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Rick Ruskin Rick Ruskin is offline
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Default Alesis Product Support Sucks!

I need on A/D converter IC for an HD24 (Part # AL1101 to be exact.)
The Alesis parts dept. not only doesn't have them but doesn't
acknowledge individual components in their parts database or at least
not this part. They will only sell an entire A/D board assembly which
I do not need.

One technical support person I talked to didn't even know the terms
"IC" or "A/D converter.

BTW - Wavefront Technologies makes the part but has no inventory of
any kind in the US. I might be able to get it from Taiwan but that is
yet to be determined.

So be advised that if you have anything with the Alesis brand on it,
you are on your own if anything goes wrong.
Rick Ruskin
Lion Dog Music - Seattle WA
http://liondogmusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/rickruskin
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Scott Dorsey Scott Dorsey is offline
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Default Alesis Product Support Sucks!

Rick Ruskin wrote:
I need on A/D converter IC for an HD24 (Part # AL1101 to be exact.)
The Alesis parts dept. not only doesn't have them but doesn't
acknowledge individual components in their parts database or at least
not this part. They will only sell an entire A/D board assembly which
I do not need.

One technical support person I talked to didn't even know the terms
"IC" or "A/D converter.

BTW - Wavefront Technologies makes the part but has no inventory of
any kind in the US. I might be able to get it from Taiwan but that is
yet to be determined.

So be advised that if you have anything with the Alesis brand on it,
you are on your own if anything goes wrong.


This is normal today, though. Component-level repair is just a thing
that is not done any longer.

Hell, I had a vice president of TEAC tell me that they didn't ship service
information because their customers were "stoned-out guitar players who'd
just wreck it."

You want scary, ask for a source code dump of the HD24 firmware. That
ought to be standard service documentation, but it's not.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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Frank Stearns Frank Stearns is offline
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Default Alesis Product Support Sucks!

Rick Ruskin writes:

I need on A/D converter IC for an HD24 (Part # AL1101 to be exact.)
The Alesis parts dept. not only doesn't have them but doesn't
acknowledge individual components in their parts database or at least
not this part. They will only sell an entire A/D board assembly which
I do not need.


That's pretty typical these days, especially at the price point of these machines.
It's not a $30,000 (1975 dollars) Ampex MM1200. Besides, you probably would not like
the piece price Ampex would have charged. When I worked at Quad-8 a bazillion years
ago you would not believe how much we marked up repair components - just to cover
the admin costs. The company probably still lost money on those invoices.

Whether you're moving a resistor or a whole module through the system, it costs a
lot to maintain those inventories. So, a few subassemblies stocked makes a lot more
sense than several hundred (thousand?) individual parts. (And it's weird a single
chip would fail like that that. Are you sure that's it?)

Then there's the whole issue of getting out your SMD rework solder station and
putting it in, without breaking the new chip or something else in the process.


One technical support person I talked to didn't even know the terms
"IC" or "A/D converter.


Welcome to the minimum wage labor force. You're not going to even find an
Engineering minor undergrad in order desk jobs these days -- they'll be doing
something "more valued" (maybe).

BTW - Wavefront Technologies makes the part but has no inventory of
any kind in the US. I might be able to get it from Taiwan but that is
yet to be determined.


Buy the assembly (aren't they in banks of eight?). Faster, easier, probably cheaper
in the long run, and if the new board is broken you'll likely have some sort of
recourse rather than convincing someone that your solder job didn't damage the new
part.

While you're at, look at doing the EC2 (?) upgrade. New converters, better sound.

So be advised that if you have anything with the Alesis brand on it,
you are on your own if anything goes wrong.


That's essentially true with all semipro gear, and even some pro gear. Best you can
do is get a replacement if it breaks under warranty; or buy a whole new sub-thingie
or entire box if it's out of warranty. Depends on the value of your time and
expertise compared to the price of the unit.

(I need to replace the 25 cent cruise control switch on my car. But they only sell
the whole damn turn signal assembly for $700, with $200 labor using weird
specialized tools. Welcome to the modern commodity world! grin)

Best of luck with it,

Frank Stearns
Mobile Audio

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Eeyore Eeyore is offline
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Default Alesis Product Support Sucks!



Rick Ruskin wrote:

I need on A/D converter IC for an HD24 (Part # AL1101 to be exact.)
The Alesis parts dept. not only doesn't have them but doesn't
acknowledge individual components in their parts database or at least
not this part. They will only sell an entire A/D board assembly which
I do not need.

One technical support person I talked to didn't even know the terms
"IC" or "A/D converter.

BTW - Wavefront Technologies makes the part but has no inventory of
any kind in the US. I might be able to get it from Taiwan but that is
yet to be determined.


http://www.profusionplc.com/pro/gex/...NT&itypes=ADC#

The UK might be a bit easier. MOQ seems to be 5 @ £4.00 each. You might
be able to do a deal though

Graham

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Eeyore Eeyore is offline
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Default Alesis Product Support Sucks!



Frank Stearns wrote:

Then there's the whole issue of getting out your SMD rework solder station and
putting it in, without breaking the new chip or something else in the process.


Bah !

You can do it with a TCP and a fine but hot (800) tip. Remember the old one is junk so
need to save that, cut all the pins and remove individually. Clean up with Soder-Wick
and isopropyl alcohol and solder in the new part.

Graham



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Rick Ruskin Rick Ruskin is offline
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Default Alesis Product Support Sucks!

On Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:22:50 +0000, Eeyore
wrote:



Frank Stearns wrote:

Then there's the whole issue of getting out your SMD rework solder station and
putting it in, without breaking the new chip or something else in the process.


Bah !

You can do it with a TCP and a fine but hot (800) tip. Remember the old one is junk so
need to save that, cut all the pins and remove individually. Clean up with Soder-Wick
and isopropyl alcohol and solder in the new part.

Graham



Thanks to an exraordinarily generous offer from Tom Jancauskas of
Imedia Recording in IL, a solution has been found. Thanks again,
Tom.

Rick Ruskin
Lion Dog Music - Seattle WA
http://liondogmusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/rickruskin
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Chris Hornbeck Chris Hornbeck is offline
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Default Alesis Product Support Sucks!

On Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:39:35 -0700, Rick Ruskin
wrote:

Thanks to an exraordinarily generous offer from Tom Jancauskas of
Imedia Recording in IL, a solution has been found. Thanks again,
Tom.


Tom recently sent me *for free* and out of the goodness of his
heart two whole collections of earlier r.a.p CD sets. I'm still
humbled at his generosity.

Much thanks to you both, as always,
Chris Hornbeck
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