Goo Place to Repair Voice Amplifier at Good Price

[junkofdavid2]

EDIT: "Good" Place...

I got a great rechargeable voice amplifier for giving speeches (attached to belt, with microphone headset) from Amazon.com which had great reviews.

"Dime Tech Voice Amplifier" (you can check it out on Goog or AMZ if you wish).

Worked well for about a week then suddenly died (I think it's not charging or is unable to charge).

Asked Amazon for a replacement but instead they prefer to refund my money and no need to ship it back (very nice of them, but still doesn't solve my problem of needing a voice amplifier).

I think it's just a loose connection or something in the charging system (I could be wrong) maybe when I dropped it or something. I'm inclined to believe it's a good product but I just got a lemon, since it worked excellently and it has good online reviews.

Where can I have it repaired in Bangkok (no worries about warranty from Amazon, since they refunded me anyway).

Cheers!

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Edited June 23, 2015 by junkofdavid2

[Crossy]

Have a look at the charger, is it 'universal' (100-240V) or 110V only?

Could be as simple as you've fried the charger by giving it 220V (should be easy enough to replace here).

[RichCor]

Have you opened the device up?

Sometimes the wires to the battery overhead from overcharging and come away from the battery. A quick re-solder restores them.

And, as Crossy points out, take a look at your charger and see what input voltage range it supports.

[junkofdavid2]

Thanks for the responses guys.

The charger is 100 to 240v, so no problem there.

I'm not the type who opens up stuff and solders (never learned how, and never dared as it could void the warranties of my stuff) but since this has no warranty anyway, I tried. (See attached photos).

I'm no expert, but it doesn't seem like anything is "detached" or needs soldering. Also, I checked those little white plugs on the board and they don't seem to be loose or anything.

Does it seem like anything's wrong inside?

[RichCor]

Wow, actually a nicely made product.

While everything looks clean (nothing obviously blackens, melted or broken), I would have taken a closer look at the Diode (marked "D1" on the circuit board).

I would have someone take a DMM (Digital Multi Meter) and measure

Power Supply Output at the plug, is there voltage

Battery voltage at the plug, is there voltage

Check for cold solder joints (current continuity impaired at solder joint).

Unplug the Battery, just plug in the Power Supply ... does the unit turn on and work?

Online description lists this with Lithium-Ion batteries. One issue with them is if the battery voltage drops too low the internal battery circuit will prevent them from being recharged. You can replace the battery with a same L-ion type/capacity ... or someone knowledgeable can try bypassing the battery charge circuit and charge the batteries directly so the voltage is high enough to allow normal charging to take place.

Many small shops repair TVs and other electronics could check the device out for you.

(Either try to find someone who speaks English, or take someone who can translate for you)

[junkofdavid2]

Thanks RichCor, I'm honestly quite ignorant with a lot of the stuff you mentioned

I guess I will have to take it somewhere. Only place I know was "Amorn" which I went to for a laptop charger repair long time ago.

Does my voice amplifier's issue seem like a charging/battery issue?

[RichCor]

I think it's possible the device was left on and drained the Li-ion battery past it's point of safe return.

If the battery drained past its safety point then a protection circuit will prevent damage being done when attempting to charge it.

Easy enough to test,

disconnect the battery at its connection.

With the battery disconnected, plug the device into its power supply and turn it on. Does the amplifier work?

If it works, then you'll know the Power Supply (Charger) and Amplifier portions of the device are working. (ergo: It's the Battery portion that needs fixing/replacing).

If plugging the device with no battery into its power supply and turning it on doesn't work then the issue is either with the power supply (this can easily be tested with a voltage tester (or Digital Multi Meter), or the issue is with some part on the amplifier portion of the device.

From the photo of the circuit board, the power supply is connected in parallel directly to the battery and the amplifier circuit. Some Mobile Phone Kiosks have electronic techs that could easily do these simple tests and replace the Li-ion battery it testing said that was the only issue.

Alternatively * :

How to Awaken Sleeping Li-ion

How to Fix Dead Lithium-Ion Batteries That Won't Hold a Charge Anymore

* If a Li-ion battery pack has been left in a discharged state for too long and has discharged too far then force charging can cause a catastrophic event (High Heat, Fire, Explosion). If the amplifier unit is functional with the battery disconnected and connected to the power supply (charger) then replacing the battery is the safest option.

[junkofdavid2]

I know this is ignorant but... how do I "disconnect the battery at its connection?"

The battery is wrapped in this blue plastic, and black/red wires seem to be going into the blue plastic from one end of the battery.

Do I cut the blue plastic open, and then look for a wire connection to the battery?

[RichCor]

The Battery is permanently connected to its wiring harness/circuit connector. What I mean is that you can disconnect the red/black wired connector from the circuit board.

The connector should either just pull up, or have a simple release mechanism (press and pull) that then allows you to pull it free.

[junkofdavid2]

With the battery disconnected, I plugged the device into its power supply and turned it on... it didn't work.

So I guess the problem is not necessarily the battery, but either the charging or amplifier portion.

By the way, in the past, the device would suddenly die; then it would work again after a few hours. Then while working, it would die again after a short time. Might've just been the battery dying then "resting" then working again...?

[RichCor]

Suddenly dying then working again later indicates the device has an a faulty or failing part. While it could be the battery, it could easily be any component, wire, or even a poor solder joint on the circuit board.

Someone with a Voltage Meter can check to see if your Charging Power Supply is working, and test the standing battery voltage.

But my guess would be that some amplifier component or a bad solder joint is creating an issue ... and finding that would require someone who can do hands-on electronic diagnostics to locate the faulty point.

[junkofdavid2]

Thanks for the replies!

I guess I'll be taking it to Amorn (electrical service) at Fortune. Used them before for a laptop charger, they were very nice and didn't cheat me; but unfortunately the technicians are inside a room with no access to customers; so I'll have a difficult time explaining to the customer service what they should tell the technician. >.<

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Edited July 2, 2015 by junkofdavid2