1 (edited by Torniojaws 2010-12-26 12:41:32)

Topic: Fireface 400 died

My FF400 just went completely dead! It will not power on at all from wall power and by FW bus. Just before it died, I heard these horrible high-pitched oscillating noises, and heard sounds like a very high wind blowing into a microphone. The noise would change level depending on which settings I selected for Output level (Hi Gain, +4V, -10V), but no real sound would output (like, playing music).

The FF400 power supply should be fine, and I still see a green light on the power cord connector. But the Fireface itself is now completely lifeless. It also cannot be from a power surge, as I have my whole system protected by a surge protector, and nothing else happened to the system when the FF400 suddenly died.

I used the latest firmware and the driver version 3.032.

Windows 7 64-bit
Asus P6T Deluxe
9 GB DDR3 (3x2GB + 3x1GB)
Built-in network adapter on the motherboard
Belkin Firewire controller card (PCI Express) with Texas Instruments FW chip
ATI Radeon HD4870 PCI Express GPU
No other sound cards installed, integrated sound on motherboard is disabled via BIOS
All sound disappeared completely, and the FF400 disappeared from the system

Re: Fireface 400 died

I tested changing to another power socket, and now it does power on again. But I cannot get output from ANY channels at all. The noise still remains, and I made a video out of it, which I will upload soon.

3 (edited by Torniojaws 2010-12-26 14:26:56)

Re: Fireface 400 died

No matter what I try, there is no sound. Even the FirefaceMixer bars move according to sound, but there is no output whatsoever from any output. It's like the output jacks in the FF400 itself are somehow defunct (or the controller for them?). I've tried many different speakers, cables, headphones etc, which work on another setup, but there is no output with the Fireface.

I even uninstalled the FF400 and reinstalled everything, but no change.

4 (edited by Torniojaws 2010-12-27 01:18:17)

Re: Fireface 400 died

Now this is strange. I changed the Clock Mode around, and there was a high-pitched whine on all modes, except for 32000 Hz. If I use any other internal clocks than 32 kHz, there is no sound at all, only a hiss that seems to follow the sound that plays back, except in pure white noise. But in 32k, the unit works like it should. This is definitely some internal clocking error inside the unit controller! It's like the xtal or prescaler is somehow corrupt?

Of course, when I switch to an application that has a 44,1 kHz file open, the Fireface automatically changes back to 44,1 kHz Internal clock, and again there is only noise and no sound.

The last time I flashed it was back when v1.70 was released, and it worked just fine even after that. But it's strange, since these problems only started in Windows 7. In WinXP, I never had problems like this. But it could just be a coincidence. I've had the Fireface since summer 2007, so maybe it's somehow related to long-term use?

But this still does not explain how the unit just shut down on its own during playback... maybe some buffer got too full with corrupt data? Or some other overflow.

Edit:
There is a cricket (the insect) chirping sound in this 32 kHz setting, no joke! Constant and on time, like a metronome.

Re: Fireface 400 died

Precision engineering indeed. 3 months after the guarantee expired, the device goes dead. Well, I guess this was actually my second RME device: the first and the last.

Re: Fireface 400 died

Hello,

please mail me the unit's serial number and a copy of the invoice, and I'll see what can be done. But only after January 6th...

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Fireface 400 died

Just thought to post this too. I got it after I adjusted the Clock Mode in Fireface Settings:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/juhau/ff-bsod.jpg

8

Re: Fireface 400 died

Wrong thread, it seems...

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Fireface 400 died

The warranty period for this device expired in August, 2009.


Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Fireface 400 died

So always remember to throw away any RME device before you start a recording session, if it's close to the end of the warranty period.

Re: Fireface 400 died

The warranty period is two years, and you purchased the device in 2007. So your FF failed well after the warranty expired. More than a year later, in fact.

That said, a) out-of-warranty does not mean "can not be repaired". It just means you will have to pay for the repair, and b) needless to say, stuff does fail sometimes (sorry)... Whether this happens before or after the warranty expires is obviously a matter of coincidence entirely.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

12 (edited by Torniojaws 2011-01-12 19:18:01)

Re: Fireface 400 died

So how much is your estimate, based on the known facts so far, for the repair? If you don't wish to reply here, you can also e-mail me.

Re: Fireface 400 died

Sorry, no way to make an estimate before the device has actually been checked at the factory. You will get a quote before the repair is carried out.


Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Fireface 400 died

Ok. So what is the procedure? Do I send it to the local specialist listed at the website, or directly to Germany?

Re: Fireface 400 died

I would suggest to send it to the retailer where you purchased it. The local distributor will not likely provide service for devices purchased abroad. You could ask them, though...

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Fireface 400 died

Well, the funny thing is that the local distributor told me to contact the retailer, and the retailer told me to contact you. So I can't get anyone to check/repair it.

Re: Fireface 400 died

Since you purcchased the unit in Germany, you can send it to Synthax also, our german distributor: http://www.synthax.de/en/repair.html

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME