off spontaneously in mid-song. A reboot always set things right again, until a few weeks ago, when I asked the box to play a track and it reacted by going into a coma. The standard Squeezebox troubleshooting methods (unplug-replug, factory reset using the remote, new power brick) have failed to elicit any sign of life; the only sign that the box is even receiving power is a feeble red glow from the optical out port. (It seems a lot dimmer than it was when the box was working, but that could be my imagination.)
Googling, I found a few people claiming that they had the same symptoms and fixed them by pulling out the wi-fi card; unfortunately that didn't help in my case. Logitech doesn't repair these anymore. I called a few local electronics repair shops and they're reluctant to take this on.
So it seems like it's up to me. I've got a cheap multimeter and soldering iron, but basically no diagnostic skills. The interior of the Squeezebox is essentially a single board; pictures of it
(with wi-fi card already removed) are here: front, side, side, side, back.
I'm wondering if there's anything obvious that I should try.
Response by poster: Thanks, monotreme! It's not inconceivable that I could get access to some proper equipment, in the fullness of time. I guess this is going to be a long-term project.
I did find a schematic. (It is not even clear to me, though, whether this is a schematic for the whole device or only for some part of it.)
posted by em at 8:30 AM on December 30, 2011
I did find a schematic. (It is not even clear to me, though, whether this is a schematic for the whole device or only for some part of it.)
posted by em at 8:30 AM on December 30, 2011
Good luck! Think of it as owning a 1960s Jaguar rather than a means of saving money and you'll do fine......
posted by monotreme at 11:26 PM on December 30, 2011
posted by monotreme at 11:26 PM on December 30, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
From your symptoms, it sounds like it isn't booting. With schematics, and an oscilloscope, I would verify that the microprocessor(s) was getting correct power supply voltage and good reset and clock signals.
posted by monotreme at 7:12 PM on December 29, 2011