Console Shutting Down Help!!!

[hitfactoryromania]

Hello Guys,

I am so glad I found your forum, since I am a total newbie with the Mackie d8b.
A few weeks ago I purchased this great mixer on ebay and got it to work without any problems (first).
I started to connect it via the ADAT Cards with my RME Multiface I card - everything just worked perfect.

Now tonight - I was mixing on a track - suddenly the console shut down. Interestingly the monitor stayed open, but all the lights on the knobs and faders on the console turned black. Only the "RUDE SOLO LIGHT" stayed turned on.

Of course I tried to shut down the CPU Unit safely but the mouse and the keyboard were not responding at all.
So I powered it of with the button on the front side of the unit and turned it back on - the normal fader start procedure didnt take place at all, nor the display showed any message, it seemed like the console didnt get any power at all anymore.
After the CPU Unit completed the startup it showed the mixer and an error message "DSP Control Card Not Ready".

I read up on the internet what to do and came to the conclusion to simply unplug all the cables. After plugging them back - Party time the console started again totally normal - and I continued my work ...

After 5 Minutes it did the exact same thing the console suddenly shut down and the CPU Unit stayed open without responding to anything (keyboard or mouse). So I repeated the above mentioned steps several times and now I am standing in front of the same problem - I can work 5 minutes before the console is shutting down.


What should I do - it looks like a hardware problem doesnt it?
Can it be possibly an overload protection?

Please give me some ideas how I can solve this issue.
Thanks
Best regards
Arnold

[anyhorizon]

My immediate thought is that it's something heat related in the PSU. Dry joint or something. Are both the fans working?

Peter

[doktor1360]

... the CPU Unit stayed open without responding to anything (keyboard or mouse).

I'd start right there - if you're losing serial comm to the cpu, something in that unit is most likely acting up. Pretty heinous if the desk is just shutting down abruptly like that; it's probably worth the $$$ for a can of compressed air - when you're cleaning inside the cpu's case, check all the peripheral items involved, how things are seated, etal. I've seen bad RAM cause all manner of trouble with pc-based hardware. I will say this, if you're getting the same failure consistently in the same time frame duration (5 minutes), it very well could be a thermal condition - something getting hot and shutting down. As far as cold solder joints on a motherboard or something else internal.... eeeeyyaahaaah... not likely, but it IS plausible. IF it is in fact the mobo that's determined to be getting flaky, you're essentially fucked until you replace the CPU unit; NOS DFI-Itox CB50BX's are like fucking Hens Teeth, and the one I've seen recently the vendor wants a whopping $750 USD... you'll be better served finding a CPU on eBay. I purchased one in the last 3 months for less than $350...

Pragmatically go back over EVERYTHING, the Sonito DB (see page link above in forum header) has a shit-ton of useful information to help. Have at it, and post back to this thread with what you may or may not run into...

Peace

[anyhorizon]

the Sonito DB (see page link above in forum header) has a shit-ton of useful information to help.

Thanks, glad you like it

Peter

[hitfactoryromania]

Hello guys,

thanks for the fast replies. I have to say, that I don't understand all of what you wrote, because I am really new to this stuff , so i will ask some stupid questions in the end of my reply )

First of all I will tell you what I already did before the problem appeared. I opened up the CPU unit right after I bought the d8b and cleaned it from all the dust (and there was a lot) with a can of compressed air, inclusively the CPU van, the RAM, and the Van of the power supply. The CPU Unit works like a charm now - silent and without obvious problems.
Unless there is anything else connected to the serial Card that has to be cleaned or verified inside the CPU unit, I would say it is OK and the problem is related to something in the console itself?

By the way ... the console I didn't touch/open yet. Would that make any sense at all actually? Are there any vans inside ? Does it have to be cooled anyhow? If yes - please tell me how?
What is interesting after all: Now that I shut it down over night completely, it works much longer, before it eventually shuts down, like I described in my original post. With other words as longer it is turned of as longer the interval until it says GOODBY - as longer it is working as faster it shuts down .. mmmmh
So I really think it is something heat related or a sort of overload protection - whatsoever!?

Last but not least my stupid questions, to understand your posts right:

... "the Sonito DB (see page link above in forum header)" - What do you mean with that?
... "heat related in the PSU. Dry joint or something.... What means PSU? What joints are you talking about?

Thanx a lot - i am getting a bit of hope actually

All the best
Arnold

[FrankH]

The CPU Unit works like a charm now - silent and without obvious problems.

Silent? Really? Is the CPU's fan operating?

There are no fans inside the console. Heat has never been an issue there.

It's the CPU. It's not working like a charm. Check the fan's power connection. Apparently it's not blowing fuses....otherwise it wouldn't boot at all.

[anyhorizon]

Last but not least my stupid questions, to understand your posts right:

... "the Sonito DB (see page link above in forum header)" - What do you mean with that?
... "heat related in the PSU. Dry joint or something.... What means PSU? What joints are you talking about?

Database.

Perhaps specifically, this.

PSU = Power Supply Unit, part of the CPU.

Peter

[Tonguetied]

Mine did the same thing 3 times last month. The power/ribbon cable inside the console theat connects the brain board to the power connector board (BFC) was my issue. I took it off spayed with contact cleaner pushed it on and pulled it off a few times to scrape the contact surfaces and it's been running ok since. (mantra... it always the ribbon cables...)

[hitfactoryromania]

Hello,

so far no progress. I got in touch with mackie too. Here is there answer which of course didn bring me any further:

Hi,
Thanks for writing!
When you get the error that says, DSP Card Not Ready, it usually means that the D8B cannot communicate with some peripheral connected to it. Try reseating the sync/word clock card that is in the back of the D8B console. Also, try reseating the data sync cable, which is the parallel printer cable that connects the D8B console to the CPU.
We hope this can help.
All the Best


By the way all the vans are working in the CPU unit including the PSU. I will open the console today to check the ribbon cable. What still gives me o think is the fact that it works after unplugging the serial cable for a while and that the periode of shitting down varies related to the run time of the system !?

I will keep you updated

Thanks a lot

[Crash]

Follow Anyhorzion's (Peter) advice as well as Tonguetied. Take the bottom off the console and make sure that the power cable contacts are cleaned and seated well on both ends of the power distribution board and the DSP and Brain board. The picture in the database show you which cables to work on. Unplugging the serial cable shouldn't cause the unit to power down as it carries data only with no power.