Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems G61RSL Failure

Came back from a little holiday and G61RSL is not coming out of standby, front on/off button blue LED is on when unit is powered, but unit is unresponsive to button and/or remote presses.

Guessed it was the PS so I went ahead and ordered an XP Power ECM60UT31, not so expensive and in stock so should get quickly. Pulled the old PS and it is a ECM40UT31, back of board is a little discolored but no obvious bad components. Didn't bother checking voltages before I pulled it out, figured I was going to put the higher rated replacement in anyway.

There is one capacitor on the board behind the front display that does appear to be bulged at the top, and maybe some goo from the inside seeped out. But sounds like replacing this is a project, based on this thread:

https://www.meridianunplugged.com/u...bb=showflat&Number=318157#Post318157

There are also three purple capacitors on the back of the backplane, behind where line power comes in, a couple of them ever so slightly bulged at the top I think. That board also not so simple to get out, I assume it means removing the back of the unit and then pulling everything out.

Inside of the unit is incredibly clean, I guess not much air moves through it! Left most card guide is a little warped, but cards all appear to be nicely seated..

A few photos here at the link:

https://mgb.smugmug.com/MB-G61RSL

Are there board diagrams and/or component specs somewhere, in case I have to replace capacitors? I am not an electronics component wiz, but I do have a soldering iron and changing out a capacitor or two or three can't be that bad …

Thanks for any feedback the forum may have!

Hi,

These capacitors are a common failure on the G-Series.

You'll need to replace all the capacitors on the backplane and the bulging one on the display board; otherwise, the new PSU (even the uprated 60-watt version) won't last long!
Those failed capacitors will place an extra load on the PSU, causing premature failure. Use decent quality replacements (Panasonic or Nichicon) - don't go cheap, otherwise you'll be doing the job again soon!

Taking the backplane out is NOT a two-minute job... You need to take the backplate off, then take out each card (check and clean the edge connectors as they will have likely oxidised), remove the card spacers, backplane brackets and finally the backplane. Carefully desolder the capacitors (check the values on the existing and replace like for like), then reassemble. Note the order of the cards (including the hidden cards)! Whilst you have the cards out, check for any bulging capacitors on the cards and replace as necessary.

The display board capacitor can be replaced by cutting out the old capacitor and soldering the new one in on the component side (unless you want to desolder the display)

You'll need decent soldering skills and plenty of patience!

Good luck,

Steve

Thanks for the response Steve. Too bad you are not closer to where I am, I would be happy to pay someone to do this if shipping and time were less of a factor.

Access to the backside of the backplane is actually pretty good, could probably get the old capacitors out and replace without removing the backplane. Jamicon 32, 40, and 1000 µf I think based on photo, can't see voltage, but 25v replacements maybe?

The capacitor on the display board is pretty tight to the board, not sure I see how that could be cut off from the component side? Some sort of a tiny saw?

Using a thin straight edged knife such as scalpel or craft knife worked for me to replace the display board capacitor/s.

I also managed to replace the backplane capacitors without its removal. A thin bodied soldering iron and a good source of light helped!

Hi,

If you are tempted to remove the display this is what you'll be presented with:




Look after the module, not easy to find spares!!





If you try removing backplane components in situ (it can be done) make sure you protect everything you don't want to damage with Kapton tape, getting a de-soldering gun in there is not easy!





If you decide to fully dismantle (it will be easier, but considerably more time consuming) replace every capacitor with a new one (like for like in µF) higher voltage is often better (power factor, ripple rating) but watch the overall size, it still has to fit!

Good Luck

Paul.

Good feedback TA, Paul, thank you. If I was tempted to remove the display the photos cured that temptation.

I am kind of tempted to just bang a replacement PSU in there and see how I go. Not expensive and quite easy. But I am going to email the Repair Shop to enquire about turnaround time for a repair. Without a Meridian processor I guess I am looking at a 271 and a non-Meridian processor.

I would be happy to take a look at it for you. I have refurbished a number of these lately and have most or all the parts on hand.

Thanks Bruce. Now you fix stuff too!?

PSU is definitely bad, I put it back in and checked it, +5V is OK, -12V OK, +12V is reading +6V.

Lemme figure out if I want to just replace the PSU for now, or also deal with the capacitors that look a little domed.

Can the display be GENTLY bent back to provide access? If so, not sure that would be any more trauma than unsoldering, removing, reinserting, and desoldering the 25 pins?

At the risk of upsetting people who know better than I, you don’t need to unsolder the display- it’s just held onto the back of the glass by 3 sticky pads. Getting those to release without pulling the black paint off the glass (ugly outcome) is tricky but possible. Very slowly with a micro screwdriver to just gently tease the pad away worked for me. I found this out by not knowing that you’re supposed to unsolder…..

Does that give you access to the back of the board under the capacitors on the other side? Having trouble visualizing this. Presumably whatever you removed needs to have an electrical connection to the rest of the guts?

You get the red board above but with the display attached to it in the black frame. To get to that point you’ve already taken out the screws, taken off the volume knob and the holding nut etc. I did this as a full transplant a few years ago so there may be some niceties I’ve forgotten or were bundled with changing the keys over between the units.