Carver Pro amp repair

[Jim Coash]

Greetings:  Although I am a devotee` of the tube god, I do use solid (soiled?) state amps for much of my home audio, pro DJ systems and some instrument amp situations.  I own about a dozen Carver Pro amps, PM 1.5, PM-600, PM-601, PM 2.0 and PM-125 versions.  One is not working, an original PM-601 I bought new when I was in the A/V business, in the early 90s.  I am not a trained technician but I have quite a bit of experience building and repairing electronics.  I have found, much of the time, the problem with many electronic units boils down to things I can fix; dirt in controls, obvious damage to a single component on a board, a broken terminal, a blown fuse or, most of the time, a user's lack of understanding about how something should be connected or how it should work.  The Carver PM-601 worked fine until I heard a pop, a hum and then nothing at a gig.  I have examined it carefully but it clearly needs the ministrations of someone who understands Carver technology.  I had a bad experience when I believed someone I met on-line who claimed he could fix the problem and upgrade the amp.  After nearly a year, it came back un-repaired.  I know I could send it out to Carver repair in Washington state and that might be my best option.  I cannot seem to find anyone in SW Michigan trustworthy.  Is there anyone out there who is interested in helping me with this?  I am willing to pay a fair price and I want it properly restored including any factory recommended improvements, replacing filter caps, coupling caps and power supply upgrades.  It is clean, looks like new and I have the original carton.  Jim Coash

[shooter]

Hey, didn't take a look at the schematic, but I am from SW MI, been fixing amps for the locals for awhile but I'm protesting the winter down in south FL:).  PM me and we can figure out something......IF you can wait till March-ish!!!!

[smackoj]

Have you tried to trace the audio signal? If you search this forum you will find a thread dedicated to using a small amplifier and speaker along with a wooden or plastic probe with a capacitor and wire attached to it. You can easily hear thru the small amp where the audio signal stops in the Carver amp. That will give you a starting point for where NOT to look and where TO look for bad solder joints, toasted resister etc.

I have a Carver PM1200 that I bought off a local who thought it was 'worn out' because one channel stopped working. A friend who has more experience than me used a large magnifying glass and found one cracked resistor in that channel. Wala, works like new again.

good luck with your search.  jack   

[Jim Coash]

I have "repaired" several Carver power amps, including 3 recently that my son paid $50/each for that were said to be non-functional.  All I did was clean them up, heat up a few suspect solder joints, repair damaged input and output terminals and all three work fine now.  The PM-601 in question has gone through the same procedure and it is one  of two I purchased new through Carver when I was a dealer in the early 90s. The amp also went to a tech who claimed that he could fix it only to return it un-repaired and tell me he was "baffled".   This is one I need help with having exhausted all of my usual ministrations.  I have not been able to find any obvious loose or broken part.  Jim