Octatrack MK2 - not turning on anymore (burnt component)

[etna]

Today I was jamming with my Octatrack Mk2, left it on idle for 4 hours, and when I came back to it, it was off and it wouldn’t turn on. There was a smell of burnt plastic, so I immediately knew something blew up.

I opened it up, and the only thing I could visually identify to be broken was this component, labeled “U10”. I was unable to find any info on this or reference it with another image of Octatrack’s PCB on the internet.

So the question is, does anyone know what this “U10” component is?
I will try to order the part and solder it, hopefully it will do the trick to make my Octatrack alive again.

[warpigs330]

Are there any other components that look similar but unburnt? My first thought is a tantalum capacitor, but I couldnt expect it to be called U10, I would expect C10 or something else starting with C. the U prefix is normally for chips and things like that rather than small passive components.

EDIT: also tantalum capacitors are known to fail explosively like that, so that also draws me towards the tantalum capacitor conclusion. But I’m not sure.

[sezare56]

@etna

hopefully it will do the trick to make my Octatrack alive again.

Welcome, and good luck !
I’d contact Elektron…

[etna]

I’ve tried to compare it and couldn’t find a good match with another component that is also labeled with the prefix U. The fact that it’s well-cooked doesn’t help to read anything off of it.
The rightmost side is slightly at an angle, opposite of the tantalum capacitors (which have a slight angle on the left side).
Also, the rightmost side appears to be colored yellow, while the rest is black, but I’m not sure if the yellowish color is a result of the burn itself.

[etna]

I’d contact Elektron…

I tried to submit a support ticket regarding this U10 component, but the contact form is not working.
HTTP request initiated on form submit returns a 500 status code (internal server error)

Welcome, and good luck !

Thanks!

[AdamJay]

send email to:

support@elektron.se

[Jukka]

U almost always is the designation of an integrated circuit. ( reference )

Along with replacing the part you need to figure out why it burned out. This is not a typical failure for ICs by themselves. Without that your replacement part may just do the same thing.

[etna]

you need to figure out why it burned out

Since everything else seems fine (i.e not cooked), I’m not sure how to troubleshoot further issues without another functioning octatrack to compare it against.
I did a quick run with a multimeter on some of the components but that’s about it, not sure where to look further.

I guess I have some reverse engineering/learning to do…

[Jukka]

Lots of possibilities. A short is top of the list. When you opened the box did it look dirty. Something as small as a loose blob of solder, or a metal fragment could be shaken around and cause a short. Obviously clean everything else out. Notice the box around the part, there is something special to that. It’s just a jelly bean part, and so looking up the spec sheet when you get a part number will help. It’s not a voltage regulator, or i don’t think it is. Something looks odd to me, but i’m not sure what.

If you’re new to this sort of thing getting qualified help, is recommended.

[etna]

This is the highest image quality of the U10 IC component I could find on the internet.

U10 component is right below the SD card.
Does anyone recognize which IC is this?

[SHS]

u10 refers to the element above. It has 6 pins. the element that has been destroyed is polar capacitor like another on photo.
Replacing it is no problem. However, it is important to determine the cause of such a breakdown.
Although polar capacitors can sometimes fail (explode) literally because of nothing.

[Bunker]

Bear in mind if it’s a polarised cap there’s a good chance it’s sat across the power rails or between ground and a higher potential. If when it’s failed it’s gone short circuit it could be pulling the rail down hence the lack of power.

[Jukka]

That it sits next to the SD card connector is significant, It almost certainly is involved with that interface, so that can focus your search.

ADDED : Is it a driver ?

[jamesstiff]

Looks like a Vishay 4.7μF MnO2 Tantalum Capacitor 16V dc, 293D Series

[Bunker]

Good work

[Jukka]

@Jukka

Something looks odd to me, but i’m not sure what.

That’s what.

[etna]

Great work everyone on the forensics and troubleshooting tips. I placed an ordered for the capacitor.

My plan is to do a detailed inspection and cleanup of the PCB, with focus on the SD card and neighboring components. I’m going to research the specs of the capacitor to understand conditions under which the capacitor can blow up and test for those conditions, apparently Tantalum capacitors are very sensitive to over-voltages.

[Bunker]

Tantrum caps are awful things that can fail for no good reason from my experience. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some underlying fault with your unit. As you can see they can fail spectacularly so when you do replace it make sure your shielded from the component when switching on. Different beast but I’ve dodged polarised caps literally firing of a faulty PCB once. That tends to wake you up!

[Kraus]

Please report back how the fix goes!

[bzskyline]

I had the same issue - Octatrack was left on for a few hours and stopped powering up. Upon inspection, the same capacitor was damaged.

I purchased the Vishay tantalum capacitors linked in this thread, replaced the damaged component, and it powers on. @jamesstiff, @etna - Thank you.

Note - voltage spikes can kill tantalum caps, and my OT was running power through some questionable extension leads (probably not surge protected).
This might be the cause, but its speculative, and I don’t suggest spiking your equipment to find out.