Perhaps. However, I almost never use the AC outlet, and I'd suspect a repeat failure would require me to use the jack again. So, for now, I'm happy.

But if it does become a problem again, I now know that the Digikey part works. Thanks for playing guinea pig for us!

I find the replacement jack to be slightly looser fitting than the original jack.

Stu

I find the replacement jack to be slightly looser fitting than the original jack.

Maybe that will translate into a longer MTBF?

In reply to:

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Maybe that will translate into a longer MTBF?

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Hope so. I did the repair on the player in this thread. The datasheet on the new part specifies life as "5000 cycles," rather than insertions as I had mentioned before. The old and new parts appear to be of different origin, so no way of know how the old one was rated.

Stu

Sorry to dig up this old thread, but I was hoping for some advice on how to proceed about testing for this problem. I have a MkII (not a) player that I'm installing in my fiance's 98 Nissan Altima (getting married next month, so I have to show some kind of committment. ) I finished wiring the harness and after double and triple checking the wires, went out to try it in the car. When I inserted the player, however, it started to boot, then made a little popping noise and the drives spun down for a moment and spun back up. But then the player started and worked fine. Ever since then, however, my player has been stuck in AC mode. I can force DC mode with Hijack, but otherwise it is always AC. I opened it up and didn't see or smell anything strange, but I really don't know what to look for. I guess what I'm wanting to know is if the AC sensor switch happened to screw up right before the install, or if I've popped a fuse somewhere. The player continues to work fine in my car and in the MLord docking station, but must be forced into DC mode in either location. Any help as to diagnosing the exact problem would be greatly appreciated.

install notes:
This is my 4th empeg install and I'm pretty sure it's wired correctly. All the connections are soldered with heat-shrink and tested for continuity. It's a very simple install, just running the empeg into the AUX-in on the existing Pioneer HU. The wiring for the pioneer unit and the empeg run into a factory harness adapter from Crutchfield and plug into the factory plugs. I didn't test the pins on the sled for voltage levels, but the Pioneer unit is working fine off the same power wires.

Since I don't have a schematic, I don't know how the Empeg is wired, but if you are up to it, you can eliminate the switch from the equation by stripping the unit down to the bare board and use a multimeter to test various continuities between the three pins on the jack. If they change when you plug the power supply in (in an unpowered state) then chances are the jack is still good.

Stu

Ah...thanks...will try that tonight

The easiest way to test would be to use logoedit to place 2 obviously different boot logos on the player for the 2 modes, and then to power up the player a bunch of times. If you have any failures in the first ten then it's suspect. If you have multiple failures in the first twenty then I'd say it's on it's way out. You'll know if it's completely gone.
The only problem with this (or any other test for that matter) is that it doesn't really work to prove that the switch is still 100% good. Sure, if you got through 49 without any failures then you'd have to think so. But that still wouldn't preclude the switch getting it wrong 2% of the time. Furthermore, you've just eaten 1% of the switchs expected lifetime just to test.
I think that the best that you can do is to get an _inclination_ of whether the switch is good, failing or failed, and decide then whether to live with that inclination or to replace the switch. Testing further just increases the risk of failure.

He's already established it doesn't sense properly- no need for the logoedit. He was asking if the switch was at fault or something else, like a fuse somewhere in the player in the circuitry that works with the switch.

Stu

Hmm. Not enough coffee obviously.

The easiest way to test would be to use logoedit to place 2 obviously different boot logos on the player for the 2 modes

Sort of like the two logos that are built-in to the logo editor to appear by default when the app starts?