Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems G68 PSU Problems - Again

About 18 months ago I had the PSU on my G68XXV blow up and it was replaced by Meridian (via my dealer, Phase 3). Since then there have been a lot of changes in how Meridian deal with customer service and in costs.

Well, the PSU blew again just today (input fuses rupture so probably a failed SMPS) and I am seriously considering what to do.

- Get a OEM replacement and fit it myself?
- Search this board for tweaked PSUs to fit?
- Just send it back to Meridian and pay up?

I'm well out of warranty now so what do people think? I'm thinking that 18 months for to a PSU failure is pretty poor.

Malcolm,

Talk to Phase3 (and through them Meridian) I think they'll agree with you that 18months isn't acceptable and they'll do the right thing. At least I hope they would - after all we all know their PSUs are dodgy. Or maybe I'm being too optimistic!

Chris

I would discuss with dealer + M first. They will have records that show the part fitted was 18 months ago and I would be surprised if they thought that was "reasonable".
I'm prety sure both Bob and 'Tom Cruise' expect components to last longer.

Please keep us informed as to how Meridian handle this. I think we could all learn a lot through your experience here.

Something you might want to check is the voltage coming out of the PSU. From what I was told they are setup at 5V output but the G68 electronics really need 5.2V. If you are at the lower limit this could be creating the problems you're seeing. Not sure if output is user adjustable but worth taking a look at with the voltmeter.

Good luck. And yes, if it really has self imploded, 18 months is ridiculous. Does anyone know why the PSU's are so flaky? Considering the G68 is now $12K, installing a poorly designed PSU is unacceptable.

Well, my dealer has being very helpful and has spoken to Meridian about this. Unfortunately, it looks like its going to be a chargeable repair. A new PSU has been ordered (let's hope that this is actually the fault!) and the dealer will fit it for me when it arrives.

At least I will get a quick turnaround getting it done this way.

I will let you know what ensues.

Well, Phase 3 did a good job for me. Once they had the PSU, I took the G68 in in the morning and picked it up in the afternoon - working with the new one fitted.

The cost? About �250.

I leave it to you to decide if this is good service by Meridian.

I hear on the grapevine that factory repair turnaround is now 10 weeks.

I am a firm believer that companies should not profit from repairs, especially those with premium products such as those that Meridian sell.

A company should pride themselves equally on product reliability and when things do go wrong, on how they go about putting things right. I think Meridian have slipped to the dark side.

At �250, I think it would be fair to say that there would be a fair amount of profit in there. Its not as if the unit had a factory service. No more than half that and considering that there seems to be inherent quality issues with power supplies across the Meridian range, it makes me wonder whether there should be any charge at all.

I wonder what the invoice breakdown was, cost of parts, shipping and Phase 3 fitting charge.

I get the feeling that its yet another example of backdated upselling.

All the more reason for this forum to identify an alternative supply of PSUs for G6x and 8xx kit.

Especially now that Meridian USA charges a flat rate service charge of $850 for ANY repair to their processors. 250 pounds seems like a bargain in comparison. There must be alternative suppliers.

I don't begrudge Phase 3 charging me a reasonable amount for their service as it was very prompt. If the Meridian stock response is now "go to the dealer" then this group will soon up-skill to be able to perform most service work in house.

I still think an 18 month lifetime for a quality component is unreasonably short, however.

I was told that the PSU output voltage has to be set up very accurately to ensure correct operation. I know that 5.2V is mentioned above and I thought that 5.18V was mentioned on Saturday. If this degree of accuracy is required then I am a bit concerned about the tolerancing issues of the electronics design if it is all really this sensitive.

Anyway, I will see how long it lasts now.

Since my 861v4 is way out of warranty, I decided to replace the PSU myself with a compatable one. The cost to go through the dealer (which was really just sending it to Meridian) was going to be ~ $1000 all told. This is the second time the PSU has needed to be replaced in my unit (over ~ 10 years).

I ended up ordering this psu: XP Power ECM40UT31.

I had to so some soldering, and the PSU was not the same physical size, so it's only held in with a single screw instead of four.

However, the unit now works perfectly and I don't notice *any* difference in sonics.

Total parts cost was < $75, and that included additional items like a cage, connectors, wires.

To set the record straight, Phase 3 made NO CHARGE for fitting!