Is there any reason why my MOTU 828 Mark 3 Hybrid sound cards would keep dying? By dying, I mean that when I switch on nothing happens - the unit is totally dead. Two units have so far done this. One was repaired by musictrack, who appear to be the official uk importers for MOTU equipment. Now a third seems to have gone the same way.
One did go through an "intermediate" stage, during which, after switch on, the display panel illuminated dimly and was generally unhappy - I can't remember the exact details (flickering?). If I waited a while it eventually worked normally, but in the end it gave up altogether.
The only aspect of my use that's even slightly non-standard is that two of these units are used together over firewire; but that's why they're called hybrid - they work over USB or firewire. They are linked to Behringer ADAT units - some provide inputs, some outputs; and when this all works, it works prefectly, so there can't be anything wrong with the basic setup.
I have three of these MOTU units altogether; they're mounted in an open-frame 19 inch rack, with a one unit space between each, so they shouldn't be overheating.
Is there are fuse inside that I could try replacing? Are the power supplies in these units known to be fragile? That they die completely suggests a power supply problem.
They cost nearly £600 in the UK, and there's a standard repair charge of £95 plus VAT, plus the cost of postage of course. I haven't kept detailed records, but they seem to die after about three years - surely they should last longer than that? MOTU's drivers are known to be tricky, but their equipment in general has a good reputation, and they've been in the business for quite a while, so I don't understand why this is happening.
The one that was repaired by musictrack appeared to be a replacement; I hadn't kept a note of the serial number, but what came back was a complete set, with leads and a user guide in sealed plastic wrapping. Can any conclusions be drawn from that?
During the 1970s I added a second set of dividers to an analogue organ (an early Hammond Everett); that setup worked perfectly for twenty years, during which it travelled hundreds of miles around southern England. It never went wrong - I wish modern digital equipment was that reliable, though of course the sounds are light-years ahead of those we had back in the 70s. I've been working with home computers since the Amstrad CPC464 came out in 1984, so altogether that seems a reasonable background for working with modern computer audio.
HELP!
One did go through an "intermediate" stage, during which, after switch on, the display panel illuminated dimly and was generally unhappy - I can't remember the exact details (flickering?). If I waited a while it eventually worked normally, but in the end it gave up altogether.
The only aspect of my use that's even slightly non-standard is that two of these units are used together over firewire; but that's why they're called hybrid - they work over USB or firewire. They are linked to Behringer ADAT units - some provide inputs, some outputs; and when this all works, it works prefectly, so there can't be anything wrong with the basic setup.
I have three of these MOTU units altogether; they're mounted in an open-frame 19 inch rack, with a one unit space between each, so they shouldn't be overheating.
Is there are fuse inside that I could try replacing? Are the power supplies in these units known to be fragile? That they die completely suggests a power supply problem.
They cost nearly £600 in the UK, and there's a standard repair charge of £95 plus VAT, plus the cost of postage of course. I haven't kept detailed records, but they seem to die after about three years - surely they should last longer than that? MOTU's drivers are known to be tricky, but their equipment in general has a good reputation, and they've been in the business for quite a while, so I don't understand why this is happening.
The one that was repaired by musictrack appeared to be a replacement; I hadn't kept a note of the serial number, but what came back was a complete set, with leads and a user guide in sealed plastic wrapping. Can any conclusions be drawn from that?
During the 1970s I added a second set of dividers to an analogue organ (an early Hammond Everett); that setup worked perfectly for twenty years, during which it travelled hundreds of miles around southern England. It never went wrong - I wish modern digital equipment was that reliable, though of course the sounds are light-years ahead of those we had back in the 70s. I've been working with home computers since the Amstrad CPC464 came out in 1984, so altogether that seems a reasonable background for working with modern computer audio.
HELP!